Dean Evason and the Columbus Blue Jackets…

[Circulartheory]

Wait till the playoffs - that is the real test. He was fired from Minnesota for his inability to adapt and try new lines versus a more adaptable opponent.. Over 82 games, he's pretty good. But he would take at least 3 losing games to finally try new lines and you can't have that in a max 7 game series.

 

[Rcknrollkillnmachine]

Always liked Evason and although he has a short shelf-life he does galvanize teams to pull in the right direction and make a playoff berth which would be great for CBJ.

 

[Jovavic]

Wait till the playoffs - that is the real test. He was fired from Minnesota for his inability to adapt and try new lines versus a more adaptable opponent.. Over 82 games, he's pretty good. But he would take at least 3 losing games to finally try new lines and you can't have that in a max 7 game series.

If the team makes the playoffs in the next two years, he should get a statue in front of the arena lol

 

[SoundAndFury]

I'm surprised he's still there TBH. It really seemed like he was going to be moved and was unhappy for a while. Guess things blew over

I think a big part of his not being happy was constant losing. There might be some truth to the excuse that he played so poorly because of it, too. People have been making that excuse for Gibson for years—that he's a good goalie who has lost his motivation. Elvis has always been a headcase so a change of scenery might truly be doing something for him.

Regarding the Jackets, they probably live out a similar scenario to the Flyers last year. Lots of motivation and underestimation by opponents lead to a good start but fatigue and just pure lack of talent will run them out of the gas eventually. Still, would be nice to see them in the mix at least into the spring.

 

[squashmaple]

A bit surprised this thread was created by a CBJ fan

We are typically very cautious

My first instinct is to smell a troll. I don’t recognize OP.

 

[seafoam]

Certified Wagon

 

[paragon]

Insane what a good coach can do for you. This is why Kekäläinen deserved to be sacked.

 

[stevo61]

This is the 1st time in years I've been excited for upcoming games. Last 3 or 4 years it was like I was punishing myself watching games and made hockey not very enjoyable anymore

 

[stevo61]

My first instinct is to smell a troll. I don’t recognize OP.

He's been posting on our boards more lately

 

[missionAvs]

View attachment 924157

yup

Lol I forgot about this post he made. This is truly an example of something that quite literally couldn't have sounded right even in his head but he posted it anyways. What a guy.

 

[Peasy]

Lol I forgot about this post he made. This is truly an example of something that quite literally couldn't have sounded right even in his head but he posted it anyways. What a guy.

Insane he went that route in a bold predictions article instead of just saying "CBJ rally behind the tragedy and make a strong push for a playoff appearance."

 

[Jovavic]

My first instinct is to smell a troll. I don’t recognize OP.

Used to be known as Theo Vonn and like was said above, he's been coming around the team board more

 

[57special]

Dean believes in a heavy forecheck. If players commit to it, it can cause even the best of teams problems. It's sort of like a good pass rush in football.

In general, though, teams that do well because they work harder than everyone else, generally come back to the pack.

I was surprised that the Sabres didn't hire him when he was just sitting there...their loss. Hopefully CBJ will be able to avoid a long rebuild period that some other franchises are going through(SJS, CHI, BUF, etc.).

 

[stevo61]

Dean believes in a heavy forecheck. If players commit to it, it can cause even the best of teams problems. It's sort of like a good pass rush in football.

In general, though, teams that do well because they work harder than everyone else, generally come back to the pack.

I was surprised that the Sabres didn't hire him when he was just sitting there...their loss.

It's such an easy sell for Evason in Columbus too. They've had poor results and boring systems. To have a guy come in with high demands can be exhausting but when that work comes with results it's not hard to get guys to buy in. Hes been pushing the right buttons for sure. It's only a matter of time before they stop being one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL and fall back to some degree but it's still a good brand of hockey that can win games, team is gaining an identity again

 

[GoJackets1]

Please just ignore us and close this thread. Nothing to see here and all villages are safe.

Yes, these threads have an extremely bad track record for CBJ. lol

 

[57special]

Wait till the playoffs - that is the real test. He was fired from Minnesota for his inability to adapt and try new lines versus a more adaptable opponent.. Over 82 games, he's pretty good. But he would take at least 3 losing games to finally try new lines and you can't have that in a max 7 game series.

TBF to Dean, he also had a team that was at a disadvantage due to aging/injured Suter and Parise, or their buyout Cap penalties. MN has not been playing with a full deck for the past 4-5 years.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

He has a shelf life. Got more than he should have out of some of the Wild teams he coached but eventually the things you like about him now will be the things you hate about him later.

 

[Crede777]

As a CBJ fan, they definitely are playing with a purpose and with structure. It is nice to see after three seasons of nothing.

That said, they're second in the league in PDO. So we will see what happens if/when that normalizes.

 

[GoJackets1]

He has a shelf life. Got more than he should have out of some of the Wild teams he coached but eventually the things you like about him now will be the things you hate about him later.

Can you explain this a little bit further? Genuinely curious.

At least from a systems perspective, it's hard to imagine that getting stale. It seems, at the moment, that his structure works well against teams that have a poor defensive structure and/or not much of a forecheck. The teams we've lost convincingly to so far are teams that have a really good defensive structure or similarly good forecheck (Wild and Panthers). So it seems it doesn't work as well against those teams, although they did just beat one of those teams in the Isles. Some of that gap can be chalked up to a talent gap as well, obviously. Very early to tell, but those are my initial observations.

As such I can see why this system may not work as well in the playoffs when opponents are forechecking hard. But at the same time, it reminds me a lot of the way CBJ played against Tampa when they swept them. So, down the line when the young guys develop, combining this system with some high end offensive players and a fast defense seems like a dream. At least for the moment.

 

[bossram]

The work hard and they are legitimately playing well. They're rallying together.

Hard to know if it will continue, based on their roster composition, but it's a nice story. Hopefully they stay in the playoff mix.

 

[stevo61]

The whole organization feels different top to bottom. There is a real work like attitude but it feels like everyone is enjoying showing up to work again

https://x.com/i/web/status/1851995994256285766

 

[Bunch of Jurcos]

It's really nice to see Columbus playing well this year. I hope they keep it up and make a significant run at the playoffs.

 

[squashmaple]

Used to be known as Theo Vonn and like was said above, he's been coming around the team board more

Ah, that name I do recognize. You know how the mains are, though. Always have to be suspicious of compliments toward the Jackets.