Coach Discussion: Warsofsky

[tiburon12]

I mean, its hard to argue, as he didn't produce. I would point out that he did have some rough puck luck, as he missed at least 2 or 3 Grade A's and was clearly fighting it the whole time after he got back in the lineup and that continued to the Cuda until recently. And like I said, I don't see him as an NHL'er in the future anyway....but there are so many guys who are egregiously worse w/ less skill and now we're at the point in the season where it's time to make chnages and get longer looks on guys like him who have decisions upcoming. Though I will admit that this is moreso on management than Warso himself.

Perhaps that rough puck luck was a result of just being on a bad team. Assuming you play/played hockey, we all know those guys who just seemingly get every 50/50 puck, or somehow still can accept a pass despite a D deflecting it. At some point you realize it's not luck and those players are just better.

I also agree that there are dudes who should be getting a shot, and maybe they will at this stage of the season. BUT, i also think protecting them from the Tire Fire AND getting the cuda to roll has benefits. Look at Washington letting their guys mature and kick ass and win in the AHL. Maybe there is something there too, but we should definitely be giving guys more NHL looks moving forward.

 

[HockeyScout1425]

I want to address this one point...I'm general, this isn't a fair one. It's the NHL; players need to be mentally tough, especially if he is a marginal talent.

Toughness to me would be pulling out of a bad funk and finding your game again. Would you give up on Will Smith and banish him to the doghouse after his first 10 games? Many were in fact calling for that. The organization ignored all of that, did the right thing, and let him figure it out.

Guschin didn't get that same opportunity. Obviously because hes not as good as Smith, or as touted, or as big,draft pedigree etc... But I would argue that he still deserved a longer look because so many of the other turds they roll w/ are much worse. Guschin was a -2 in his 10 games, so it's not like he was a complete disaster.

 

[Star Platinum]

I disagree fully actually. I think he forced their hand to play him in the opener by out-competing the hired help they brought in. They rewarded a good training camp with a roster spot. He didn't do anything with it so they sent him down again.

I don't think this is anything out of the ordinary, and im really ambivalent about Warso, so this isn't bias.

I actually think they didn't really give him a fair shot. I think they already had in their mind that what he did in the preseason was irrelevant and that he wasn't in their plans regardless.

Think about the case of Kovalenko. First couple of games he gets to play on the top two lines. Don't remember if we had a guy injured at the time and an open spot or not, but he managed to make some decent passes for primary assists. Shortly after that, he got sent to the third line to play with grinders and we haven't really seen any skilled plays out of him since then. You see it as well with Graf, who got a short stint playing with skilled guys and did a few good things and then ended up with grinders and hasn't done anything offensively since.

Your skill guys are never going to be able to show their skill when you pair them with grinders. Maybe they're not as good as the six best skill guys on your roster, but if you put them in a grinding role that they really aren't suited for and then decide that either a) They weren't good enough at the grindy parts of the game or b) They didn't generate enough offense when I put them with grinders, then the fault is on you for playing them in a role they weren't suited for.

Warsofsky so far in his tenure here seems to have an affinity for grinders that a lot of old-school hard nosed coaches of the past have had, which is that if you want to score, you have to earn your way off of a checking line by showing me that you're willing to put your ego aside and show me with effort and grit that you deserve a shot of playing with the good players. I think that is a dumb way to coach.

If they can manage to sign another skilled winger in the offseason, I'd honestly like to see them run a third line of Wennberg/Kovalenko/Zetterlund and see what they could do. It'd sure be a lot better than watching Grundstrom/Dellandrea/Sturm/Kunin/Duehr/Goodrow have zero positive impact offensively or defensively.

 

[tiburon12]

I actually think they didn't really give him a fair shot. I think they already had in their mind that what he did in the preseason was irrelevant and that he wasn't in their plans regardless.

Sharks' unusual Opening Night roster creates golden chances for some

The Sharks have an unusual structure to their 2024-25 NHL Opening Night roster, but there is a method to San Jose’s madness, Sheng Peng writes.

www.nbcsportsbayarea.com

This would suggest otherwise

Think about the case of Kovalenko. First couple of games he gets to play on the top two lines. Don't remember if we had a guy injured at the time and an open spot or not, but he managed to make some decent passes for primary assists. Shortly after that, he got sent to the third line to play with grinders and we haven't really seen any skilled plays out of him since then. You see it as well with Graf, who got a short stint playing with skilled guys and did a few good things and then ended up with grinders and hasn't done anything offensively since.

Your skill guys are never going to be able to show their skill when you pair them with grinders. Maybe they're not as good as the six best skill guys on your roster, but if you put them in a grinding role that they really aren't suited for and then decide that either a) They weren't good enough at the grindy parts of the game or b) They didn't generate enough offense when I put them with grinders, then the fault is on you for playing them in a role they weren't suited for.

That's definitely true, but what is Warso supposed to do? Give Gushchin a 2nd line role over Zetterlund or Granlund, or push Smith, a far more valuable player, to the grind lines for his debut. Rock and Hard Place if you ask me.

Gushchin just didnt do enough AND wasn't important enough to supplant established pros and better prospects in the lineup. That's the reality. It's missing the forest for the trees to think otherwise about the Gus decisions.

Warsofsky so far in his tenure here seems to have an affinity for grinders that a lot of old-school hard nosed coaches of the past have had, which is that if you want to score, you have to earn your way off of a checking line by showing me that you're willing to put your ego aside and show me with effort and grit that you deserve a shot of playing with the good players. I think that is a dumb way to coach.

He is playing the people on the team, a roster Grier loaded with grinders. Warso's job is to win games and develop players. Since winning is challenging, he then needs to make decisions for the long term benefit of the players and the team. He's missed on those a lot, but let's not pretend there is some easy drag and drop solution to line building.

If they can manage to sign another skilled winger in the offseason, I'd honestly like to see them run a third line of Wennberg/Kovalenko/Zetterlund and see what they could do. It'd sure be a lot better than watching Grundstrom/Dellandrea/Sturm/Kunin/Duehr/Goodrow have zero positive impact offensively or defensively.

Me too, i think Zetterlund can be a great 3rd liner if there are scorers above him

 

[Star Platinum]

Sharks' unusual Opening Night roster creates golden chances for some

The Sharks have an unusual structure to their 2024-25 NHL Opening Night roster, but there is a method to San Jose’s madness, Sheng Peng writes.

www.nbcsportsbayarea.com

This would suggest otherwise

Not really:

The lines were, per the Hockey News:

Eklund-Celebrini-Toffoli
Granlund-W. Smith-Zetterlund
Kunin-Wennberg-Goodrow
Gushchin-Sturm-Dellandrea

After that game, Celebrini was out, moving Granlund to 1st line center and creating an opening in the Top 6. I don't think he deserved a spot over the other guys, but when Celebrini was out, he deserved a shot.

That said, I don't think we missed out on anything.