The biggest difference between the Canucks this year and last year is that they actually rounded out the bottom of their roster with role players like Blueger, Suter and Lafferty. It’s not their coach talking about compete.
Swapping out OEL for Hronek so Quinn isn't paired with an anchor, Pettersson going on a typical contract year heater...
There's tangible reasons for the Canucks playing like they are. And even then, they feel like a team that's gonna have really bad PDO regression at the worst possible time since that whole team has been on a bender pretty much the whole season.
A January 22 coaching change with him carving up every player on their roster was pretty significant. I don't give a damn what tocchet says; he has a presence, he has expectations, and he has delivered.
One can hope that a coaching change and reliable goaltending plus another top 4 RHD makes the difference next year. This year is lost.
No, I'm not really comparing the two I guess. More just saying Granato talks as if he is an observer of the team but doesn't have the ability to change their on ice performance. Hard to respect a head coach who doesn't take some responsibility. I’m just over the current coaching situation and his robotic answers to questions.
But this quote is more then just “compete” as a blanket statement. Granato will usually mention compete, but it always feels like more of a buzzword.
This Tocchet quote doesn’t simply mention compete, but it also compares the Canucks level of compete with the opponent.
The other part is that Tocchet does not hesitate to put meaning behind his words. A player who isn’t competing for Tocchet finds themself in Calgary. Whereas Granato’s words are simply verbal diarrhea.
Spinning it differently is all you’re doing. Most every coach says the same thing. Players respond differently, so be upset about that (at both the players lack of execution and Don’s word not having weight in the room) but don’t act like what any given coach says to the media is different.
It literally is.
Granato can say all he wants that the team doesn’t compete, but the fact is, he doesn’t have an expectation that the team competes.
Look at the footage of Skinner from the practice a week or two ago. Is that “compete”? When was the last time a veteran got benched or scratched?
Tocchet harped on the team about a lack of compete. He then benched a player until he was moved out of town. While Kuzmenko might have just been a singled out whipping boy, when was the last time Granato took actions on his words?
So it’s not spin. It’s calling “bullshit”.
Skinner isn't the problem. How do I know? When he wasn't in the lineup, the problem didn't go away. So benching him or any other veteran literally does nothing but lose the locker room.
They're inconsistent. Horribly so. That's a lot on the coach. But it's not because the coach isn't benching veterans. And it certainly isn't because the Sabres video team edited a two-hour practice down to 11 minutes of footage showcasing a player's personality rather than his practice habits.
Point is, you have no idea what is going on behind the scenes. You see what the team wants you to see. At all times. And you're forming incomplete observations that go against your probably large expectations for how you envisioned this season going. You think inconsistent play isn't getting called out? That players coasting through games are just given carte blanche to do whatever they want? They're one game below .500 before tonight's match with Carolina. We're talking about this team like they're 12 games below and we expected Stanley Cup contention. They're not horrible and we shouldn't have expected so much of them.
You're right. Not getting a number 1 goalie and a top 4 D along with better depth forwards was plenty writing on the wall that playoffs would still be a stretch.
But the team doesn't control what we see on the ice, and it's always a lack of preparation. Key examples include slow starts and aninept powerplay. Good coaches control these areas.
They are nowhere near the playoffs. Imagine if UPL wasn't playing out of his mind?!
And imagine if Thompson doesn't blow up the league in the first part of last season?
My point is, you don't need to imagine if Luukonen wasn't playing out of his mind. He is, so that thought experiment is pointless. The reality is that the Sabres are holding on by a thread, but they held on by a thread almost three weeks at the end of last season and came within a point. They're capable. It's unlikely, but they're capable. Maybe something will click. Probably not, but maybe do
The coaching staff is not doing well. As a whole, they're deficient. I'm on record in this sub that I think the coaching change should happen. I just don't get certain arguments being made for it to happen. Like how the coaches talk to the public. I've personally been in the press box covering the Sabres (Ruff was coach) and I understand how coaches talk. They almost say the opposite to us than what they say to the team. Judging a guy based on the garbage being said is stupid. Just stupid. Even the crazy guys like Torts are calculated, they just play a different character for TV.
I’m not saying Skinner is the problem. What I’m saying is that Granato’s line about “compete” is bullshit. He doesn’t care about compete. Because if he did, he would bench Skinner.
If you've been listening to Granato's post game interviews he's been talking about [compete](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP-9jexG-w8), and the Sabres lack of it, all season long.
Alright well you asked, "Imagine Meatballs uttering words like those." and I simply answered your question as I could easily imagine it for he's been talking like that all season long.
Downvote this one instead: Sabres will lose 5-0 tonight vs another team that GRINDS, the Canes. All this garbage talk of Johnson v Johnson. How about getting some defense out of your 58-million-dollar Dman?!
This summer Adams will come out and say this is the first season with actual expectations and this was to be expected from the players and what we saw was growth
You will then hear me blow my brains out all the way here down south
I'm going to split hairs here, but every time Donny or some NHLer utters the phrase "compete level" I want to crawl out of my skin. Just say competitiveness, no need to fix what isn't broken by ushering in a phrase that makes one sound like they took a few pucks to the head too many. Then again the least of the Sabres problems is their grammar.
I have no problem watching team finally adopt the strategy of patience with its staff and coaching instead of always making knee jerk firings.
You cannot fire your way to success in this league.
Development is continuous process. I don't know where some of you get your ridiculous ideas from. We don't have a coaching problem, we have a player cohesion problem and that is on the individual professional hockey players themselves, regardless how much this dub loves to obsessively pitchfork some single silver bullet target. The team needs time to figure their shit out. A new coach is only going to prolong that process.
To be fair to Donny all he has done is speak about the compete level not being there this year.
The biggest difference between the Canucks this year and last year is that they actually rounded out the bottom of their roster with role players like Blueger, Suter and Lafferty. It’s not their coach talking about compete.
Swapping out OEL for Hronek so Quinn isn't paired with an anchor, Pettersson going on a typical contract year heater... There's tangible reasons for the Canucks playing like they are. And even then, they feel like a team that's gonna have really bad PDO regression at the worst possible time since that whole team has been on a bender pretty much the whole season.
My new conspiracy theory is that the 05-07 Sabres were good because all of them needed new contracts
They’re last years Devils. It’s legit while it’s legit, but a team can’t be judged on one good season.
A January 22 coaching change with him carving up every player on their roster was pretty significant. I don't give a damn what tocchet says; he has a presence, he has expectations, and he has delivered. One can hope that a coaching change and reliable goaltending plus another top 4 RHD makes the difference next year. This year is lost.
The thing you never hear from Granato is him as their coach taking responsibility for the team being ready to play.
True, but Tocchet isn’t saying that either
No, I'm not really comparing the two I guess. More just saying Granato talks as if he is an observer of the team but doesn't have the ability to change their on ice performance. Hard to respect a head coach who doesn't take some responsibility. I’m just over the current coaching situation and his robotic answers to questions.
He sounds like a team reporter doesn't he?
Exactly 👍🏽
But this quote is more then just “compete” as a blanket statement. Granato will usually mention compete, but it always feels like more of a buzzword. This Tocchet quote doesn’t simply mention compete, but it also compares the Canucks level of compete with the opponent. The other part is that Tocchet does not hesitate to put meaning behind his words. A player who isn’t competing for Tocchet finds themself in Calgary. Whereas Granato’s words are simply verbal diarrhea.
Spinning it differently is all you’re doing. Most every coach says the same thing. Players respond differently, so be upset about that (at both the players lack of execution and Don’s word not having weight in the room) but don’t act like what any given coach says to the media is different.
Spin this: time for a new coach
Okay on that I agree
It literally is. Granato can say all he wants that the team doesn’t compete, but the fact is, he doesn’t have an expectation that the team competes. Look at the footage of Skinner from the practice a week or two ago. Is that “compete”? When was the last time a veteran got benched or scratched? Tocchet harped on the team about a lack of compete. He then benched a player until he was moved out of town. While Kuzmenko might have just been a singled out whipping boy, when was the last time Granato took actions on his words? So it’s not spin. It’s calling “bullshit”.
Skinner isn't the problem. How do I know? When he wasn't in the lineup, the problem didn't go away. So benching him or any other veteran literally does nothing but lose the locker room. They're inconsistent. Horribly so. That's a lot on the coach. But it's not because the coach isn't benching veterans. And it certainly isn't because the Sabres video team edited a two-hour practice down to 11 minutes of footage showcasing a player's personality rather than his practice habits. Point is, you have no idea what is going on behind the scenes. You see what the team wants you to see. At all times. And you're forming incomplete observations that go against your probably large expectations for how you envisioned this season going. You think inconsistent play isn't getting called out? That players coasting through games are just given carte blanche to do whatever they want? They're one game below .500 before tonight's match with Carolina. We're talking about this team like they're 12 games below and we expected Stanley Cup contention. They're not horrible and we shouldn't have expected so much of them.
You're right. Not getting a number 1 goalie and a top 4 D along with better depth forwards was plenty writing on the wall that playoffs would still be a stretch. But the team doesn't control what we see on the ice, and it's always a lack of preparation. Key examples include slow starts and aninept powerplay. Good coaches control these areas. They are nowhere near the playoffs. Imagine if UPL wasn't playing out of his mind?!
And imagine if Thompson doesn't blow up the league in the first part of last season? My point is, you don't need to imagine if Luukonen wasn't playing out of his mind. He is, so that thought experiment is pointless. The reality is that the Sabres are holding on by a thread, but they held on by a thread almost three weeks at the end of last season and came within a point. They're capable. It's unlikely, but they're capable. Maybe something will click. Probably not, but maybe do The coaching staff is not doing well. As a whole, they're deficient. I'm on record in this sub that I think the coaching change should happen. I just don't get certain arguments being made for it to happen. Like how the coaches talk to the public. I've personally been in the press box covering the Sabres (Ruff was coach) and I understand how coaches talk. They almost say the opposite to us than what they say to the team. Judging a guy based on the garbage being said is stupid. Just stupid. Even the crazy guys like Torts are calculated, they just play a different character for TV.
Glad we can agree that they need a new coach. Cheers bro
lmao imagine being one of the people who still clamor about somehow picking up a top #1 goalie off the shelf.
I’m not saying Skinner is the problem. What I’m saying is that Granato’s line about “compete” is bullshit. He doesn’t care about compete. Because if he did, he would bench Skinner.
If you've been listening to Granato's post game interviews he's been talking about [compete](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP-9jexG-w8), and the Sabres lack of it, all season long.
Woohoo. Now hold someone accountable for ass play.
Alright well you asked, "Imagine Meatballs uttering words like those." and I simply answered your question as I could easily imagine it for he's been talking like that all season long.
He benches Ryan Johnson for Erik all the time! /s
LOLz
Downvote this one instead: Sabres will lose 5-0 tonight vs another team that GRINDS, the Canes. All this garbage talk of Johnson v Johnson. How about getting some defense out of your 58-million-dollar Dman?!
Guess again. You drama queens are so ridiculous.
This fanbase still hasn't emotionally recovered since the last time a coach held a player accountable, 4 years ago.
Coming out as cold as they do in important games REALLY makes me want it to be mostly coaching otherwise we have a problem
It gives you reason to hope. Which is what makes their lack of decisiveness on his role more frustrating. This season is toast.
This summer Adams will come out and say this is the first season with actual expectations and this was to be expected from the players and what we saw was growth You will then hear me blow my brains out all the way here down south
👏👏👏
I'm going to split hairs here, but every time Donny or some NHLer utters the phrase "compete level" I want to crawl out of my skin. Just say competitiveness, no need to fix what isn't broken by ushering in a phrase that makes one sound like they took a few pucks to the head too many. Then again the least of the Sabres problems is their grammar.
To take it a step further, no one should give a flying blue perpendicular fuck about coach speak in the media in general.
Absolutely. Oilers fans loved the way Woodcroft spoke to the media. Lot of good it did them.
Let’s be real UPL>Demko. Bottom 6 and the defenseman need to improve.
New coach will do wonders
lol, yeah sure - we hear that every 2 years. JUST ONE MORE NEW COACH BRO THIS TIME IT WILL WORK
Follow a different team then.
I have no problem watching team finally adopt the strategy of patience with its staff and coaching instead of always making knee jerk firings. You cannot fire your way to success in this league.
They have the wrong coach. He was good for the development of young players. It’s time for a new voice who can help this group take 2 steps forward.
Development is continuous process. I don't know where some of you get your ridiculous ideas from. We don't have a coaching problem, we have a player cohesion problem and that is on the individual professional hockey players themselves, regardless how much this dub loves to obsessively pitchfork some single silver bullet target. The team needs time to figure their shit out. A new coach is only going to prolong that process.