Locker Room Clean-out Day: 4/9/2018

[Weave]

It is absolutely astounding that this organization can be so pathetic and weak minded STILL. As a coach of my son's travel soccer team, I could never let the team get so down that they were fine with losing. We went from getting crushed every single game of the year two years ago to winning the whole league last year. My god, you can't just give up man. Who do these guys think they are and please exit the organization at once.

 

It all starts with an organization wide decision to lose on purpose for two seasons.  Add two more seasons with no expectation of winning because the team was totally gutted and had to be restocked.  And then add a 5th season with no real expectations because we are implementing a new system and evaluating everybody.

 

5 seasons where noone in team management has said with any real intent that they expect this team to compete for a playoff spot.

 

The problem was a decision made at the very top.  Without that decision we don't get to a point where players are done for the season at Christmas.  Thanks, Terry.  A once proud franchise is reduced to this ######.

 

But let's run ROR out of town.

Edited April 9, 2018 by We've

[Ho-Chi-Sock]

Sounds like next camp Phil should do a team-wide book study of Who Moved My Cheese?

[darksabre]

It all starts with an organization wide decision to lose on purpose for two seasons. Add two more seasons with no expectation of winning because the team was totally gutted and had to be restocked. And then add a 5th season with no real expectations because we are implementing a new system and evaluating everybody.

 

5 seasons where noone in team management has said with any real intent that they expect this team to compete for a playoff spot.

 

The problem was a decision made at the very top. Without that decision we don't get to a point where players are done for the season at Christmas. Thanks, Terry. A once proud franchise is reduced to this ######.

 

But let's run ROR out of town.

+1

[WildCard]

The problem with Risto remains the same problem that DD had with Risto. To much ice time. With literally no one else to eat up minutes, DD and Wowie have had no choice but to over play the kid. Jbot made a miracle and got Scandella. Now he needs to someone find at least one more top 4 D. Not sure how, but he needs to find at least one. We have to get his minutes down to 23-24 a night. Not 28-30 minutes. He wears down and makes mistakes.

 

While I don't think Risto is a No.1 D, I think he is an excellent PP QB, is physical, skates well for a bigger guy and overall is a upper end top 4 D. He's not Hedman, but how many guys are? With Risto and Scandella we are 1/2 of the way to a really solid top 4. Our bottom pairing is also shaping up with Nelson, Guhle and McCabe all part of that mix. Maybe Guhle continues his development and becomes a top 4 guy, but that is asking a lot for next season.

 

If this team is really going to take a step forward, Jbot's top task to improve the D. I actually believe if we just stick to our internal guys, our offense will improve next season, but everything in Wowie's system keys off mobile talented D. Fix the D and we help fix both the offense and lower the amount of rubber thrown at our goalies.

Great post. Getting Dahlin goes a long way towards this as well

[jahnyc]

Who or what is Johnson criticizing?  Is it the defensive system, is it the players (i.e., lack of talent or poor attitude), or poor coaching?  Would have been helpful to have more specifics around what he is trying to communicate. 

[Guest]

Coaching needs to change. Players don't lose passion just because.

[Weave]

Coaching needs to change. Players don't lose passion just because.

 

These guys grew up in constant competition.  And guys like ROR thrived on the competition and beating everyone else.  Throw a guy that feeds on winning onto a team that had no expectations at all for 3 seasons and you get today.  He didn't lose passion because of coaches.  He lost it because the one thing that motivates him (winning) hasn't been expected of this team since 2013. 

[darksabre]

What's interesting to me is how many guys were willing to admit that the team is messed up and the roster is going to get turned over. That's a frightening vote of no confidence in their teammates.

 

This team is as fractured as ever and there are clearly some strong opinions in the locker room about who on the roster is to blame. I see a lot of not so subtle shade being thrown.

[North Buffalo]

The question is where is shade being thrown? At the D it seems mostly... Or at defensive zone play.

[WildCard]

Stark contrast to last year when it was all thrown at the coach. Wonder if a coaching change, gm change, major roster overhaul, and even worse results have the guys that were here for Byslma actually realizing the only people that can fix this is themselves

[North Buffalo]

Also I guess I am glad guys feel frustrated, means they care. But I am not sure they really identified the it except the leadership was not very cohesive.

[darksabre]

The question is where is shade being thrown? At the D it seems mostly... Or at defensive zone play.

I dunno. I just think it's very interesting. I would love to be a fly on the wall in Botterill's exit interviews with the players to see who blames who.

[North Buffalo]

Stark contrast to last year when it was all thrown at the coach. Wonder if a coaching change, gm change, major roster overhaul, and even worse results have the guys that were here for Byslma actually realizing the only people that can fix this is themselves

Agreed.

I dunno. I just think it's very interesting. I would love to be a fly on the wall in Botterill's exit interviews with the players to see who blames who.

Yeh wondering about that too.. Risto?

[darksabre]

Risto seems to be an obvious target from all that I've heard.

[Randall Flagg]

Jack's growth stood out to me today as a positive. 

We have the hardest/rarest piece and he's developing well. 

Let's be a competent organization around him for a change.

[LGR4GM]

Jack Eichel impressed me.

[pi2000]

I liked Scott Wilson's interview.   Playing in a winning program in PIT, he knows what it takes.   

 

He talked a lot about intensity and focus every time you're at the rink, not just on the ice..  but working out in the gym, going over film, pre-scouting.  There needs to be more intensity, focus and commitment from the first rep in the gym to the last pass in the gameday skate.   

 

My hunch on who hasn't shown this level of commitment:

 

Girgensons

Larsson

Ristolainen

Eichel

Reinhart

Pouliot

McCabe

Beaulieu

 

...basically the young guys and the guys who have been infected by the losing environment the past 5 seasons.   It's just a guess, but would make sense IMO based on what I've heard in these exit interviews and from Housley. 

 

That said, if this has been problem all year why wasn't it addressed earlier on in the season?

[Robviously]

It all starts with an organization wide decision to lose on purpose for two seasons.  Add two more seasons with no expectation of winning because the team was totally gutted and had to be restocked.  And then add a 5th season with no real expectations because we are implementing a new system and evaluating everybody.

 

5 seasons where noone in team management has said with any real intent that they expect this team to compete for a playoff spot.

 

The problem was a decision made at the very top.  Without that decision we don't get to a point where players are done for the season at Christmas.  Thanks, Terry.  A once proud franchise is reduced to this ######.

 

But let's run ROR out of town.

Can we please stop assigning magical properties to the Tank?  The team had 81 points in Eichel's first year.  There was huge roster turnover including adding a bunch of talent like Kane, Bogo, ROR, Lehner, etc.  Expectations were that it'd be a quick turnaround.  There was nothing "gutted" about that team.  They were on the right track and added Okposo going into the next season.

 

And things regressed.  We'd built around the wrong players.  We'd made bad trades.  And it had nothing to do with what had happened before they got here.

 

We're not digging out of 2013-2015.  We're digging out of having a bad GM for three years.

[WildCard]

Can we please stop assigning magical properties to the Tank? The team had 81 points in Eichel's first year. There was huge roster turnover including adding a bunch of talent like Kane, Bogo, ROR, Lehner, etc. Expectations were that it'd be a quick turnaround. There was nothing "gutted" about that team. They were on the right track and added Okposo going into the next season.

 

And things regressed. We'd built around the wrong players. We'd made bad trades. And it had nothing to do with what had happened before they got here.

 

We're not digging out of 2013-2015. We're digging out of having a bad GM for three years.

Exactly, thank you. I'm getting so sick or this trope Edited April 10, 2018 by Jokertecken

[LGR4GM]

Exactly, thank you. I'm getting so sick or his trope

I've been arguing against it for 2 years.

[Weave]

Can we please stop assigning magical properties to the Tank?  The team had 81 points in Eichel's first year.  There was huge roster turnover including adding a bunch of talent like Kane, Bogo, ROR, Lehner, etc.  Expectations were that it'd be a quick turnaround.  There was nothing "gutted" about that team.  They were on the right track and added Okposo going into the next season.

 

And things regressed.  We'd built around the wrong players.  We'd made bad trades.  And it had nothing to do with what had happened before they got here.

 

We're not digging out of 2013-2015.  We're digging out of having a bad GM for three years.

 

It's all related.  you can't separate them.  Well, YOU can.  But your wrong.  ;)

Exactly, thank you. I'm getting so sick or this trope

 

Ignore me.  It's my opinion.  You'll probably hear it until that period isn't relevant anymore.

 

By the same token, I was sick and tired of hearing about how we needed the tank and how successful it was.  I didn't bitch and moan about your opinion.  I countered it.

Edited April 10, 2018 by We've

[WildCard]

It's all related. you can't separate them. Well, YOU can. But your wrong. ;)

 

 

Ignore me. It's my opinion. You'll probably hear it until that period isn't relevant anymore.

 

By the same token, I was sick and tired of hearing about how we needed the tank and how successful it was. I didn't bitch and moan about your opinion. I countered it.

I've countered it a ton. Quoting one post and claiming all I do is bitch and moan about it is a little ridiculous

 

Robviously just countered it too. If the tank fostered such a culture of losing as you claim, then why did we go .500 the year after we ended tanking

Edited April 10, 2018 by Jokertecken

[Weave]

I've countered it a ton. Quoting one post and claiming all I do is bitch and moan about it is a little ridiculous

 

Robviously just countered it too. If the tank fostered such a culture of losing as you claim, then why did we go .500 the year after we ended tanking

 

I didn't say all you did was bitch and moan about it.  But you were bitching and moaning about it in this instance.

 

As for .500, 35-36-11 is 12 games under .500. Sounds like losing to me.

[WildCard]

I didn't say all you did was bitch and moan about it. But you were bitching and moaning about it in this instance.

 

As for .500, 35-36-11 is 12 games under .500. Sounds like losing to me.

Hardly

 

It's the common trajectory of every team after a rebuild in every sport. You lose a lot, you get incrementally better, you contend consistently. It is no way exclusive to a tanking rebuild.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Jokertecken

[Weave]

Hardly

 

It's the common trajectory of every team after a rebuild in every sport. You lose a lot, you get incrementally better, you contend consistently. It is no way exclusive to a tanking rebuild.

 

No, that one season is not exclusive of a tanking rebuild.  I never claimed it to be.  You're putting words in my mouth.  However, the last 5 seasons in totality..... that's not typical of a rebuild of any kind.  Quite frankly, we've out Edmontoned Edmonton.  We're in uncharted territory for how to screw up a franchise.

 

At least when Old man Wirtz did it, it was because he was giving OSP lessons on how to bleed a pig.

Edited April 10, 2018 by We've