But if Cooper gets bad goaltending..the flaws of Seth Jones and Connor Barfy
..the inability for Hawks to finish and Bedard gettibg stymied and only able to shoot 2 for 65 (over last 21HP) = Cooper will be roasted just like LR...no strategy genius is going to turn mud to gold.. it rest on talent and hockey sense ..I do notcsee how Cooper pr any coach makes these Hawks turn into sniping machines...nor expect him to turn S.Jones int a difference-majing 1D instead of the same problems over and over again....or turn Barfy into anything that gets pucks out of the d-zibe before anything bad happens.
It is what it is.. We need better hockey pkayers who dominatecthe ipps not get exploited by the opps..
The bloom is off the bush already this season..we know w the flaws...Thisx rebuild is 3 years fron being 3 years away fromekite contender...That isat least 5 more seasons in the wilderness After this season..
The goid news...Jones and Barfy long gone..Hawks finally gwt 2 difference-maker Centers and Bedard shuffled off to wing ..
The only good thing about Bedard's lousy goalscoring (over last 21 GP( is that If this persists the entire season ,his next contract will not be for that much $$$$ as we,all were worried it might..
Unless Bedard starts beating goaliesxwith hisxshots,he is not getting a big increase for the 2nd Contract..
A lot is beibgcaskedvof Bedard...putting gbup minus numbers at evens,failing to score goalson the PP and at Evens,getting easily "handled" by 4th line checking nobodies...is Not going to get him the big bucks.
For thise not worried (YET), theirvhopevisxtgat there must be better luck and a reversion to a higher mean in store for Bedard. That a higher % of his shots beat goalies as the season goes on...well,his S% must get better or panic is going
to set in among both fans And with Hawks Managenent..
I hope the unconcerned fans are correct ...and even if he just gets back to las
t season's 10.9% shooting that is acceptable...But a3% shooter from the top line p any team is just not acceptable.
Problem is Hawks have no 1C alternative solution.