Coaching is a serious problem.

Lafleurs Guy

Guuuuuuuy!
Jul 20, 2007
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3 guys? Out of a 24 man roster?
Top line doesn't need help. Second line has Dach and Newhook. I'd have liked Roy but understand Laine. The bottom six is packed with vets.

The D I think can use a vet on the right side. It would've been okay trying RB as he probably could've settled things down but now? I think a vet RD isn't a bad idea.

Other than that... no, what the hell do we need more vets for? Demidov, Hage, Roy and Beck are all on the way.
 

tazsub3

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May 30, 2016
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Dach was fantastic before getting hurt. Ditto with Newhook. Slaf has killed it. Hutson is killing it. CC killed it before getting hurt. Matheson has killed it.

What are you expecting here? Almost all of the prospects/young players we've picked up have overachieved.
Im 100 pct with you . Thé problem after laine trade , many fans expections went overboard.
We have a player coming from a bloody acl , not having played hockey for a full year .
The scorer we needed got hurt .

Simple the team is what it is a supposed to be .
Give it time , even management told everyone the expectation should not be high yet people don’t see it .
We still in the rebuild , simple as that .
 

calder candidate

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Feb 25, 2003
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I already said that it a lot on the player I feel like they going around as if they won the race but the race isn’t done and now they are getting lap…but that being said it management role to set the environment camp was a disaster, clearly physical preparation is not optimal and guys aren’t focus and alert on the ice… Hutson is the best player every night that is not normal…
 
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RationalExpectations

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May 12, 2019
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They can feel bad about it, but the concerted rebuild started when Hugo got on board. Using any other point to judge the rebuild is not the truth.

Year 3 of a rebuild isn't where we should be seeing a massive dynamic shift. Look at how long CBJ, Anaheim etc. have been in their actual rebuilds. They are still figuring it all out and in CBJ's case, look far behind us in terms of projected future outlook.

This is the rebuild we've asked for.. that means losing a lot of games, it means, taking a step, and then taking steps back, it means up and downs in team performance, in player performance, in effort, in execution.
This is year 4 of the rebuild. HuGo already has had 3 trade deadlines, 3 drafts, 3 FA periods. These are the important periods for a team strating a rebuild. Too easy to grant them one additional year because they were not here during half a season.

In addition, their core has been inherited from last management : Suzuki, CC, Guhle, + a lot of prospects like Mailloux, Roy, Xhekaj, Struble. This is a rebuild not started from 0. HuGo believed that and doubled down on the 2019-2020 drafts by adding Newhook, Dach, Barron, Heineman.

This team is not the typical team in a rebuild which would have started 3 years ago. I don t know of any team that does not hold players accountable in their D+6 seasons. It seems some fans think a rebuild is 10 years having 1OA - 5OA and are asking all other fans to be fine with having no effort on the ice whatsoever. I am sorry, but successful rebuilds don t lead to a SC in 3 years but they show progress on the ice.
 

nhlfan9191

Registered User
Aug 4, 2010
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Is this bad faith or terrible math skill?
Kent Hughes was hired on January 18 2022, so 2 years 9 months ago.
The first player drafted by the regime in charge of the rebuild played 2 seasons so far and currently playing his 3rd.
I feel like this is arguing semantics. I often call it year 4 of the rebuild as well because I consider the year they crashed out to draft a #1 pick and the year they started selling assets as part of it. HuGo also hired their own coach in 21/22. Whether you want to count that as part of the rebuild or call it a transition year into the rebuild doesn’t really matter much. We’ve stunk going on 4 seasons now.
 

HabsAddict

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Feb 27, 2002
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I had watched two of the LA periods and tried to finish the 3rd this morning.

I'm got confused. The Habs players ARE confused. The entire 3rd period was confusing.

They are trying to play man-on-man near the blueline and zone near the redline. I thought that the my wife must of spiked the coffee cake and I was imagining things, so I went back to the beginning of the game. Yup, they are playing two different systems at the same time and probably chewing gum too.

No wonder I see X or Barron chase a guy up high on the wrong side and then play his zone a few seconds later.

So I was wrong. It's not that Marty is not implementing a system, it's a STUPID system. It's constantly devolving and breaking down. Puck battles one second, zone defense the next second....and they land up stuck in their own zone. Neither controlling the game on the boards nor keeping opposing players from the slot or the net.

That is also why we have that many shots on us.

Marty is not Bowman and as much as I love the players, they aren't high IQ veterans or budding rocket scientist. He's trying to implement two different systems at once and it looks like dis-organized crime on ice.

Now what? Does Hughes take an eraser to Marty's fantasies and read him a mini riot act or does he bring in a veteran coach?
 
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OldCraig71

Juice Arse
Feb 2, 2009
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What do you think would make more of a difference?

1. Hiring Scotty Bowman
2. Trading Matheson and getting a solid veteran RD
Maybe it would be cool if we got past the concepts stage and worked with the players to help them learn the defensive structure because everyone is lost. The numbers prove it, and yes, adding some veteran help would help, but I don't see any takers for MM until the TDL.
 
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BLONG7

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Oct 30, 2002
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Does MSL give carte blanche to Robidas on the back end with our D system??
Should the media start asking questions about the running around in the D zone instead of playing some kind proper zone style D when we don't have the puck??
 

Habs Icing

Formerly Onice
Jan 17, 2004
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I dont think Marty is a bad coach. I think he's clearly inexperienced and it's showing.

I think both he and the team would benefit from hiring an experienced assistant, or even an associate coach.
When you say experienced, do you mean NHL? They did hire an associate coach this off-season. He is supposed to coach the coaches.
 

L4br3cqu3

Matter of principle.
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May 5, 2002
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When you say experienced, do you mean NHL? They did hire an associate coach this off-season. He is supposed to coach the coaches.

Roger Grillo ? Or someone else I may have missed...

If it's Grillo, I mean, yeah, he does have experience, but just at the lower levels, and his last years at Brown were anything but great. I suppose he said the right things.

Still, things like that won't happen overnight, MSL was a project from the start, something some people seems to forget.
 

Habs Icing

Formerly Onice
Jan 17, 2004
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It's not the case in Montreal because you dont have 15 players brining along 5 rookies on what to do.

Only 2 players are vets and the rest are hatchlings. It has to be the coaches who teach and reteach and enforce structure. For EVERYBODY.

They are not playing like a structured 5 man team. Yes, they all come back, but no, they don't play as a structured unit to know how to cover each other.
Huh?! Define vet. I'm assuming you don't mean veterinarian.
With my definition, I count: 9
Gallagher
Anderson
Armia
Dvorak
Suzuki
Evans
Savard
Matheson
Montembeault
And CC is on his 4th season. Borderline
 

Habs Icing

Formerly Onice
Jan 17, 2004
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I’ll go with hiring Scotty.
I would not have answered that question. It was a trick question.

Scotty is 91. He forgot more about the game than I know and that would be concerning. Don't forget he came out and declared that when he watched KK play, he reminded him of a young Beliveau.

Roger Grillo ? Or someone else I may have missed...

If it's Grillo, I mean, yeah, he does have experience, but just at the lower levels, and his last years at Brown were anything but great. I suppose he said the right things.

Still, things like that won't happen overnight, MSL was a project from the start, something some people seems to forget.
So are you questioning MSL's judgment because Grillo was his pick?
 
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Rapala

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Mar 29, 2013
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Maybe it would be cool if we got past the concepts stage and worked with the players to help them learn the defensive structure because everyone is lost. The numbers prove it, and yes, adding some veteran help would help, but I don't see any takers for MM until the TDL.
I wish someone would ask MSL what the idea is behind inverting our D in our own zone is supposed to accomplish. :ha:
Putting Dmen on their backhands against the wall doesn't seem all that bright for a team who struggle to exit the zone.
They've taken to doing it more and more off the draw now. I mean we all get the profile in the Ozone for the one timer but this makes no sense.
How about we learn to execute in a standard fashion before attempting needless experimentation. :dunno:
If this is a concept it's a stupid one.
 

OldCraig71

Juice Arse
Feb 2, 2009
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I wish someone would ask MSL what the idea is behind inverting our D in our own zone is supposed to accomplish. :ha:
Putting Dmen on their backhands against the wall doesn't seem all that bright for a team who struggle to exit the zone.
They've taken to doing it more and more off the draw now. I mean we all get the profile in the Ozone for the one timer but this makes no sense.
How about we learn to execute in a standard fashion before attempting needless experimentation. :dunno:
If this is a concept it's a stupid one.
With the growing chatter from the media and fans it will be interesting to see how they look tonight against the Islanders.
 

Spring in Fialta

A malign star kept him
Apr 1, 2007
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Predators at an 0-4 start and they made the huge free agency splashes for a team that was in the playoffs last year.

It's really a weird start around the league.

Except some teams can and should be trusted more than others to turn it around.

This isn't out of character of what the Habs have been. This is precisely who they've been for a couple of years now.

I'm hoping they can turn it around but it's year 4 of bottoming out. Something has to give at some point. Only 5 games in but sheesh, 'organic growth' doesn't seem like it's particularly there.
 

L4br3cqu3

Matter of principle.
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May 5, 2002
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I would not have answered that question. It was a trick question.

Scotty is 91. He forgot more about the game than I know and that would be concerning. Don't forget he came out and declared that when he watched KK play, he reminded him of a young Beliveau.


So are you questioning MSL's judgment because Grillo was his pick?

I'm quoting myself, "I suppose he said the right things."
 

WeThreeKings

Demidov is a HAB
Sep 19, 2006
95,041
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This is year 4 of the rebuild. HuGo already has had 3 trade deadlines, 3 drafts, 3 FA periods. These are the important periods for a team strating a rebuild. Too easy to grant them one additional year because they were not here during half a season.

In addition, their core has been inherited from last management : Suzuki, CC, Guhle, + a lot of prospects like Mailloux, Roy, Xhekaj, Struble. This is a rebuild not started from 0. HuGo believed that and doubled down on the 2019-2020 drafts by adding Newhook, Dach, Barron, Heineman.

This team is not the typical team in a rebuild which would have started 3 years ago. I don t know of any team that does not hold players accountable in their D+6 seasons. It seems some fans think a rebuild is 10 years having 1OA - 5OA and are asking all other fans to be fine with having no effort on the ice whatsoever. I am sorry, but successful rebuilds don t lead to a SC in 3 years but they show progress on the ice.

You can split it and say 3.5; but think about the Summer.. where Kotkaniemi went for an OS, they signed Savard, extended Armia, traded multiple high value picks for Dvorak.. that summer can't count as a rebuild as it was an effort to stay competitive. The rebuild starts when Kent Hughes comes on board and actually starts selling. That off-season plays out way differently for us if Hughes starts that off-season with a rebuild mindset.

Think about how further along our rebuild is by not having the Armia contract anchor and dedicated roster spot, and we had the picks for Dvorak still in house? That would've been another 1st round prospect and a fringe 1st round prospect with how high our 2nd round pick was.
 

morhilane

Registered User
Feb 28, 2021
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Except some teams can and should be trusted more than others to turn it around.

This isn't out of character of what the Habs have been. This is precisely who they've been for a couple of years now.

I'm hoping they can turn it around but it's year 4 of bottoming out. Something has to give at some point. Only 5 games in but sheesh, 'organic growth' doesn't seem like it's particularly there.
They are a bunch of losers like the Leafs, but without the elite skills on the line-up to at least look good during regular season.

Their "we are young/immature team" after last game to excuse their lack of effort and jump over the last few games was ridiculus. The media should have rolled their eyes and told them that the Laval Rocket players have no issues showing up from the 1st puck drop and put in efforts over 200 feets every shifts...
 

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