I agree Bread is working harder. I think Bread took his poor playoffs to heart and came in to this season ready to change things. I give him props for that. Plus the new haircut makes him more aerodynamic.
You make it sound so easy, unless you have specific inside information, we dont know how much leash Laffy had before to do his things and the misstakes that come with it.Yes in fact 3 different head coaches have told Laf no shooting hard, no creative passing, and no skating fast as well. People do not realize that all 3 of our coaches and 2 GMs had this master plan to stop Laf. If you don't believe me look at Krav. They tested the plan on him first. Don't tell anyone though. Its a secret to keep Lafs salary low. Pretty ingenious salary cap manipulation if you ask me.
Um... what?
Jack Hughes makes a mistake while trying one on one moves, dangles, puck carrying, shooting.... Devils coaches try to guide him.
Meanwhile Rangers coaches:
Right, and the hockey gods also forced them to play Barclay Goodrow in the top 6 for 60 games over the course of two years
This is what happens when you "luck" into the draft when you've already got veteran talent who are supposed to lead the team. It's been repeated ad nauseum. The kids did not come into a traditional development environment.
You’re missing the point. Even though Laf/Kakko are not elite 1/2 overall picks and it’s understandable to be disappointed about that, it doesn’t change the fact that NYR opted to play several players who are bad over them in the top 6 up to this point.
Yeah I glossed over your post, which has got nothing to do with the topic anyway. Why bring Goodrow into it? Did you want to point out that the coaching staff was incompetent besides not being able to handle the kids? I knew that already
I never worry about bread at the start of a season bc every year he and other high skill players will generally torch other teams that are trying to develop and land their defensive systems and structure. I had this argument with people last year when he came off that playoff mess and got mocked, but as the season wore on you saw the same tendencies. The issue and point with bread is not what he looks like at the start but what is he willing to do and what areas will he go to on the ice as the game gets tighter and other teams are settled into their structure. it is a different game at the start of the season versus even at new years.
How is Goodrow not relevant to the topic? You started spewing the tired “kids were blocked by good players” narrative. Then I cited a player who should be working at Wendy’s who’s played more than both of them in the top 6 since they were drafted, at the position that both of them play
Except that Panarin didn't like playing with them, and that Goodrow and other grinders were put on that line thinking they'd add some forecheck and jam because Panarin was soft buttered ass.
Our multiple Coaches and GMs just do not like gifted scorers like Laf so they try to keep them from succeeding. Its an ego thing. Like right now Laf is forced to play with Bread and Chytil. Bread is an aging guy who had a disappointing playoff and Chytil is a very young guy who is coming off an injury. Just is not fair to Laf that David Quinn, Gerard Gallant, Gorton, Drury, and no Peter Laviolette are so determined to stop Laf from scoring. I wonder why they have it out for him so much. Jealousy?
I don’t think anyone here believes the org “has it out” for these players. Their talent evaluation is just consistently awful because their philosophy is archaic. Cant develop forwards or optimize your lineup if you can’t determine who’s good on your team
He's working harder cause he has an actual coach that will get him to do that. I do not agree that it is because it is early in the season as others mentioned.
I'm pretty confident Peter Laviolette can evaluate talent after coaching 20 years in the NHL. If not he can come read this board for help.
Not sure what your point is, I haven’t said anything about Laviollete. So far they’ve looked quite good and most of the players are generally where they’re supposed to be.I'm pretty confident Peter Laviolette can evaluate talent after coaching 20 years in the NHL. If not he can come read this board for help.
You keep implying its our teams coaches that stop Laf from being an elite player. Lav is our current coach. Lav is one of the most successful coaches in the last 20 or so years. 1 Cup, 3 cup finals, 7 seasons over 100 points. Nobody is infallible but people on this board including myself are neophytes. If Lav can't evaluate NHL players then he has sure done a great job faking it. Coaches are hired to be fired. How many coaches stay with one team for 10 years? Lav keeps getting hired because he has been good not bad at what he has done. He has had a winning record for every team he coached.
No problem with giving him time. Big problem with crediting his success or blaming his lack of success on others. Laf will be what Laf will be. If he succeeds he deserves the credit.
The same conversations have happened around here many times regarding past prospects. Not saying the situations are the same, but Malhotra and Lundmark come to mind. They obviously never turned into what we hoped...but the blame game went round to the organization, the coaches (Muckler was hated for being honest about Malhotra), the ice time... At a certain point, after the players bounce around from team to team, you realize that in most cases, the cream rises to the top and they weren't it.
First round picks will usually get many chances. Nobody wants them to make it more than the teams that drafted them but other teams will also give them chances. I saw Ludmark when he was in the AHL. Practice had ended and he stayed on the ice with assistant coaches working for an extra 45-60 minutes. That impressed me. I could see it was a guy working to get back to the NHL. Pro sports are weird. Sometimes guys can excel at lower levels but then not be good in the pros. While others can be so-so in lower levels but they be better in the pros. Almost all of us want Laf to be great. Would be a lot of fun if Laf can become the guy some draft pundits predicted.
@duhmetreE he needs to get serious though. Training 6x/wk, 2X/day. Get serious about his diet. Cut out sugars and carbs
If I can train 6x a week, a professional athlete sure as hell should
