Marc Savard hired as Assistant Coach

[Anthrax442]

I'm for that.

Our guys try it now, but they lose the puck

 

[BertCorbeau]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1793418222957744387

Fingers crossed it works better here

I thought I had read that the Flames PP had big jumps in improvement in the second half of the season.

We'll know quickly how he does based on how the team sets up and moves the puck

 

[647Hockey]

I dont know how good Savard is as a coach, but as a player he was a offence first, pass first, and most years had a lousy +/-.

I hope he's not another offensive minded coach trying to run and gun to victory. Team needs better D and G coaching. Not more scoring coaching.

 

[tmlms13]

Good, they finally have a guy that's actually been on an NhL PP consistently running the PP instead of Manny Malhotra for some reason even though he was never a PP guy.

And then boucher even though he was known as a defensive coach and should have been coaching the PK.

Bring in a guy who has been on the PP to coach the PP.

What a novel f***ing concept

Sometimes guys like Manny do work out. He was probably the PK placeholder for his teams PP at practise

 

[ToneDog]

Leafs hire Marc Savard as assistant coach, will run power play next season

Savard was announced as the last piece of Craig Berube’s coaching staff on Sunday.

www.nytimes.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs went 1-21 on the power play in the playoffs.

Enter Marc Savard.

Savard was announced as the last piece of Craig Berube’s coaching staff on Sunday. Team sources told The Athletic that he will run the power play next season, replacing Guy Boucher at the controls of a unit that could use a fresh take after floundering again in the postseason.

Savard ran Berube’s power play in St. Louis for the one season (2019-20) they coached together previously. The Blues had the third-best unit in the league.

Berube’s relationship with Savard dates back to their playing days in the NHL. The two were teammates for two seasons with the Calgary Flames in the early 2000s.

“I was fortunate to play with Marc during my career and I’m very familiar with his passion and acumen for the game,” Berube said of Savard after his hiring with the Blues was announced in 2019. “He was a tremendous player and possesses an elite offensive mind.”

Savard left the Blues after one season to become the head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. The Spitfires made it all the way to the OHL final in his first season there. He returned to the NHL last season as an assistant on Ryan Huska’s staff in Calgary where he hoped to breathe more life into the Flames offensive attack. He told The Athletic last fall that he believed in letting offensive players showcase their creativity and skill, just as he did in over 800 games as a player in the NHL.

“I don’t like guys holding onto the puck long,” said Savard.

He's gonna love Mitch Marner.

 

[Evilhomer]

And I thought our PP was so good for the first 10-15 games last year? Maybe even 20. Not sure what happened.

It was 7th overall in the league. Even higher in previous seasons. It dies in the playoffs for the same reason the rest of the offense dies in the playoffs. I doubt it has anything to do with the power play coach.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

PP will be shitty until they get Mo off of PP1 but logically speaking, it's better to have an offensive minded coach running the PP than a guy who's specialty is defense and playing the trap.

I've used the analogy before but having Boucher run a PP is like having Keith Richards run a rehab clinic.

 

[djdev]

I dont know how good Savard is as a coach, but as a player he was a offence first, pass first, and most years had a lousy +/-.

I hope he's not another offensive minded coach trying to run and gun to victory. Team needs better D and G coaching. Not more scoring coaching.

a few things..

1st, we lost to the bruins because we couldnt score not because we couldnt defend, so one could argue yes this team needs coaching on how to score.

2nd, do you really think savard is dictating what system the team runs? im fairly certain thats why we hired a headcoach.
and FYI the 2 guys above him on the coaching ladder come from very strong defensive systems in st louis and the isles(lane lambert is a disicple of barry trotz, who is very defensive minded).

 

[HolyCrap]

PP will be shitty until they get Mo off of PP1 but logically speaking, it's better to have an offensive minded coach running the PP than a guy who's specialty is defense and playing the trap.

I've used the analogy before but having Boucher run a PP is like having Keith Richards run a rehab clinic.

View attachment 886084

HahHhaha. I actually laughed out loud.

 

[LeafSteel]

so I’m clear, is the plan now that since Calgary won’t trade us any of their players we are going to take all their management?

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1793418222957744387

Fingers crossed it works better here

I would think the players on that PP had something to do with it.

As long as we see something different than the drop pass every single entry then I'll be okay with this. He seems to like guys to be in constant motion and we do have the skill to pull something like that off.

 

[Martin Skoula]

I dont know how good Savard is as a coach, but as a player he was a offence first, pass first, and most years had a lousy +/-.

I hope he's not another offensive minded coach trying to run and gun to victory. Team needs better D and G coaching. Not more scoring coaching.

You’re right 2 goals per game is way too much, we need to win 1-0

 

[thewave]

I would think the players on that PP had something to do with it.

As long as we see something different than the drop pass every single entry then I'll be okay with this. He seems to like guys to be in constant motion and we do have the skill to pull something like that off.

Maybe the reasoning is he couldn't make it any worse than 5%. We have the lowest of low bars right now.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Savard was a great player, highly underrated career. I have no idea what his coaching style is but you could simply have no powerplay staff employed and it'd probably be better than last year.

 

[rumman]

so I’m clear, is the plan now that since Calgary won’t trade us any of their players we are going to take all their management?

Plan B implemented……….

 

[Dave92]

Always enjoyed listening to him when he did the Leafs postgame shows. His ability to watch a game and remember everyone's tape job was impressive.

 

[Mess]

Apparently Savard is a PP savant and came make one sing,

I'm on board with this move ..

 

[Community]

It was 7th overall in the league. Even higher in previous seasons. It dies in the playoffs for the same reason the rest of the offense dies in the playoffs. I doubt it has anything to do with the power play coach.

It was only 7th overall because our PP was extremely good the first ~half of the year. Our PP efficiency nosedived well before the start of the playoffs. Can't look up the exact stats now, but I do know we were 30th in PP % for the month of March.

I believe we were 1st or 2nd in the league on the season at the end of February.

We've struggled most years in the playoffs, but it's not exclusively the playoffs (especially this year).

 

[Evilhomer]

It was only 7th overall because our PP was extremely good the first ~half of the year. Our PP efficiency nosedived well before the start of the playoffs. Can't look up the exact stats now, but I do know we were 30th in PP % for the month of March.

I believe we were 1st or 2nd in the league on the season at the end of February.

We've struggled most years in the playoffs, but it's not exclusively the playoffs (especially this year).

Right, but that still wouldn't point to the coaching. I suppose you could argue that the coaching staff failed to change the powerplay, but that seems like a stretch to me. It's the players.

 

[Byron Bitz]

Does anyone know if he is fully recovered from his terrible case of CTE? I remember hearing it was really bad after his retirement and he couldnt be in a well lit room without getting migraines.

 

[Community]

Right, but that still wouldn't point to the coaching. I suppose you could argue that the coaching staff failed to change the powerplay, but that seems like a stretch to me. It's the players.

I guess that's where we differ. I think that points thr blame squarely on the coaching. Our PP was good enough to be the best in the league until the other coaches had time to counter our system and stop our break-in/set-up from executing. There shouldve been more changes pushed by coaching to help create space/options... it's not like we lack scoring talent on our team.

 

[sxvnert]

Surprised it took so long.

 

[Wrong Wilson]

I

Surprised it took so long.

Maybe he was upset when he found out Matt Cooke was coaching the Growlers.

 

[Evilhomer]

I guess that's where we differ. I think that points thr blame squarely on the coaching. Our PP was good enough to be the best in the league until the other coaches had time to counter our system and stop our break-in/set-up from executing. There shouldve been more changes pushed by coaching to help create space/options... it's not like we lack scoring talent on our team.

But the Leafs typically have a good regular season power play that then magically disappears in the playoffs, other than the one series against Tampa. The only constant has been the players....

 

[Racer88]

But the Leafs typically have a good regular season power play that then magically disappears in the playoffs, other than the one series against Tampa. The only constant has been the players....

What are you talking about…….everything disappears for the Leafs in the playoffs.
Lol