Huberdeau's agent: "Negativity sucks the joy right out of players"

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

I remember our Powerplay for the first few games of the season looking lethal, largely with Huberdeau pulling the strings with some crazy passes. I don't get what happened to these guys since those initial games. They showed the ability to play together, then it went poof.

My guess is, defenses probably adjusted and took what worked away.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned how this group lacked threats on the ice to create more advantageous situations over their opposition and after watching Ottawa's PP earlier this week, I'm even more convinced that our problem is personnel.

The Sens are not a good team, they were absolutely lousy 5 on 5. But their PP looked lethal and the reason for that is all the individual skill they have. I bet if the Flames had a Stuzle, Tkachuk, Debrincat and etc, we'd probably have a lethal PP too...and that's exactly what we had last season, a Tkachuk (Matthew) and a Stuzle (Gaudreau). This team's PP looks absolutely anemic without those 2.

[Paulie Walnuts]

I don't think the first line went rouge last year but they certainly didn't play this system. Tkachuk was a high risk high reward player especially on the defensive blue line when his outs would be blind cross ice passes. Lindholm covered up a lot of the faults of those guys and his defensive metrics showed for it but he also benefited from playing on thaf line on the offensive end.

Huberdeau has not been afforeded the same type of opportunity to be high risk high reward he is playing within the defensive structure and it's impacting his game.

Kadri has been trash as well his scoring numbers are fine but it's everything else he has sucked at. What happened to the guy who plays on edge? This is a model citizen. Forget how he doesn't use his linemates and floats off for line changes and d zone coverages the guy is not playing with that same fire he has had his whole career.

If anyone seems to have packed it in with a contract extension it's Darryl Sutter.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

This doesn’t track for me.

The entire team is keeping it simple. That’s how they’re accomplishing their shot volumes for and against.

This team is playing brain dead hockey, it can’t get any more simple than what it is.

I see a lot of perimeter shots, not a lot of driving to the net, plenty of fancy passes between players that don't read each other well resulting in take aways/give aways, gaining the zone and trying something clever at the blue line instead of taking it to the net or deep. Lot's and lots of over thinking.

That's not simple hockey.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

I'm not sure this is 100% fair though. The following players have experienced their best career season under Darryl Sutter:

Johnny Gaudreau
Matthew Tkachuk
Elias Lindholm
Andrew Mangiapane
Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin
Dillon Dube
Oliver Kylington
Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov
Erik Gudbranson
Jacob Markstrom
Tyler Toffoli
Blake Coleman (on pace)

Mikael Backlund could easily be on this list too as he's having a monster season. But as everyone can see, whether it was this season or last season, Darryl can help players achieve great results, he's not some offensive blackhole here. Also, it's probably not fair to expect everyone to replicate their career years last season, there's a reason why they call them career years, because they only happen once.

It’s not fair, and I don’t think people actually expect players to do it, it’s just a talking point that without context supports their dislike for Sutter.

The fact is that most players are doing exceptionally well. Kadri is still having a great season if you take out his one outlier and Weegar is playing exceptional defensive hockey just lacking on the offence. Huberdeau and Markstrom, that’s really it in terms of players that are playing far below their level.

Hell, even the people who were blaming Sutter for not riding Vladar to the playoffs are now blaming Sutter for Vladar not being good… and that’s after like 2 games lol. It’s pretty clear that it becomes a matter of “whatever fits my argument.” Those people are still bringing up Lucic on the second line even though Pelletier has been up there for weeks and the line hasn’t produced much better.

If Huberdeau turns it around the same people are just going to say he stopped listening to Sutter.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

I liked Boudreau's comments

Especially the part where he said he thinks they'll go on a run

Was pointed out on the radio but this is the worst defensive Sutter team by goals against of any Sutter coached team. That's the issue. It's not unfair to say that by his standards, this group hasn't been up to par

He's coached far worse constructed teams to allow fewer goals than this team has

If they are indeed putting in the effort then they're not being instructed properly because they look lost most of the time when teams enter the zone, especially with speed. Frequently ill prepared and I have trouble seeing why that isn't on coaching

Sutter needs to nail down the defensive responsibilities for every player and get each 5 man unit on the same page

[Brick]

Maybe Huberdeau should actually start performing instead of whining through his agent.

Floating around and making spin-a-round back passes to nobody isn't helping the team much.

[dammage79]

Sweet Jesus. Now Huberdeau is a cry baby.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Maybe the coach should try changing tactics? We’re not having much success playing this gawd awful crap he’s trying to pass off as hockey. Maybe try using the talent you have in the lineup instead of force feeding minutes to the likes of Lucic and Lewis, who the game has clearly passed by.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Sweet Jesus. Now Huberdeau is a cry baby.

No. Allan Walsh needs to shut his piehole and keep to negotiating contracts.

If he had any other value in the hockey world, he'd be doing that.

[Paulie Walnuts]

It's amazing how quick Sutter wears out his welcome even with success. In LA he won two cups and the team wanted him gone the next season. In Calgary a cup final and division win and the team tuned him out and now it's happened again after a 50 win season.

Pretty much shows you need to strike within the first two years of him being coach.

He doesn't change his ways or tactics it might lengthen his shelf life if he did.

Wonder how happy the owners would be paying a guy to go away right after singing him.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Alrighty then. Yeah I bet Huberdeau is gone in short time.

Not a chance, man. How do you figure?

[Pickle Juice]

Hot take! This will lead to the team bonding stronger then ever. They will go on a 6 game winning streak led by Markstrom getting his first shutout of the season!

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

It's amazing how quick Sutter wears out his welcome even with success. In LA he won two cups and the team wanted him gone the next season. In Calgary a cup final and division win and the team tuned him out and now it's happened again after a 50 win season.

Pretty much shows you need to strike within the first two years of him being coach.

He doesn't change his ways or tactics it might lengthen his shelf life if he did.

Wonder how happy the owners would be paying a guy to go away right after singing him.

I guess it depends. There was some speculation that Sutter was directly an Edwards hire. In that case, and if Edwards accepts a change needs to be made, he might not mind eating the cost. I am not sure if Edwards is a guy who likes to admit he was wrong though.

If it was Treliving's pick, I don't see how Treliving can survive going through another coach. That may be enough to prevent Treliving from removing him.

I don't think Sutter is the problem, but rather how the team is constructed and two specific key players not pulling their weight. Everyone but Huberdeau and Markstrom are doing just fine most of the time, at least within their capabilities. I doubt any coach would be having better luck.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Pickle Juice

Hot take! This will lead to the team bonding stronger then ever. They will go on a 6 game winning streak led by Markstrom getting his first shutout of the season!

That would be nice. They definitely need something to light a fire under their asses. If this doesn’t then nothing will

[keenan87]

With the Leafs trade.. this will now take a distant back seat.

[Tuco]

Huberdeau is so full of $***! "I woke up this morning, I had a lot of notifications on my phone". Bro, the tweet was posted 20 minutes after the game. I find it hard to cheer for a player who uses social media to stir the pot. This team is defiantly in shambles.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

There is no way he wasn't made aware last night

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Maybe the coach should try changing tactics? We’re not having much success playing this gawd awful crap he’s trying to pass off as hockey. Maybe try using the talent you have in the lineup instead of force feeding minutes to the likes of Lucic and Lewis, who the game has clearly passed by.

I agree that Sutter’s tactics aren’t working well anymore, but I gotta disagree on Lewis. He’s still a decent 4th line energy guy who works hard, kills penalties and will occasionally chip in a goal for you. Ritchie and Lucic however are both pretty much done as NHLers and it’s dumb that Duehr wasn’t called back up when he showed he deserved a longer look on the big club

[OminousFlames]

I wonder if the Flames will try and prove Walsh wrong and play as a team, and have fun. Since the spotlight is on the Flames because of this.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by MillerTime GFG

I dunno...I don't really feel like he's denying he gave the go ahead for that tweet.

What? Huberdeau said, "it doesn't come from me. It's my agent, but it's from him. It doesn't reflect on me or the guys."

I guess you can feel how you feel, but Huberdeau's response indicates exactly that the tweet didn't come from him, and since it was tweeted by his agent, he's saying he didn't give a go-ahead.