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McDrai: Coach Killers?

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Are McDrai coach killers?

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TheNumber4 said:
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.
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We agree that Nurse in an issue with his mandatory 1 or 2 dumb decisions per game.
That said the bolded sentence is the problem for me.

The last example of the team just not getting it done was against San Jose. Cant remember which goal it was but on that goal Draisaitl was caught on camera standing with his stick parallel to the ice watching his man get the puck in the slot and score.
That is 100% about buy in and effort and IMO its cascades throughout the team.

If I were in charge I would start with the leadership group and sort why there is an unwillingness to buy in. No defensive structure can work without buy in and that has to start with Leon and Connor.
 
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guymez said:
We agree that Nurse in an issue with his mandatory 1 or 2 dumb decisions per game.
That said the bolded sentence is the problem for me.

The last example of the team just not getting it done was against San Jose. Cant remember which goal it was but on that goal Draisaitl was caught on camera standing with his stick parallel to the ice watching his man get the puck in the slot and score.
That is 100% about buy in and effort and IMO its cascades throughout the team.

If I were in charge I would start with the leadership group and sort why there is an unwillingness to buy in. No defensive structure can work without buy in and that has to start with Leon and Connor.
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Well yeh Nurse, but also the other D-men on this team litter the team with mistakes.

Look I’m not saying McDrai are 100% bought in to team defence at ALL time. They do at times but at other times it looks like it’s not a priority. Sometimes the team is behind and they aren’t even given a chance to play that style. But I saw them try when it mattered in the playoffs only for their D or goaltending to fail them. Our defensive issue is a mix of contributing factors as most things are. I wouldn’t put it all on McDrai considering D and goaltending which are far from standard.

In that Sanjose goal, i rewatched it, it makes Drai look bad but rewatch it. He actually did hustle to cover his passing lane, the puck went down low and took a bounce into the slot and he had no chance to get involved in the slot there.

You go ask McDrai why they aren’t bought in defensively and I bet they they’ll tell you they are.
 
TheNumber4 said:
Well yeh Nurse, but also the other D-men on this team litter the team with mistakes.

Look I’m not saying McDrai are 100% bought in to team defence at ALL time. They do at times but at other times it looks like it’s not a priority. Sometimes the team is behind and they aren’t even given a chance to play that style. But I saw them try when it mattered in the playoffs only for their D or goaltending to fail them. Our defensive issue is a mix of contributing factors as most things are. I wouldn’t put it all on McDrai considering D and goaltending which are far from standard.

In that Sanjose goal, i rewatched it, it makes Drai look bad but rewatch it. He actually did hustle to cover his passing lane, the puck went down low and took a bounce into the slot and he had no chance to get involved in the slot there.

You go ask McDrai why they aren’t bought in defensively and I bet they they’ll tell you they are.
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Driasaitl has to be fully engaged in the play and be on that man in the slot.

The other thing is that the leaders on this team cant just play defence when the spirit moves them. I mean what kind of a message does that send to their teammates and the coach?
 
guymez said:
Driasaitl has to be fully engaged in the play and be on that man in the slot.

The other thing is that the leaders on this team cant just play defence when the spirit moves them. I mean what kind of a message does that send to their teammates?
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It was a bang bang play though. That puck went from Point to Down Low then deflected to Slot in like a split second. Meanwhile Drai hustled back to cover the Point to Slot Pass, the puck went elsewhere though. I'd put the blame on Kane who let his man go into the slot unmolested.

I really don't think anyone in the Oilers locker room blames anything on McDrai. And I'm certain McDrai preach team defence to them all the time. Maybe they can't get it done 100% of the time, but should we expect them to be Hart Winners AND Patrice Bergeron Lites? It's a lot to ask, especially where there are SOOOOO many other reasons defence fails on this squad (defencemen themselves and league worst goaltending).
 
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TheNumber4 said:
It was a bang bang play though. That puck went from Point to Down Low then deflected to Slot in like a split second. Meanwhile Drai hustled back to cover the Point to Slot Pass, the puck went elsewhere though. I'd put the blame on Kane who let his man go into the slot unmolested.

I really don't think anyone in the Oilers locker room blames anything on McDrai. And I'm certain McDrai preach team defence to them all the time. Maybe they can't get it done 100% of the time, but should we expect them to be Hart Winners AND Patrice Bergeron Lites? It's a lot to ask, especially where there are SOOOOO many other reasons defence fails on this squad (defencemen themselves and league worst goaltending).
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There are other examples of Draisaitls lack of engagement on defence as well.
That wasnt an isolated incident.

Preaching defence and not doing as you preach is a major problem.

The only aspect of the Woodcroft firing that I am okay with is that he wasnt holding the star players on this team accountable.
 
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Ritchie Valens said:
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.
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The pattern is pretty simple.

Poor drafting and development and the worst pro scouting in the entire NHL.

Rinse and repeat for the better part of 20 years.
 
McDavid is a fantastic leader. He wants to win and has an intense personality. He is committed to defense and supports the coach. When he fails at it, it's a genuine mistake. He's made huge improvements in responsible play.

Draisaitl does go along with the plan, but he also goes to his own thing a lot. But, he's not a coach killer. It does stress things when he's slumping or missing assignments.

I'm definitely on the bandwagon that Holland is the coach killer. Without looking at the roster even, Woodcroft was hugely limited by GM concerns that limited the size of the roster and the mix of players we could afford to have. As for the roster itself, there's big wins there for him but gaping holes as well. When you simply do not have a top pairing RD, a coach has to always play around to find a work around, and meanwhile an Oilers coach will be expected to be a contender.

Having McDavid and Drai does raise the expectation. That's how I could agree they are coach killers. But, it's not by their play.
 
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At some point someone might start to consider that the coach isn’t always at fault here and maybe there’s a slim chance it’s the roster construction.
 
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They are indeed coach killers - January 21 2023, Edmonton 4 Vancouver 2, Edm wins 6th in a row, Vanc loses 10th of 12, McDavid with 40th goal of the year (in January!). Drai chips in a goal.

Boudreau axed the very next day. Therefore, McDrai killed him.

I'm kidding of course, but I was at the game and just wanted to have some fun at some other team's expense.
 
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r1103200_1296x729_16-9.jpg


This photo could say a lot even out of context. Hyman should be a captain.
 
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Not an Oilers fan, but IMO McDavid is the clear best player in the league, Drai close, and I don’t think either are “quit on their coach” or “hard to coach” types.

However, hockey is a team sport, and over time it’s become more and more “weakest link” than “strongest link” dominated. Team D and goaltending make scoring hard, and even the 4th liners are so good now that superstars don’t completely dominate. For example, Eichel/Karlsson are nowhere close to as good as McDavid/Drai, but they’re supported by better forward depth, better D and better goaltending, so the Knights overall are way better than the Oilers.

The Oilers have had some good teams, but too many weak links to win a cup. Combine that with the very high expectations that come with having McDrai, and coaches are gonna get fired. But it’s more due to star-driven expectations in a team-driven sport, plus coaches taking the fall for GMs/upper management.
 
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sepHF said:
Woodcroft does everything he can to keep these two happy. They put up insane career numbers under Woodcroft then just quit on him instantly the very next year?

I really doubt that’s the case, but if these two come out flying next game I’ll be very disappointed and I don’t think I’ll be able to cheer for these guys anymore
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So, find a new team?
 
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Not David Staples said:
I clicked on this thread specifically to say that I feel like Hyman should have the C, and the rest should just worry about hockey.

He was built for a leadership role. Enough "leading by example", put a natural leader in the role.
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I’m not sure I fully subscribe to your comments, but Zac is a very effective leader, regardless of what letter is on his sweater.

Listening to his press availability tonight really just affirms this. I encourage folks to have a listen to it.
 
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Leonardlizard said:
View attachment 767725

This photo could say a lot even out of context. Hyman should be a captain.
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Sure it does. Drai has been most reactive to suggestions of coaches of any of the players. With both McLellan and Tippett Drai traded barbs in the press. Drai and McD are mercurial kinds of individuals. They kind of want to be left alone, and in fairness who would know better than they would what their game is.

Nurse looking away as well, and its not just this picture, any time you were seeing the bench in a timeout some were just looking the other way. A picture says more than words. Anything McDrai were saying was kind of scripted because its what all player say. They wouldn't want to emphasize a point on disconnection because then they would have to acknowledge, and consider their part in it.

Certain players can be hard to reach. I would put McDrai and Nurse in there in that group. But its odd to see people like Ceci also being resistant. Multiple times he looked angry on the bench last night with Coffey talking to him.

We're gonna find out because this bench is much more vocal and Coffey is mercurial too. If somebody yaps him or ignores what he's saying he's even odds to comment on it.

I don't know that its as simple as players quit on a coach. Tuning out is more the thing. you stop having faith in the instruction and have more difficulty applying yourself in schemes that are confusing or you feel are not ideal.
 
Woody didn't have all the anthers behind the bench, but maybe this guy did.

1700010401748.png
 
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