McDrai: Coach Killers?

[Soundwave]

Ken Holland is a coach killer. McDrai are coach killers in the sense that they do enough to mask our problems that they keep incompetent morons employed at the top of the organization.

100%.

Chiarelli and Holland are the coach killers.

McDavid/Draisaitl just mask problems for the stupid GMs to have a longer leash than they deserve.

The players quit on Mclellan and got him fired, look how well he's been doing in LA with aging stars and a younger group.

They didn't play for Hitchcock, so he wasn't brought back.

They quit on Tippett and he was fired.

They quit on Woodcroft after 18 months.

Both McLellan & Tippett had held HC jobs way longer than just 2.5-3 seasons anywhere else, with McLellan in year 5 of coaching LA.

There is definitely a pattern.

The pattern is shit GMs who construct poorly made rosters that changing the coaches every 18 months for a hopeful "new coach bump" is the only option.

 

[HockeyGuy1964]

Anybody who thinks this coaching change will lead to better defensive play is delusional.

If things improve it will be on the players doing what they are supposed to do & getting better goaltending.

It's that simple.

 

[theguardianII]

When a team has generational talents like thos guys the expectation to win becomes all that higher.
It isn' those guys, they have been at the top of the league scoring for years.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

100%.

Chiarelli and Holland are the coach killers.

McDavid/Draisaitl just mask problems for the stupid GMs to have a longer leash than they deserve.



The pattern is shit GMs who construct poorly made rosters that changing the coaches every 18 months for a hopeful "new coach bump" is the only option.

So then why after three (four including Hitch) coaches does team defense still suck in their own zone with these four barely playing a lick of defense? One of them is supposedly a top pairing defenseman. They're always flying the zone looking for the hail mary or failing to take a man.

Defense isn't in their vocabulary it seems.

Make no mistake, I want Holland fired too for his lack of filling gaping roster holes but with two below average goalies, team defense might be something they should pay more attention to.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Looks like they’ve already left

Wouldn’t blame them if they did.

 

[Faelko]

Wouldn’t blame them if they did.

It’s gotta be frustrating for them but at some level they have some culpability in how this season has started. If they ever leave, I’ll be cheering for them still (as long as it’s not Toronto or Cgy…lol)

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

It’s gotta be frustrating for them but at some level they have some culpability in how this season has started. If they ever leave, I’ll be cheering for them still (as long as it’s not Toronto or Cgy…lol)

They’ve been the only things keeping it afloat for the past 8 years. When they leave this organization will plummet in every single facet.

 

[Faelko]

They’ve been the only things keeping it afloat for the past 8 years. When they leave this organization will plummet in every single facet.

Sure but I’m only referencing this year, everyone knows their past contributions.

 

[BlackDogg]

Jeez this doensn't sound good.

 

[mkatcherin00]

Goaltending and defense are coach killers.

This is a GM problem. Not coach.

People who were asking for Woodys head are quickly going to realize this soon enough.

This

Mindboggling people call them coach killers.

Those lazy bastards man. Carrying this team on their back.

Do they have flaws? Yes. They could both backcheck harder.

Atrocious thread. One guy is injured too.

They are massive NET POSITIVES here. Give your head a shake

 

[Beerfish]

Two players have carried this sorry teams ass to some semblance of being a winning team.

The 'coach killers' are the pathetic owner, the awful president, the dreadful array of GMs as in those picking the crap coaches and utterly failing to add important pieces to this team.

Without the mostly stellar play of 'mc Drai' this team is in lotto land year after year.

 

[ManByng]

Connor clearly has a say in who the coach is. Unproven head coach and Paul coffey to "fix" the defensive structure.

Why make this move?

Why not? It’s not like the old staff were gonna lead the Oilers to the promised land after the start we had !

 

[TheNumber4]

NO!

What f***in team are you guys fans of? The OILERS are f***in coach killers.

And also, the team didn't quit on Woody. Not the assessment of management even who was trying to justify this move anyway they could today. Not the assessment of the players themselves. Not the assessment of even watching the games.

 

[TheNumber4]

I'll offer this up for some perspective: in Carolina, just a few days ago they had some poor efforts and their leaders admitted they were not playing up to par, and said as much to their coach. That's accountability. That's looking in the mirror first before casting aspersions behind the scenes at coaching, other players, etc.

So? McDrai call their own shitty play out too.

The players quit on Mclellan and got him fired, look how well he's been doing in LA with aging stars and a younger group.

They didn't play for Hitchcock, so he wasn't brought back.

They quit on Tippett and he was fired.

They quit on Woodcroft after 18 months.

Both McLellan & Tippett had held HC jobs way longer than just 2.5-3 seasons anywhere else, with McLellan in year 5 of coaching LA.

There is definitely a pattern.

Yeh the patten is called the Oilers are Trash.

 

[TheNumber4]

So then why after three (four including Hitch) coaches does team defense still suck in their own zone with these four barely playing a lick of defense? One of them is supposedly a top pairing defenseman. They're always flying the zone looking for the hail mary or failing to take a man.

Defense isn't in their vocabulary it seems.

Make no mistake, I want Holland fired too for his lack of filling gaping roster holes but with two below average goalies, team defense might be something they should pay more attention to.

Cause our defemcemen are horrid. It's not on McDrai that Bouchard makes more mistakes than nearly every single defenceman this team has had in the last decade. It's not on McDrai that Nurse brain farts all the time. It's not on McDrai that 3.25M Ceci is moonlighting as a 1st pair. It's not on McDrai that Broberg was a bust pick that can't provide the upgrade to the D that a 7th OA pick should be, instead the best we can hope for is he is a depth d-man that can step in on the 3rd pair. And on top of all that, it's not on McDrai that goaltending has been an absolute joke.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

Idk if theyre coach killers. We just haven’t had anyone build a truly competitive team around them yet. These guys have carried this team so many times, regular season and playoffs.

One coach that hasn’t been killed is Gully. I hope he writes a book someday. I’d love to hear his candid, honest insight on what’s happened here over the years. Hes arguably done his job well, record setting PP is something to be proud of.

 

[Fourier]

The players quit on Mclellan and got him fired, look how well he's been doing in LA with aging stars and a younger group.

They didn't play for Hitchcock, so he wasn't brought back.

They quit on Tippett and he was fired.

They quit on Woodcroft after 18 months.

Both McLellan & Tippett had held HC jobs way longer than just 2.5-3 seasons anywhere else, with McLellan in year 5 of coaching LA.

There is definitely a pattern.

When McLellan was fired McDavid had 28 points in 20 games and was a +2. Leon had 12 goals and 23 points and was even in +/-. Nuge had 19 in 20 and he was a +1. I am not sure these guys had quit on him. The problem was that after these three your best forwards were Caggiula, Chiasson and Rieder and the starting goalie had a .888 sv%.

 

[TheNumber4]

Better question: Are Oilers fans player killers?

Yes. If you go by this thread. McDrai who dominated the League and Playoffs for us are now being scape-goated. Ridiculous.

 

[McShogun99]

The coach killer is the guy that killed the cap with the Nurse and Campbell contracts and figured that having 3 bottom pairing D on our right side should be fine.

 

[K1984]

I don't know for sure, but all I do know are the commonalities every time we have to gas a coach.

When was the last time McDavid and Draisaitl played anywhere close to this dreadful? It was in the massive losing skid in the month leading up to Tippett being fired. Then they started playing properly again.

It is impossible to know if this was in an effort to gun the coach or if it was a side effect of the entire group being stagnant that they were caught up in. The coincidences in the way we are playing today and the way we played in January 2022 are uncanny almost across the board.

 

[Black Gold Extractor]

It's tough to gauge, but as far as on-ice results are concerned, here are the two previous in-season coaching changes:

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]

2018-19​

[/TD]

[TD]

GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

SF​

[/TD]

[TD]

SA​

[/TD]

[TD]

SF%​

[/TD]

[TD]

GF​

[/TD]

[TD]

GA​

[/TD]

[TD]

GF%​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid P/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid S/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid +/- per GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl P/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl S/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl +/- per GP​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Todd McLellan​

[/TD]

[TD]

20​

[/TD]

[TD]

630​

[/TD]

[TD]

605​

[/TD]

[TD]

51.0%​

[/TD]

[TD]

57​

[/TD]

[TD]

66​

[/TD]

[TD]

46.3%​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.40​

[/TD]

[TD]

3.40​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.10​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.15​

[/TD]

[TD]

2.75​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.00​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Ken Hitchcock​

[/TD]

[TD]

62​

[/TD]

[TD]

1762​

[/TD]

[TD]

1994​

[/TD]

[TD]

46.9%​

[/TD]

[TD]

175​

[/TD]

[TD]

208​

[/TD]

[TD]

45.7%​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.52​

[/TD]

[TD]

2.97​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.02​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.32​

[/TD]

[TD]

2.84​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.03​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Difference​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

-4.1%​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.6%​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.12​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.43​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.08​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.17​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.09​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.03​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]

2021-22​

[/TD]

[TD]

GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

SF​

[/TD]

[TD]

SA​

[/TD]

[TD]

SF%​

[/TD]

[TD]

GF​

[/TD]

[TD]

GA​

[/TD]

[TD]

GF%​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid P/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid S/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid +/- per GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl P/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl S/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl +/- per GP​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Dave Tippett​

[/TD]

[TD]

44​

[/TD]

[TD]

1468​

[/TD]

[TD]

1416​

[/TD]

[TD]

50.9%​

[/TD]

[TD]

143​

[/TD]

[TD]

146​

[/TD]

[TD]

49.5%​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.42​

[/TD]

[TD]

3.77​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.12​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.45​

[/TD]

[TD]

3.52​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.07​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Jay Woodcroft​

[/TD]

[TD]

38​

[/TD]

[TD]

1322​

[/TD]

[TD]

1231​

[/TD]

[TD]

51.8%​

[/TD]

[TD]

147​

[/TD]

[TD]

106​

[/TD]

[TD]

58.1%​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.68​

[/TD]

[TD]

4.11​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.43​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.28​

[/TD]

[TD]

3.42​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.39​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Difference​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.9%​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

+8.6%​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.26​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.34​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.32​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.18​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.11​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.32​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Both McDavid and Draisaitl have significantly better goal differentials with Woodcroft coming in, but given how much better the goal share is relative to the shots on goal share, it's easy to see that the biggest defensive boost was Smith and Koskinen getting hot after Woodcroft's hiring (0.926 and 0.906 save percentage respectively).

I'm using shots on goal as a proxy for "offensive effort". McDavid "efforts" were worse after the first coaching change (McLellan to Hitchcock). His points per game rose slightly while his goal differential was slightly worse. I'd call that a draw with regards to on-ice results.

For whatever reason, Woodcroft seemed to have resonated with McDavid in particular. Given the descriptions of Knoblauch's coaching style, it seems that there are similarities with Woodcroft. Perhaps that familiarity gave McDavid a big boost in his results (this season's disastrous start notwithstanding).

If we're being fair, McDavid's 2.91 shots on goal per game so far this season would seem to represent the worst "offensive effort" of his career, but using the much-reviled "eye test", it seems that something is ailing him.

Draisaitl did slightly better going from McLellan to Hitchcock. He did slightly worse going from Tippett to Woodcroft, at least in season.

It is worth noting that McDavid (and probably the rest of the team) was going through COVID during the cold stretch in 2021-22, and that Draisaitl likely played through a high-ankle sprain at the tail end of the same season.

------------------------------------------------

One final thing to remember is that McDavid and Draisaitl are entering the "sudden and unexpected" decline ages of many players' careers. The following are the point per game leaders from 2010-11 through 2013-14 (minimum 100 games):

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]

Player​

[/TD]

[TD]

S/C​

[/TD]

[TD]

Pos​

[/TD]

[TD]

GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

G​

[/TD]

[TD]

A​

[/TD]

[TD]

P​

[/TD]

[TD]

+/-​

[/TD]

[TD]

PIM​

[/TD]

[TD]

P/GP​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Sidney Crosby​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

179​

[/TD]

[TD]

91​

[/TD]

[TD]

172​

[/TD]

[TD]

263​

[/TD]

[TD]

79​

[/TD]

[TD]

107​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.47​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Evgeni Malkin​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

209​

[/TD]

[TD]

97​

[/TD]

[TD]

154​

[/TD]

[TD]

251​

[/TD]

[TD]

29​

[/TD]

[TD]

186​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.20​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Steven Stamkos​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

249​

[/TD]

[TD]

159​

[/TD]

[TD]

126​

[/TD]

[TD]

285​

[/TD]

[TD]

15​

[/TD]

[TD]

190​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.14​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Martin St. Louis​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

288​

[/TD]

[TD]

103​

[/TD]

[TD]

199​

[/TD]

[TD]

302​

[/TD]

[TD]

10​

[/TD]

[TD]

52​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.05​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Claude Giroux​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

289​

[/TD]

[TD]

94​

[/TD]

[TD]

209​

[/TD]

[TD]

303​

[/TD]

[TD]

26​

[/TD]

[TD]

144​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.05​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Alex Ovechkin​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

283​

[/TD]

[TD]

153​

[/TD]

[TD]

132​

[/TD]

[TD]

285​

[/TD]

[TD]

-17​

[/TD]

[TD]

151​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.01​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Ryan Getzlaf​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

270​

[/TD]

[TD]

76​

[/TD]

[TD]

193​

[/TD]

[TD]

269​

[/TD]

[TD]

45​

[/TD]

[TD]

182​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.00​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

John Tavares​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

268​

[/TD]

[TD]

112​

[/TD]

[TD]

149​

[/TD]

[TD]

261​

[/TD]

[TD]

-30​

[/TD]

[TD]

137​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.97​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Pavel Datsyuk​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

218​

[/TD]

[TD]

74​

[/TD]

[TD]

138​

[/TD]

[TD]

212​

[/TD]

[TD]

54​

[/TD]

[TD]

49​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.97​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Patrick Kane​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

271​

[/TD]

[TD]

102​

[/TD]

[TD]

161​

[/TD]

[TD]

263​

[/TD]

[TD]

32​

[/TD]

[TD]

98​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.97​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Henrik Zetterberg​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

253​

[/TD]

[TD]

73​

[/TD]

[TD]

172​

[/TD]

[TD]

245​

[/TD]

[TD]

34​

[/TD]

[TD]

125​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.97​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Crosby, of course, was regularly injured, but it appeared that when healthy, there was no way anyone would ever catch him. He finished a reasonably healthy 2013-14 season with 104 points in 80 games, beating out 2nd-place Getzlaf with 87 points.

Then Crosby turned 27 and scored only 84 points in 77 games, placing 3rd in scoring to Jamie Benn (87 points) and John Tavares (86 points). He would never win another Art Ross, with his closest coming in 2016-17 with 89 points in 75 games, second to McDavid with 100.

This isn't to say that McDavid and/or Draisaitl are definitely in decline or anything like that... but it is something to keep in mind when they appear less effective than they may have been in the past.

 

[FlameChampion]

You would think if you were McDavid, that you wouldnt want the optics of firing Woodcroft and hiring your junior coach. But here we are.

 

[guymez]

Cause our defemcemen are horrid. It's not on McDrai that Bouchard makes more mistakes than nearly every single defenceman this team has had in the last decade. It's not on McDrai that Nurse brain farts all the time. It's not on McDrai that 3.25M Ceci is moonlighting as a 1st pair. It's not on McDrai that Broberg was a bust pick that can't provide the upgrade to the D that a 7th OA pick should be, instead the best we can hope for is he is a depth d-man that can step in on the 3rd pair. And on top of all that, it's not on McDrai that goaltending has been an absolute joke.

Its not just the dmen. The entire team defence is bad at worst and inconsistent at best.
A lot of teams with a lot less talent have been better defensively.
As a matter of fact playing tight defense is the way less talented teams equalize the game.

There is literally no excuse for this that doesnt involve the players unwillingness to play defense.
Buy in MUST start with the teams best players. That hasnt happened so far.
Why?

This isnt something that can just be glossed over.

 

[Stoneman89]

It's tough to gauge, but as far as on-ice results are concerned, here are the two previous in-season coaching changes:

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]

2018-19​

[/TD]

[TD]

GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

SF​

[/TD]

[TD]

SA​

[/TD]

[TD]

SF%​

[/TD]

[TD]

GF​

[/TD]

[TD]

GA​

[/TD]

[TD]

GF%​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid P/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid S/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid +/- per GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl P/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl S/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl +/- per GP​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Todd McLellan​

[/TD]

[TD]

20​

[/TD]

[TD]

630​

[/TD]

[TD]

605​

[/TD]

[TD]

51.0%​

[/TD]

[TD]

57​

[/TD]

[TD]

66​

[/TD]

[TD]

46.3%​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.40​

[/TD]

[TD]

3.40​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.10​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.15​

[/TD]

[TD]

2.75​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.00​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Ken Hitchcock​

[/TD]

[TD]

62​

[/TD]

[TD]

1762​

[/TD]

[TD]

1994​

[/TD]

[TD]

46.9%​

[/TD]

[TD]

175​

[/TD]

[TD]

208​

[/TD]

[TD]

45.7%​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.52​

[/TD]

[TD]

2.97​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.02​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.32​

[/TD]

[TD]

2.84​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.03​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Difference​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

-4.1%​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.6%​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.12​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.43​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.08​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.17​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.09​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.03​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]

2021-22​

[/TD]

[TD]

GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

SF​

[/TD]

[TD]

SA​

[/TD]

[TD]

SF%​

[/TD]

[TD]

GF​

[/TD]

[TD]

GA​

[/TD]

[TD]

GF%​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid P/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid S/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

McDavid +/- per GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl P/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl S/GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

Draisaitl +/- per GP​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Dave Tippett​

[/TD]

[TD]

44​

[/TD]

[TD]

1468​

[/TD]

[TD]

1416​

[/TD]

[TD]

50.9%​

[/TD]

[TD]

143​

[/TD]

[TD]

146​

[/TD]

[TD]

49.5%​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.42​

[/TD]

[TD]

3.77​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.12​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.45​

[/TD]

[TD]

3.52​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.07​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Jay Woodcroft​

[/TD]

[TD]

38​

[/TD]

[TD]

1322​

[/TD]

[TD]

1231​

[/TD]

[TD]

51.8%​

[/TD]

[TD]

147​

[/TD]

[TD]

106​

[/TD]

[TD]

58.1%​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.68​

[/TD]

[TD]

4.11​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.43​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.28​

[/TD]

[TD]

3.42​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.39​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Difference​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.9%​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

​

[/TD]

[TD]

+8.6%​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.26​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.34​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.32​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.18​

[/TD]

[TD]

-0.11​

[/TD]

[TD]

+0.32​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Both McDavid and Draisaitl have significantly better goal differentials with Woodcroft coming in, but given how much better the goal share is relative to the shots on goal share, it's easy to see that the biggest defensive boost was Smith and Koskinen getting hot after Woodcroft's hiring (0.926 and 0.906 save percentage respectively).

I'm using shots on goal as a proxy for "offensive effort". McDavid "efforts" were worse after the first coaching change (McLellan to Hitchcock). His points per game rose slightly while his goal differential was slightly worse. I'd call that a draw with regards to on-ice results.

For whatever reason, Woodcroft seemed to have resonated with McDavid in particular. Given the descriptions of Knoblauch's coaching style, it seems that there are similarities with Woodcroft. Perhaps that familiarity gave McDavid a big boost in his results (this season's disastrous start notwithstanding).

If we're being fair, McDavid's 2.91 shots on goal per game so far this season would seem to represent the worst "offensive effort" of his career, but using the much-reviled "eye test", it seems that something is ailing him.

Draisaitl did slightly better going from McLellan to Hitchcock. He did slightly worse going from Tippett to Woodcroft, at least in season.

It is worth noting that McDavid (and probably the rest of the team) was going through COVID during the cold stretch in 2021-22, and that Draisaitl likely played through a high-ankle sprain at the tail end of the same season.

------------------------------------------------

One final thing to remember is that McDavid and Draisaitl are entering the "sudden and unexpected" decline ages of many players' careers. The following are the point per game leaders from 2010-11 through 2013-14 (minimum 100 games):

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]

Player​

[/TD]

[TD]

S/C​

[/TD]

[TD]

Pos​

[/TD]

[TD]

GP​

[/TD]

[TD]

G​

[/TD]

[TD]

A​

[/TD]

[TD]

P​

[/TD]

[TD]

+/-​

[/TD]

[TD]

PIM​

[/TD]

[TD]

P/GP​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Sidney Crosby​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

179​

[/TD]

[TD]

91​

[/TD]

[TD]

172​

[/TD]

[TD]

263​

[/TD]

[TD]

79​

[/TD]

[TD]

107​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.47​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Evgeni Malkin​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

209​

[/TD]

[TD]

97​

[/TD]

[TD]

154​

[/TD]

[TD]

251​

[/TD]

[TD]

29​

[/TD]

[TD]

186​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.20​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Steven Stamkos​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

249​

[/TD]

[TD]

159​

[/TD]

[TD]

126​

[/TD]

[TD]

285​

[/TD]

[TD]

15​

[/TD]

[TD]

190​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.14​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Martin St. Louis​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

288​

[/TD]

[TD]

103​

[/TD]

[TD]

199​

[/TD]

[TD]

302​

[/TD]

[TD]

10​

[/TD]

[TD]

52​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.05​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Claude Giroux​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

289​

[/TD]

[TD]

94​

[/TD]

[TD]

209​

[/TD]

[TD]

303​

[/TD]

[TD]

26​

[/TD]

[TD]

144​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.05​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Alex Ovechkin​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

283​

[/TD]

[TD]

153​

[/TD]

[TD]

132​

[/TD]

[TD]

285​

[/TD]

[TD]

-17​

[/TD]

[TD]

151​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.01​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Ryan Getzlaf​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

270​

[/TD]

[TD]

76​

[/TD]

[TD]

193​

[/TD]

[TD]

269​

[/TD]

[TD]

45​

[/TD]

[TD]

182​

[/TD]

[TD]

1.00​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

John Tavares​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

268​

[/TD]

[TD]

112​

[/TD]

[TD]

149​

[/TD]

[TD]

261​

[/TD]

[TD]

-30​

[/TD]

[TD]

137​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.97​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Pavel Datsyuk​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

218​

[/TD]

[TD]

74​

[/TD]

[TD]

138​

[/TD]

[TD]

212​

[/TD]

[TD]

54​

[/TD]

[TD]

49​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.97​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Patrick Kane​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

R​

[/TD]

[TD]

271​

[/TD]

[TD]

102​

[/TD]

[TD]

161​

[/TD]

[TD]

263​

[/TD]

[TD]

32​

[/TD]

[TD]

98​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.97​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

Henrik Zetterberg​

[/TD]

[TD]

L​

[/TD]

[TD]

C​

[/TD]

[TD]

253​

[/TD]

[TD]

73​

[/TD]

[TD]

172​

[/TD]

[TD]

245​

[/TD]

[TD]

34​

[/TD]

[TD]

125​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.97​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Crosby, of course, was regularly injured, but it appeared that when healthy, there was no way anyone would ever catch him. He finished a reasonably healthy 2013-14 season with 104 points in 80 games, beating out 2nd-place Getzlaf with 87 points.

Then Crosby turned 27 and scored only 84 points in 77 games, placing 3rd in scoring to Jamie Benn (87 points) and John Tavares (86 points). He would never win another Art Ross, with his closest coming in 2016-17 with 89 points in 75 games, second to McDavid with 100.

This isn't to say that McDavid and/or Draisaitl are definitely in decline or anything like that... but it is something to keep in mind when they appear less effective than they may have been in the past.

Their ages have absolutely nothing to do with having a crappy start to this season. Lots of theories out there as to why the slow start, but that isn't one of them by a longshot.

 

[TheNumber4]

Its not just the dmen. The entire team defence is bad at worst and inconsistent at best.
A lot of teams with a lot less talent have been better defensively.
As a matter of fact playing tight defense is the way less talented teams equalize the game.

There is literally no excuse for this that doesnt involve the players unwillingness to play defense.
Buy in MUST start with the teams best players. That hasnt happened so far.
Why?

This isnt something that can just be glossed over.

I agree. Team defence is an issue with this team, you can see it with the optional back checks, overzealous pinches, and sparse net front coverage.

But it’s not like they didn’t try to buy in at different points. In the playoffs I’m sure they wanted to play a good team defensive game. Sometimes they can’t get it done for whatever reason and sometimes the D-men just plain f*** up due to lack of ability. Nurse does it all the time with his lack of IQ. Bouch does all the time with his lack of battle. Ceci too.

I’ve seen McDrai try to be those 200 ft players they say they want to be. Just the other day saw McDavid goes balls out getting back and covering but Bouch throws up a muffin center ice.