The irony of all this is the difference between Greg Cronin and Jon Cooper.
Pat Verbeek knows first hand the qualities that Cooper brought to the Lightning.
It doesn’t take much effort to see that Cooper has won at every level.
I don’t know if PV was just shooting for the stars with Cronin or what. But I do know that Cronin wasn’t winning cups/championships at those lower levels.
If you can’t figure out how to win throughout a minor and college career, why would anyone think he can in the NHL.
John
I think this was a development hire. Verbeek could be reasonably certain this roster wasn't going to win anything any time soon. Cronin was strictly a "I want these guys to develop good habits and play the game the right way" sort of coach. A hard-ass who would instill discipline, teach individual defensive responsibility and skills, and set the franchise up for another coach to come along and take them to the next level. If Cronin caught lightning in a bottle and started winning, great! But that wasn't the idea behind the hire. Maybe McIlvane is (or was) supposed to be that next guy.
And I think it's reasonable to say that possibly some of those things are true. Whether or not he'll ever be good at it (I contend he won't), based on what he's said and what we're seeing in games, Zegras is a more complete player. The team's defense has improved DRAMATICALLY from where it was under Eakins. We can't see behind the scenes, so it's possible workout habits and practice habits are better.
But very little of what Cronin preaches seems to be translating into on-ice improvement. That's concerning. I think we do still need to give it some time, but I'm getting antsy. It's one thing to have a bit of a letdown on the road to Vegas in the second half of back-to-backs. It's another to get absolutely CRUSHED by Colorado and then come home seemingly knowing you need to play better only to stop working after the first period against your cross-town rivals. The Avs game was embarrassing. The Kings game was inexplicable. I'm more worried about the latter.