I like JD, but:Revitalized two fledgling organizations
People always make excuses for poor coaches and poor management. Always the players and never a coach. If we had a good coaching staff in Hartford our prospects would have been a lot better by now.Before 2017 when the Rangers decided the draft was important again the Rangers had been depleting the overall organizational talent level to feed the NHL team. And then that started to blow up but anyway 2017 is the year the Rangers started seriously restocking their development pool again but the problem is (at least as far as the AHL eam is concerned) most of our best prospects weren't in Hartford last year. They were either up with the Rangers or they were in European or College leagues. That should change in the next year or two. There should be more quantity and quality going into Hartford. Rangers would help themselves though by having a couple or three very very good AHL vets to help them along. Fogarty might be one of them and Bigras could be another but I still think they need to use another contract or two on high level AHL players.
As far as who is going to coach them---that's going to be important too but there are any number of excellent coaches. One guy I would like is Scott Sandelin---whether Sandelin would be interested though I don't know and the other thing is I think an NHL team will eventually offer him a head coaching job anyway. The AHL might not be in his plans.
People always make excuses for poor coaches and poor management. Always the players and never a coach. If we had a good coaching staff in Hartford our prospects would have been a lot better by now.
People always make excuses for poor coaches and poor management. Always the players and never a coach. If we had a good coaching staff in Hartford our prospects would have been a lot better by now.
Everyone hated Ken Gernander, the previous coach, and most were turning on McCambridge as well. Sooo...People always make excuses for poor coaches and poor management. Always the players and never a coach. If we had a good coaching staff in Hartford our prospects would have been a lot better by now.
I like JD, but:
1) St. Louis wasn't a fledgling organization, they were founded in the 60's
2) He took over in St. Louis right after their incredible run of playoff appearances ended
3) He missed the playoffs in 4 of 6 seasons in St. Louis, and only won one round
4) Columbus missed the playoffs three of his first four years, and lost in the first round three of their four appearances
5) They only finished above 7th one time and their average finish was 9th
JD has done an okay job. I think he did a much better job getting Columbus turned around, given that they had only made the playoffs once before he came. But I don't know about revitalizing or anything. I'd say Columbus has been a bit of a perennial disappointment, and St. Louis has been a mixed bag both under JD and since he has left.
People always make excuses for poor coaches and poor management. Always the players and never a coach. If we had a good coaching staff in Hartford our prospects would have been a lot better by now.
It's not totally fair to him. My point, overall, is that I don't think he has done anything exceptional. I don't see the Blues and certainly not the Jackets after what will likely happen to them as being on the cusp of a Cup. He has done okay. I don't see anything exceptional. Ola's comment about "What has he done other than..." was an overly-harsh assessment, but I think it's a fair question to ask of those that are so effusive in their praise of the guy, or so eager to get him here.I'm not sure that is exactly fair.
The Blues when JD arrived had an old roster that was on the downswing, no matter who they hired they were in for missing the playoffs. If anything he did pretty well rebuilding the Blues. Petro, Perron, Backlund, etc.
Columbus was directionless before he arrived and they are not really in a hugely popular market for the players. Nash, Johansen wanted out and likely would have wanted out no matter JD or not.
It's not totally fair to him. My point, overall, is that I don't think he has done anything exceptional. I don't see the Blues and certainly not the Jackets after what will likely happen to them as being on the cusp of a Cup. He has done okay. I don't see anything exceptional. Ola's comment about "What has he done other than..." was an overly-harsh assessment, but I think it's a fair question to ask of those that are so effusive in their praise of the guy, or so eager to get him here.
I would be fine with JD because I think, overall, he's fine. I would want him to not get too involved in what Gorton is doing, because right now I like what Gorton is doing. If he's going to come here and be super-involved and hands-on then I'd rather find someone that wants less control, or give the job to Gorton if he wants it.
(mentioned here before) i would really like the guy coaching Charlotte AHL, Mike Velucchi, if he would leave Carolina
might need to also get some titles from Drury, like HWP GM, he's earned that ..
Elite Prospects - Mike Vellucci Team Staff Profile
i had read his contract(s) are expiring
market the boatload of talent we are bringing in, the challange, the resources and bring him on
[ADDED - just noticed on that page, he played his only 2 NHL games for the Whalers!]
Just hire Dave Hakstol and be done with it
What's with the impatience?
Revitalized two fledgling organizations
Filip Pesan from Extraliga? He was at training camp last year.