There is absolutely no reason , with the lineup of centers on our roster , and Domi struggling to find a fit here , who was signed to come in and play #2 center role , that he isn’t given a week or so centering Laine, and Bjork , and see what comes from it . Clearly with Domi he has 0 confidence , he’s seeing ghost is what they would say of he was a quarterback . The kid is a talented player , and I refuse to accept he forgot how to play hockey the moment he was traded here . Looking at Karlsson , and now Wennberg , it sure seems that either Torts and his micromanaging of players , or his system and how they implement the center play is a huge issue . We saw Torts prop up Cam to play with Laine to get him going , why not give a few games to Domi at center with Bjork and Laine to see if you can get him going .
Also , Jenner is a very solid center , and for whatever reason they haven’t even tried him there this season , with all the deficiencies at the center position
Because veterans who have been on Torts' teams for awhile and/or earned his trust are not held to the same standard of accountability as younger guys who have not been. Therefore they also are not afforded the same opportunities- we see it time and time again. So far, Bjork has been the only young guy to break out of it, which is extremely good on him. There have been so many instances of this accountability difference just this year. Just yesterday, Cam made 2 ridiculously boneheaded plays on a PP on the same shift, including a no-look bank pass to absolutely
nobody, and played 22 minutes. Domi, Bemstrom, Texier, etc have missed shifts for less.
This is one of the reasons I want Torts gone, but not my main reason. The main reasons are his purely defensive system that apparently no longer works, inability/unwillingness to construct a proper offensive system for the modern NHL, piss-poor adaptability, and refusal to change up the PP strategy when it hasn't worked for 3-4 years now, despite having players (even prior to Laine) that should make it a top half PP in the league. That, and the team is putting forth effort like they want Torts gone.
Torts came in and did exactly what he was supposed to do with the CBJ and I will be forever grateful to him. I think the team is good enough to now need a solid X's & O's guy that can develop players offensively, and take the team to the next level, instead of just a hard-ass culture change coach, which is what Torts is. Problem is, I'm not convinced that there are that many good candidates available for hire. That said, I think they still need to give it a shot.
I'm okay with keeping him through the end of the season, if Jarmo doesn't think that Brad Shaw is a legitimate candidate to replace him.