What to do with Huberdeau?

[Sec214]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Sell what?

Two rentals Lucic and Stone!

Bingo - there is a entire roster available for the right price. Exception of Pelt, Rasmus… that’s it.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Coaches and the style they force the team to play have no bearing on player success. It is strictly up to the player to figure it out. Ask Trevor Lawrence. Can you imagine trading for Tom Brady and Julian Edelman and then implementing a run game offensive plan? How much success would you think you have versus how much potential success do you leave on the table?

It's just too easy though ...

Sutter coaches defensive awareness, pressure checking and high probability decisions in the two grey zones.

I can't see him telling his team not to pass the puck across seams and to ring it and only ring it when in the offensive zone.

The team lacks guys that can beat defenders one on one and because of that everything is a pass into traffic with a low probability.

Last year they has two of them.

This year they have Dube, Backlund and Andersson that beat players and create odd man chances.

That's it.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Sec214

Bingo - there is a entire roster available for the right price. Exception of Pelt, Rasmus… that’s it.

If that's your expectation then you're playing a video game and setting yourself up for disappointment.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Do nothing. Give the team another season and then if by US thanksgiving they're still underperforming, then panic. Johnny and Chucky had down years for us too. Not everyone can be good all the time.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by flamesgod

So who's playing centre?

Who cares? It's for fun. Huby can play centre.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Most of this is made up nonsense that goes against actual results and the eye test, so why should anyone take this seriously?

You “could” make a list of players who have taken steps backwards under Sutter, but you didn’t, probably because most of those players also experienced their best season under Sutter.

He refuses to play young players, meanwhile Ruzicka is a full timer and Pelletier is on the second line.

He has terrible deployment of the forward lines, but the majority of the top 9 are having career years offensively.

Your list of “obvious” is primarily subjective noise, and it’s hard to buy the armchair psychological assessment you’re selling.

Huberdeau is not producing. That’s his fault. It’s a harder truth to accept because dealing with that problem is a hell of a lot harder than dealing with a bad coach, but it is what it is. I’m confident he’ll come out of it, but he’s in it because of Huberdeau and no one else, and no amount of blaming Sutter for not playing Pelletier enough is going to turn Huberdeau into a producer.

Taken a step back; Mangiapane, Huberdeau, Weager, Markstrom, thought it was rather obvious but there's your list...

As for "subjective noise"; 25th in the league in power play, 18th in goals for, 10th most pim in the league (top 5 in west conference). Middle of the pack in hits, PK%. All mediocre at best, this falls on the coaching staff, not Huberdeau. Winning solves all, but the current mix of players, staff and management is producing boring, .500 hockey.

And Ruzicka on the 4th line/ healthy scratched 80% of the season counts as playing young players? We will have to wait and see what happens with Pellettier. I know it is out of the question but I just wonder what a Joel Queneville could do with this team.

[Sec214]

Originally Posted by Bingo

If that's your expectation then you're playing a video game and setting yourself up for disappointment.

No video game here buddy; if you want to be bold - Lindholm, Backlund and Hanafin will fetch incredible returns given contract status.

If your satisfied with the product then maybe you only see lewis and lucic as moveable assets. I say you can move anything for the right price.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Do nothing. Give the team another season and then if by US thanksgiving they're still underperforming, then panic. Johnny and Chucky had down years for us too. Not everyone can be good all the time.

Oh for sure not, its been obvious the entire season the forwards are lacking more specifically on the wing.

Flames have to add talent, its badly needed

Not a rental, someone with term

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by flambers

Oh for sure not, its been obvious the entire season the forwards are lacking more specifically on the wing.

Flames have to add talent, its badly needed

Not a rental, someone with term

The thread is what to do with Huberdeau. I said nothing. Let him ride it out. As in don't panic and trade hime or fire Sutter.

Getting more talent up front is the MO for every team in the league and is unquestionably a goal for BT. But it doesn't really answer what to do with Huberdeau?

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

What does that have to do with what to do with Huberdeau?

Huberdeau needs a winger who can score (i.e. Flames lack in skill), add to the roster,

My guess, he will start to produce.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I edited my post, but yeah, that equates to do nothing with huberdeau. Surrounding him with more talent should be a given.

[schteve_d]

Maybe he could have a consultation with the Oilers medical team and end up on LTIR for the next eight years.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Sec214

No video game here buddy; if you want to be bold - Lindholm, Backlund and Hanafin will fetch incredible returns given contract status.

If your satisfied with the product then maybe you only see lewis and lucic as moveable assets. I say you can move anything for the right price.

We're buddies?!

Who said anyone is satisfied? Never said the only players they could trade are UFAs, but historically that's what gets moved at deadlines, and players with term go in the summer.

Once again setting yourself up for disappointment pal! (am I doing that right?)

[Yobbo]

Originally Posted by Igottago

No one (or barely anyone) thought it was the wrong move either. I was excited about the signing. I don't think anyone could have predicted this lack of performance. Maybe one of the sharpest declines of a star player I've ever witnessed. 115pt player to pretty much a complete non factor.



I also think the fans and media have been incredibly patient, I'm surprised its taken this long for the Huberdeau criticism to get its own thread. Much deserved though, right now its a massive issue for the team. It's almost incomprehensible how bad its going for him.

Exactly right. I was pumped as anyone to get both Huberdeau and Weegar signed. As you've said, the decline has been so steep it's almost unbelievable. Huberdeau has many seasons of being a game changing player. It just sucks that he had to fall off a cliff once he became a Flame.

[Sec214]

Originally Posted by Bingo

We're buddies?!

Who said anyone is satisfied? Never said the only players they could trade are UFAs, but historically that's what gets moved at deadlines, and players with term go in the summer.

Once again setting yourself up for disappointment pal! (am I doing that right?)

We're Buddies yes BUCKOBIGNGOBONGO ! What kind of drink do you want?

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I can't see him telling his team not to pass the puck across seams and to ring it and only ring it when in the offensive zone.

No coach would do that. It's ridiculous that people think Sutter is doing that.

The team lacks guys that can beat defenders one on one and because of that everything is a pass into traffic with a low probability.

One of those guys is supposed to be Huberdeau. In Florida, he used to break up plays and cause odd man rushes all the time. He isn't doing that here, and there is no way Sutter is telling him not to.

[Kasi]

I think it’s quite likely Sutter is telling Huberdeau to play defensively responsible. I think it’s fair to say Huberdeaus style in Florida generated a lot of offence but at the same time caused more risk of plays coming back the other way than Sutter likes. I think Sutter has even said so in his post game interviews. He’s been trying to get Huberdeau to play the “right” way which to him means low negative event hockey. This is what you get when you combine a player who thrives on taking risks with a coach who doesn’t want risks to be taken. Reason the top line worked so well last year was that even though they did different stuff to the rest of the team they did it in a nice safe way.

[Delthefunky]

Disappointed with Huberdeau and the season as a whole. The first few games were so exciting, and I thought that was going to be our team this year.

That said, I think you have to stick with it :/. See what kind of moves we can make in the off season.

[CroFlames]

115 point guy on pace for about 50 this year. Dang.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Kasi

I think it’s quite likely Sutter is telling Huberdeau to play defensively responsible. I think it’s fair to say Huberdeaus style in Florida generated a lot of offence but at the same time caused more risk of plays coming back the other way than Sutter likes. I think Sutter has even said so in his post game interviews. He’s been trying to get Huberdeau to play the “right” way which to him means low negative event hockey. This is what you get when you combine a player who thrives on taking risks with a coach who doesn’t want risks to be taken. Reason the top line worked so well last year was that even though they did different stuff to the rest of the team they did it in a nice safe way.

Florida was firewagon for sure.

But there isn't another NHL coach out there that won't tell an offensive player to look after his own zone first in today's NHL.

Once he gets into the offensive zone I'm guessing it's guidelines on turning the puck over at the blueline, and not risking a play if you're the last guy back (remember when Gaudreau used to take it across the offensive blueline and then get the puck knocked off his stick before Sutter came in?)

Playing the right way has never equaled low event hockey.