Is the Nashville system worth waiting for?

[Doohicksie]

14 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

The question is, is it worth waiting for? Well, I don't think we have a choice.

My concern is that by the time the Sabres get there, the league will move on to something that negates this system or makes it irrelevant.

[TrueBlueGED]

18 hours ago, SDS said:

 I am by no means an expert on the Nashville Predators. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable could explain in more detail about their system. I do believe they are known for their smooth skating, puck moving , mobile defenseman that help drive offense in ways that the other team does not anticipate. 

Fans say that it is an exciting, entertaining form of hockey. I think it may have been said explicitly, if not, it’s implicitly clear that Phil is trying to replicate this system given that he spent five years with the organization.

I think it may have been said explicitly, if not, it’s clear that Phil is trying to replicate this given that he spent five years with the organization.

Is it worth waiting for? This is what they are building towards. They are not trying to win in any way they can, they are trying to win in this one particular way. 

It’s  not inconceivable that a different coach could come in and get more wins out of this team. If they do, it will be a different form of hockey. It could suck to watch, but there would be more of short term winning. 

I think the correct question to be asking is if there is a desire by the Buffalo fan base to replicate the Nashville Predator system here and establish that as Buffalo’s future team identity.

Personally, I think this will require a level of patience that fans are unwilling to accept. 

I don't think it has to be an either or. For instance, part of the reason the Preds emphasized D-driven offense is because their forwards were mediocre at best and couldn't transition the puck. I mean, their best offensive center for years was Mike Fisher. Which brings me to my second point: even if given different players, it doesn't mean Housley is good enough to do it without Laviolette. Speaking of Laviolette, he coached quite a bit differently in Philly. He adapted to his talent. I want a coach who can do that.

So let me reverse the question on you: is it worth turning over the roster to be more like the Preds only to find out Housley stinks regardless? Housley hasn't shown me anything to make me believe he's worth the trouble. 

Edited March 16, 2019 by TrueBlueGED

[#freejame]

16 hours ago, Doohickie said:

My concern is that by the time the Sabres get there, the league will move on to something that negates this system or makes it irrelevant.

If you’re good at it you won’t be stopped. I was watching the Flames-Sens game a while back on sportsnet and they mentioned how over half of the league runs the exact same zone entry on the power play (the same one as Buffalo uses) and they expect even more to adopt it next season. Teams shut down our zone entries all the time, yet other teams have great success with it. This team just isn’t good enough yet, but if we get to the point where we are, our limitations won’t be based on the D’s mobility. 

[North Buffalo]

19 hours ago, TrueBlueGED said:

I don't think it has to be an either or. For instance, part of the reason the Preds emphasized D-driven offense is because their forwards were mediocre at best and couldn't transition the puck. I mean, their best offensive center for years was Mike Fisher. Which brings me to my second point: even if given different players, it doesn't mean Housley is good enough to do it without Laviolette. Speaking of Laviolette, he coached quite a bit differently in Philly. He adapted to his talent. I want a coach who can do that.

So let me reverse the question on you: is it worth turning over the roster to be more like the Preds only to find out Housley stinks regardless? Housley hasn't shown me anything to make me believe he's worth the trouble. 

Housley is a young coach at the NHL level and it may take time for him as well as the team to take the next step.  Question for me is can the Sabres stand to go thru the growing pains or will Phil need to bounce around a few times til he gets it, meaning not with the Sabres 

[North Buffalo]

Sabres need another forward puck carrier besides Jack.  At this rate they may luck into one in the draft.