Elvis should leave the building. Larsen will be right behind

[yave1964]

Seldom have I seen a goalie fight the puck and fight his team quite as much as the frustrated Elvis Merzlkens is right now. IMHI it is a matter of time before he is shown the door and the Jackets move on, turning the net over to Korpisalo and Tarasov.

 

  He has been overly critical of his own defense. He has been overly critical of his forwards. He clearly wants out and is doing all that he can to make it happen. On the ice he is playing a good foot further out from the net than he did when he was playing his best. He was always a goalie who took advantage of size and played deep, now he is challenging shooters on every shot and guessing wrong much more often than not. He is having a simply wretched year.

 

  Along with Rlvis, coach Brad Larsen has to have one foot hanging over the grave and the other standing on a banana peel. The team under Torts had an identity as a gritty David to other teams Goliaths, an identity the team embraced consistently making the playoffs even winning several rounds, now they look lost, nobody seems to know their role or identity, special teams are putrid bordering on abysmal, this after spending insane money to bring Johnny Gaudreau in to fix the culture and the scoring and signing Laine to a four year extention.  The lines are constantly fluid even within the game, nobody knows their role or what is expected of them, this is a team with quite a lot of talent but no identity anymore. The chip on their shoulder that they played with under Tortorella is long gone. They look disinterested like they are simply waiting it out for the next regime to take over.

 

  If they lose their next two over in Europe to the Avalanche and fall to 3-9 I fully expect that Larsen will be fired before the plane lands back in the United States. A promising season is crashing down and while often the coach gets an unfair amount of the blame or credit, Larsen is proving unfit, unable to establish a consistent lineup be it five on five or on special teams. His goalie hates the entire roster top to bottom and Larsen cannot get even that under control. Trotz would probably be the perfect hire here if he wants the job, lots of building blocks signed for long term with good solid kids such as Johnson and Sillinger among the top nine forwards and Jiricek on defense. Trotz knows how to identify ways to get the most out of his lineup and roster, that is exactly what this team needs. Larsen is not the answer, he is barely a footnote.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Shame the season is going the way it is for these guys.
As the OP said, there IS talent here, but at the moment it all seems disjointed and/or misguided.

Pre-season, I had these guys at least competing for a playoff spot within their own division, as I saw these Jackets and the Islanders as two resurging franchises that should be pushing the aging Penguin core, surpassing the depleted Capitals, and playing head n shoulders above the re-organizing Flyers.

I also saw Elvis as part of the SOLUTION, not the problem, for Columbus, and thought for sure he would be the one steady constant in that net...his only nemesis being staying healthy.
If those reports of him wanting 'out' are true, then Columbus truly is up the creek without a paddle and compass as I feel Korpse-a-salo certainly isn't the answer, and Tarasov is too green, and not guaranteed to be long term NHL viable.

Some culture issues sound like they are at work here and without a man like John Tortorella to wield the iron hand and reign that in, things can get ugly (uglier?) real quick.

 

I agree that players need to have consistency in not only their performances, but in their lineups.
I've had the pleasure and privilege to watch a team like Tampa Bay whose players always seemed to know what their linemates were gonna do before they did it, and it paid off for them in making their offense and decision making that much faster on the ice.

And that had NOTHING to do with 'magic', but rather, Coach Cooper was real good about keeping certain guys together, giving them clearly defined roles and expectations, and guys executing to the best of their abilities knowing full well the coach was putting them in the best possible position to succeed.
Sure, Coach Cooper "blended" lines on occasion (as do most coaches), but for the most part, guys knew who they would be playing with, practiced with, and it showed on the ice.

 

If similar isn't going on in Columbus, then no amount of talent from Laine, Werenski, Gaudreau, Jenner, Roslovic, Kent Johnson, or even Merzlikins himself is gonna steer this team the right way....and it very well could mean Coach Larsen takes the fall for not being able to harness what he has here.

[yave1964]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

"OP"?????? Wow I thought we were friends, lol. 

 

  Yeah the Jackets bounce guys up and down the lineup with no rhyme or reason. A bad shift or two can get you dropped down two lines or off the first pair on defense to the third. The Jackets power play has been non existent with guys like Werenski, Laine and Gaudreau that is simply unacceptable. And like I said, Elvis is fighting the puck playing too far out from the net, at least a foot further out than he did when he came into the league and what i dont understand is if a novice like myself can see that why the Jackets coaching staff cannot. He is squaring up challenging the shooter but exposing himself to the pass and is out of position way to often when the shooter passes instead of firing it. Torts woulda corrected it. Trotz woulda corrected it. Larsen is simply over his head as a head coach. He might be a nice guy, a great husband, nice to puppies and any other kindness you want to direct his way but he is not an NHL head coach.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

12 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

@TropicalFruitGirl26

"OP"?????? Wow I thought we were friends, lol. 

 

 

LOL...now, now...you should KNOW BY NOW, that I love and respect your takes on anything NHL here!

My way of posting that was more to tell others reading I agree with you, since I tend to be a bit explanatory in my postings...you certainly don't need an explanation as you know more than most here what is going on with that Columbus club....but many others here, who don't follow them, may not.