I just want to know what the thought process is with both JD and JG.
1. With regard to coaching, I find it hard to believe that at this point, they believe that David Quinn is the right man for the job. I think they brought him in to develop the young kids during the rebuild years and to his credit, K'Andre and Fox look great out there. And Kakko and Laf look good...at times, but yet, they're not accumulating points and at the end of the day, that's what matters. Laf and Kakko are the two best prospects this organization have ever had and yet they're not being put in positions to succeed. Yes, they're still very young and yes, there needs to be a certain amount of patience, but they also were the first and second overall picks. Management, fans and really the NHL see these guys as potential transcendent, superstar players, but yet, they've only shown brief flashes and glimpses of that. It hasn't been nearly enough. Some of that does fall on the players, but some of that falls on the coaching staff, who are tasked to develop and enhance the skills these players have.
Fact of the matter is that this team has not taken the necessary steps forward. They are not progressing or getting better and that should be quite alarming. Quinn seems like a really good guy and an easy guy to root for, but he just seems to be in over his head.
Now, why don't they fire him now? Perhaps they don't have anyone in mind to replace him with. I personally think Gerard Gallant would be an absolute slam-dunk hire right now or at the end of the year, but I don't know if JD and JG feel the same and obviously if you hire someone like Gallant midseason, you basically have to keep him next year, even if the team does worse under him than they are doing under Quinn.
Perhaps management has an assistant coach on another team in mind to be the next head coach, but they obviously can't hire that person until after the season. And if they decide to can Quinn now, but guys like Gallant, Babcock, Hitchcock, Boudreau, Sutter, etc. aren't appealing, they would most likely name Jacques Martin as interim HC. However, that's obviously a lot of responsibility and may be too much to ask of Martin, especially if you let go Oliver along with Quinn.
2. And regarding the roster, look, I'm not looking to trade for the sake of trading. I'm not. But there does need to be some kind of shake-up. This team looks lifeless out there. Perhaps a trade would set a fire under some of their asses. There are obviously untouchable guys like Panarin, Kakko, Laf, Fox, K'Andre, etc. but I would look to potentially sell off some pieces. Strome, Buch, Trouba (though that's a pipe dream), etc. I would even gauge what a team would be willing to offer for Zibanejad.
At the end of the day, I don't like how this team looks. I don't like how they're playing; I don't like their body language; I don't like the constant switching up of the lines; and most of all, I don't like the fact that Laf and Kakko are not accumulating points. That's the most damning, in my opinion. If they were accumulating points, I'd be more lenient and forgiving. As a whole, we should have sufficient offensive talent. The defense looks fine for the most part, but I expected A LOT more from some of our forwards and I've been extremely disappointed with our season as a whole.
Something's gotta give.
