JR Ewing Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 I really think his job is at some risk. -They have a grotesque schedule to being the season/ -The team's breakout structure looks badly behind the times. -The special teams struggled badly last season, so the assistants who ran them were fired. They hired Manny Viveiros to run the PP, and according to Bob Stauffer, McLellan himself is coaching it and not having Viveiros run things. The result is more of the same, with 5 left-handed pass-first players on the first unit trying to pass the puck into the net, and 5 right-handed shoot-first players on the 2nd unit. I think the thing which would save his job is Cam Talbot playing lights-out in goal, and Connor being Connor, but this would only cover up some issues. Some people might say that it's too early to think he's at risk, but it's not early; not at all. My daughter entered high school this year, and this a rebuild which covers the entire time she's been a student. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 Going to the press conference and extolling the virtues of Drake Caggiula, who was absolutely caved on possession (23% Corsi), was the goat on one PP goal against and then kicked another into his own net, shows a certain tone deafness, imo. It's almost as if he's trolling the fanbase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 Deployment and strategy seem to be serious issues. There are a lot of teams that are electing to sit highly priced veterans. Just off the top of my head, Shattenkirk in NY and Alzner in Montreal. Somebody please tell me why Lucic, who was sub-sub-replacement level for half a season last year, mediocre (or worse) in training camp, and awful 5v5 now for two regular season games, deserves to be in the top 6 or on the first unit PP, where there are 5 LH shots. He hasn’t been healthy scratched once during this time. It’s completely unacceptable. Why did the Oilers carry the puck into the offensive zone half as much as the Devils did? The league is becoming more possession driven, and TMac is asking for more dump-ins. Why would you do that when you have guys who can actually carry the puck? There are two young forwards, in Yamamoto and Puljujarvi, who look completely lost out there. One of them is playing with Lucic, and the other is looking up at Drake Caggiula’s ice-time, the only forward last year who could suppress the offence of the world’s best player. I haven’t seen a top 4 pick brought along the way JP has. I'm not saying that this team should be a cup contender. Of course not. But there is no reason to not ice your best lineup, to put talented young players (whose performance this organization’s future relies upon) in positions to succeed, and to incorporate philosophies that smart teams are using to win games. I just want this team to do things that make sense, but apparently even that is beyond the scope of reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted October 13, 2018 Author Share Posted October 13, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey-78 Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 On 10/12/2018 at 8:26 AM, JR Ewing said: There are two young forwards, in Yamamoto and Puljujarvi, who look completely lost out there. One of them is playing with Lucic, and the other is looking up at Drake Caggiula’s ice-time, the only forward last year who could suppress the offence of the world’s best player. I haven’t seen a top 4 pick brought along the way JP has. Two top prospects going to waste... Is it on McLellan and just the fact there's not a suitable role to give to those two guys? I've wondered why the hell Lucic gets so much ice time, even on the PP? He's soon out of the league anyway, too slow, not enough hands. Ok, I get he protects Mac but since the league is very soft anyway (dare I say bunch of pu**ies) is there really a need for him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share Posted October 28, 2018 4 minutes ago, Hockey-78 said: Two top prospects going to waste... Is it on McLellan and just the fact there's not a suitable role to give to those two guys? I don't think that it's Todd McLellan's fault that two of his RW are 20-year olds that need time in the American league. That's a lot more to do with Chiarelli painting himself into a corner with the salary cap. 4 minutes ago, Hockey-78 said: I've wondered why the hell Lucic gets so much ice time, even on the PP? He's soon out of the league anyway, too slow, not enough hands. Ok, I get he protects Mac but since the league is very soft anyway (dare I say bunch of pu**ies) is there really a need for him? For what it's worth, McLellan moved Lucic to 3LW and he's been night and day better. And yes, I would him off the 1st PP unit. Even in his prime years with Boston, he was never really a terrific PP option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 As I watched this game against the Flames unfold tonight, I have been seething, watching Todd McLellan elevate and keep Milan Lucic to the 97/29 line and then foist Zack Kassian upon Nugent-Hopkins. I don’t have a problem with Lucic and Kassian, as they try, but they just don’t belong there. As soon as Lucic joined that line, their chances just died on his stick, and Todd just kept putting him out there. I can understand putting him out there or a shift or two, just to send the message to Tkachuk and Bennett that it's time to stop running around, but long after the Flames calmed down and set about the business of playing hockey, McLellan failed to make the simple adjustment of putting his 3rd and 4th line wingers back on the 3rd and 4th line. I don't understand the point of loading up a line with McDavid and Draisaitl, only to neuter them with a guy who has scored 2 in his last 64 games. Also, would a timeout earlier in the 3rd, when his team was clearly being outplayed and were drifting and gliding, have been too much to ask. He gets caught up in the emotion of the game, I think. Todd McLellan has forgotten more about coaching than I will ever know, but I’m furious with his coaching tonight. He handed a win to Calgary. I mean it; I am livid. I'm ready to turn a table over. I'm about 5 seconds away from smelling burnt toast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Update. I woke up. I'm still so mad that if the cat trips me today, she's going through the uprights for 3 points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted November 19, 2018 Author Share Posted November 19, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted November 19, 2018 Author Share Posted November 19, 2018 I was mad enough as yesterday's game unfolded, and McLellan coached the Oilers to a loss, but am enraged tonight. I know that he's the coach and I'm the fan, but how the hell can he explain that he routinely does not do what other coaches do when their team is in this place: pull the goalie and/or call a timeout every now and then? I could see if it was just some crazy idea of mine, but a lot of very knowledgeable hockey men have made use of these tactics for over 100 years now in this league. Even if the goalie isn't completely at fault, somewhere along the way to 6 goals, a coach with a brain finds it in him to yank the starter. That's not to say that this is all on the coach. ChiaPete has screwed this roster over so badly, chasing his crap trades and signings, that if he had basically done nothing, he'd have been much better off. But no, here they are, needlessly wasting years of the career of one the finest few hockey players I've seen in all my years of watching the sport, while men without a shred of decency rob him of awards because of the ineptitude of the people that run this team. I've been forced to eat more than my share of sh|t sandwiches over the years as a fan of this team, and am generally the guy that quietly watches even bad games. I'm a reasonable man, and not prone to blowing my top quickly, but I have my breaking point, and I've reached it here with this management team and coach. They had a golden ticket; they were gifted a glorious boy and all they had to do was not screw up. No miracles were required; only normal development which qualified men in the NHL do all the time. Things in Edmonton are bowling shoe ugly, and I'm so mad that this game felt like a red hot poker being stuffed up my a$$ sideways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Rick Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 On 11/18/2018 at 10:59 PM, JR Ewing said: I was mad enough as yesterday's game unfolded, and McLellan coached the Oilers to a loss, but am enraged tonight. I know that he's the coach and I'm the fan, but how the hell can he explain that he routinely does not do what other coaches do when their team is in this place: pull the goalie and/or call a timeout every now and then? I could see if it was just some crazy idea of mine, but a lot of very knowledgeable hockey men have made use of these tactics for over 100 years now in this league. Even if the goalie isn't completely at fault, somewhere along the way to 6 goals, a coach with a brain finds it in him to yank the starter. That's not to say that this is all on the coach. ChiaPete has screwed this roster over so badly, chasing his crap trades and signings, that if he had basically done nothing, he'd have been much better off. But no, here they are, needlessly wasting years of the career of one the finest few hockey players I've seen in all my years of watching the sport, while men without a shred of decency rob him of awards because of the ineptitude of the people that run this team. I've been forced to eat more than my share of sh|t sandwiches over the years as a fan of this team, and am generally the guy that quietly watches even bad games. I'm a reasonable man, and not prone to blowing my top quickly, but I have my breaking point, and I've reached it here with this management team and coach. They had a golden ticket; they were gifted a glorious boy and all they had to do was not screw up. No miracles were required; only normal development which qualified men in the NHL do all the time. Things in Edmonton are bowling shoe ugly, and I'm so mad that this game felt like a red hot poker being stuffed up my a$$ sideways. Well you called it. He is no longer the coach. You have Hitch now. Happy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 7 hours ago, Hockey Junkie said: Well you called it. He is no longer the coach. You have Hitch now. Happy? Hands down, your best post ever. Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Rick Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 8 hours ago, Podein25 said: Hands down, your best post ever. Congrats. Please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 21 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said: Please I'm liking your new-found brevity. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.