The trials and tribulations of Glen Gulutzan

[Moneyhands23]

Originally Posted by Racki

I expect us to look terrible, that's what it's come to at this point. Awful feeling.

I live in Victoria and the Nucks fans are all hyped on their team/new coach. Its tough as I was a little outspoken this summer. If we get thumped I wont be able to hit my local for the rest of the year.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Wild GM

Not this. This is a real gear grinder.
First, that saying is NOT the definition of insanity.
Insanity is a state of being seriously mentally ill NOT some tripe about doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.
There is not a single saying in this entire world that I dislike more than that one.
And I don't know why it has become so popular, particularly in the sports world.
/rant

Everyone on the site should change their sig line to "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results".

Could potentially be one of the best internet troll jobs in the history of the internet, in the history of troll jobs. Maybe ever.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by cupofjoe

14-11-1

Unless he has somehow lost the room (i don't think he has), he has done ok and is not going anywhere. Not great, but certainly not as bad as some of the 'professional hockey coaches' in this thread believe.

9-11-6 in regulation. Given how many easy opponents we've had to this point of the season, we really should not be having to rely on 3 on 3 overtime to inflate our record. And our playoff odds reflect this. We're barely a 1 in 3 shot at making it right now.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by cznTiburon

I find it funny that this is a problem that is hung on the coach. He has been very vocal about it in the media and obviously what he has been doing isn't working well but this is 100% on the players. They need to get their asses together and get mentally prepared to play the damn game. Gulutzan is in a position to direct but if the players are going to continue to be incompetent there is only so much he can do.

When people say the team isn't ready to play, they don't mean that the guys don't care, or aren't passionate. It's not a lack of emotion that is being referenced, it's that they are not ready in the right way. Occasionally, a lack of emotion or desire to play will actually be a problem with individual players, but not all 20 at once, on a regular basis. That's not what we're talking about here.

When people say the team isn't ready, they mean that the prepared gameplan, and the mindset, is wrong.

First the mindset: Gulutzan constantly talks about 50/50 hockey; he talks about being prepared for what the other team is going to bring; he talks about good positional hockey; and he talks about not making mistakes.

These are all good things to discuss, but in the aggregate, what we get is a coach that is always talking about reacting to the other team, as opposed to instilling their own will. What the Flames rarely do under Gulutzan is dictate the play - they react to what the other team is doing. And they don't adjust - at least not quickly enough.

As for the gameplan, the same issues come up. Everything is about reacting to the other team, focusing on positioning, focusing on sticks in lanes (as opposed to maybe a body check once in a while). He (via his staff) puts Brouwer on the PP. He started the 4th line Saturday. AGAIN. He put the 4th line out after Bennett made it 6-2.

Look at the comments from the assistant coach after the game Saturday. He said that Gulutzan talked about the players being nervous and playing nervous. Yeah, because you have them thinking about positioning instead of thinking about running the Oilers pathetic D through the end boards.

He talks about how they need to relax and play relaxed, which is fine for regular games (like Thursday against ARI), but hockey is a game of passion, and when the other team cranks it up, the Flames aren't ready.

People talk about the Flames being slow. They aren't slow. When they are skating, and playing a transitional game, they can skate with any team. The problem, IMO, is that they are being told to slow things down. You can see it in their play - they look to slow it down on many occasions through a game. These are things that are dictated by the coaching staff.

The Flames are -10 in the first period. Only Buffalo is worse. Even Edmonton is only -8. As NewEra pointed out, the Flames have taken a lead into the 3rd period 3 times in their last 26 games. They are 41-44-23 in regulation under Gulutzan. The only thing keeping them afloat is their stellar 18-5 record in OT and SOs.

Anyone who says 'they are above .500 and playing ok' is not paying attention.

Not being ready, in the context of these discussions, means being prepared in the wrong way. It doesn't mean they're all lazy.

[GirlySports]

if we lose tonight it should be an instant firing.

and yes i've heard it more than once that GG does not match lines. He just wants to get the top line out whenever he wants. Even if it's top line against top line.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

When people say the team isn't ready to play, they don't mean that the guys don't care, or aren't passionate. It's not a lack of emotion that is being referenced, it's that they are not ready in the right way. Occasionally, a lack of emotion or desire to play will actually be a problem with individual players, but not all 20 at once, on a regular basis. That's not what we're talking about here.

{{snip}}

I don't often agree with Enoch Root, but this -- absolutely.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by taxbuster

I don't often agree with Enoch Root, but this -- absolutely.

well, there's your problem

[Tron_fdc]

All I can say is IMO teams generally take on the persona of the coach. So it's no coincidence this team plays like timid sheep, and generally looks like they don't care half the time. We have no identity, no passion, and look like we're trying to be a bunch of robots skating around making statistically correct plays.

I firmly believe this team would do a 180 if we had a coach like Sutter behind the bench. GG is better off as an analyst or assistant, and should be feeding a coach analytics to be used as a tool in his decisions, but not necessarily a roadmap to their success. Gulutzan is a smart guy and has a lot of unique insights, but he just doesn't have what it takes to take this team over the top IMO.

This roster can challenge for a cup. This coach can't.

[nemanja2306]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

if we lose tonight it should be an instant firing.

and yes i've heard it more than once that GG does not match lines. He just wants to get the top line out whenever he wants. Even if it's top line against top line.

We all talk about firing GG but I don't know how realistic it is. You would have to imagine there would be some rumblings about him being on the hotseat if he was close to being fired.

Unfortunately.

[Jiri Hrdina]

My growing concern is that the mix of players is not right. In the salary cap era NHL it is increasingly becoming about if you have the right combination of players.
The Flames aren't particularly fast
The Flames aren't particularly big
The Flames don't play a heavy game

So what are they?
I think they have some high end skill for sure.
But when you think about "how they are going to win" the answer isn't clear.

I think too many of their top line players are too passive. You can have some of those but I would suggest overall Tkachuk, Backlund, and Gio are the only ones in the core that really have a lot of sandpiper. Ferland does but still isn't consistent enough with it (though I have zero complaints about him overall)
If Sam can continue to find his game, he is another who certainly has grit.

And for those saying the team is timid because of the coach, I don't agree. Some of these guys (Monny, Hamilton, etc) just don't have that in them.

I would be in favor of moving out a piece like Brodie or even Hamilton to bring in a core player with more grit.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Wild GM

My growing concern is that the mix of players is not right. In the salary cap era NHL it is increasingly becoming about if you have the right combination of players.
The Flames aren't particularly fast
The Flames aren't particularly big
The Flames don't play a heavy game

So what are they?
I think they have some high end skill for sure.
But when you think about "how they are going to win" the answer isn't clear.

I think too many of their top line players are too passive. You can have some of those but I would suggest overall Tkachuk, Backlund, and Gio are the only ones in the core that really have a lot of sandpiper. Ferland does but still isn't consistent enough with it (though I have zero complaints about him overall)
If Sam can continue to find his game, he is another who certainly has grit.

The Flames don't have a lot of grit, but if Sutter were the coach, they would play with a hell of a lot more than they do now. Grit is as much a mindset as it is an attribute of certain players.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

The Flames don't have a lot of grit, but if Sutter were the coach, they would play with a hell of a lot more than they do now. Grit is as much a mindset as it is an attribute of certain players.

Some times it is. But not always.
I'm quite sure that Sutter would want some changes to the roster to support his style.

[Enoch Root]

Note: should have looked myself instead of just quoting another poster...

The Flames have held the lead 9 times after 2 periods, not 3.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

We all talk about firing GG but I don't know how realistic it is. You would have to imagine there would be some rumblings about him being on the hotseat if he was close to being fired.

Unfortunately.

Yeah I have a feeling Treliving is going to stick with his guy for this season even if it means missing the playoffs.

[Toonage]

Posted this in the What do the team practices look like thread. Maybe more appropriate here. Just my thoughts:

Yeah I don't believe emotion or lack thereof is a concern with Gulutzan. I think its how he wants the team to play and their inability to execute that plan. As someone (or multiple people here) noted, the team is afraid to make mistakes as their gameplan falls apart if they aren't on point.

Gulutzan clearly is trying to drill this into them during practices but the execution is lacking which points to a system that would appear to be just too complicated. This helps explain slow starts to not only the games themselves giving the impression the team isn't prepared but also slow starts to the past few seasons.

It also explains (to me) why they never change their gameplan against certain teams and why those games go worse than others. A one size fits all approach to opponents and the inability to execute it and a fear of screwing it up.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Wild GM

I would suggest overall Tkachuk, Backlund, and Gio are the only ones in the core that really have a lot of sandpiper.

The Calgary Sandpipers

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Note: should have looked myself instead of just quoting another poster...

The Flames have held the lead 9 times after 2 periods, not 3.

Yeah, 3 is how many times they've had the lead after first period. Which is league worst.

[Resolute 14]

We have Ferland on the top line, Tkachuk on the second, Bennett on the third, Hathaway on the fourth and Gio on the back end. There's plenty of grit. The coach's system just doesn't value playing gritty.

Same, as noted by Enoch Root, with speed. The coach wants a slow, patient game. The system inherently inhibits our speed.

I completely agree that our mix of players is not right for Gulutzan's system. A good coach, however, would adapt his system to get the most out of what he has. Our coach stubbornly just keeps trying to pound that square peg into the round hole.

[Racki]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

We all talk about firing GG but I don't know how realistic it is.

I've mentioned it before but I think the trade for Hamonic will play into Gulutzan's future. Treliving will be humiliated if the Islanders end up with a top 5-8 pick from the Flames that received in the Hamonic deal.

There is going to be a sense of urgency to ensure that this season does not come off the rails.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Yeah I have a feeling Treliving is going to stick with his guy for this season even if it means missing the playoffs.

I would expect so too.

However... if they miss the playoffs, with him having traded his 1st and 2nd round picks away, and then he fires the coach - his coach - I would think that would be the end for Treliving as well.

That being the case, I think he has to make a decision by the 40 game mark, or around New Year's. He simply can't let the team miss the playoffs.

And the thing is, the perfect short-term-solution is not too far away.