Cronin is killing the offensive development of our young players. It is so baffling to hear a NHL coach say offense just will happen naturally. That is crazy talk to me. The coach can absolutely make a difference in how a player develops on offense and Cronin is, IMO, killing our young guys. Like you said, he seems to want defensively responsible 40 point players and Leo is headed in that direction.
I think it’s a little smoke in mirrors sometimes what they are really trying to do. But there seems to be an undertone of defensive responsibility and playing the “right way” to everything. I just don’t think it’s the right approach with these types of players especially this early on.
I agree with you and also think there's only so much you can change in many players. That's why I think Cronin has to go at the end of the season if not sooner... You risk the "cure" being worse than the "disease."
I’m MGMT’s defense, according to one Reddit user, who posted this, which I skimmed, because it was too much information apparently saying Ducks DO NOT equal championship caliber team, maybe the only way we win is defense first (like the Jets, who had 1 player @ 70+ pts last year, 3 in the 60’s. And then no one above 38 pts.
hockey-graphs.com
I think you also have to factor in that Leo has seemed increasingly frustrated by his lack of production. I think this runs deeper than changing his approach at this point. At this rate he might need a sports psychologist to help him mentally readjust. I mean him throwing his head back in frustration is entirely a him thing. The staff and his teammates can offer him support and encouragement, but the mental side of what's happening here. But I'd agree that something needs to change with the way he's being instructed to play. It's not working for him and I don't think it's conducive to maximizing his potential, or even just getting his game back on track, for the reasons you discussed.
It is difficult right, because one of the most translatable skills when entering the NHL is driving the net soon after gaining the zone and it can provide some success. The two goals scored by Leo's line against the Habs yesterday involved Leo getting to the net. On the first one he went deep to the corner carrying the puck in, passed up to Zelly at the point and then went to the net. The play started breaking down and Leo skated early into a good position near the wall, subsequently he gained control of the puck before the Habs could escape and passed quickly to McT below the goal. Again Leo went to the net front, and Mct joined him there after passing to Killorn. For the second goal the puck left the Habs zone and Leo skated back to retrieve it, he turned back towards the o zone and quickly made long pass through the neutral zone to Killorn near the blue line. Leo made a bee line for the net front, and started screening/causing chaos. So there can be positives taken by Leo learning how and when to drive to the net. However when looking at the entirety of the season one could say that it has not worked very often. I found some data that states the Ducks have scored 24 tipped/deflected goals, Leo has scored 5 of those. On the whole, I think using Leo as a net front presence is very uninspired, but ties into how Cronin keeps mentioning just getting shots on net. I just hope that at some point Leo is taught/instructed/allowed to move off the net front to find space and support play before the Ducks start to lose control of the puck. Or perhaps not go to the net at all and hone proficiency in different areas of the o zone.
getyarn.io
To be fair, that line went ice cold, with McTavish struggling in most aspects of his play after that hot streak to start the season. His health was also a constant issue last year.
