Official 2024-25 Utah HC Season Discussion.

[cobra427]

This is year 5 for BA, 4 years under his guidance before this year, he built the team from the wing out. Our team D is bad because we have failed to pick up, draft or develop any good D on D. Durzi/Serg are offensive D. Our only good C on D is Hayton. I think the team is misconstructed and it shows.

This is year 4 for our coach. I don't think he is getting more with less. The D collapses, like in tonights game, have been happening more lately not less. I know its early in the season but we are heading for year 5 of zero playoffs with our GM and year 4 for the coach. BA can keep kicking the can down the road but the new owner likely won't buy it and will bring in his own people. There has been no accountability (so far) for the GM or coach, that might change.

 

[Baby Doaner]

I was on the prospect watch thread and am impressed that they updated the chart already up to Thanksgiving! Such incite... however Thaksgiving is on a Thursday this year!

Always is.

 

[Schemp]

Always is.

I see that @VinnyBoombatz still hasn't changed it... it ain't even November yet!

 

[Jakey53]

This is year 5 for BA, 4 years under his guidance before this year, he built the team from the wing out. Our team D is bad because we have failed to pick up, draft or develop any good D on D. Durzi/Serg are offensive D. Our only good C on D is Hayton. I think the team is misconstructed and it shows.

This is year 4 for our coach. I don't think he is getting more with less. The D collapses, like in tonights game, have been happening more lately not less. I know its early in the season but we are heading for year 5 of zero playoffs with our GM and year 4 for the coach. BA can keep kicking the can down the road but the new owner likely won't buy it and will bring in his own people. There has been no accountability (so far) for the GM or coach, that might change.

Ingram has not been good this year and that sure is not helping matters.

 

[Arizonatah Coyetis]

Our team D is bad because we have failed to pick up, draft or develop any good D on D.

I don't follow the prospects as much as some, but isn't Simashev supposed to be a defensive D? Isn't the veteran Marino a defense first kind of player?

I'm assuming they will eventually trade for need once they know what they have in the kids more. Lots of currency. I believe in taking BPA over need then figuring out the rest through trades later on.

Gotta wonder what the team looks like with both Durzi and Marino in the he lineup though. Can't discount the impact losing two veteran anchors can have.

I'm still blaming bad luck more than BA right now. We haven't seen the full lineup he had planned for this season and probably aren't going to.

 

[Arizonatah Coyetis]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in conversations between Smith & BA right now. What's the plan for this season? The season is just getting going and we suck. Bad. Are they going to do anything or just wait?

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

The team looks completely different over 9 games

First 4 games - we looked like world beaters
Last 5 games - we look like the worst team in the league (and lost and were outshot 2:1 against worst team in the league)

something tells me, the team is somewhere in between, but not sure where at this point.

 

[cobra427]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in conversations between Smith & BA right now. What's the plan for this season? The season is just getting going and we suck. Bad. Are they going to do anything or just wait?

I am sure BA is telling Smith: We were broke and this is only year 3 of the rebuild because I had to spend year 1 "evaluating" before he got rid of RT and got rid of OEL a year later (captain obvious moves), trade Garland/DVO, then pissed off Chych who then was traded 18 months later. All of this prolonged the rebuild.

Name an NHL team that would hire a GM to rebuild the club and in the 5th year, this year, they manage to get 80ish points and miss the playoffs by 15 points, and its the current coaches 4th year too? Who would be happy with that? I think a realistic goal would be the playoffs by year3, year 4 at the latest. What if we miss this year, then its year 6 at the earliest.

I think Smith sticks with BA/Bear this year, but if we miss the playoffs, they will both be fired. Smith, like all owners, will bring in his guys. BA/Bear have had plenty of time to perform, they haven't, yet.

 

[Mangosteen]

We can say it's horrible luck to lose 2 of your top 3 Dmen. Next man up mentality in for bottom tier players. There is a term in leadership called agility when encountering a disruptor. The loss of Dmen is a disruptor let's see BA leadership and the message he tells the team about our first year in Utah.

This will be my post for SEG+

 

[MIGs Dog]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in conversations between Smith & BA right now. What's the plan for this season? The season is just getting going and we suck. Bad. Are they going to do anything or just wait?

If Smith had high expectations then he doesn't know much about hockey or rebuild timelines.

 

[GhostofYotesFan47]

I just don't see BA getting canned yet. I'd be more surprised to see him gone than get a 5 year extension. Everyone estimating they should be playoff ready needs to ask themselves some pretty important questions.

1. How long do prospects typically take to mature into NHL players?

2. How many of BA's draft picks are currently on our roster?

3. Has he improved areas through UFA and trade? (Durzi and Sergachev being two of the bigger names)

4. Have we missed the playoffs yet or are we just dealing with the fact that we're missing key players due to injury?

5. Are we keeping players in the A to develop, or to feed our roster when injuries occur to keep us in the playoff hunt?

BA isn't perfect, and I don't expect him to be, but he's still showing potential to have an excellent plan in place.

Now if it's me, I'm going out and buying Lindgren and Anderson, giving us one of the best blue lines in the league. After that we just need a 1c and I think we're contenders. We still have Iginla, Doan, But, Simashev, Lamoureux, and many others who will develop up to some capacity and fill out the rest of the roster. We're a lot closer to being a good, deep team than we were 2 years ago.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

You are all missing that neither Ingram or Veggie are top 15 talents in the NHL

You have to have a top 15 goalie, or play like the Knights (lock down defense, suffocating the opposition so no need to have a great goalie)

Again,

We're missing a legitimate 1C (Cooley is getting there, but he's 2yrs away)
We're missing a legitimate 2C (Cooley currently most likely is a top flight 3C)

We have a bunch of 3Cs (Cooley, Hayton, Bjugstad)
We have a 4C (Stenlund)

We need to mature our Cs (Cooley, Iginla) into the top 2 roles
We need to get better goaltending - not sure Ingram is going to cut it and we know Veggie is below average back up

 

[Coyotedroppings]

(lock down defense, suffocating the opposition so no need to have a great goalie)

THIS is how the game should be played.

 

[Mangosteen]

THIS is how the game should be played.

Bring on the Michigan's!!

 

[Jakey53]

You are all missing that neither Ingram or Veggie are top 15 talents in the NHL

You have to have a top 15 goalie, or play like the Knights (lock down defense, suffocating the opposition so no need to have a great goalie)

Again,

We're missing a legitimate 1C (Cooley is getting there, but he's 2yrs away)
We're missing a legitimate 2C (Cooley currently most likely is a top flight 3C)

We have a bunch of 3Cs (Cooley, Hayton, Bjugstad)
We have a 4C (Stenlund)

We need to mature our Cs (Cooley, Iginla) into the top 2 roles
We need to get better goaltending - not sure Ingram is going to cut it and we know Veggie is below average back up

Stop with the excuses. Results are all that matter, and if they aren't there hopefully Smith will do something about it. I think most here are getting their panties is a knot a bit early. Let's see how the team is trending at the 20 game marek.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

I am sure BA is telling Smith: We were broke and this is only year 3 of the rebuild because I had to spend year 1 "evaluating" before he got rid of RT and got rid of OEL a year later (captain obvious moves), trade Garland/DVO, then pissed off Chych who then was traded 18 months later. All of this prolonged the rebuild.

Name an NHL team that would hire a GM to rebuild the club and in the 5th year, this year, they manage to get 80ish points and miss the playoffs by 15 points, and its the current coaches 4th year too? Who would be happy with that? I think a realistic goal would be the playoffs by year3, year 4 at the latest. What if we miss this year, then its year 6 at the earliest.

I think Smith sticks with BA/Bear this year, but if we miss the playoffs, they will both be fired. Smith, like all owners, will bring in his guys. BA/Bear have had plenty of time to perform, they haven't, yet.

Gotta say that if we're not close to the playoff picture this year, I'm calling it quits on AT. Not sure about BA, because I like the players they've drafted and/or brought in (Sergachev/Durzi)