What is this team's BIGGEST problem?

[hag65]

The idea on trade top forwards was to allow the idea the the problem lies in one or more top forwards lack of production/leadership. If thats the problem shake it up. I didn't put each forward separately since we have so many choices already.

 

 

Yeah, I wasn't criticizing how you did it (I like the poll), just was justifying my answer more than anything.  Torn between the grittier and the EStaal.

[hag65]

I showed my buddy the poll results and he said:

 

"they missed mine ...lower season ticket price 16%. Or invest 40M in player scouting and development, if they decide to leave it the same"

Edited April 1, 2014 by hag65

[cclifford10]

I found the poll difficult because I wanted to choose multiple answers.  I think it can be summarized by  "This team lacks an identity.  Either find a coach that can coach to the stregnths of the players or bring in players that match the style of the coach." 

[Kyrule]

 

I am thinking Top that you would vote for trading a top forward given the choices. But we have only one vote there, Krule.

Actually I haven't voted yet.

I can't decide between replacing the entire coaching staff, trading some of our top six/big money forwards, or getting tougher/grittier.

Maybe my answer should be to blow it up then because I think all of them need to happen.

I can't decide.

[top-shelf-1]

On Skinner. If one only notices his play in the O Zone, one is missing a huge gaping problem in his game. Ask yourself how a guy with 30 goals is -14, worst on the team. Then watch him everywhere except where a goal might come. Despite having put up 180 points and 94 goals already, he is a disturbing -40 for his career. When Jeff Skinner is on the ice, odds are far greater that the team will go negative on the scoreboard. This is a huge problem IMO. And how can you get this fixed? Some seriously ingrained bad habits are already there. 

It's hard not only notice his play in the Ozone, because that's where he brings it. I won't disagree that his D needs help, but I also have to wonder how many of those -14 are from the recent spate of shorties we've doled out on the PP. But no excuses: Skins' D is lacking, and must improve.

 

Regarding how difficult a Cam-E for Edler-Kesler might be, I think the fact that Manny's here makes it a bunch easier - and both Kesler and Edler were mentioned as moveable during the trade deadline. Another possible feather in our caps (with Kesler) is at least some familiarity with the Karmanos family. He's from Detroit and played his first minor hockey for the Compuware team.

Edited April 2, 2014 by top-shelf-1

[remkin]

Skinner has looked pretty good the last couple of games, and Lindholm is arriving playing with him.

 

Skinner is young w/ preternatural goal scoring and offensive wizard skills. Tripp keeps saying and I could not agree more, that if Skinner would tighten up the dzone play and a touch better in the neutral zone he would be one of the best players in the league. For some guys that's a huge IF though. He isn't a big guy, and he's had a couple of concussions, and he's a good enough goal scorer to stay in the league even if his defensive game stays soft. On one hand he does seem like a guy who wants to get better and work to that goal, on the other hand, he's never had to really work to get to the NHL, and probably realizes he'll stay here even w/ soft defensive play. I guess it will come down to his desire to be as good as he can be.

 

 

On the Staal-Cam for Edler-Kessel, it's not just Kessel not wanting to come here (possibly), but E. or Cam not wanting to go to Vancouver. E. has lived here a while now, and J. is now right here too. As to the hockey sense of it, I'd pull that trigger, but I wonder if Vancouver would. 

 

I hate to get down on E. but more and more I wonder if he is the problem. He was a major fixture of a lot of underperforming teams. His productivity has steadily dropped. He is the captain of a team that has vastly underperformed two years running now. He takes massive liberties with way more stick penalties than anyone else on the team. He's been just  about the only constant on a horrendous PP for years, that is suddenly looking good once he was taken off it. He is the Captain of a team that many observers claim is lacking in leadership. He's been give the keys to the race car, but won't seem to bring it up to full speed. He's had his brother delivered to him with an "A" pre sewn on his jersey, yet apparently regressed if anything. I don't know if his knee is 100%, but he is an issue.

 

I have little doubt that if E. went to Vancouver or anywhere else, he'd probably suddenly excel, but is that relevant? 

 

If Vancouver, and all of the involved parties w/ NTC clauses said yes, I'd pull that trigger. 

 

All those guys could use a change of scenery and you can't trade them much farther away. A lot would have to break right for that to actually happen though.

Edited April 2, 2014 by remkin

[remkin]

25 votes in:

 

No one seems to think that GM change alone is enough. Of course this is tricky because new GM would hopefully mean other changes.

 

More votes for get bigger/grittier than for a new coach.

 

Very little interest in blowing it up.

 

What I find most interesting is that only 8% want to trade a big name forward. I think it is very hard for fans to think of actually trading a major guy. Part of that is also not knowing who is coming back this way in a trade. 

 

On other threads some of our heavier hitters here seem to really think Kirk survives this. Do we actually think that a new GM sitting in his office and a few bigger players is enough change? I don't. 

 

I think if Kirk stays, the new GM has to sit him down and say something like:

 

"OK, Kirk, you've been around this team a while now. You've had to play the cards JR dealt you. You know that in general you don't want to run afoul of marquis players, but if this team struggles early, I'll have no choice but to put it on you, so now's the time. What do you need? Who has to go to make this work? ALL names are on the table."

[coastal_caniac]

Not much you can take from this poll, really.  Too many problems, too many choices, and you can't just pick one and walk away.

[Kyrule]

Not much you can take from this poll, really.  Too many problems, too many choices, and you can't just pick one and walk away.

Agreed, which is why I finally voted to blow it up. Just too many problems. Too many to be covered by a single poll. Blowing it up is the closest I could vote compared to how I feel/what I need thinks to happen.

[OBXer]

Not much you can take from this poll, really.  Too many problems, too many choices, and you can't just pick one and walk away.

 

A truer statement was never spoken. Everytime you look at one problem another problem crops up.  I think the first two moves of the off-season will dictate the others. First move do you replace JR and with who. Second move Do you replace Muller and with who. After that you can figure out the other moves. It won't be an easy fix no matter what the first two moves are.

[AWACSooner]

Biggest problem?  #'s 11 and 12...

[colliefan]

OK, the draft will be held before the next GM gets on board.  Who has the loudest voice on who the team will selecr? 

[remkin]

Not much you can take from this poll, really.  Too many problems, too many choices, and you can't just pick one and walk away.

 

Maybe that's what you can take from it. Everyone has an inkling, no one really knows.

 

Anyway, people still basically seem to write those fixes on the boards, just wanted to see what the proportions were. Plus wanted to see what one thing ranked highest.

 

Proably need to focus it down: should the Canes fire Muller? Yes/No.

[colliefan]

Proably need to focus it down: should the Canes fire Muller? Yes/No.

 

If he has the authority to bench the Staal brothers and does not do so, yes.  If he does not have the authority to bench them the team has much deeper problems.

[remkin]

I am thinking more and more that at least one Staal has to go. 

 

If not, then a 4th coach needs to try to make it work. 

 

Muller and the Staals part III is not going to work.

[TheFaulker]

I couldn't decide between new coach and depth on the bottom 2 forward lines.  I ended up choosing depth because that'd ultimately help Muller. 

 

When you look at the top teams in the league and the teams that wins Cups they all get a fairly consistent impact from their bottom lines. This team rarely does. If the top guys are having an off night we have zero chance of winning. It shouldn't be that way. The 4th line is basically useless outside of Manny winning face-offs. This problem goes back to JR drafting poorly but it can be fixed in free agency if we are able to get rid of Ward's contract. Fixing the depth and taking pressure off the top guys should be the #1 priority this offseason. Trading a Staal or Skinner is not the answer. 

 

Yes, I know Eric didn't have a great season (yet still leads the team in points) and people are growing tired of him. I hear people talk about the lack of effort or the lack of leadership on the ice. I admit he's been at fault for these things at times this season. However, I think a new coach can solve this problem. I saw someone post something on here the other day along the lines of "Muller is known as a players coach....if Eric can't perform with him than who can he play with?" Well, Muller being a "players coach" is a big part of the problem. After a loss, Muller's post-game interviews (at least the ones I've heard) usually consist of him patting the team on the back and telling them to "stay the course and execute". I'm sure his tone is a little different in practice but I want more of a motivator. I want a guy who will push the players to play as hard as they can. I'm tired of our guys going out their consistently playing with such a lack of effort. I know the players deserve some of the blame for that but when everyone on the team does it for 2 1/2 seasons I point the finger to the coaching staff. 

 

Muller is also terrible with his lines. I've never seen a team have different lines almost every single game. I know injuries have some play in that but even without injuries Muller is ALWAYS shuffling guys around. In the month of January and leading up to the Olympic break we were one of the hottest teams in the league. We were making a strong case for a playoff run. For the most part we kept the lines consistent. As soon as we get back from the break Muller switches everything up. I don't get it and I'm tired of it. 

 

And as others have said, this team has no identity. Every team should be really good at doing at least ONE thing. When someone says "we're playing _________ tonight...." they should follow that with "we really need to take away their ___________." Can you really say there is ONE thing we do great and that teams should focus on? There isn't.

 

All in all, I really, really hope we don't blow up the team and do something stupid. I'm all in favor of trading Ward. If we can send him somewhere and only keep 15-20% of his salary it's a win. We would have a good amount of money to spend in free agency. Bring back Gerbe, Lok, and Bellemore (and maybe Hainsey or Tlusty). This team does have talent. We all know that. It's just not being utilized correctly.

Edited April 8, 2014 by TheFaulker

[dinz]

Teams biggest problem... between the ears...

Up  tonight 1-0, rangers tie it up, then the   2013-2014    Canes   CRUMBLE....

[allboys]

Appears that it could very possible be Karmanos after that interview last night!

[cclifford10]

Appears that it could very possible be Karmanos after that interview last night!

 

I would like to change my vote to Karmanos as well!

[hag65]

I would like to change my vote to Karmanos as well!

Change mine.

[Greg-N-Ral]

Appears that it could very possible be Karmanos after that interview last night!

So true!!!!!!