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Willie D Fired
- Thread starter Regs
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Rangerforever
Well-Known Member
Lindy Ruff?
Personally don't blame Willy in the least. The blame goes much higher then him. Not saying he was great or awful but he stuck to his guns. Yes he did play and help develop young guys. But even when he did people were lambasting him for not playing more. Sorry but players don't develop by giving them things they haven't earned. We aren't there day in and day out and frankly I trust his instinct on that stuff. He's been developing young guys his whole career.
I blame the shambolic structure. Owners who clearly are to involved in decisions they should stay out of. A rookie GM, rookie President and rookie Coach. Really it has failure written all over it. Anyone who has watched these guys knows we needed to rebuild for years but the owners wanted to make money and we kept "retooling." Well here we are rebuilding after 3-4 wasteful years.
Get some fcuking experience at the top and build from there. The bloody Caps have the same problem.
I blame the shambolic structure. Owners who clearly are to involved in decisions they should stay out of. A rookie GM, rookie President and rookie Coach. Really it has failure written all over it. Anyone who has watched these guys knows we needed to rebuild for years but the owners wanted to make money and we kept "retooling." Well here we are rebuilding after 3-4 wasteful years.
Get some fcuking experience at the top and build from there. The bloody Caps have the same problem.
Totally agree BullJive
This rebuild should have started two seasons ago. We lost past assets for nothing in Hamhuis etc. We could be a couple years ahead. Even last year down the stretch winning those few games were the wrong thing to do.
What else did we want from Willie D. We came second last place and lots of the young guys had chances. 20min a night as a rookie isn't the way to go. Throwing them all in to the fire isn't the way To go either. I think the season was a success In a lot of ways. Placing 29th being one of them.
He knows what the vibes like in the room and if handing a guy big minutes is a good thing or not.
If anything the signing of Lou Erickson was the the biggest sham. Gudbranson signing didn't pan out either with his injury.
Lou E got less then 30 points I believe for 6million. I don't see him getting better on this team. We will end up eating that contract in year 3 or 4. Watch.
This rebuild should have started two seasons ago. We lost past assets for nothing in Hamhuis etc. We could be a couple years ahead. Even last year down the stretch winning those few games were the wrong thing to do.
What else did we want from Willie D. We came second last place and lots of the young guys had chances. 20min a night as a rookie isn't the way to go. Throwing them all in to the fire isn't the way To go either. I think the season was a success In a lot of ways. Placing 29th being one of them.
He knows what the vibes like in the room and if handing a guy big minutes is a good thing or not.
If anything the signing of Lou Erickson was the the biggest sham. Gudbranson signing didn't pan out either with his injury.
Lou E got less then 30 points I believe for 6million. I don't see him getting better on this team. We will end up eating that contract in year 3 or 4. Watch.
Of course you guys agree. Roleyes emoji. Penis handshake emoji.
I don't compare the 'Nucks to Caps. I think the Caps are- truthfully- more talent ready and deep than the 'Nucks (comparatively), but their coach and management are such shambles, it's hard to see a light. The Caps have the players to be competitive, but are held back by inept man management, tactics, and above them, penny pinching head office.
The 'Nucks, exact opposite. I don't see the last few years as a total waste. Yes, some regrets, but Erickson was simply money. If there is any one big mistake, development wise, was not getting more for Kessler. I'd have liked a high couple of picks in a row, or very good blue-chips, in retrospect. But they still got a couple of pieces that will be useful in this "transition". You need guys like Sbisa and Gudbranson, and those two players will also continue to improve as steady D-men. No, not offensive D-men, but steady, tough, stay at home guys. Besides, Gudbranson is an RFA, may get one year to see how he does. The book is not written on him yet.
Erickson...well...when he was signed the town was 50/50 on him. This was an ownership signing, not what I believe a Benning signing. More on that in a bit, but yes, we're stuck with him, but my question is, how does he really hurt us going forward? Best case? He finds his game, and the $6M per isn't so bad for a guy that puts points up and contributes to the transition process. Worse case? He's on the 3rd or 4th line, and a high priced utility, eventually bought out. How is that a big deal? This is a club that can afford to eat it's mistakes.
Other notes:
-Benning has done a pretty good job in a short period of time stocking the shelves w/ prospects, including making great use of signing NCAA free agents.
-People are blaming Virtannen on him...well...99% of the faithful were screaming for the team to pick him when that selection came up. Easy to have 20/20 vision now, but Jake would have gone the very next pick, so...the fact it hasn't worked out yet is not something everyone was predicting. His issues seem to be maturity, and between the ears. I actually quite like the way Willie dealt with that issue, and how Green is currently straightening Jake out. I still see Jake being a bit piece moving forward...but he needs to take it.
-Last years pick, Olli Juolevi, looks like a stud on D. If you think Matias Ohlund was a good Canuck, then you have to like this pick, a similar type of overall very good stud D-man.
-Aside from Virtannen, there haven't been any major drafting duds under Benning.
-Overall, I've liked Benning's eye for talent, and eye for players that other teams have given up on.
-People conveniently forget Benning wins like Nikita Tryamkin. How many people saw a 3rd rounder coming through the way this guy has? Added to that, he still has huge upside, this guy isn't close to being his best, will be a top 4 guy for sure, quite possible a top 2 guy.
-Troy Stecher: that was a Benning deal, and looks like a great deal right now. Key piece moving forward.
-Brock Boeser: who's going to argue that this wasn't a great pick right now? Kid is a player, and a winner.
-Granlund and Baertschi: both Benning deals, both scouted, both reclamation projects that have more than worked out.
The favorite moan all over the radio right now is the lack of experience when owners brought in Linden, then Benning and Willie D.
Sure, I'll give you Linden lacked experience, but Benning was ready for a gig, so was Willie. With all "rookies", you have to live w/ growing pains. I'd say that as an organization, we are past that process, and the one guy that really matters here is Benning. Willie was overall OK for the timeframe we had him for. By no means a dumpster fire like Torts or Mike Keenan. There are some positive fingerprints left behind by this guy, and maybe those are all integrity based. He had loads, and his players loved him for it. Integrity is not a bad thing to pass along to players. If integrity is one of your main leadership traits, you will do well- and this man will be just fine.
One thing Benning and Linder both have loads of is integrity. Personally, I appreciate that, and am willing to live with some of the pains.
I agree it's time to make a change, and more and more I'm on the Travis Green bandwagon, with a mandate to develop the blue-chip prospects. If not, bring back Crow. He'll at least focus on attacking. I want to see Suban get a serious look up here. I want to see continued re-vamp of Virtannen. I want to see the team surround the blue chips with solid, experience NHLers. No more Erickson / Verbata / Miller type signings, but guys like the Burrows of the world, of Hansens that will add experience and INTEGRITY to a youthful mix.
So, what's the biggest issue? Ownership and meddling. The refusal to call this a "rebuild". The insistence- at least over the past two years- of trying to make the playoffs. They've wasted money on some unnecessary signings, but it's not my money, and they can afford it.
Now, compare this to the Caps, who have an absentee ownership group who have apparently put the clamps down on spending, and have kept an ill qualified manager in Robo in place due to the fact switching coaches will cost a lot of money if done right. A buy-out on Robo, and heavier contract for the next guy.
I'd rather have owners that are vested, and not afraid to invest, than what the Caps appear to have, which is an ownership and FO group that has essentially castrated the club's 1st team.
So, I see ownership on the 'Nucks being the bigger issue- the meddling- but all we need to do is look across town, and even across the NHL, and you can find plenty of examples of terrible ownership situations. Either absentee owners that don't invest, or simply bad overall revenue situations that hinder investment. I hope ownership here has seen the light, and now knows they need to follow the Toronto model (as painful as it is to state that).
So...although I don't see this situation as ideal, and I'm not giving anyone an "A" as to how they've done over the past three years, this is not a Keenan era situation, where ownership had to blow the whole thing up and bring in Burke as superboss.
Linden: C+
Benning: B/B+
Willie D: C+
Ownership: C.
Can't fire the owners, and they are better than most. Benning is improving, as is Linden, time for a change in the room, but Willie is a good coach, by no means a disaster.
~GlasshalffullDude
I don't compare the 'Nucks to Caps. I think the Caps are- truthfully- more talent ready and deep than the 'Nucks (comparatively), but their coach and management are such shambles, it's hard to see a light. The Caps have the players to be competitive, but are held back by inept man management, tactics, and above them, penny pinching head office.
The 'Nucks, exact opposite. I don't see the last few years as a total waste. Yes, some regrets, but Erickson was simply money. If there is any one big mistake, development wise, was not getting more for Kessler. I'd have liked a high couple of picks in a row, or very good blue-chips, in retrospect. But they still got a couple of pieces that will be useful in this "transition". You need guys like Sbisa and Gudbranson, and those two players will also continue to improve as steady D-men. No, not offensive D-men, but steady, tough, stay at home guys. Besides, Gudbranson is an RFA, may get one year to see how he does. The book is not written on him yet.
Erickson...well...when he was signed the town was 50/50 on him. This was an ownership signing, not what I believe a Benning signing. More on that in a bit, but yes, we're stuck with him, but my question is, how does he really hurt us going forward? Best case? He finds his game, and the $6M per isn't so bad for a guy that puts points up and contributes to the transition process. Worse case? He's on the 3rd or 4th line, and a high priced utility, eventually bought out. How is that a big deal? This is a club that can afford to eat it's mistakes.
Other notes:
-Benning has done a pretty good job in a short period of time stocking the shelves w/ prospects, including making great use of signing NCAA free agents.
-People are blaming Virtannen on him...well...99% of the faithful were screaming for the team to pick him when that selection came up. Easy to have 20/20 vision now, but Jake would have gone the very next pick, so...the fact it hasn't worked out yet is not something everyone was predicting. His issues seem to be maturity, and between the ears. I actually quite like the way Willie dealt with that issue, and how Green is currently straightening Jake out. I still see Jake being a bit piece moving forward...but he needs to take it.
-Last years pick, Olli Juolevi, looks like a stud on D. If you think Matias Ohlund was a good Canuck, then you have to like this pick, a similar type of overall very good stud D-man.
-Aside from Virtannen, there haven't been any major drafting duds under Benning.
-Overall, I've liked Benning's eye for talent, and eye for players that other teams have given up on.
-People conveniently forget Benning wins like Nikita Tryamkin. How many people saw a 3rd rounder coming through the way this guy has? Added to that, he still has huge upside, this guy isn't close to being his best, will be a top 4 guy for sure, quite possible a top 2 guy.
-Troy Stecher: that was a Benning deal, and looks like a great deal right now. Key piece moving forward.
-Brock Boeser: who's going to argue that this wasn't a great pick right now? Kid is a player, and a winner.
-Granlund and Baertschi: both Benning deals, both scouted, both reclamation projects that have more than worked out.
The favorite moan all over the radio right now is the lack of experience when owners brought in Linden, then Benning and Willie D.
Sure, I'll give you Linden lacked experience, but Benning was ready for a gig, so was Willie. With all "rookies", you have to live w/ growing pains. I'd say that as an organization, we are past that process, and the one guy that really matters here is Benning. Willie was overall OK for the timeframe we had him for. By no means a dumpster fire like Torts or Mike Keenan. There are some positive fingerprints left behind by this guy, and maybe those are all integrity based. He had loads, and his players loved him for it. Integrity is not a bad thing to pass along to players. If integrity is one of your main leadership traits, you will do well- and this man will be just fine.
One thing Benning and Linder both have loads of is integrity. Personally, I appreciate that, and am willing to live with some of the pains.
I agree it's time to make a change, and more and more I'm on the Travis Green bandwagon, with a mandate to develop the blue-chip prospects. If not, bring back Crow. He'll at least focus on attacking. I want to see Suban get a serious look up here. I want to see continued re-vamp of Virtannen. I want to see the team surround the blue chips with solid, experience NHLers. No more Erickson / Verbata / Miller type signings, but guys like the Burrows of the world, of Hansens that will add experience and INTEGRITY to a youthful mix.
So, what's the biggest issue? Ownership and meddling. The refusal to call this a "rebuild". The insistence- at least over the past two years- of trying to make the playoffs. They've wasted money on some unnecessary signings, but it's not my money, and they can afford it.
Now, compare this to the Caps, who have an absentee ownership group who have apparently put the clamps down on spending, and have kept an ill qualified manager in Robo in place due to the fact switching coaches will cost a lot of money if done right. A buy-out on Robo, and heavier contract for the next guy.
I'd rather have owners that are vested, and not afraid to invest, than what the Caps appear to have, which is an ownership and FO group that has essentially castrated the club's 1st team.
So, I see ownership on the 'Nucks being the bigger issue- the meddling- but all we need to do is look across town, and even across the NHL, and you can find plenty of examples of terrible ownership situations. Either absentee owners that don't invest, or simply bad overall revenue situations that hinder investment. I hope ownership here has seen the light, and now knows they need to follow the Toronto model (as painful as it is to state that).
So...although I don't see this situation as ideal, and I'm not giving anyone an "A" as to how they've done over the past three years, this is not a Keenan era situation, where ownership had to blow the whole thing up and bring in Burke as superboss.
Linden: C+
Benning: B/B+
Willie D: C+
Ownership: C.
Can't fire the owners, and they are better than most. Benning is improving, as is Linden, time for a change in the room, but Willie is a good coach, by no means a disaster.
~GlasshalffullDude
And like his posts, moments of brilliance, moments of madness. No Youtube, and if I were really giving it a SC style stamp, I would have taken a better run at insulting @LION and @bulljive (holding hands emoji), and would have pissed off Regs.
So, maybe, but not quite, but I do see how I am.
You see how you are? emoji
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