Jared Bednar Discussion

[dahrougem2]

No doubt the Avs are not playing good hockey at the moment, but they are still winning. And goaltender is the one position that cannot actually win you a game. The team in front of them still needs to score more than the opposition. Blackwood and Wedgewood are certainly giving the team the opportunity to win every night, but they still need to go out and do it.

This is a slump, but unlike shitty teams, we're still able to keep winning during it. We don't need to fire a coach every time we don't play well. No team plays well the whole year. Edmonton started out like garbage once again. We started out like shit for 4 or so games. Seasons are long and ebb and flow. Bednar isn't on the hot seat every time we lose.

Again, though, a "slump" is not supposed to last 47 days. We're almost two months into extremely shitty hockey from the Avs. They are 30th (!!!!) in high danger chances generated 5v5. This team doesn't generate ANYTHING offensively. Even the f***ing San Jose Sharks generate more since December 1st. We're 22nd in high danger chances against in that time, too. Every single team beneath us since that time is outside of a playoff spot except for Toronto.

We're 27th in xGF and 20th in xGA.

The only saving grace since that time is we're 7th overall in SV%, and that includes the game Georgiev played when he got shelled by Buffalo for 4 in the 1st.

There are ebbs and flows to a season, yes, but they should never be this low. This is insanely concerning.

 

[Balthazar]

Again, though, a "slump" is not supposed to last 47 days. We're almost two months into extremely shitty hockey from the Avs. They are 30th (!!!!) in high danger chances generated 5v5. This team doesn't generate ANYTHING offensively. Even the f***ing San Jose Sharks generate more since December 1st. We're 22nd in high danger chances against in that time, too. Every single team beneath us since that time is outside of a playoff spot except for Toronto.

We're 27th in xGF and 20th in xGA.

The only saving grace since that time is we're 7th overall in SV%, and that includes the game Georgiev played when he got shelled by Buffalo for 4 in the 1st.

There are ebbs and flows to a season, yes, but they should never be this low. This is insanely concerning.

Anyone who watches the games can tell they are bad even when they win.

The worst part is you posted 5v5 stats but our PP is worse. We're like 31st in the league in January.

 

[Avsfan1921]

It would really be something if they fired a coach who is currently on a 7-2-2 (or whatever it is) stretch lol. Metrics be damned, it’s not likely to happen until they actually have a prolonged losing streak.

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

Injuries may not be an excuse but they sure as hell add context. When have we had a healthy top-6? We're constantly playing guys out of position, and filling in with a bunch of shit AHL players. Look at the rotating door of AHLers we've had playing. I think this team is outperforming what they should be with such a decimated lineup. We're not playing well, but we're mostly keeping pace. Bednar can only do what he can do with a lineup that consists of:

Ludvig
Polin
Innala
Felhaber
Olausson
Middleton (although he's been ok)
Smith
Wagner
Prischepov
Bradley

These guys mostly suck ass. And yet, there's one or two of them every night on the roster. The 4th line as a result is getting no time on ice. The top guys are being expected to play large minutes and pick up the slack. And because of injuries to guys in the top 6 we've got third and fourth liners filling in spots they should never be expected to for prolonged periods. Its not just a shift or game or two. Its weeks.

This is compounded by the Kadri-esque slump from hell of Casey Mittelstadt. If he moves down to the fourth line, someone else takes his spot. Yet another player playing out of position.

This roster has been completely f***ed from day one. The fact we're where we are is remarkable. But find another coach in the universe who could deal with this shit as well or better than Bednar.

Bednar is a good dude, a smart guy, and has shown he can get the best out of players. Look at all the success players coming into his system have had: Nuke, Drouin, etc. But he can only do so much with the cards he's been dealt.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Oh look! We lost so this thread shows up. How predictable!

HFAvs: "This team plays lazy."
HFAvs: "This team plays with no effort."

But then...

HFAvs: "Bednar will tell tell to skate faster and play harder."

Which is it guys? I guess everybody can tell them to play harder and with more effort but Bednar cannot. Got it. Makes sense..........I guess.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Oh look! We lost so this thread shows up. How predictable!

HFAvs: "This team plays lazy."
HFAvs: "This team plays with no effort."

But then...

HFAvs: "Bednar will tell tell to skate faster and play harder."

Which is it guys? I guess everybody can tell them to play harder and with more effort but Bednar cannot. Got it. Makes sense..........I guess.

Nope, but his message has clearly gone stale. This team is never ready to play and can never play for 60 minutes, usually barely even one period.

It’s normal, he’s one of the longest tenured coaches in the league. Everybody needs a change at some point.

 

[Pokecheque]

He is officially the third longest-tenured coach in the league, behind Jon Cooper and Mike Sullivan.

I don't know what to think at this point. This is a team that even on paper relies WAY too much on two generational talents to carry them, and has been hampered by injuries and earlier goaltending struggles, not to mention the young center they paid a pretty big price for is floundering horribly. Not sure how many coaches could eke out that many wins under those circumstances, but that does not excuse the inaction on the power play.

At the very least I think Bennett is in huge trouble right now.

 

[cinchronicity]

Last night's game perfectly illustrates WHY Bednar, Pratt and Bennet need to go. The Oilers put on a hockey clinic. The Avs put on a clown show where Nate and LOC decided to go at it themselves.

It seems like the fallback rebuttal is, "Hey, he has won at every level." That is true, but in the minors, a team can win the league with just a single elite player. Cobble together a full line of elite players and the coach can go sleep in the locker room. It is not the same in the NHL. Talent on just the top line and top pair will not cut it in the NHL. The coaches actually need to coach. Bednar does not know how to coach in the NHL. The Avs caught lightening in a bottle with Kadri having a career year, Burky having a great year for a 3rd liner and 5.5 very good defensemen. They had Helm - Cogs - LOC as a 4th line. This is mostly because Nate, Cale and Byram played way above the dollar value of their contracts - thus more money for depth.

Bednar can win when the hand he was dealt was a straight flush. He does not go far even with 2 ( really 3) aces. Since opponents know that the Avs only play North/South, they anticipate. Opponents know the Avs PP tendencies, so they anticipate. The Avs are predictable, and that falls on Bednar. The Bednar Blender never worked at the NHL level. Both the PK and PP have ALWAYS had easily exploited flaws. The Avs still suck at clearing the D zone. They still suck at face-offs. They still fail to cycle in the O Zone. They still suck at 6 v 5, Drouin's recent goal notwithstanding. These are all the coaches' responsibilities.

I am simply unsure that the Avs can win another Cup with Bednar at the helm. SakMac need to think out of the box, and give the job to Cogs. What could he possibly do that would yield worse results than Bednar?

 

[RoyIsALegend]

I am simply unsure that the Avs can win another Cup with Bednar at the helm. SakMac need to think out of the box, and give the job to Cogs. What could he possibly do that would yield worse results than Bednar?

Cogliano doesn’t want to coach, he wants to continue to grow and develop in the management side of the business.

 

[Pokecheque]

Actually I think they've been really good at 6-on-5 recently, even last night they retained possession for the majority of the time. It was earlier this season that they gave up a cavalcade of empty netters.

I'm okay with possibly moving on from Bennett, though I've no idea who they'd go with. But I don't really see how Pratt is at fault right now, especially given the fact he's got a washed-up veteran and a career AHLer who simply cannot secure the puck down low in his own zone despite being the biggest guy on the ice at any given moment as his third pairing. And the 2nd pairing is clearly banged up to hell.

I'd argue Bednar & Co. have gotten a LOT out of this roster the past few years, especially when MacFarland just up and decided in a title defense year not to give him a motherf***ing 2nd line center. And at present this team doesn't have anything resembling a 2nd, 3rd, or really even 4th line center.

I'm 100% on board with a GM change, but not the head coach, and not Pratt either. If the season ends in disappointment yet again--and I'm assuming ownership will not accept another 1st or 2nd round exit--then it'll be a moot point because they'll clean house.

 

[Balthazar]

The Avs havent fired a coach in nearly 12 years.

 

[wayninja]

Oh man I'm really torn on what we should do

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Nope, but his message has clearly gone stale. This team is never ready to play and can never play for 60 minutes, usually barely even one period.

It’s normal, he’s one of the longest tenured coaches in the league. Everybody needs a change at some point.

Longevity in tenure for coaches in the NHL is a dying/dead thing. If you want tenure, you're better off trying to get a job as an AD or HC for a collegiate team. The demands of a multi-billion dollar industry is such that any drop in performance at any level (GM, HC, 1st LW, 3C, 7D, etc..) will result in someone else taking over sooner rather than later.

The question everyone has to ask is...Has Bednar's time come up. It's got nothing to do with him, his system, his IQ, his coaching ability, his professionalism... none of that is in question. It's just that in professional sports, staying the same gets you passed by very quickly. You must change and adapt to have continued success and while I kinda blame Jared for not changing/adapting enough, I can see where it is difficult to get 22 guys you've hammered into believing there is only one way to play, to maybe play a different style? Maybe it takes another voice to carry that message.

Actually I think they've been really good at 6-on-5 recently, even last night they retained possession for the majority of the time. It was earlier this season that they gave up a cavalcade of empty netters.

I'm okay with possibly moving on from Bennett, though I've no idea who they'd go with. But I don't really see how Pratt is at fault right now, especially given the fact he's got a washed-up veteran and a career AHLer who simply cannot secure the puck down low in his own zone despite being the biggest guy on the ice at any given moment as his third pairing. And the 2nd pairing is clearly banged up to hell.

I'd argue Bednar & Co. have gotten a LOT out of this roster the past few years, especially when MacFarland just up and decided in a title defense year not to give him a motherf***ing 2nd line center. And at present this team doesn't have anything resembling a 2nd, 3rd, or really even 4th line center.

I'm 100% on board with a GM change, but not the head coach, and not Pratt either. If the season ends in disappointment yet again--and I'm assuming ownership will not accept another 1st or 2nd round exit--then it'll be a moot point because they'll clean house.

Out of curiosity...what makes you defend Pratt? It kinda sounds like you are giving him a pass because he's got less than stellar players/health. I'm dinging on him because this is exactly when he needs to be his best. I don't think he's done anything to improve our 5-9 dmen. Brannstrom, de Haan, Kylington, Ludvig, Malinski and Middleton... yes, it's not a ton to work with but has he done anything to make them better? I have a high suspicion that there are quite a few coaches that could get more out of that mix.

 

[Balthazar]

Oh man I'm really torn on what we should do

I like Bednar but I want to see what this core can do under a new coach.

I also have zero confidence that Bednar can win more than one playoff round this year with that team.

If we were to face DeBoer in round 1 we don't make it to round 2.

 

[Foppa2118]

I don't want Bednar fired. I don't see motivation as a big problem. Occasionally maybe but not consistently. I don't think he's lost he room or anything.

Nate, Cale, Mikko, and Drouin have played hard and played well all year. Toews has played hard and well for a couple weeks now outside the Rangers game. Manson is playing hard and has played ok outside the Oilers game. Lehky and LOC are always going to play hard. Same with Val and Landy when they're in the lineup. Kivi's played hard and played well in his role most the year. Colton has had a very good season, though is inconsistent like always. Kelly has played ok for most the year. Parssinen has had a good start and played hard.

We seem to need to find ONE thing to blame the team's problems on every year, and then after some time goes by, we realize that wasn't really the problem. Kadri, Bednar, Compher, Newhook, Byram, back to Bednar.

This isn't Bednar's fault anyway. The problem is they have half an AHL team with all the injuries, they have some holes on defense that need to be filled, and Mitts isn't as good as people thought he was. But that's on them for being talked into thinking he was better than he was.

In theory the injuries can get at least a little better and Mitts can play at least a little better. They'll have some trades to make and they've been getting the best goaltenidng in the league since Blackwood got here.

Things aren't as bad as our emotions are telling us. Stick with Bedsy. He's taught this entire team how to play winning hockey, and helped them win a Stanley Cup already.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I don't want Bednar fired. I don't see motivation as a big problem. Occasionally maybe but not consistently. I don't think he's lost he room or anything.

Nate, Cale, Mikko, and Drouin have played hard and played well all year. Toews has played hard and well for a couple weeks now outside the Rangers game. Manson is playing hard and has played ok outside the Oilers game. Lehky and LOC are always going to play hard. Same with Val and Landy when they're in the lineup. Kivi's played hard and played well in his role most the year. Colton has had a very good season, though is inconsistent like always. Kelly has played ok for most the year. Parssinen has had a good start and played hard.

We seem to need to find ONE thing to blame the team's problems on every year, and then after some time goes by, we realize that wasn't really the problem. Kadri, Bednar, Compher, Newhook, Byram, back to Bednar.

This isn't Bednar's fault anyway. The big problem is they have half an AHL team with all the injuries and Mitts isn't as good as people thought he was. But that's on them for being talked into thinking he was better than he was.

In theory the injuries can get at least a little better and Mitts can play at least a little better. They'll have some trades to make and they've been getting the best goaltenidng in the league since Blackwood got here. Things aren't as bad as our emotions are telling us. Stick with Bedsy. He's taught this entire team how to play winning hockey.

We are not watching the same season.

 

[Foppa2118]

We are not watching the same season.

Which of those players hasn't played hard most the season?

Just a few weeks ago everyone said goaltending was the only problem with the team, everyone else was playing well. That wasn't totally true either.