The Flames' handling/plan for Zayne Parekh..

[JayP]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

LOL the latter is exactly what a lot of people have advocated, citing Karlsson as a positive example.

And "balance in developmental philosophy" is exactly what has been said by actual players about Huska, and what is borne out by the results for players he's coached, versus the hyperbole that all the clear-eyed "non-homers" seem to spout, like how he stifles players or destroys their confidence.

Yes, Huska is well known for developing offensive talent at the NHL level which is well displayed in the Flames goal scoring prowess and creativity in offensive systems.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by JayP

Yes, that's very obvious. Did watching Parekh play with the Flames feel like a guy who could make a mistake and not be afraid of getting benched?

You obviously want Parekh to develop his defensive game but developing offense at the pro level is not as easy as stereotypical hockey culture acts like it is.

Watching Parekh play felt like watching a 19 year old kid learning the NHL. For a guy who was being told not to take chances, he sure got caught a lot. And he was never benched in a game. He was given time (like any kid) to observe, and then he was re-inserted.

Huska is not doing things differently than any other coach.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by JayP

Yes, that's very obvious. Did watching Parekh play with the Flames feel like a guy who could make a mistake and not be afraid of getting benched?

You obviously want Parekh to develop his defensive game but developing offense at the pro level is not as easy as stereotypical hockey culture acts like it is.

He looked like a 19 year old Dman. How many of those are NHL ready? He also looked like a guy who got hammered a couple of times.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by JayP

Yes, Huska is well known for developing offensive talent at the NHL level which is well displayed in the Flames goal scoring prowess and creativity in offensive systems.

Look at the "talent" he's worked with.

But for all that, Coleman had a career year under Huska, Kadri had his second best year, Coronato has done just fine, Andersson was on his way to a career year. In the minors he developed Mangiapane, Andersson and Kylington (and even Wotherspoon was putting up numbers). the Kelowna Rockets under him were a high scoring team.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

It feels like bizzaro world when looking at this roster and seeing people put blame on the coach for lack of offense.

They don't score much because it's a really bad team.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

It feels like bizzaro world when looking at this roster and seeing people put blame on the coach for lack of offense.

They don't score much because it's a really bad team.

No one blamed the coach. I simply said the state that Huska is an offensive development mastermind is ridiculous. The Flames roster is not good but is it a worst goals for in the league two years in a row bad? No, that's a complete stylist choice to try to win low-event games 2-1.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by JayP

No one blamed the coach. I simply said the state that Huska is an offensive development mastermind is ridiculous. The Flames roster is not good but is it a worst goals for in the league two years in a row bad? No, that's a complete stylist choice to try to win low-event games 2-1.

That would be ridiculous if anyone actually said it. Who was it that made that claim, anyway?

And it's second worst goals for this year, thank you very much. St. Louis is worse, and that team has better offensive players.

Last season they were 6th worst, not worst, BTW. Last place was the obviously offence stifling San Jose Sharks, followed by the well known defensive strategist Andrew Brunette with Nashville (Brunette coaxed 115 points out of Huberdeau that one time but oh well).

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by JayP

No one blamed the coach. I simply said the state that Huska is an offensive development mastermind is ridiculous. The Flames roster is not good but is it a worst goals for in the league two years in a row bad? No, that's a complete stylist choice to try to win low-event games 2-1.

The Flames are looking to trade their #1 centre to be a #3 on a contender.

[Lanny_McDonald]

The Flames hands here are kind of tied with Parekh's development. He's clearly too good for junior, but to physically immature for the pros. The smart play would have been to send him down to junior with explicit instructions on his physical and defensive improvement plans. Better to have him learn the defensive side of the game in junior against physically immature players than against men who can hurt Parekh in regular play. The kid needs to put on a lot of muscle and learn how to deal with the more physical nature of the pro game. It's come pretty easy to Parekh so far, so he needs to take on this little bit of adversity and develop as a pro.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Watching Parekh play felt like watching a 19 year old kid learning the NHL. For a guy who was being told not to take chances, he sure got caught a lot. And he was never benched in a game. He was given time (like any kid) to observe, and then he was re-inserted.

Huska is not doing things differently than any other coach.

I would say that that's the problem. Doing the same things as every other mediocre coach is not a good thing. Which is literally the point of this thread - Parekh isn't a normal hockey player so trying to develop him like every other defenseman in typical old-school hockey fashion is an issue. The idea of "watching in the press box" being lauded is hilarious. Do people realize that was only a thing because of technical limitations? Parekh can watch back all of his or any other players shifts in any replay angle he wants to with the coaching staff. What does watching the same thing live do?

Regardless, Huska is not doing things how other coaches have actually. The typical prototype for an young offensive defenseman is to pair them with a rock solid defense-first partner and let them cook on the powerplay. Kevin Bahl is right there. Instead, he gets a revolving door of replacement level waiver claims as partners. And second pairing powerplay time on a team with a last place powerplay (especially early on) and no true powerplay QB.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

The Flames hands here are kind of tied with Parekh's development. He's clearly too good for junior, but to physically immature for the pros. The smart play would have been to send him down to junior with explicit instructions on his physical and defensive improvement plans. Better to have him learn the defensive side of the game in junior against physically immature players than against men who can hurt Parekh in regular play. The kid needs to put on a lot of muscle and learn how to deal with the more physical nature of the pro game. It's come pretty easy to Parekh so far, so he needs to take on this little bit of adversity and develop as a pro.

I think pro physicality is an issue for him. I'm not sure he learns the defensive side there though - junior is so loosely goosey and Saginaw is worst the OHL for goals against (middle of the pack in goals for).

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by JayP

No one blamed the coach. I simply said the state that Huska is an offensive development mastermind is ridiculous. The Flames roster is not good but is it a worst goals for in the league two years in a row bad? No, that's a complete stylist choice to try to win low-event games 2-1.

My post wasn't directed at you, just in general.

And yes, many people here have blamed the coach for just about everything, daily. Including Zayne's play. It's weird.

[FlamesAddiction]

If you turn the puck over and get pinned in your own zone, you're going to get fewer chances to demonstrate your offense. That's just factor of having 2 zones.

I guarantee you that Huska wants Parekh to play in the offensive zone as much as possible so he can contribute offensively. Sometimes that means making simpler plays to keep the puck in the offensive zone or to get it out of the defensive zone efficiently. Every single coach in the NHL has that same philosophy, the main difference is player execution and learning when to make a higher risk play versus just moving the puck forward by any means.

I am sure once Parekh gets more used to the NHL pace and aggression level, his skill will show more and he'll get a better feel for the risk management side of making certain plays at certain times. At that point, no one is holding him back. Some things are just far less risky to do in junior than the NHL and that is what they want him to figure out without getting overwhelmed. That will come with time and fans just need to be patient. Until then, you just need to shelter him and give him easier minutes so he doesn't get beaten down.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

My post wasn't directed at you, just in general.

And yes, many people here have blamed the coach for just about everything, daily. Including Zayne's play. It's weird.

I don't blame Huska.

He's a defense-first coach that is given a mediocre roster and (accurately) evaluated that his best strategy to make the playoffs is to stifle the offense by focusing on low-event, low-chance games where you can hope your goalie outplays the other guy and you can squeeze out 2-1 wins or get to OT.

The problem is that the organizational goal should be focused on development and not making the playoffs. Making the playoffs is irrelevant. So letting Huska coach however he wants is a failing of the organization. But the organization has the same goals as Huska and sees making the playoffs as a success instead only worrying about winning a Cup in the future.

The style of game the Flames play will maximize their playoff chances but it does not maximize the development of their offensive-minded prospects.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by JayP

No one blamed the coach. I simply said the state that Huska is an offensive development mastermind is ridiculous. The Flames roster is not good but is it a worst goals for in the league two years in a row bad? No, that's a complete stylist choice to try to win low-event games 2-1.

2 things can be true: we are offensively challenged because of our players. But the system we play makes us score less goals as well.

We play the most boring, passive trap system in the league, and low event hockey. You are not going to score many goals playing that way. Our power play is pretty stagnant for the most part and not very creative either.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Huska has been great at developing kids so far. I doubt Parekh will be the exception here.


He is already giving Brzustewicz his 'next step' by inserting him into one of the PP units.


As for wanting to make Parekh play defence - of course he wants that, and he should! Parekh was fine so far - a couple of misreads, and he is getting out-muscled for now on puck-battles, but he has been fine. He doesn't fit into the team not because of the system, but the overall lack of skill on the roster, and the Flames were particularly awful overall offensively while Parekh was playing (not saying it was his fault - was just one of the tougher periods of the season). Huska had him playing PP1. He wouldn't have given Parekh that reward if Parekh didn't deserve it. Huska and Conroy have stated numerous times that Parekh is a special player, and that they don't want to change his game.


I think people are overly concerned about Huska being some kind of a stifling coach because the Flames don't score much. They don't score much because they aren't skilled, contrary to what some people believe. This team is one of the lowest-skilled teams in the league, period.


Sure, Huska can 'open things up' a bit more and allow them to play run-and-gun for now. Is that really a benefit, however? Maybe if Huberdeau was brought up in a better system, he would be a better player within this system today? Huberdeau was bound for a large regression since Zito revamped Florida. Out went players that couldn't play a playoff-style of game, and in came players that did. They had a rather smooth transition because of some of the existing pieces like Barkov (elite at that type of a game), and getting a winger like Tkachuk who is good defensively (since he was brought-up and developed in that environment).


Run-and-gun doesn't work in the playoffs. One team that really strikes me as a team that flopped hard by trying to play a more offensive style was the Oilers in the Hall-Eberle-RNH-Yakupov era. That team was easy to play against. Coach after coach came in and tried to get them to flip that switch, but weren't able to.


I don't mind as much if Conroy decides to 'burn it to the ground' (though one could make an argument that they are there already), as I think it is possible to build it back up, as long as you retain a certain style of play. If we bring up all these kids in an environment that is conducive to Huberdeau getting a bunch of points, what are we doing then? Developing more Huberdeaus, right?


Take a look at how Calgary actually plays offensively. Can anyone make the argument that Huska is stifling this team when we just watched Whitecloud in on a 2-on-1? I would have thought that Huska would have told him what is and isn't acceptable. We all saw Rasums pinch and be involved in odd-man rushes - in fact, every defencemen. Is Calgary just dumping and chasing and trying to live and die off the cycle like they were under Brent Sutter? Absolutely not - they often carry the puck in (or attempt to!), and rely on the dump when the other team is standing up at the blue-line.


What about the old tired line of: "They are a shot volume team shooting from the perimeter - nothing dangerous." Baloney. They are trying to generate high danger chances with plenty of back-door plays and bumper plays. They just lack talent, period. They are whiffing on some passes, whiffing on receiving passes, whiffing on shots, and missing the net sometimes (or shooting it straight into the breadbasket).


That's what a bad team without really skilled players do. Plus, deencemen and defensive players in general have an easier time stopping Calgary because so many players are playing out of position. There are no 1st line players on the team (though Gridin will get there). Imagine being used to going up against a McDavid - Draisaitl combo, or Eichel - Stone, etc., and now you are going up against.. Huberdeau? Kadri? These 2nd line guys are having a harder time scoring since they have to face the best defence pairings and shutdown lines.


Kadri still managed to get a career high in goals here - ditto Coleman, ditto Weegar, and Huberdeau was close!. However, how much easier did he have it when he got to play behind MacKinnon? They take all the hard match-ups. People want to show that Kadri had 87 points in 71 games in Colorado, but somehow 'sucks' in Calgary and it is Huska's fault? BS BS BS.


Kadri's next best seasons in point production where where? Yep, you guessed it - Calgary! 75 points and 67 points were his next two best seasons. Plus, once again, his career high in goals was actually in Calgary.


Sucks to be Kadri having to play in such a 'stifling' system.


Parekh was on PP1. How in the world is that stifling him?


As for expecting him to be good defensively - thank goodness! Look at how effective and deadly Hughes is when he breaks up plays! Hughes is absolutely lethal on the PP and in transition - that's going to be Parekh's bread and butter. There is no single defenceman on this team that I want to be the one breaking up plays because that's when you can generate a lot of offence. Break up a play in the defensive zone, and with the vision and skill of Parekh, he can transition that puck lightning fast, and this leads to breakdowns - odd-man rushes the other way, as well as defensive zone break-downs as the opposing teams end up panicking and leaving guys open as they double-team or simply miss assignments.


Huska allows full creativity in the offensive zone. Parekh will thrive in it. Huska also has a pretty good track record with defencemen as well, even of the offensive kind.


I have always stated that if Hartley could eliminate some of his methods, that he would make for a fantastic coach for a rebuilding team as he was a real teacher out there, and a lot of players really developed well under him (and not just on the Flames). Huska does that without the 'behind the scenes' stuff. Kuznetsov, Honzek, Coronato, Zary, Pospisil, Bahl (considering only 1 season under his belt), Andersson (from the A), Brzuestewicz right now - lots of youth are developing well under Huska. Why wouldn't Parekh?


He is an offensive unicorn that needs to learn how to apply his skillset to a playoff type of play-style and be reasonably effective defensively. That's it. You aren't going to develop him well in a system that is all run-and-gun. Flames will be a team that gets stuffed in the playoffs year over year with people pointing fingers at Parekh for not producing in the playoffs. He is being brought along well right now I would say, injuries aside. That's the single worry I have when it comes to Parekh - not being aware enough and getting tagged a few too many times.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

2 things can be true: we are offensively challenged because of our players. But the system we play makes us score less goals as well.

We play the most boring, passive trap system in the league, and low event hockey. You are not going to score many goals playing that way. Our power play is pretty stagnant for the most part and not very creative either.

You keep saying they play a trap system, but I don't see that. Look at the last game they played, it was actually a pretty entertaining game. Just because they don't score much doesn't mean they're not trying to, but if you don't have many players that create offense there's not much you can do. When Blake Coleman is your top scorer and you just traded away away your 5th top point scorer it's going to be ugly.

I hope people that want a rebuild and a top draft pick aren't going to keep complaining about a lack of offense for the next few years, because that's what a rebuild is......a lack of talent and lack of offense. You can't have a rebuild and lots of offense, or else they'd be competing for a playoff spot, not a top draft pick. Rebuilds are ugly and boring for the most part.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Huska's been a good "wring 90 points out of an under-talented team" coach, serving maloney's vision diligently. He makes this team better now than it has any business being.

Not sure he's the guy for when the real talent from accumulating all these picks starts flooding in and he needs to play them without neutering them.

I could be wrong and he could be that guy who can let them play while staying in their ears about the right way to play in this league..

But to this point, I haven't seen a talent-friendly approach at all.

Parekh's handling when he returns from conditioning should tell us a lot more. If he's kept to just modest or no powerplay usage then it's safe to say Huska is failing at putting this particular guy in the best position to gain confidence and succeed.

Plus, the team desperately needs someone with his vision, shot and smooth lateral movement to resuscitate their lifeless PP.

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

You keep saying they play a trap system, but I don't see that. Look at the last game they played, it was actually a pretty entertaining game. Just because they don't score much doesn't mean they're not trying to, but if you don't have many players that create offense there's not much you can do. When Blake Coleman is your top scorer and you just traded away away your 5th top point scorer it's going to be ugly.

I hope people that want a rebuild and a top draft pick aren't going to keep complaining about a lack of offense for the next few years, because that's what a rebuild is......a lack of talent and lack of offense. You can't have a rebuild and lots of offense, or else they'd be competing for a playoff spot, not a top draft pick. Rebuilds are ugly and boring for the most part.

It is absolutely a trap system they play. When you watch a team trying to forecheck on us, we sit back in a 1-3-1. The entire goal of the system is to be as low event as possible and rely on having the better goalie and sneaking out wins.

[dino7c]

The Devils trap more than the Flames do...and its hard to blame the terrible PP on the trap