The trials and tribulations of Glen Gulutzan

[Firebot]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

They aren't slow, Bingo, but they do play slow. When every break out is pass or skate to the wall, then pass up to the blue line, then pass back to the middle, you've pretty much just surrendered initiative. As a consequence, we don't generate fast break chances very often. And when you take away those two on ones and those situations where you've caught a defender in a panic, you're depriving yourself of some of the best scoring opportunities.

It is honestly amazing that we do generate as many shot attempts as we do given our breakout is metaphorically a mule rather than a thoroughbred, but we have very definitely sacrificed quality in favour of quantity.

2 on 1's don't help corsi, so they are banned in the Gulutzan system.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

They aren't slow, Bingo, but they do play slow. When every break out is pass or skate to the wall, then pass up to the blue line, then pass back to the middle, you've pretty much just surrendered initiative. As a consequence, we don't generate fast break chances very often. And when you take away those two on ones and those situations where you've caught a defender in a panic, you're depriving yourself of some of the best scoring opportunities.

It is honestly amazing that we do generate as many shot attempts as we do given our breakout is metaphorically a mule rather than a thoroughbred, but we have very definitely sacrificed quality in favour of quantity.

I think part of this actually has more to do with the way we defend than the way we break out of our zone.

Look at the Flames - we don't give up a lot of 2-1s because of how other teams breakout. We give them up because of neutral zone turnovers and giving away the puck at the other team's blue-line.

The problem here isn't just the breakout (which has it's own issues) but actually how passively we defend in the neutral zone.

Very little pressure on the puck carrier, our d-men back into their own zone and give the other team easy entry into our zone, and then we are never catching other team's going the wrong way or on a change because they can easily get possession in our zone.

That's why we don't get odd-man rushes - we don't generate neutral zone turnovers.

I also think this forward group is slow and it's a big part of this teams problems, I'd qualify only Gaudreau, Bennett, Backlund, & Lazar as quick/fast forwards. Only having one quick guy per line is a problem with our roster composition. The Hartley team that had lots of odd man rush opportunities wasn't more skilled but was clearly faster (Gaudreau, Backlund, Byron, Raymond, Glencross, Jooris, Granlund)

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I think part of this actually has more to do with the way we defend than the way we break out of our zone.

Look at the Flames - we don't give up a lot of 2-1s because of how other teams breakout. We give them up because of neutral zone turnovers and giving away the puck at the other team's blue-line.

The problem here isn't the breakout (which has it's own issues) but actually how passively we defend in the neutral zone.

Very little pressure on the puck carrier, our d-men back into their own zone and give the other team easy entry into our zone, and then we are never catching other team's going the wrong way or on a change because they can easily get possession in our zone.

I think that's the puck management Giordano is talking about.

You have to make a read through the neutral zone as to the likely out come.

Do you have numbers?
Are the D backing up or challenging?
Is there back pressure?
Where are you on your shift?
What's the pulse of the game?

If you have a "I'm beating this guy no matter what" and turn it over you kill a team on the odd man rush.

They call it the grey zone, lose the grey zone and you lose hockey games.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I think that's the puck management Giordano is talking about.

You have to make a read through the neutral zone as to the likely out come.

Do you have numbers?
Are the D backing up or challenging?
Is there back pressure?
Where are you on your shift?
What's the pulse of the game?

If you have a "I'm beating this guy no matter what" and turn it over you kill a team on the odd man rush.

They call it the grey zone, lose the grey zone and you lose hockey games.

Agree in talking about why we give up lots of odd man rushes (lots of terrible decisions) but my point was that our neutral zone defensive system makes all those questions easier for the other team to answer.

Are the D backing up or challenging? Flames are Always Backing Up
Is there back pressure? Flames rarely have smart back pressure

This means that the other team is never pressured in the neutral zone to have to make those decisions, they can just easily waltz into our zone because we let them.

[Resolute 14]

Agreed. People ask why the Flames struggle defensively despite the talent we have on the back end. The answer is the system.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Locke

It should have been done at Christmas. Now we're going to have to put up with an entire season of 'new coaches, new system, takes time to adapt.'

Well take heart. They've done this in Florida this year under Boughner and right now they look pretty near unbeatable. Even though they're technically out at the moment, my bet is they get in and they upset one of the top teams in teh 1st round. Other teams like L.A. have made the change and found success as well. It's not a lost cause if the team needs to adjust over the first 10-15 games. Get the right guy in place, and watch the team take off.

Yeah, yeah, I can hear you already shouting that it should have been done at christmas, but the team looked halfway capable then and they looked to be right in the fight for a spot until the last few weeks.

No idea what happened, but it sure did show the character of both the team and the lack of ability of the coaching staff.

[TheKurgan]

Keep logging in to see if Glen and his entire coaching staff has been fired and leave disappointed. The end of the season and a good house cleaning can't come soon enough.

I just pray that Treliving/Burke are able to find a decent coach this time because they have done a really ####ty job so far.

[Toonage]

John Shannon on 960 predicting that April 9th will be Black Monday in the NHL. Thinks as many as 10 (!) coaches could be fired. Pretty sure thats the number he said.

[kukkudo]

Originally Posted by Toonage

John Shannon on 960 predicting that April 9th will be Black Monday in the NHL. Thinks as many as 10 (!) coaches could be fired. Pretty sure thats the number he said.

Gulutzan, AV, Quineville, T-Mac, Weight, Peters, Blashill thats all I can think off

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Agreed. People ask why the Flames struggle defensively despite the talent we have on the back end. The answer is the system.

Offensive talent is only half the equation. Two of the Flames top 4 D are poor defensively. Opposing forwards lick their chops when they see they're lined up against Brodie or Hamilton. Fans might want to stop and consider why neither of those guys has ever been in consideration for Olympics/World Cup rosters.

[Toonage]

Kukkudo: I know, 10 seems like a giant number considering 15 teams miss. I guess Tocchet might get the boot too? Julien has to be safe. Green has to be safe. Boucher was given the GM's approval so that's probably the kiss of death lol.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by Toonage

John Shannon on 960 predicting that April 9th will be Black Monday in the NHL. Thinks as many as 10 (!) coaches could be fired. Pretty sure thats the number he said.

And the Flames will begin an exhaustive 2 month search for the perfect coach. By the time they are ready to make a move, all the best candidates will have been snapped up by other teams and the Flames will hire:

a) an NCAA coach with no head coaching experience in the NHL
b) a junior coach with no head coaching experience in the NHL
c) an NHL assistant who has no head coaching experience in the NHL
d) a former NHL head coach who hasn't been an NHL head coach for five or more years.

[Resolute 14]

So, basically every non-playoff team, eh?

[kukkudo]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Kukkudo: I know, 10 seems like a giant number considering 15 teams miss.

Never know could be 10 cause random firings happen that we never think of.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Toonage

I agree it should have been much, much sooner but there won't be another long adjustment period. Not with a proven coach. This was a GG thing. A stupidly complicated, demanding system. Its 2 years in and they still have issues with it.

But look what GG said in this article...

“I think for me, coming into this season, I’m going to have 12 or 13 other guys — whatever we have returning — with me that are going to be saying, ‘Yeah, this is the way we do things,'” Gulutzan said. “So we’ve put the markings on creating a little bit of a culture here, of what our expectations are. For me, laying all that groundwork isn’t as important now as making sure we’re refining things right away as we come in.”

Certainly was not the case...in fact, the Flames regressed.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/...00-point-club/

[the-rasta-masta]

At this point I'd fire Gulutzan today and throw a couple placeholders behind the bench for the remaining games. I'd ask the players to just go out and play how they want so I could evaluate this team outside of the Gulutzan's system. With the season lost, might as well at least get something out of the remaining games.

I can imagine it is super awkward for Treliving and Gully to pass each other in the Saddledome tunnels right now. Dead man walking, just cut the cord already.

[Toonage]

If there is a mass purge of coaches the Flames need to be part of that. They have to be ready to pounce.

[automaton 3]

Hopefully Treliving already has some idea as to who will be available, and a short list.

One thing he seems to do very well is be in constant contact with other GM's.

[CliffFletcher]

While these last few games are an indictment of GG's coaching, they're also an indictment of the character of the players. Quitting on your coach and coasting for the rest of the season is not a good look for any professional athlete.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Toonage

John Shannon on 960 predicting that April 9th will be Black Monday in the NHL. Thinks as many as 10 (!) coaches could be fired. Pretty sure thats the number he said.

See, I dont like this.

Look, I get that there is disappointment and that goals werent met and that the NHL is a Results-Based Business.

But I'm not anti-Gulutzan because I dont like the guy, I'm anti-Gulutzan because he does things that I think were poor and naive coaching decisions and cost us a shot at the playoffs.

Firing 10 coaches like that seems ridiculous. Some teams didnt have the same expectations as our management did.

I think thats the key. I'm convinced that our management expected this group to make the playoffs and the lack of that achievement should result in trying again with a new group next season.

So if a team like the Coyotes or something are firing their coaches because 'they didnt make the playoffs' then thats insane because they were never making the playoffs and using that as a condition is wildly unreasonable.