Practice notes May 12 - Adam Ruzicka joins main practice group

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Then give him no choice.

Shut down Leivo, Nordstrom, and Ritchie for the year.

I imagine the GM and head coach have discussed this and this is the direction the head coach wants to go. Darryl Sutter will never coach to lose a game. In his mind he would rather finish the season by winning four in a row over the Canucks than sitting players and turning the games into exhibition. Maybe that's the right way to go about it when you are trying to change the culture?

[neo45]

I respect that Darryl isn’t the kind of guy to tank and not try to win every game

But he also needs to learn from his mistakes when he was running this franchise. He wasn’t giving young players chances, room to grow etc, and it cost him his job eventually.

This org has sunk a ton of resources into developing players like Kylington, Phillips, Ruizcka. There eventually needs to be a “sink or swim” opportunity at the NHL level to see what you have. Otherwise you’re drafting and developing talent to rot in the press box or lead an AHL team nowhere?

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I imagine the GM and head coach have discussed this and this is the direction the head coach wants to go. Darryl Sutter will never coach to lose a game. In his mind he would rather finish the season by winning four in a row over the Canucks than sitting players and turning the games into exhibition. Maybe that's the right way to go about it when you are trying to change the culture?

I agree to not shut down everyone like Boston did, but no reason to play guys with little to no future here.

No reason the lines can't be:

Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Dube-Ryan-Phillips
Nordstrom-Backlund-Mangiapane
Lucic -Ruzicka-Gawdin

Giordano-Tanev
Kylington -Andersson
Valimaki-Mackey

Personally don't think sitting Nesterov, Stone, Richie, or Leivo means this team is "tanking".

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I agree to not shut down everyone like Boston did, but no reason to play guys with little to no future here.

No reason the lines can't be:

Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Dube-Ryan-Phillips
Nordstrom-Backlund-Mangiapane
Lucic -Ruzicka-Gawdin

Giordano-Tanev
Kylington -Andersson
Valimaki-Mackey

Personally don't think sitting Nesterov, Stone, Richie, or Leivo means this team is "tanking".

There's no way Darryl should be sitting Stone. He's the one guy on the whole roster who has outproduced expectations all year. A meritocracy would not sit him.

[jg13]

Why do I cheer for this team

[Freeway]

This was Ruzicka's first skate with the main group all season. The idea is to see if he can keep up with NHL practice pace before throwing him in, most likely.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

There's no way Darryl should be sitting Stone. He's the one guy on the whole roster who has outproduced expectations all year. A meritocracy would not sit him.

This is fair actually.

Nesterov shouldn't be playing for sure then

[Reggie Dunlop]

Good for Rosie.... if he can't sort out his motivational issues now, he never will.

[Savvy27]

Originally Posted by neo45

I respect that Darryl isn’t the kind of guy to tank and not try to win every game

But he also needs to learn from his mistakes when he was running this franchise. He wasn’t giving young players chances, room to grow etc, and it cost him his job eventually.

The strange thing is that he has had some success as a coach in the past going with young guys. In 2003-04 he played quite a few young players a lot.

Matthew Lombardi - 22yo - 79GP
Oleg Saprykin - 23yo - 69GP
Chuck Kobasew - 22yo - 70GP
Robyn Regeher - 24yo - 82GP
Jordan Leopold - 24yo - 82GP

And in 2013-14 in LA he had two 21 year olds in Pearson and Toffoli playing regularly.

I suppose he actually has played Valimaki a ton and it could be that he just doesn't like Kylington. Without a training camp, maybe Mackey, Phillips and Ruszicka just had no opportunity to make an impression on Sutter for him to see them as players who can help the team win. Probably doesn't help that the Heat had a horrendous season.

[dammage79]

Sutter was Garuuuuuuummmmpy today in his presser.

No Francis to annoy him but a couple.of reporters took some heat. Leslie for sure and the first guy who asked questions.

[Drunk Uncle]

You play your full line-up if you want to change the system for next year.

If that is the goal, I get it. Phillips and Ruzicka will get a chance to make an impression at camp next year.

[mile]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Sutter was Garuuuuuuummmmpy today in his presser.

No Francis to annoy him but a couple.of reporters took some heat. Leslie for sure and the first guy who asked questions.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1392554475202568194

3:50. That was awkward.

Liked that he talked about the expectations that were placed on the team because of the bubble by the talking heads who didn’t follow them too well.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Savvy27

The strange thing is that he has had some success as a coach in the past going with young guys. In 2003-04 he played quite a few young players a lot.

Matthew Lombardi - 22yo - 79GP
Oleg Saprykin - 23yo - 69GP
Chuck Kobasew - 22yo - 70GP
Robyn Regeher - 24yo - 82GP
Jordan Leopold - 24yo - 82GP

And in 2013-14 in LA he had two 21 year olds in Pearson and Toffoli playing regularly.

I suppose he actually has played Valimaki a ton and it could be that he just doesn't like Kylington. Without a training camp, maybe Mackey, Phillips and Ruszicka just had no opportunity to make an impression on Sutter for him to see them as players who can help the team win. Probably doesn't help that the Heat had a horrendous season.

TBF, Oleg was gone the next year, and Kobasew and Leopold only lasted 2 more seasons with Darryl before he cut them loose. Lombardi lasted until he was traded for Jokinen. I’m not sure a 5 year vet like Reg counts.

There’s always examples of young guys he likes and plays. Gio, Dion, Doughty, Muzzin, But they seem to be exceptions, and against his preference.

[bubbsy]

if guys like Ruzicka, Phillips, valimaki, kylington aren't being given high volume of minutes in the remaining games (ie. pp/pk, not bottom line/pairings, etc) it really does bring into question the general intelligence level of the decision makers

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Sutter was Garuuuuuuummmmpy today in his presser.

No Francis to annoy him but a couple.of reporters took some heat. Leslie for sure and the first guy who asked questions.

Seems a little unnecessary when good people like Leslie are just doing their jobs. Calgary media is the softest of the Canadian markets as it is and the grumpy pants act is a little old.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by mile

https://twitter.com/user/status/1392554475202568194

3:50. That was awkward.

Liked that he talked about the expectations that were placed on the team because of the bubble by the talking heads who didn’t follow them too well.

Leslie started OK, and I didn’t mind either the “deflating” question or the “no it wasn’t” answer. The “predetermed” on set DS off, for sure.

Interesting Sutter pegs Monahan’s injury at 20 games (I imagine that’s a round number, but still an idea of the magnitude).

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Seems a little unnecessary when good people like Leslie are just doing their jobs. Calgary media is the softest of the Canadian markets as it is and the grumpy pants act is a little old.

TBF, Leslie's was trying to put words in mouth fishing for soundbites and Sutter wasn't having none of it.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by mile

https://twitter.com/user/status/1392554475202568194

3:50. That was awkward.

Liked that he talked about the expectations that were placed on the team because of the bubble by the talking heads who didn’t follow them too well.

Ryan Leslie asking Sutter ‘how deflating was…?’ and when he didn’t get the answer he liked, asking ‘how deflating was.. ?’ again. Then following with the predetermined.

I chuckled. Why on earth would he ask Darryl that question. Looking for a rough ride? Poking the bear?

[Savvy27]

Listening to Sutter, I just can't imagine that there aren't a lot of roster changes coming. When he says things like the media were basing expectations wrongly on what happened in the bubble and that the roster was a 4-6 quality in the division from the outset, it just seems like there has to be change, because they don't have prospects who are going to come in at a level that improves the roster substantially.

If you contrast that with how Treliving has talked about this season being very disappointing compared to expectations, there seems to be a real difference of opinion there.

[Erick Estrada]

Darryl does contradict himself though as on one hand he's saying he was brought in to straighten out the team which alludes to an underachieving team. On the other he's saying the team was never that good, not a top 3 team in the division and would fight for the 4th. Going by his low expectations the team didn't really underachieve so I'm not exactly clear what he was brought in to straighten out?

Also throws a big of shade on Ward and Treliving when saying there was a lot of work to do to get the team to play the right way and keeps talking about how mediocre the roster is and as said above his and Treliving's expectations of the roster seem to be totally different.