I guess this is about the fourth or fifth time you've taken my engagement with you on this board and turned it into another soapbox spasm of statistics and vitriol and "???" and doubting my intelligence. Are you incapable of having a calm discussion when you disagree with someone?
My original point was that sounding alarm bells over Leo's point production in his second year in the league is premature and unfair. I therefore used the Corey Perry example because a) he too was once a promising young player who didn't put up huge point production in his second year and b) he eventually turned out alright. Apples to apples. I'm sorry you didn't care for the example I used, but that doesn't invalidate what I wrote.
Of course Verbeek and Cronin are the REAL problems. Is that supposed to be some huge revelation? When I suggested we should cool our collective jets on Leo and focus on real problems, that's what I meant. I guess I thought that was pretty well understood by most who frequent this board. But thanks so much for your attempt to rub my nose in it, as you so frequently do with other posters here who dare to challenge your thinking.
This isn't personal. I am not your enemy just because you don't like what I have to say. Quit hiding behind your statistics and unrelenting arrogance and learn how to make a reasoned argument without attacking your fellow Duck fans. It may surprise you to learn that other people can be right too.
Hello, I take a little issue with Verbeek and Cronin being the REAL problem. While I understand the frustration with the teams start to the season, I’d like to point out why I think neither of them are a truly a problem.
To start with Verbeek, in the 2021-2022 ripped the bandaid off, he couldn’t come to terms with the upcoming UFA’s and traded them for prospects and picks.
Out of his 3 drafts so far (which is the key to our rebuild, along with the 4 years of draft picks when we were just bad, not rebuilding), 2 players are currently on the NHL roster. Our building blocks for the future are clearly in some capacity, because not all draft picks work out and very likely some of these players will be traded, or not be on the team long term, are Sennecke, Leo, Cutter, Minty, McT, Zelly, Zegras, Terry, Dostal.
With laye first - 3rd round prospects in Stian, Petterson, Masse, Ethan P, Tarin S, Myatovic, Terrance, Clara, Pitre, Sidorov, Gaucher, Warren, Luneau as all Verbeek draft picks hopefully to join the team in the next 2-4 years as our ELC’s start getting paid more and need to bring in young cheaper talent. We also should add another top 15 draft pick (realistically top 10) and draft class minus a second (unless we trade some UFA’s at the deadline, which if we do means we are so bad at the time, we will be getting a top 3 pick).
This is the key to our rebuild, if we hit on Verbeek’s drafts, and our top picks take major steps in their games in the next couple years.
As for Cronin, here is some Reddit thread where every avalanche fan said, upon hiring Cronin, how good he was at player development, and how we got a great coach.
His specialty was apparently AHL defensemen, which we have in our NHL and AHL pipeline currently, Minty, Zelly, LaCombe, Drew H, Luneau, Hinds, Warren, Dionicio….. plus these people, port, Konnor s, Tarin s, Stian, Ian Moore? If he does his job in developing these prospects, we will be loaded with a defensive pipeline to make us competitive for 10-12 years. We still need some RHD prospects most likely, maybe our first this year depending on BPA.
As far as holding back the offensive guys, which is a fair criticism, I think all of them are being held to a standard on and off the ice. The purpose of Cronin is come teach our young players are serious they have to take the offseason, training, practices, workouts, film sessions, buying into a system even if it’s against personal gain.
I don’t think Cronin will be around when we take our next step, but I think he is doing his job currently. The next 11 games, Kings, Vegas, Wild, Maple Leafs are the only real penciled in losses. We are playing are best hockey so far of the season (still not great hockey I know) and are adding a top 6 forward who had 21 pts in 20 games to start last season, maybe it’s the type of player to add to a hot team that keeps the offense firing.
I know the development statically doesn’t paint a picture, but I think the behind the scene work that is being done will be very important in 1-3 years when we can expect to start sneaking into the playoffs. Then hopefully during that stretch you hire the coach to help take 22-23 year old Leo and Co into a consistent playoff team for 10-12 years.
And no one has to agree with what I think, I just don’t think everyone is looking at the puzzle as a whole, and looking at individual pcs that don’t seem to be working. A small example is Leo who during his 18 and 19 year seasons is at a higher PPG pace than Barkov and Hughes did during their first two years.
We bottomed out 2 - 2-1/2 years ago, started this season off extremely poorly, have taken some steps these last few games, let’s see if we’ve started to build a team identity and if we can continue playing competitive hockey before grabbing all our pitchforks.
Edit: in terms of not being able to see the progress that I think is happening. Has anybody seen the movie Idiocracy ? Well in it, the future starts watering plants with Brawndo (Gatorade) and the plants die, the main character tells them to use toilet water to help plants grow. Everyone makes fun of him, and when NO ONE can see immediate progress the sentence him to death. Even though the process is working, just because people can’t understand, that sometimes there isn’t immediate proof that something (in this case, player development) is working.
…. No…. He doesn’t.
