Yeah, a new coaching staff gets more rope than one that's stagnated in suck for 5 years. What's new?
If we're still in Tippett level of competence in five years, I'll be calling for Tocchet's head, too. Not after three games like some of you.
Well, you can look back at my posts and know that I am not calling for Tocchet to be fired, just that there is a fairly large amount of bias against Tippett vs Tocchet. A streak of good games over the past 10 is no different than a streak of 10 good games that we saw with this same team last year, say from January 21st to Feb 14th, when we went 6-3-1. The point remains the same that we still have enough flaws to not be more than a below average to average (maybe slightly above average) team at this juncture.
It would almost be implied with the 5 years of suckitude (probably more like two years, to be honest) that in some way, if Tocchet were our coach given those rosters, we would have never had a 56 point season, and instead had a 70 point season. And the seasons that we were between 2 and 7 points from making the playoffs, we would have easily been in if Tocchet were in charge. I can't draw any conclusions that it would or would not happen, but given the way that we have played under Tocchet in a limited sample, it would appear that we would not have been in any better of a position, and likely a little worse.
Unfortunately, we have little to compare because the roster changed so drastically with draft picks finally having meaningful impact (again, can't stress how much of a difference getting a player like Dvorak and/or Perlini is when 4 years earlier, the comparative players in those selections were Phil Lane and Brandon Gormley). Neither Tippett nor Tocchet could wish upon a star to make players like Lane and Gormley live up to their draft value and potential.