[News] Righting the ship: Ward's decision to change direction (Athletic)

[dangler22]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

That's pretty harsh. A, he's a good guy - his charity stuff proves that. B, the beer stuff was pretty real - the team was in a slump, he broke the ice to talk with them and they had a bit of a turnaround. He didn't brag, that's just what happened. The stick toss was an act, I'll give that. The 1st round exit was not good, but that year the Ducks were darned good. Getzlaf was PPG, Gibson was prime Gibson (not the shell we saw last night), and they had maybe the best top 4 D in the league. They went three rounds.

Gulutzan was the absolute worst coach ever. Good guy or not, he wasted two seasons of our prime aged players.

Also Gibson is still prime Gibson. He's only 26 years old and although it's not his best year he's still easily one of the best goalies in the league. Problem is the team is absolute garbage.

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by browna

Yup, I had broken down those stats that Backlund goals were not assisted by his linemates, and only 30% of his linemates goals in that time period had his name beside it, but it was pretty clear with the eye test that SM and JG wanted nothing to do with Backlund as a viable option to pass to, after the first week of games.

That's probably the "hard conversation" quoted in the artifle: JG and SM basically probably told Ward that they think he is basically an anchor on that line because he's not getting in the tough and rough spots that he needs to be to convert the chances they create, or something along those lines.

The fact that the first line wasn't clicking was clear with an eye test, and stats overwhelmingly showing how those three forwards were not a match...but instead of team full of coaches observing, and a group of basic and or advanced stats guys, it has to take two of the players to alert the coach to that, 2 months later?

Something is fishy here, either the coaches are completely unaware of how they too line is working together, or they told JG and SM to deal with it weeks ago, and now Ward is given delayed praise to SM and JG for being right back then, and this change was made a few weeks too late.

Yes, your post breakdown was where I was getting my context from.

It's a very facile story.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Didn't read the story, so I don't know about throwing "heaps of praise" Wards way, but I do think he deserves some credit here.

He took over the team in unprecedented circumstances. They were not playing well and the head coach gets fired for racism/abuse. This season could have easily gone off the rails at that point. Instead, they got a bump with the change, albeit with continuing consistency issues.

The Lindholm/Backlund move was a fairly gutsy change, in an effort to improve down the middle and spread scoring. That was a good idea. A good idea that ultimately failed. There have been numerous posts about hating the blender, but also numerous complaints about sticking with Backlund on the wing for too long. It may not be perfect, but Ward has shown he is willing to make changes (unlike Gully), but also will listen and back off from mistakes. Just not sure what more one can expect.

To me the more important change has been the most recent uptick on pace and forechecking. That is the style this team needs to excel in my opinion, and I hope they can stick to it the rest of the way. Some posters will probably think that it was obvious and Ward should receive no credit, but again, this guy took over part way through the year for a team teetering on the brink. No training camp of his own to try things. Only an interim head coach. That isn't an easy situation.

The Flames may well can Ward at the end of the season and hire a more known commodity, but I am very wary of making that change and assuming the new coach will get better results. Brent Sutter, anyone?

[David Struch]

Why can't the Flames have it both ways, I don't think this line combination has this been tried yet...

Dubé - Lindholm - Tkachuk
Gaudreau - Monahan - Mangiapane
Bennett - Backlund - Rieder
Lucic - Ryan - Rinaldo
Jankowski

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dangler22

Gulutzan was the absolute worst coach ever. Good guy or not, he wasted two seasons of our prime aged players.

Also Gibson is still prime Gibson. He's only 26 years old and although it's not his best year he's still easily one of the best goalies in the league. Problem is the team is absolute garbage.

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

I wasn’t talking about GG’s coaching.

Not his best year? Gibson has been terrible. Was starting to slip last year too.

[Manhattanboy]

Ship is taking on water badly and starting to sink.

[gvitaly]

Watching the Flames this year is like the game of thrones. As soon as you start thinking they’ve righted the ship, a dragon shows up and burns the entire fleet. At least that’s my take on things. Not sure how much of the Chicago game was missing 2 of their best defenders, and how much was relaxing after a big win.

At this point I don’t know who to blame for the consistency of the team. The players? The coach? The system? The GM for the wrong mix of players?

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

At this point I don’t know who to blame for the consistency of the team. The players? The coach? The system? The GM for the wrong mix of players?

The coach isn't telling them to go out there and play lazy, uninspired, no-defence hockey. That lack of effort and commitment is mostly on the players IMO.

However, I do think the Flames need to hire an experienced coach who knows how to push the right buttons and properly motivate an NHL team. I also think it's time to make a couple of big trades and shake things up, because whatever they're doing right now is clearly not working.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by direwolf

The coach isn't telling them to go out there and play lazy, uninspired, no-defence hockey.

I hate this argument. Nobody thinks that he is. He just isn't teaching/motivating them not to.

[868904]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

Watching the Flames this year is like the game of thrones. As soon as you start thinking they’ve righted the ship, a dragon shows up and burns the entire fleet. At least that’s my take on things. Not sure how much of the Chicago game was missing 2 of their best defenders, and how much was relaxing after a big win.

At this point I don’t know who to blame for the consistency of the team. The players? The coach? The system? The GM for the wrong mix of players?

That would imply the Flames were doing things right but just vested by something better, which isn’t the case. The Flames are the Starks who made stupid mistake after stupid mistake costing them everything.

It’s getting really hard to defend Treliving with his lack of activity. I get the trades falling through but this coach thing is ridiculous. It’s like he was gifted a redo with the Peters thing and he’s just sat on his hands the whole time. He made the proper assessment two Summers age that this team is too immature and needs a hard ass coach and a leader, nothing has changed. You lost your leader and hard ass coach and you’ve been running with a coach who lets the players run the asylum.

Sure things have changed and you can’t be as “hard” as you use to be but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a “hard” coach.

Hire Darryl or Laviolette already. If you say Laviolette doesn’t want the job, well I’m sure Darryl does. There’s a reason why Darryl took a consultant position with the Ducks so he stay close to the game and step in to the right situation. THIS IS the right situation. I’m sure Edwards is asking Tre everyday why the hell he hasn’t hired Darryl yet.

[Erick Estrada]

It's too late to hire a new head coach. It's highly unlikely any of the top coaching candidates will want to come in cold with 20 games left in the season and try to implement his system while holding on to a tenuous playoff position or one of them would have likely been announced as the new head coach of the Wild. I think most of us realize Ward isn't an NHL caliber head coach (fluff pieces like this article won't change that) but these are the cards the GM has left in his deck.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

It's too late to hire a new head coach. It's highly unlikely any of the top coaching candidates will want to come in cold with 20 games left in the season and try to implement his system while holding on to a tenuous playoff position or one of them would have likely been announced as the new head coach of the Wild. I think most of us realize Ward isn't an NHL caliber head coach (fluff pieces like this article won't change that) but these are the cards the GM has left in his deck.

Yeah, I don’t really get the criticism of Treliving over Ward. I don’t even really get all the anxiety over Ward’s performance. The guy is an interim HC. The next real coach of the Flames will be hired in the summer.

[I_H8_Crawford]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Yeah, I don’t really get the criticism of Treliving over Ward. I don’t even really get all the anxiety over Ward’s performance. The guy is an interim HC. The next real coach of the Flames will be hired in the summer.

Yep, can't wait to see what no-name and/or inexperienced unproven winner BT brings in next, while not even talking to any of the established talent available.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

Yep, can't wait to see what no-name and/or inexperienced unproven winner BT brings in next, while not even talking to any of the established talent available.

I agree that Treliving’s hiring process has been bad.

[Calgary4LIfe]

What is interesting to consider is the story that came out right before Peters was hired. The owners were rumoured to want Darryl Sutter back.


I can't imagine the owners this time around are going to be sitting back and allowing Treliving to hire another no-name guy. I do think Treliving has the autonomy to hire who he wants, but I do think that the owners are going to be suggesting Darryl again, or at least suggesting a more veteran coach with a good track record.


Treliving has bought too much into the Babcockian Church with his back-to-back hirings of Gulutzan and Peters. Who else from that realm is available (I mean, outside of Babcock himself which no team is going to touch for a very long time, if at all).

[Flash Walken]

I don't think treliving has any autonomy at all.

How could one possibly believe that after how the last season and a half have gone?

[Toonage]

He'll always have to answer to ownership. I think his last contract gave him the power to sidestep King/Bean etc.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Toonage

He'll always have to answer to ownership. I think his last contract gave him the power to sidestep King/Bean etc.

I think this is pablum for the masses.

Even the notion that it didn't used to be this way is an admission that it probably still is.

[Hey Connor, It's Mess]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I don't think treliving has any autonomy at all.

How could one possibly believe that after how the last season and a half have gone?

Do you think King is still a road block or has he been effectively sidelined. I think Edwards has his fingers in the pie and nixed that Zucker deal.

[Toonage]

^^Could be. I don't know any team where a major hire or expenditure doesn't need a sign off from ownership. Previously he had to check with the King's of the world who then decides whether it was worth approaching ownership or not. Maybe the "autonomy" he was afforded was an express lane. Maybe it was a certain value allowed to move on before he spoke with upper management. Honestly don't know. Just know that he was given more freedoms with his previous contract and I assume the extension is the same.