Speculation: Gerard Gallant fired

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

Don't you see though? It must be the coaching because only coaching can provide a quick fix for this team. If coaching doesn't make us materially better, it means there are no quick fixes and that we may be in for a very, very long rebuild and many more years of only a marginally better product. No one wants to think of a long, nasty, ugly rebuild. We are seeing what it looks like on a nightly basis. People are terrified of multiple more years of this which is why they keep looking for the short cut and the quick fix.

How is replacing the coach a quick fix? It's an area of weakness that needs to be addressed. If Gallant makes us marginally better then we have upgraded the team. Upgrading positions of weakness is what you do in a rebuild.

And who is suggesting changing the coach will suddenly complete the rebuild? No one on this board that I've seen thinks a coach change is going to fix everything. Most of us know next year and the year after will be hard too.

 

[Snuggs]

I agree that we lack talent. It's why we are bad. But to suggest that another coach can not get more out of the players we have is false. If that were the case, coaching would be a pointless position because the team would only perform up to it's talent level. Never above it, never below it.

I'm going to be the guy that pulls apart both positions and say you're both right. The roster is bad, bad bad, Gallant or any coach is only going to improve this team so much.

That being said, there is a difference between being bad, and terrible like we are through 2-4 lines and even the streaky-ness of the top line. I get it we are bad, but there is a point to be made when it's now become regular within the month... once or twice Red Wings will get shelled for 6 or more goals on top of all the losing games where the scores closer but no more competitive than a 6 plus goal performance. People can sit here and blame it all on Holland, Coaches/Gms, all it work together to shape a team and bringing back Howard we can prolly tag some smear on Blashill too for the decision, I doubt he didn't have a say at all or was ignored.

More than anything Blashill hasn't impressed me as a coach. I don't think he's taken the strengths of the team and made them effective every night. He's more of a guy right now trying to spread out players/talent/things among 4 lines to cover up a lot of the teams holes on the team. An maybe that's what he has to do to be competitive. IDK, but I'm just a guy that likes to know what I do well, focus on that and figure out how to exploit an force it on my opponents vs covering up my weaknesses and by doing that weakening my strengths... Just a philosophy. I'm not super coach either it's just an opinion.

 

[Retire91]

I have never been for firing Blashil. If your team is completely void of the underlying talent to compete then it maters #%& all who the coach is.

In this case, though I would be fine with it. He is highly regarded and I would be for installing him as the coach for the foreseeable future and not a temporary stopgap.

Also what if Tampa Fires Coop and picks up Gallant. I would also be in favor of signing Cooper.

If we are going to fire Blash do it for the coach you want to see all the way, don't just do it just to do it.

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

More than anything Blashill hasn't impressed me as a coach. I don't think he's taken the strengths of the team and made them effective every night. He's more of a guy right now trying to spread out players/talent/things among 4 lines to cover up a lot of the teams holes on the team. An maybe that's what he has to do to be competitive. IDK, but I'm just a guy that likes to know what I do well, focus on that and figure out how to exploit an force it on my opponents vs covering up my weaknesses and by doing that weakening my strengths... Just a philosophy. I'm not super coach either it's just an opinion.

I agree with you here.

I think, personally, Blash is in over his head and doesn't know what to do. He was never a player at the NHL level and can't figure out how to overcome our obvious lack of talent. Gallant was in the league and that experience would serve him well as our coach imo.

I'm not trying to suggest that changing the coach will make us contenders next year, but I do believe the right coach could get this team to compete better and lose by 2 instead of 5. That's an improvement and one I think is realistic.

 

[deca guard]

ive no opinion on wanting gallant one way or another . just want to say that i think there'll be several good rostered teams that feel they could compete for a cup that have already called him to take over right away . winnipeg for one imo . so if yzerman wants to hire gallant i think it happens right away

 

[MetalHeadRedwingfan]

It's real simple folks, fire Blash and hire Gallant. Yes our team is hot dog $hit, but we need someone who is going install some confidence in these young guys. Confidence creates a winning attitude. I bet you could go into that locker room and watch players role their eyes at Blash. His time is done, just like Howards. #gallant4coach

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

How is replacing the coach a quick fix? It's an area of weakness that needs to be addressed. If Gallant makes us marginally better then we have upgraded the team. Upgrading positions of weakness is what you do in a rebuild.

And who is suggesting changing the coach will suddenly complete the rebuild? No one on this board that I've seen thinks a coach change is going to fix everything. Most of us know next year and the year after will be hard too.

If he only makes us marginally better, why have you been so fixated on a coaching change all season? I don't think for a second that you honestly believe he will only make us marginally better. Deep down you think a new coach will make us substantially better and more watchable, otherwise you would not be so fixated on it.

Like I said earlier, if you do not like getting shelled each night, you probably should not run out a defense that includes Biega, Lashoff and Bowey, you shouldn't have Jimmy anywhere near your NHL team and you shouldn't have Val or Erne in your top six.

The most ironic part of all of this is that I actually do want a coaching change at the end of the year (or tomorrow if Stevie genuinely has his top choice). I think our job is less attractive than some other posters may think, but that is a different issue all together. I cannot stand, however, the dillusional suggestions floating around here that we are bad because of coaching. We will not be materially better as a team until we have better talent. There are no quick fixes to the mess we are in. At the end of the day players play the game.

 

[Retire91]

ive no opinion on wanting gallant one way or another . just want to say that i think there'll be several good rostered teams that feel they could compete for a cup that have already called him to take over right away . winnipeg for one imo . so if yzerman wants to hire gallant i think it happens right away

I think the relationship Yzerman and Gallant have makes that a little less clear though. If Gallant likes the vision and Yzerman's pitch for what is going to happen in Detroit Gallant might be into it.

 

[Flowah]

I know Yzerman's MO seems to be to wait until the end of the season, but I really want Stevie to jump all over this. I can't imagine Gallant will be available for long.

Is it?

His MO seems to be proactive.

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

If he only makes us marginally better, why have you been so fixated on a coaching change all season? I don't think for a second that you honestly believe he will only make us marginally better. Deep down you think a new coach will make us substantially better and more watchable, otherwise you would not be so fixated on it.
.

So you're a troll, gotcha. No point in continuing on with you.

 

[Hen Kolland]

can't figure out how to overcome our obvious lack of talent.

And this right here is the underlying problem with the argument as presented. You are suggesting that there is a way to overcome the lack of talent, but to be quite frank, there is no way to do that.

If you take away blind hope that something gets better, nobody has delivered a compelling argument that would make me motivated to change the coach during the season, because ultimately they talk themselves in circles until they get to the point where the only thing they are clutching to is "...and we just hope that *insert coach here* can get more out of the talent stripped team."

 

[Hammettf2b]

If he only makes us marginally better, why have you been so fixated on a coaching change all season? I don't think for a second that you honestly believe he will only make us marginally better. Deep down you think a new coach will make us substantially better and more watchable, otherwise you would not be so fixated on it.

Like I said earlier, if you do not like getting shelled each night, you probably should not run out a defense that includes Biega, Lashoff and Bowey, you shouldn't have Jimmy anywhere near your NHL team and you shouldn't have Val or Erne in your top six.

The most ironic part of all of this is that I actually do want a coaching change at the end of the year (or tomorrow if Stevie genuinely has his top choice). I think our job is less attractive than some other posters may think, but that is a different issue all together. I cannot stand, however, the dillusional suggestions floating around here that we are bad because of coaching. We will not be materially better as a team until we have better talent. There are no quick fixes to the mess we are in. At the end of the day players play the game.

That's not true for me at all tbh. I want Blash gone because I don't like the way he coaches. His style wouldn't be any different if we had a much better team in place imo. I'm sure there are others that feel this way as well. I don't think too many actually believe a coaching change will drastically change this team right now.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Is it?

His MO seems to be proactive.

He's stated all along he's going to be patient and not take homerun swings and everything he's done so far is true to that. It's all been minor deals for low risk high reward outcomes.

 

[Frk It]

Like I said earlier, if you do not like getting shelled each night, you probably should not run out a defense that includes Biega, Lashoff and Bowey, you shouldn't have Jimmy anywhere near your NHL team and you shouldn't have Val or Erne in your top six..

 

[ricky0034]

If he only makes us marginally better, why have you been so fixated on a coaching change all season? I don't think for a second that you honestly believe he will only make us marginally better. Deep down you think a new coach will make us substantially better and more watchable, otherwise you would not be so fixated on it.

Like I said earlier, if you do not like getting shelled each night, you probably should not run out a defense that includes Biega, Lashoff and Bowey, you shouldn't have Jimmy anywhere near your NHL team and you shouldn't have Val or Erne in your top six.

The most ironic part of all of this is that I actually do want a coaching change at the end of the year (or tomorrow if Stevie genuinely has his top choice). I think our job is less attractive than some other posters may think, but that is a different issue all together. I cannot stand, however, the dillusional suggestions floating around here that we are bad because of coaching. We will not be materially better as a team until we have better talent. There are no quick fixes to the mess we are in. At the end of the day players play the game.

and you also shouldn't have Jeff Blashill as your head coach,it takes a confluence of a lot of factors including coaching to be this bad and people that pretend otherwise are no less ridiculous than if I were to go around saying that Blashill is the only thing stopping this team from winning a cup

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

And this right here is the underlying problem with the argument as presented. You are suggesting that there is a way to overcome the lack of talent, but to be quite frank, there is no way to do that.

If you take away blind hope that something gets better, nobody has delivered a compelling argument that would make me motivated to change the coach during the season, because ultimately they talk themselves in circles until they get to the point where the only thing they are clutching to is "...and we just hope that *insert coach here* can get more out of the talent stripped team."

Sure there is, the reason I can't detail it out for you is the same reason I'm not paid millions of dollars as a coach. But that does not mean that other strategies wouldn't have different results.

Bowman would have this team playing better. Why? Because he has a different approach than Blashill.
This thought that, WE HAVE NO TALENT SO NO COACH CAN DO BETTER is circular too. It's also more false than the hope argument. We can look up stats and records of teams that have made coaching changes where they teams play improved.

If Gallant was named coach and we were getting blown out by 5 goals every game, what has changed? Nothing. Is it not worth it then to see if a different coach can get different results?

 

[LeftWingLocked]

If we don't straighten the ship soon, the young guys that may be part of the future are going to be damaged goods. Look at Edmonton and all those #1 picks with a crappy coach ended up doing. It stunts growth and makes you have a loser mentality. Blashill has absolutely no system. Nothing. The players aren't even developing. If Blashill is a genius and Larkin is our blue chip, then god help us. We will be fighting for the #1 pick every year.

 

[Hen Kolland]

That's not true for me at all tbh. I want Blash gone because I don't like the way he coaches. His style wouldn't be any different if we had a much better team in place imo. I'm sure there are others that feel this way as well. I don't think too many actually believe a coaching change will drastically change this team right now.

"His style wouldn't be any different if we had a much better team in place imo."

It's unbelievable the level of BS that this one tiny sentence contains. I laugh at these types of arguments because you pretend as if you know how he coaches, when all you've ever been exposed to is Blashill at the helm of a bubble team at best riding a few 35+ year old greats with a laundry list of injuries and a rapidly regressing talent base until now, with ultimately the worst roster in the sport.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

 

[MBH]

"His style wouldn't be any different if we had a much better team in place imo."

It's unbelievable the level of BS that this one tiny sentence contains. I laugh at these types of arguments because you pretend as if you know how he coaches, when all you've ever been exposed to is Blashill at the helm of a bubble team at best riding a few 35+ year old greats with a laundry list of injuries and a rapidly regressing talent base until now, with ultimately the worst roster in the sport.

You laugh at other people's arguments while defending the retaining of Blashill...
Who's done nothing but lose.
While good, proven coaches get fired while winning.

Keep laughing.

 

[Hammettf2b]

"His style wouldn't be any different if we had a much better team in place imo."

It's unbelievable the level of BS that this one tiny sentence contains. I laugh at these types of arguments because you pretend as if you know how he coaches, when all you've ever been exposed to is Blashill at the helm of a bubble team at best riding a few 35+ year old greats with a laundry list of injuries and a rapidly regressing talent base until now, with ultimately the worst roster in the sport.

Let me be more specific. I don't like the way he juggles his lines. Blame the team being bad all you want, there's no denying Blashill is quite clueless at times when trying to put something together. This has been done throughout his tenure here not just when the team has been bad or injured. Just my 2 cents

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I have never been for firing Blashil. If your team is completely void of the underlying talent to compete then it maters #%& all who the coach is.

In this case, though I would be fine with it. He is highly regarded and I would be for installing him as the coach for the foreseeable future and not a temporary stopgap.

Also what if Tampa Fires Coop and picks up Gallant. I would also be in favor of signing Cooper.

If we are going to fire Blash do it for the coach you want to see all the way, don't just do it just to do it.

Cooper and Blashill run the same system. They are best friends that believe in the same hockey ideas....

I mean have at it, but at least know that going in.

Blash is a well respected guy in the industry for a reason. We can go for a change, I would welcome it. But those that think Blashill is a nincompoop and love name calling him are out to lunch, the hockey world tells you that at every turn.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Bowman would have this team playing better.

Prove it.

It's also more false than the hope argument.

It's certainly not.

Is it not worth it then to see if a different coach can get different results?

How many times do you suggest the change coaches with the same roster? Is it once and you give up? Is it twice? 5 times? Hell, let's hire all the free agent coaches and let them rotate games like a starting rotation until we find the ace. This is the point people make when they say you are expecting wholesale changing. Your opinion is like assuming the reason your car won't drive is an engine problem when you don't have any wheels on the f***ing axles.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Gallant is being paid through next season if he just sits on his ass and does nothing. Seriously doubt money would be a contributing factor.

Money is always a contributing factor.

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

Prove it.



It's certainly not.



How many times do you suggest the change coaches with the same roster? Is it once and you give up? Is it twice? 5 times? Hell, let's hire all the free agent coaches and let them rotate games like a starting rotation until we find the ace. This is the point people make when they say you are expecting wholesale changing. Your opinion is like assuming the reason your car won't drive is an engine problem when you don't have any wheels on the ****ing axles.

Prove it? Go look at the guys record and use your brain.

It is sorry.

At least once every 5 years when the coach misses the playoffs for 3 in a row then coaches a team that is historically bad.