Mtl had 13 shots last night. Lowest in 15 years and the game even went to ot.
- bryant

Marty might end up being a good coach, but I think they are at the point where they need to realize promoting a AA coach at the time to the NHL was maybe a leap too far.

Marty might end up being a good coach, but I think they are at the point where they need to realize promoting a AA coach at the time to the NHL was maybe a leap too far.
- AdamFrench

"It worked with Brind'amour!"

Yeah but Brind'amour is a) a (frank)ing lunatic and b) was an assistant coach for 8 years before getting a head coach role.

WTF is a Dakota Mermis?
- drexel

he's a D man they sign as ufa.
he play with the Wild last year

"It worked with Brind'amour!"

Yeah but Brind'amour is a) a (frank)ing lunatic and b) was an assistant coach for 8 years before getting a head coach role.
- BINGO!

Our local arena is named after him 👍

Hopefully they get some power in the line up this off season. Focusing on defensive players was a total borefest and failure. Also hope nobody gets fooled by the Jays meeting with Soto hype like they did ohtani.
- systemtool

Trading Teo was such a big mistake

he's a D man they sign as ufa.
he play with the Wild last year
- dmnted

Noting that he was nothing more than a depth signing - he was a 6/7 tweener in Minnesota and is 30.

"It worked with Brind'amour!"

Yeah but Brind'amour is a) a (frank)ing lunatic and b) was an assistant coach for 8 years before getting a head coach role.
- BINGO!

I think you definitely need a start as at least an assistant to get a sense of the routine and communication lines and processes and then you have time to think on how you'd make it your own - as opposed to just being dropped into it.

From an ex-player standpoint, I'm not sure what makes a good coach and what doesn't - but Brind'amour as a player worked hard in the gym, worked hard on the ice, and was winning Selke trophies and being at least marginally in the Hart conversation. He understood the entirety of the game.

When Gretzky failed as a coach, I used to liken it to the Star Trek TNG episode where Q becomes human and they are discussing how to prevent an asteroid from crashing into a planet:

Q: [You] change the gravitational constant of the universe, thereby altering the mass of the asteroid.
LaForge: Redefine gravity? How am I supposed to do that?
Q: You just do it.

I used to imagine Gretzky behind the bench saying things like that.
"Go bank a pass off the boards from the blueline to the guy standing in the slot."
"How do you do that?"
"You just do it!"

How do you coach that?

On a more specific note - I never thought of St. Louis' game as particularly defensive in nature and that could be a real challenge in trying to coach a cohesive system.

Meh.

I'm not being critical. You're both right in the points you're making. There's no need to bicker about it.
- Monkeypunk

Yeah if we are both right then maybe I shouldn’t have been “corrected” to begin with.

Some people are insufferable.

Our local arena is named after him 👍
- mr.sir

Pretty sure the gym at Notre Dame in Wilcox, SK is unofficially named after him too.

Tends to happen when the school decides to chain the doors shut to keep you out of there and even that doesn't work.

Trading Teo was such a big mistake
- Fakepartofme

no it wasnt.

at most a little mistake. But i dont even see that, because Swanson was really good in 2023, exactly what they needed for thier crap bullpen.

the mistake, if you wanted him back, is not re-signing him for 2024

also Teo in 2023 was not very good, by his standards

I think you definitely need a start as at least an assistant to get a sense of the routine and communication lines and processes and then you have time to think on how you'd make it your own - as opposed to just being dropped into it.

From an ex-player standpoint, I'm not sure what makes a good coach and what doesn't - but Brind'amour as a player worked hard in the gym, worked hard on the ice, and was winning Selke trophies and being at least marginally in the Hart conversation. He understood the entirety of the game.

When Gretzky failed as a coach, I used to liken it to the Star Trek TNG episode where Q becomes human and they are discussing how to prevent an asteroid from crashing into a planet:

Q:
- Monkeypunk[You] change the gravitational constant of the universe, thereby altering the mass of the asteroid.
LaForge: Redefine gravity? How am I supposed to do that?
Q: You just do it.

I used to imagine Gretzky behind the bench saying things like that.
"Go bank a pass off the boards from the blueline to the guy standing in the slot."
"How do you do that?"
"You just do it!"

How do you coach that?

On a more specific note - I never thought of St. Louis' game as particularly defensive in nature and that could be a real challenge in trying to coach a cohesive system.

Could be. I think in Rod's case a lot of it stems from the mentality he developed in his teens. He realized quickly that he wasn't the biggest guy or the most talented, so learned to control what he could control and maximize what he had to give himself an edge.

You can't control your natural talent, but you DO get to decide how hard you're going to work. He's applied that to coaching. You don't get to control what your opponent is going to do, but if you bust your ass and maximize the strengths in your own game you're going to come out on top more often than not.

Could be. I think in Rod's case a lot of it stems from the mentality he developed in his teens. He realized quickly that he wasn't the biggest guy or the most talented, so learned to control what he could control and maximize what he had to give himself an edge.

You can't control your natural talent, but you DO get to decide how hard you're going to work. He's applied that to coaching. You don't get to control what your opponent is going to do, but if you bust your ass and maximize the strengths in your own game you're going to come out on top more often than not.
- BINGO!

Rod seems to have insane self control and puts that on his players on the ice. If you don't work, you don't fit. I still wonder if Svech could/would be a 40g man in another universe. To a lesser extent like Necas wanting his new contract to be 10mil so hard he now suddenly will get 100p.

I think it must be hard to fight somebody who is in as good shape as you, is basically a HOFer and lives the life still...instead of a fat guy who used to play in the AHL telling you the systems.

no it wasnt.

at most a little mistake. But i dont even see that, because Swanson was really good in 2023, exactly what they needed for thier crap bullpen.

the mistake, if you wanted him back, is not re-signing him for 2024

also Teo in 2023 was not very good, by his standards
- senstroll

When they acquired Swanson I liked his strikeout rate, but even in the gem of a 2022 season he allowed 33% of his inherited runners to score. The Jays in 2022 with a bullpen than needed help allowed 25% of their inherited runners to score.

So while I would say that Swanson was a risky choice for a clean inning guy, he wasn't necessarily the guy with the stuff to stop a rally. I don't know if I trust Schneider to use that type of guy properly, but the point is that the pen has been lacking a guy who could be a secondary stopper (let alone an actual one!).

For me, to contextualize, it goes back to how the Royals beat us in 2015(?) . . they had at least 3 possible closer options in that bullpen. I've sort of felt that since the Jays picked up Guerrero we've had a half option in ours and Swanson isn't that type of guy. But for Teo that's what I would have wanted.

Rod seems to have insane self control and puts that on his players on the ice. If you don't work, you don't fit. I still wonder if Svech could/would be a 40g man in another universe. To a lesser extent like Necas wanting his new contract to be 10mil so hard he now suddenly will get 100p.

I think it must be hard to fight somebody who is in as good shape as you, is basically a HOFer and lives the life still...instead of a fat guy who used to play in the AHL telling you the systems.
- AdamFrench

Right? When the 55 year old dude is blowing you away in preseason fitness testing it's kind of hard to ignore him.

The other things that guys talk about with him is that you always get the feeling that he legitimately cares about you. He's a coach that treats you like he's your best teammate. There's no games, no manipulation, just a "we all pull on the same rope as hard as we can and if you (frank) up while doing it, that's okay, as long as you're going the right way with effort."

Slafkovsky has 1 goal in 18 games

I thought the deal he signed would be good value. still a long way to go. but you expect to see a gradual rise at this point for a #1 pick. not cratering

also ..habs suck

Slafkovsky has 1 goal in 18 games

I thought the deal he signed would be good value. still a long way to go. but you expect to see a gradual rise at this point for a #1 pick. not cratering

also ..habs suck
- senstroll

In the final round of my hockey pool I had to pick a forward and I was looking at Cooley, Necas and Slafkovsky for my pick. I had all three as pulling in around 60 points - with Necas very static between 57 - 61 points, Cooley wider ranged at 51 - 69, and Slafkovsky at 59 - 68 -- and I went with Slaf because of the higher floor projection.

Of course right now Necas has 35 points, Cooley has 17 and Slafkovsky has 11.

I saw the projected lines for tonight as:

McMann - Tavares - Marner
Robertson - Holmberg - Good Nylander
Grebenkin - Minten - Other Nylander
Steeves - Dewar - Lorentz

McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - OEL
Benoit - Timmins

Stolarz

I saw the projected lines for tonight as:

McMann - Tavares - Marner
Robertson - Holmberg - Good Nylander
Grebenkin - Minten - Other Nylander
Steeves - Dewar - Lorentz

McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - OEL
Benoit - Timmins

Stolarz
- Monkeypunk

A third line of Marlies playing the champs and it’s not even bugging me

A third line of Marlies playing the champs and it’s not even bugging me
- Dozzer

It probably should. They've only played 3:21 together and were outchanced 3-1 in those minutes. Grebenkin and Minten together without the younger Nylander were outshot 5-1 in nearly 7 minutes of ice and chased most of the play.

Now as you separate these guys and let them play with other players they have more success.

When Grebenkin is on the ice playing away from either of these two, the team has outshot the opposition 5-0 and outchanced the opposition 9-1 - in 7 minutes of play!

When Alex Nylander is on the ice away from either of these two - in just two minutes - the team has outshot the opposition 2-0 and scored a goal.

When Minten is on the ice away from either of the other two guys it hasn't been as pretty - he's played 10 minutes, his line has been outshot 6-3, outchanced 7-1 - and yet has outscored the opposition 1-0.

It doesn't feel like mushing it together is the solution . . .but here we are.

A third line of Marlies playing the champs and it’s not even bugging me
- Dozzer

Kid Line. I like it.

It probably should. They've only played 3:21 together and were outchanced 3-1 in those minutes. Grebenkin and Minten together without the younger Nylander were outshot 5-1 in nearly 7 minutes of ice and chased most of the play.

Now as you separate these guys and let them play with other players they have more success.

When Grebenkin is on the ice playing away from either of these two, the team has outshot the opposition 5-0 and outchanced the opposition 9-1 - in 7 minutes of play!

When Alex Nylander is on the ice away from either of these two - in just two minutes - the team has outshot the opposition 2-0 and scored a goal.

When Minten is on the ice away from either of the other two guys it hasn't been as pretty - he's played 10 minutes, his line has been outshot 6-3, outchanced 7-1 - and yet has outscored the opposition 1-0.

It doesn't feel like mushing it together is the solution . . .but here we are.
- Monkeypunk

I get what you’re saying but hey, sometimes the stats don’t matter to me. It’s been way too short lived for me to consider it a finalized style for them.

I’m just betting they’ll be a bit amped up tonight.

Kid Line. I like it.
- underhill14

Playing against a slumping panthers, I like that part as well lol

0-4 in the last 4 games and 1-6 in the last 7

Playing against a slumping panthers, I like that part as well lol

0-4 in the last 4 games and 1-6 in the last 7
- Dozzer

As we all know well tonight goes one of two ways...

It could be a very Leafy game against a slumping team

OR

A very LEAFY game against a slumping team.

Go Kid Line!!!

(I would really like to see the Russian Gremlin kid do well)

5-2 Panthers. Leafs thinking about the day off at the beach tomorrow and the Cats are dying for a win. Bennett lets off some steam with 2 goals

As we all know well tonight goes one of two ways...

It could be a very Leafy game against a slumping team

OR

A very LEAFY game against a slumping team.

Go Kid Line!!!

(I would really like to see the Russian Gremlin kid do well)
- underhill14

Let him knock Tkachuk sideways and I’ll be a happy guy 😊