Did Eichel need to fly the coop to let Dahlin spread his wings

[K-9]

5 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I 100% agree with the whole All-Star point with Dahlin getting to go thanks to Eichel's departure.

As for Dahlin getting better due to Eichel leaving is much less easy to parse through. 

1. Dahlin always had high-end talent and a physical edge to his game based on his time in Sweden

2. Dahlin was likely going to eventually become a solid dman regardless due to that

3. Eichel's departure and Dahlin's subsequent All-Star appearance seems to have given him the kick in the butt he needed to get out of the rut he had found him self in with Krueger. Granato also plays a huge role in this.

 

If anything I think Eichel's departure did far more for the locker room and its dynamics. I definitely get the sense that due to Eichel's captaincy and Krueger's preferential game plan to Eichel created a strange atmosphere for players of all ages to deal with. Additionally once Bogo was waived I think we started to see cracks form. Bogo may have felt "safe" due to his friendship with Eichel and as such Eichel likely felt he held that power. 

The more curious relationship was Eichel and Okposo. What was their dynamic as a young captain and an often tragically injured vet who always gave his all regardless and was a solid Top 6 player prior to Buffalo? I know for a fact, Okposo is the team "Dad" along with Anderson. For instance, Okposo handled the Bills tickets for most of the young players when they all went to the game this past September or October. He had them on his phone and waved them in as it was scanned. (I worked at that gate) We know that Eichel ran with the "wrong crowd" (Bogo, Kane, etc.) and wrapped Reinhart into it as well in not "respecting" Gionta and Gorges' leadership group.  Okposo was the de-facto leader prior to Tuch joining us in November; so knowing that most of the newer young core are good friends but also seem very willing to follow their elders you get a far better atmosphere overall. 

As they say, a team will typically reflect their leadership group. This team plays like Okposo when at their best; tenacious, never quits, physical, and takes no #### from other teams. Tuch is a less physical but far better skater than Okposo but plays in a similar manner. 

All of this rambling brings me back to Dahlin; he's now a young leader under the tutelage of a seasoned veteran in Okposo and an experienced playoff performer in Tuch. His friends on the team, like him, respect the experience and help push each other to do their best to absorb anything they can learn. Combine that with Granato's coaching style that heavily looks to expose their younger players to as much experience as possible and you get a team that is growing and players whom embraced their roles and have ran with them. No longer is this Eichel's team with 21 other dudes; this is now Dahlin, Thompson, Mitts, Cozens, Tuch, etc's team. They all feel valued and involved in pushing us forward; no longer are you just hoping to end your shift so Eichel can save the day. Instead it is up to all of them to support everyone else. Dahlin is a big cog, but still a cog; he knows and wants to help his teammates because he knows they'll do the same. Even if his 100% is far better than anyone else on the team; that doesn't matter. What matters is that all of them give their 100%. Dahlin now believes he can give 100% and not only help the team but carry it in ways so that others are freer to contribute in their own ways. 

Per the bold and if what Gionta and others have said is true of their own dynamic with Eichel, then there was no Eichel/Okposo dynamic at all. 

[MattPie]

6 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I 100% agree with the whole All-Star point with Dahlin getting to go thanks to Eichel's departure.

As for Dahlin getting better due to Eichel leaving is much less easy to parse through. 

1. Dahlin always had high-end talent and a physical edge to his game based on his time in Sweden

2. Dahlin was likely going to eventually become a solid dman regardless due to that

3. Eichel's departure and Dahlin's subsequent All-Star appearance seems to have given him the kick in the butt he needed to get out of the rut he had found him self in with Krueger. Granato also plays a huge role in this.

 

I think this is spot on. Even if it wasn't the Eichel dynamic directly, the ASG seems to be the turning point which wouldn't have happened with Eichel being on the team. It's probably a combination of whatever Dahlin and Hedman talked about, or maybe casual comments by other players (a simple "damn, that was a amazing" from a superstar after a play would be an eye-opener for a young player). Whatever the case, Dahlin is feeling it and given the time factor, I hope it's not just a string of good weeks.

[bob_sauve28]

Tage Thompson needed Jack gone, imo 

[Pimlach]

I think Eichel and his friends may have stifled more than a few players on this team.  
 

Dahlin is benefiting greatly with Granato replacing RK and by his own maturation.  He is allowed to be more of a leader with Jack gone and it shows.  Last night I saw him get banged hard in the corner and literally went out of his way to return to favor on his shift change.  Not sure Jack stifled him purposely, I doubt he did, but Dahlin is comfortable and that is what matters.  He is playing great hockey.  
 

This team is close now.  They play for each other and they defend each other.  Everyone works to do their 1/20th.  Every player wearing an A is respecting that  honor.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

krueger was a bigger factor but i do think eichel contributed

I’m going to have to agree here.  RK’s coaching of Dahlin was like a 400lbs jockey on Secretariat.  However this team ran the offense through Jack regardless of coach. With Jack gone, it freed the team and allowed more of the offense to process through Dahlin and the D in general.  Raz has also physical matured and become an on ice leader.

DG deserves a great deal of credit for allowing his best players to be his best players.

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, msw2112 said:

I have always wondered how Eichel would have done playing for extended time under Granato.  It may have been the best coach he'd have had in the NHL to that point in his career and the up tempo style may have really meshed well with his game. 

That was one of my disappointments too... that Granato never coached Eichel.  I remember being pretty upset about it when I realized Eichel was done as a Sabre.  Now I don't really care too much.

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

3. Eichel's departure and Dahlin's subsequent All-Star appearance seems to have given him the kick in the butt he needed to get out of the rut he had found him self in with Krueger. Granato also plays a huge role in this.

It's like Granato compressed the spring and the ASG released the catch, turning Dahlin loose on the rest of the NHL.

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Tage Thompson needed Jack gone, imo 

Tage Thompson didn't have a role on this team.  He was a winger who couldn't wing. 

With the departure of Eichel but also the injuries to Mitts and Girgs (who sometimes plays center), Granato had no choice but to find center depth within the existing roster.  Very astutely he realized that until he turned pro, Tage played center.  As bad as this season has been, it would have been 10 times worse if Tage hadn't gone through training camp as a center, ready to step in when Mitts went down in the Game 1.

That also touches on what others have said, about how Granato handed this team over to the young core.  That was just one portion of it.  Setting up Cozens as the energy line center that goes up against the other team's top line (along with Eakin, granted) really springboarded him into a bigger role on the team.

[K-9]

17 minutes ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

That was one of my disappointments too... that Granato never coached Eichel.  I remember being pretty upset about it when I realized Eichel was done as a Sabre.  Now I don't really care too much.

Eichel’s loss. 

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I saw him get banged hard in the corner and literally went out of his way to return to favor on his shift change.

If you didn't notice it, watch the replay of the Tuch goal and what happens in the corner to Mitts after the goal is scored.  One of the Hawks tries goon Mitts and before he can even get started, Dahlin comes in and pushes him right away from Mitts and together with Butcher they rough him up in the corner, leading to a wider scrum.  The impressive part is he does it immediately before Mitts is barely touched; there's urgency but no emotion from Dahlin; he's like a bouncer throwing a drunk out of a bar.  Strictly business.

[K-9]

Just now, The Ghost of Yuri said:

If you didn't notice it, watch the replay of the Tuch goal and what happens in the corner to Mitts after the goal is scored.  One of the Hawks tries goon Mitts and before he can even get started, Dahlin comes in and pushes him right away from Mitts and together with Butcher they rough him up in the corner, leading to a wider scrum.  The impressive part is he does it immediately before Mitts is barely touched; there's urgency but no emotion from Dahlin; he's like a bouncer throwing a drunk out of a bar.  Strictly business.

That was great. Dahlin’s priorities on full display when he immediately leaves the goal celebration to take care of a much more pressing matter in defense of a teammate. Love it.

[Doohicksie]

4 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Eichel’s loss. 

I was holding out hope that Eichel's return under Granato would vault the team up and make them better.  I will admit I was disappointed I never got to see what Granato could do with him.

As for the locker room crap, I think there's a chance that Granato would have taken Eichel aside and communicated to him exactly what was expected of him as captain and teammate, and he would have done it no so much to put Eichel in his place, but to get him on board with the team.  Don't know, maybe Eichel is too much of a Masshole, but I was hopeful.  I'm good with how it turned out though.

[K-9]

3 minutes ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

I was holding out hope that Eichel's return under Granato would vault the team up and make them better.  I will admit I was disappointed I never got to see what Granato could do with him.

As for the locker room crap, I think there's a chance that Granato would have taken Eichel aside and communicated to him exactly what was expected of him as captain and teammate, and he would have done it no so much to put Eichel in his place, but to get him on board with the team.  Don't know, maybe Eichel is too much of a Masshole, but I was hopeful.  I'm good with how it turned out though.

Eichel saw the exit of three HCs in his six seasons here. I’m not convinced he would have been happy under Granato, either.  There are player’s coaches and there are coach’s players. 

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, K-9 said:

Eichel saw the exit of three HCs in his six seasons here. I’m not convinced he would have been happy under Granato, either.  There are player’s coaches and there are coach’s players. 

Like I said, I'm good with how it turned out.

I always felt he was a bit of a dick.  While he was here I consoled myself with, but he's our dick, dammit.  Now he's just a dick.

[JKB1646]

The whole organization got better when they shipped Eichel's ass out. 

Edited March 30, 2022 by JKB1646

[bunomatic]

2 minutes ago, JKB1646 said:

The whole organization got better when they shipped Eichel's ass out. 

It sure is trending in that direction. We lost a pretty decent player but we gained a team.

[Weave]

33 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

It sure is trending in that direction. We lost a pretty decent player but we gained a team.

We also gained some depth.  We got 2 NHL players back right away and solidified the wing.  Gives is the ability to do what we never did quite do with Jack, ice two good scoring lines and even a 3rd when healthy.

[klos1963]

I think Granato is the biggest factor in Dahlin, Tage, Okposo, Fitz , Samuelson, Skinner....

[Marvin]

23 hours ago, Weave said:

We also gained some depth.  We got 2 NHL players back right away and solidified the wing.  Gives is the ability to do what we never did quite do with Jack, ice two good scoring lines and even a 3rd when healthy.

If anything, you understate the case.  We had often had unreliable goaltending and we were either two F lines short and one D pair short of NHL players or one F line short and two D pairs short of NHL players.

I find it hard to put too much blame on Eichel and Reinhart for getting disgusted.

[Curt]

23 hours ago, Weave said:

We also gained some depth.  We got 2 NHL players back right away and solidified the wing.  Gives is the ability to do what we never did quite do with Jack, ice two good scoring lines and even a 3rd when healthy.

Tuch and Krebs came in, but Eichel, Reinhart, and Hall went out.  I’m not convinced that this team is any more talented than previous seasons.

I think coaching is the massive factor here.  This team went from an ok coach (DDB), to a bad coach (PH), to the worst coach ever (RK), and now they are back to a coach that is at least ok, but is a great fit for this young team at this moment in time.