Blashill to return in 2017-18

[yave1964]

It appears more and more likely that the Wings will retain Jeff Blashill as their head coach in 2017-18 at least according to reports basically coming from everywhere.

  I am of two minds about this, number one the Wings had an abysmal record and usually the first person replaced is the coach and it is usually a good place to start but how much of this disaster of a season was Blash and how much is the players is up to greater minds than mine to decide. The Wings lack depth pretty much everywhere and it is hard to blame the coach for the GMs failures in bringing in the right players.

  I believe that the coach is a part of the problem, the kids have developed too slowly, the vets have slipped back, he has not taken advantage of what they are capable of which is a coaches number one job. Scotty Bowman was quoted many, many times as saying that a coaches primary job is to have the right players on the ice at the right time. I did not see that over the past two years.

 

  Firing him now in the beginning of a rebuild is setting the team up to bring in another coach who is pretty much destined for failure. Knowing that next season may be rather bleak it may be best to ride it out, start the year with Blashill and if it starts ugly replace him either half way through the season or at next seasons end. Either way although he is likely coming back from all reports he should probably not go house shopping any time soon. The team is too bad and he is a lame duck.

[yave1964]

That said, if he were fired which again appears more unlikely by the day my choices as a replacement would be:

 

Gallant. Great with kids would have Larkin/Mantha/AA/Svechnikov all performing at optimum levels.

 

Sutter. Let go by the Kings, great veteran coach with 2 cups under his belt.

 

Either would be a great fit. Sadly both will likely be snatched up soon elsewhere. I would like to see Gallant land here as the assistant coach staring over Blash's shoulder but he will likely be the head coach elsewhere soon. 

[ezlot76]

I think Gallant would be an excellent choice. Hes really good with the young players. Hate the fact my Panthers stupidly fired him.

[WingNut722]

The Red Wings brass has confirmed that both Mr. Holland and Mr. Blashill will continue to provide their services for the next season.  I am quite certain though, that the Ilitch family will be holding a series of extra meetings to discuss the way forward.  "Keep doing what you're doing" should no longer be uttered in Hockeytown.

[Haliax]

My biggest concern with keeping Blashill around is that nearly every single young player on the team has regressed under him. He also seems to actively dislike Mantha, which goes back to Grand Rapids. I honestly don't think a new coach could do a worse job than he did this season. I was already not really happy when he was hired because everyone talked about how similar to Babcock he is, and this team needs a change in direction. 

 

He's done a worse job at developing players than any coach I've personally seen in Detroit. Dave Lewis was also pretty bad, but I still think he would be a better option than Blashill. Fire him and move on.

[yave1964]

2 hours ago, Haliax said:

My biggest concern with keeping Blashill around is that nearly every single young player on the team has regressed under him. He also seems to actively dislike Mantha, which goes back to Grand Rapids. I honestly don't think a new coach could do a worse job than he did this season. I was already not really happy when he was hired because everyone talked about how similar to Babcock he is, and this team needs a change in direction. 

 

He's done a worse job at developing players than any coach I've personally seen in Detroit. Dave Lewis was also pretty bad, but I still think he would be a better option than Blashill. Fire him and move on.

Lewis was an unfortunate in many ways, on the wrong end of history all over beginning when he was with the Isles and traded for Butch Goring who went on to be the final piece of their dynasty and culminating in having the unfortunate task of replacing the greatest coach of all time in Bowman just as the team started to age. He even coached the Bruins coming off the lockout year a couple of years before Tim Thomas built his legend. One Hell of a nice guy I have corresponded with him a bit and he is a funny honest man. He fell in love with Draper a bit too much and became too reliant upon him and it cost him. Just an aside.

 

  As for Blash, man I thought more of him than this, I watch WAAAYYYY to many GR Griffins games and he had a brilliant year winning the Calder Cup hitting all the right buttons. I agree with Mantha, it is absurd his handling of the kid, I am not a big fan of plus/minus but he was not as deficient defensively as we were led to believe and actually was a plus 10. Blash punished AA and Mantha by sitting them all the while the vets ran over him and seemed to do their own thing. He has never put his signature on this squad and I doubt he ever will.

 

  Next year will be bleak but will get us going the right way, Green will almost certainly be dealt for a 1st/2nd pick, Blash fired, Kronwall will finish his career a vet forward or two moved out and kids moved in. I hated this year and already I feel ready to write next year off as well as a transition year but I do see light at the end of the tunnel. I do not know if Holland is the guy to fix things, I doubt it to be honest I think he is way to loyal to his veteran players but overall although I do not see 2017-18 being any better record wise it could be a very good year for transitioning the team in a new direction which would include a mid season firing of Blashill and bringing in a different viewpoint from outside of the organization.

[Old School Hockey]

With Blashill and Holland staying EVERYTHING we prided ourselves in is GONE.

 

Darkness of HarknessII here we come.

 

By the way Gallant is gone, he's in Las Vegas.