That seems to be the angle you're taking. There's been more buy in from the players. They aren't making close to as many stupid decisions. Coaching staff made a game plan for a depleted roster which has created more structure. Both the players and the coach should take credit for it.
Other teams have injuries too, but I guess that's not important to you. We still, even with injuries, have a much more talented team than last year, and yet we score significantly less while allowing nearly identical goals against rates. Again, not important to you.
You're complaining while they are winning..... Then are unable to be open to a concept that actual puck management is the reason. You're reverting to advanced analytics to say they aren't playing better vs actual hard numbers wins and goals against. While it's obvious when you watch the games they quite clearly are playing much better. Less turnovers at the blue lined and danger areas. And no they don't have a more talented roster when 3 of their top 9 forwards are out and a top pairing d man has been injured. They had an average talent level roster to begin with when healthy.
No Bert, I'm not actually complaining, I'm pointing out that not everything is perfect, and if your going to praise what's going well you need to also acknowledge what isn't. I'm using the stats to reinforce what I see on the ice, yes, we are managing the puck better in our end, but not turning over the puck in our end isn't why we struggle to score compared to earlier this year. It isn't why we score less than last year 5v5 either.
Who in here wants to only praise DJ? Can you point out even one poster that has only good things to say about him?
A lot of people point to firing the coach or firing the GM but cannot really articulate why. We're not getting results in the W/L column and ultimately that's what it boils down to.
Read back, spend some time in the GDT, it's pretty clear who belongs to which groups.
Some obsess with calling people homes others call people haters.
Did he fix special teams or did Dorion? It's not a simple black and white question. We've got some really high power options on the PP, it should be doing well. Credit were it's due though, even if it should be good based on the personnel, I do believe it's punched above it's weight, DJ and his staff likely have something to due with that. That said I find we give up a lot of shorthanded chances, minor quibble but that needs to be cleaned up.
I've got no issues giving credit where its due, apparently I'm not allowed to point out where we still struggle though.
History tells us that tends to be why coaches get fired.
I think with new ownership new faces are inevitable, but I suppose if we make a push to finish the season it might be delayed. Dorion is in a tough spot with no capspace for next year, and some longstanding holes in the backend needing addressing. If he goes I can't see DJ sticking around,
I think one of the biggest areas we struggle with defensively is being able to clear but not clearing. I'm totally guessing but I'd think at least 25% of the goals against happen when we had a chance to clear, didn't, that causes running around and exhausted players, the other team gets fresh legs cycled in and boom we give one up. Apart from that there's very little struggle in our end imo. And I think the root cause of this is inexperience
I don’t say this as a notch against DJ, because he is responsible for his staff and they are all one organism, but the assistants deserve credit, too. I was watching the CBJ stream yesterday and they were raving about Payne running 20 set o-zone plays at ES and PP in the morning skate, saying watching that made it clear as to why our PP is so good. Obviously the players are a big part of that, too.
Agreed 100%, a disproportionate # of our GAs follow an unforced error.
100%. While my comment was more about singing the praises of unsung/out of sight contributors, it is also implicitly a compliment to the job DJ has done.
It was the turnovers in the neutral zone specifically the oppositions blue line that was costing this team the most. Now they get it in deep, while its boring its how you win in the league. You generate less offense but give up way less on the defensive side. They were playing river boat hockey, now they've tightened up.
I think those are pretty different things for a message board. Its pretty easy to articulate why Dorion should be fired you can look at all the roster transactions ones that worked and the ones that haven't. What they started with, where they have finished in the standings etc.
I watch almost exclusively the away feed. I find the perspectives offered by the opposition analysts interesting and I prefer listening to a game call that isn't one sided in our favour. I'll watch the tsn feed the odd time, never a Sportsnet feed.
There's a lot of retooling that goes on on the fly
I think currently that's our biggest issue. I think earlier on we did very well at preventing odd man rushes, that seemed to be what the coaching staff was keying in on and I remember DJ referencing as much a frlew times, but we struggled with giveaways in our own end. We have been better of late not turning it over in our end, still have the issue with ripping it around the boards to an awaiting opponent, but it's getting better.
Exactly. Nobody here does that.
Dorion is in a tough spot by his own making given the trade retentions and buyouts he has made as GM.
