Man, god forbid anyone try to get Cholowski to play tighther defense. The rest is nonsense. Blashill has been much worse about handing out icetime to young players than Babcock ever was. Blash frickin' lets youngsters play 6-7 minutes frequently. I don't know why he is completely excused for things like that, despite also often overplaying the same 'realgud' veterans that Babcock did.. heck probably the worst part about Blashill is that he's like the diet version of Babcock. Talks the same way, coaches the same way, just much, much worse at everything.Why, so he can try to turn Cholowski into a shut down stay at home defensman? Or do we want to see Larkin hamstrung with gator and Helm? Maybe we want to see Glendening average the highest TOI on the team?
Are they even in playoff position right now? Haven't they had a decently easy schedule so far?He's gotten zero playoff series wins out of some young, stacked Leafs teams.
I mean... there's absolutely zero dispute that Z/D/L were incredible, hall of fame level players. You just do it by elimination. If Babcock did well with those guys on his team, but doesn't do as well when he doesn't have as much talent, it seems like talent plays a big role in how "effective" he is as a coach. He's got one of the most stacked forward rosters in the league right now and they're a bubble team.It's interesting, when somebody's success is never anybody's credit.
Are they even in playoff position right now? Haven't they had a decently easy schedule so far?
Oof.
Lidstrom as an assistant coach would be pretty epic, not sure he's ready to be head coach right off the bat.I'd like to see us bring in Jiri Fischer or Lidstrom behind the bench. Then some dude that's stuck in hockey history.
I always wonder about coaching for someone like The Perfect Human (see: Gretzky). It sometimes hard to convey "just make the right play every single time, isn't it obvious?!"Lidstrom as an assistant coach would be pretty epic, not sure he's ready to be head coach right off the bat.
Defensive system is a major issue right now, it's not just the personnel. Chasing the puck carrier is not a system.
I just retired from training ski instructors, so I get what you mean but...I always wonder about coaching for someone like The Perfect Human (see: Gretzky). It sometimes hard to convey "just make the right play every single time, isn't it obvious?!"
I think he could be super valuable in his game preparation though. Being a pro-athlete. Lidstrom had a well-thought out routine for everything.
I just retired from training ski instructors, so I get what you mean but...
Lidstrom was a very celebral player, not just playing with natural talent, so I'd think he'd make a great assistant coach. Babcock wanted him:
Nicklas Lidstrom turned down Red Wings coaching offer
I give Babcock credit for his ability to get the most of of his players, but also his inability to get the most out of his players.