I don’t think we’d can attribute the change in form to Kovi. Correlation frequently does not equal causation and there are a whole bunch of other factors to consider. The ever increasing influence of TM and the growing buy in to his new system and the fact Quick is still an NHL goalie after all are much bigger factors in our improved play than the absence of Kovi. Carters return to respectability has had a big impact and also allowed them to slide Kempe out to the wing, which has really helped the forecheck.
Taking Kovi out of the lineup has had a positive impact, but it’s a relatively small one and I agree with the termination as it made no sense keeping him. He just didn’t fit the system or where we are as a team, however he wasn’t dragging anyone down, thats a cop out for some of the poor individual performances early on. There’s also plenty of time for our form to nose dive again.
I've said the same. The difference between what would be the worst team in the league since the start of 18-19(a .395 pt% in 81 games with Kovalchuk), and what would currently be the 19th overall team(.541 pt% in 37 non-Kovalchuk games) in the same time, can't be one guy. Can't be one winger. Can't be one winger that at times was on the 4th line.
However, in the 55 games during 17-18 without Carter or Kovalchuk, and with Kempe as a C, the team was still 28-23-4. Kopitar, Doughty, and Quick dragged the team as far as it could go. Not good, but not the worst team in the league. Still couldn't score, they were 21st in GF for those 55 games, but they were 4th in GA. Last year, a mess all the way down, but in the 18 games that Kovalchuk didn't play, 7-7-4. That pace gets them nowhere, but with the whole team a mess, it was still better.
Scoring, defending, winning, losing. Kovalchuk in the lineup didn't take the team from contender to last place. Nothing crazy like that. They're an average team, and probably a fragile team, which is why one guy not buying into the system made them crumble like a cookie. The difference in GA is big though. If he's on the lower lines, and he's not where he's supposed to be, and they get scored on more often, that screws up the whole team. Then put him on the top line, where he was brought in to play, but then Kopitar doesn't seem to mesh with him, and we go back to boring and predictable Iafallo.
He seemed happy here. When they scored, or they won, everyone on the team was excited. Kovalchuk just seemed to actively make the team worse. You're right though, is that him, or the other 20 guys?
