Line Combos: GM/Coaching criticism

[Bomber0104]

Wondering what coaching critique you all have for Keefe who's still looking for his first playoff round win...

Some noticeable ones...

1) Over-playing his top players
2) Blending lines 2-4 for 90% of the game
3) Overusing veterans/rookies in special teams
4) Being extremely unprepared for a key player going down

What do you think?

Click to read more...

 

[DaWatcher]

Reilly Nash... Why? This guy is f***ing useless.

 

[tmlms13]

Wondering what coaching critique you all have for Keefe who's still looking for his first playoff round win...

Some noticeable ones...

1) Over-playing his top players
2) Blending lines 2-4 for 90% of the game
3) Overusing veterans/rookies in special teams
4) Being extremely unprepared for a key player going down

What do you think?

1. You want to go back to the Babcock everyone plays 15-18? And down a forward for almost all of the game ice times will get inflated somewhere.
2. When you have 8 forwards for 9 spots that's kind of required
3. Yes that was an issue
4. If you want to spend time preparing for your players to get injured find another job.

 

[Dave92]

Been complaining about it a lot but for me, pretty much all of it. I thought it was an awful showing from the coaching staff.

They didn't have the team ready to start on time and they actively hurt their team's chances with personally decisions.

 

[ECanuck]

I'm tired of criticizing.
We are fans!
So, I cheer and hope we win.

Let's go boys!

 

[Bomber0104]

1. You want to go back to the Babcock everyone plays 15-18?

I'd like a rested unit to play the final minute of the period where they can actually play to their abilities.

Have you taken a 4 minute shift in professional hockey before? If so, tell me how that went.

2. When you have 8 forwards for 9 spots that's kind of required

A simple contingency plan could be in place ahead of time.

Yes that was an issue

...

. If you want to spend time preparing for your players to get injured find another job.

When you're paying players on your team 10+% of your salary cap, yes you better have contingency plans in place if said player is out.

Otherwise you may as well find another job.

 

[tmlms13]

\


A simple contingency plan could be in place ahead of time.

Please explain to me as a coach how it is possible to NOT blend lines when you have 8 forwards available and 9 spots to fill? Do you double shift the same person the whole game? Bench 2 other people and have 3 lines the whole game?

 

[Bomber0104]

Please explain to me as a coach how it is possible to NOT blend lines when you have 8 forwards available and 9 spots to fill? Do you double shift the same person the whole game? Bench 2 other people and have 3 lines the whole game?

You have a backup centre ready to go for the one that just went down...

We didn't.

Don't.

 

[djdev]

Please explain to me as a coach how it is possible to NOT blend lines when you have 8 forwards available and 9 spots to fill? Do you double shift the same person the whole game? Bench 2 other people and have 3 lines the whole game?

they should have dressed galy with a JT mask on imo...lol theres no plan for losing your captain and number 2 center with a serious injury mid game.

 

[kevsh]

You have a backup centre ready to go for the one that just went down...

We didn't.

Don't.

What?

They had Thornton, Kerfoot, Foligno, Spezza in the lineup. They all have spent time playing center, a couple of which have more than a decade of experience.

Or by backup do you mean another one dressed in the stands ready to jump in when one goes down? Great idea, if it was actually allowed by NHL rules to have an extra skater sitting in the stands in case one goes down.

 

[Gallagbi]

PP - Personnel is really about it


Aside from that I'm mostly fine with the decisions. I would have swapped Hyman and Foligno going into tonight, but that's about it. Maybe swapped Nash with Spezza, but who knows.

 

[Bomber0104]

What?

They had Thornton, Kerfoot, Foligno, Spezza in the lineup. They all have spent time playing center, a couple of which have more than a decade of experience.

Or by backup do you mean another one dressed in the stands ready to jump in when one goes down? Great idea, if it was actually allowed by NHL rules to have an extra skater sitting in the stands in case one goes down.

All of those are terrible options save for maybe Spezza and even that is bordering on desperate.

Blending lines basically suggests (as a coach) you don't know your own players, who has chemistry with who, and don't have a backup plan in place.

This is something that should be worked out in practice.

 

[djdev]

What?

They had Thornton, Kerfoot, Foligno, Spezza in the lineup. They all have spent time playing center, a couple of which have more than a decade of experience.

Or by backup do you mean another one dressed in the stands ready to jump in when one goes down? Great idea, if it was actually allowed by NHL rules to have an extra skater sitting in the stands in case one goes down.

zamboni driver! its the perfect plan. man, people here are irrational after a loss lol

 

[Stephen]

Riley Nash seems to be a guy who might be more noticeably useful if you need to match up against another star center but doesn’t necessarily show up when thrown out against a team with 4x Riley Nash type centres... but he needs reps.

 

[Stephen]

Didn’t like pulling the goalie with 2 minutes to play on the PP. I get go for it but seemed early to concede a possible 3-1 loss.

 

[DavePoulin4PM]

This coaching staff is very poor. The PP is an utter disgrace... it’s literally impossible to be worse with this fire power. Keefe is not a motivator. He is not a tactician. He makes no adjustments. When he had an absolutely loaded lineup in SSM and got badly exposed when Tony DeAngelo went down in the playoffs and he had no answers, as he played DeAngelo 30 mins a game and Deangelo was averaging like 3 PPG.

Keefe has to have answers if JT misses time. Good coaching makes the proper adjustments and gets the most out of what they have. Keefe is just a guy riding his top players. I do not believe he will have the answers.

 

[A1LeafNation]

The top lines on other teams are performing.

Our top line needs to perform this series.

 

[Dreakmur]

Please explain to me as a coach how it is possible to NOT blend lines when you have 8 forwards available and 9 spots to fill? Do you double shift the same person the whole game? Bench 2 other people and have 3 lines the whole game?

They had 11 forwards once Tavares went down. I think I a good plan would have been to distribute his ice time between the remaining 11 players rather than giving it all to a few players.

One place to distribute that ice time could have been to include a second defenseman on the PP. Muzzin played barely over 20 minutes, Brodie less than 20. Rielly played less than 23.

 

[Bomber0104]

Riley Nash seems to be a guy who might be more noticeably useful if you need to match up against another star center but doesn’t necessarily show up when thrown out against a team with 4x Riley Nash type centres... but he needs reps.

Riley Nash is useful when you have Matthews/JT as your #1A/B.

The Leafs aren't deploying a 3rd/4th line in a traditional sense and haven't in quite some time.

The hot hand rides between those two lines.

Without a dedicated shutdown line and a pure devotion to offence, Riley Nash just seems like a waste of space.

 

[Gabriel426]

This is what I don’t understand. Leafs played the Habs 10 times in last 5 months. I think of those 10 games, the Leafs was pretty much the dominant team barring 3 on 3 OT, just stick to what they were doing and the results should come. I know playoffs are different…..and it is true for a normal season where both teams played at max 4 times and it could be months since they played against each other but this playoffs is different.
I really think Keefe and the boys just over think about the game, just do what they were doing in the regular season and they will win the series.

 

[stickty111]

Not surprising, this thread was made by one of the bigger defenders of Babcock.
Anyways, this thread is way too early.

 

[djdev]

Didn’t like pulling the goalie with 2 minutes to play on the PP. I get go for it but seemed early to concede a possible 3-1 loss.

to be fair if our pp was anywhere near what it should be he probably doesnt do it, thats a definite lack of confidense on his PP type of move.

 

[kevsh]

All of those are terrible options save for maybe Spezza and even that is bordering on desperate.

Okay, so what are the options? I listed 4 centers and you claim they are all bad options (except, maybe, Spezza). You keep saying Keefe should have a plan but what current Leafs player do you put in Tavares' spot when he's injured? Tonight, with this roster, in this game?

 

[Mats13]

Not surprising, this thread was made by one of the bigger defenders of Babcock.
Anyways, this thread is way too early.

I agree but the usage of Thornton is nauseating to say the least

 

[United35]

This coaching staff is very poor. The PP is an utter disgrace... it’s literally impossible to be worse with this fire power. Keefe is not a motivator. He is not a tactician. He makes no adjustments. When he had an absolutely loaded lineup in SSM and got badly exposed when Tony DeAngelo went down in the playoffs and he had no answers, as he played DeAngelo 30 mins a game and Deangelo was averaging like 3 PPG.

Keefe has to have answers if JT misses time. Good coaching makes the proper adjustments and gets the most out of what they have. Keefe is just a guy riding his top players. I do not believe he will have the answers.

Keefe didn’t shoot the puck over the glass all game and take another penalty 200 ft from the net.

It’s one game. He’ll retool and get us ready for the next one.