@
krutovsdonut
1)new player mix / early season adjustments
I mean sure, there will be some of this. But what team ISN'T facing this? For the most part the lines are the same. The defence pairings are the bigger contributor, but a well managed system should at least mitigate this. That being said we should also be able to visually see some semblance of what that system is and I don't. The special teams are in dissarray, and a shuffle on the PK may have some blame. Ultimately though that is a very systems-based aspect of the game. So what's going on? The PP is trash don't get me started. Plenty of meddling early on and the players seem listless.
2)players struggling (be specific)
Petterson doesn't look like himself. His competitive instinct seems castrated. I've got nothing on this, we've never seen it before. Hughes doesn't ooze the same confidence, perhaps losing Tanev really has been that big, but i really thought he would pull through better than this. The bottom six is a mixed bag from shift to shift. See some good things, see some lethargic play (Rousell, Virtanen). Gaudette is snake-bitten but trying. It's just a hodge podge bottom six with no defining identity or purpose.
3)players having unrealistic expectations of themselves or the team.
Not sure I see any of this. Confidence is important, and the team had plenty to back it up after the playoff run. They weren't sticking their chests out like they thought they were for sure contenders.
4)dressing room issues
Who knows, this would all be speculation. Doubt it, the new personnel like Schmidt seem to be gelling. Holtby is a professional. Losing the glue of Tanev and Markstrom probably hurts.
5)mistakes by coaching staff (be specific)
Not preparing systems. Not psyching up players. Over-using certain players (Edler), under-using certain players (Juolevi). The balance isn't there. Not adapting to events on the ice. Not learning lessons from last season/playoffs (allowing phenomenal amounts of shots and chances and relying on goaltending instead of developing systems).
6)conflict with coaching staff
Who knows. Maybe the players' listlessness is them tuning out the coaching staff. Purely speculative.
7)conflict with management
Don't have anything to back up claims here.