I personally did not see anything in Konecny's game yesterday that warranted benching. I thought he was one of their better players in the game. I don't know why he benched Konecny. However Hakstol follows a consistent pattern in terms of how he handles things. I would guess that it had to do with something that is cumulative and repeated in what Konecny did that led to the benching. Konecny is still young and still needs lots of growth in his game. So if that is the case then I don't have a problem with it.
- MJL

I 100% disagree with the bolded. Hak clearly has one standard for kids and another for veterans. You can get away with that when things are going well, but it can quickly blow up in your face when they aren't. I guess if by consistent, you mean consistently benching rookies or other young players for mistakes while letting the exact same mistakes made by veterans go unpunished, then yeah, I guess he is consistent.

I agree. That should've been done yesterday pretty early in the game to try and off set the Bergeron/Chara matchup. I'd still leave Giroux on the wing though.
- MJL

If they can improve the top 2 lines while keeping giroux at wing I’m game. I don’t see any reason why moving giroux to center fixes anything unless that’s the only option to improve the talent in the lines below.

I like the idea of the young coach that can grow with the team. It seems like it might have been a good idea to bring in a veteran coach for 1-3 years ahead of a guy like Haktol and then bring in the Hakstol type this year/next year when the players started trickling in. Might not have been a bad idea to have hire Hak for the Phantoms during that period.

My opinion isn’t based on whether or not hakstol could “hak” it in the nhl straight from college, but it would have spared the calls for his job when he really doesn’t have a solid roster to work with for 3 years. Not dismissing the decisions he’s made because he definitely makes some head scratchers and his inability to adapt to this losing streak.

Hindsight thought. Always easier to call a bad decision what it is down the road. And I know some didn’t like it from the start.
- funmaster18

I agree but looking around the Nhl at the most consistently successful franchises and ones who most would say have good progressive coaches how many of those are first time nhl head coaches?

I 100% disagree with the bolded. Hak clearly has one standard for kids and another for veterans. You can get away with that when things are going well, but it can quickly blow up in your face when they aren't. I guess if by consistent, you mean consistently benching rookies or other young players for mistakes while letting the exact same mistakes made by veterans go unpunished, then yeah, I guess he is consistent.
- BiggE

Interesting. If he clearly has one standard for kids and another for veterans, like pretty much every other coach, how is that not a consistent pattern in how he handles things? We'll see how it progresses with Konecny.

They're kind of stuck with G at wing though. Their LW situation is absolute garbage. I'd try something like:

Weal Coots Voracek
G Patrick Konecny
Leier Filppula Simmonds
Raffl Laughton tweedle dee/tweedle dumb
- hereticpride

It sounds crazy to move g off the top line, but honestly I think moving g to a different line might help so much more than just sliding Voracek down. Voracek does what he does. If the other two linemates are responsible then cool move him down, but I don’t know if simply moving Voracek down a line really solves the problems. Voracek definitely needs to play with two way responsible linemates, at the very least a center like that

Sometimes I think people want Hakstol to create a Rembrandt with water color paints. It's about what is best for Martel right now, not about getting a high draft pick.
- MJL

I'm not even talking about Martel. Hak has no control over who is on his 23 man roster. I'm talking about things like:

Not realizing that it's time to try and break up the top line

Benching Konecny while giving 12+ minutes of ice time to Weise

Having Weise in the lineup over Leier

Rushing AMac, who is naturally rusty after the amount of time he missed, right back onto the top pair.

Not trying Sanheim on the 2nd pp unit


It's these things that have me fed up with Hakstol. Yes, you are right, he can only work with what he's been given. However, he needs to try some new things with the players he has, especially by game 10 of a losing streak.

I agree but looking around the Nhl at the most consistently successful franchises and ones who most would say have good progressive coaches how many of those are first time nhl head coaches?
- Tfaehner

I honestly have no idea. But hextall took a gamble that he could deploy his plan and be competitive enough to buy patience from the fan base and so far its back firing on the latter part. It’s a fine line between abandoning your plan and adjusting to stop the bleeding. I do know if snider was here something would have changed, for better OR worse.

I honestly have no idea. But hextall took a gamble that he could deploy his plan and be competitive enough to buy patience from the fan base and so far its back firing on the latter part. It’s a fine line between abandoning your plan and adjusting to stop the bleeding. I do know if snider was here something would have changed, for better OR worse.
- funmaster18

Snider would certainly be unhappy, that is for sure.

I’m not sure I have seen a lack of effort on this team, which hextall pointed out is a good thing. The problem is they are either not responding to the coaches or unable to execute. Simmonds is clearly trying to get the team fired up. One of the problem he’s trying to fire up a bunch of kids who haven’t been here before. That’s tough. The young defense is a really struggling. Even though Gudas and MacDonald aren’t the best defenders out there, I’m sure having both in the lineup calms the nerves of the young kids. We saw what happened when Amac went out, not to say to was the sole issue, and now we are seeing what happens when Gudas goes out, even with the dumb hits he makes.

Snider would certainly be unhappy, that is for sure.
- BiggE

one of the benefits of having Snider around was he took the fans side. Even if he let his guys do their job, there was a voice of the fans coming from the team. And I am glad Hextall is not taking on that voice and doing what he thinks is right. It would just be nice if someone else took on that role

I'm not even talking about Martel. Hak has no control over who is on his 23 man roster. I'm talking about things like:

Not realizing that it's time to try and break up the top line

Benching Konecny while giving 12+ minutes of ice time to Weise

Having Weise in the lineup over Leier

Rushing AMac, who is naturally rusty after the amount of time he missed, right back onto the top pair.

Not trying Sanheim on the 2nd pp unit


It's these things that have me fed up with Hakstol. Yes, you are right, he can only work with what he's been given. However, he needs to try some new things with the players he has, especially by game 10 of a losing streak.
- BiggE

I personally don't see any of those things as reasons for me to be fed up with Hakstol. I think a 10 game losing streak is a reason to be fed up with Hakstol.

I can't kill him for not wanting to break up the one good line he has. The benching of Konecny is not about wanting to give Weise more ice time, but about trying to fix something in Konency's game. Read all the time that he doesn't hold players accountable and when he does, that's a problem also. Again, with Leier, it's about player development not favoring Weise over Leier.
I haven't seen any issue with MacDonald jumping right back into the top pairing. That's a non-issue to me. I'd like to see Sanheim on the 2nd unit PP also, and I posted that last night. However it is an organizational philosophy to bring most young players along slowly and have them develop the weaknesses in their game before giving them added responsibilities. They did the same thing with Sanheim in the AHL.
I don't see anything you listed as being the main contributors to the 10 game losing streak.

I’m not sure I have seen a lack of effort on this team, which hextall pointed out is a good thing. The problem is they are either not responding to the coaches or unable to execute. Simmonds is clearly trying to get the team fired up. One of the problem he’s trying to fire up a bunch of kids who haven’t been here before. That’s tough. The young defense is a really struggling. Even though Gudas and MacDonald aren’t the best defenders out there, I’m sure having both in the lineup calms the nerves of the young kids. We saw what happened when Amac went out, not to say to was the sole issue, and now we are seeing what happens when Gudas goes out, even with the dumb hits he makes.
- funmaster18

I agree with everything you wrote. The only thing I'd add is that I thought they played with effort yesterday, but did they play with the desperation that you'd think we'd see from a team that had lost 9 games in a row?

I personally don't see any of those things as reasons for me to be fed up with Hakstol. I think a 10 game losing streak is a reason to be fed up with Hakstol.

I can't kill him for not wanting to break up the one good line he has. The benching of Konecny is not about wanting to give Weise more ice time, but about trying to fix something in Konency's game. Read all the time that he doesn't hold players accountable and when he does, that's a problem also. Again, with Leier, it's about player development not favoring Weise over Leier.
I haven't seen any issue with MacDonald jumping right back into the top pairing. That's a non-issue to me. I'd like to see Sanheim on the 2nd unit PP also, and I posted that last night. However it is an organizational philosophy to bring most young players along slowly and have them develop the weaknesses in their game before giving them added responsibilities. They did the same thing with Sanheim in the AHL.
I don't see anything you listed as being the main contributors to the 10 game losing streak.
- MJL

Sorry, I just can't any of this seriously. No point in discussing it further. Have a nice day.

So moving Giroux to wing wasn't creative and taking a risk? If I was the GM, I'd leave Martel right where he is for now.
- MJL

Hopefully he has a few more “creative” tid bits because his team has been shut out 6 times already. What risk is trying Giroux at wing ? If it hadn’t worked, he’d have moved him back.

I'm not even talking about Martel. Hak has no control over who is on his 23 man roster. I'm talking about things like:

Not realizing that it's time to try and break up the top line

Benching Konecny while giving 12+ minutes of ice time to Weise

Having Weise in the lineup over Leier

Rushing AMac, who is naturally rusty after the amount of time he missed, right back onto the top pair.

Not trying Sanheim on the 2nd pp unit


It's these things that have me fed up with Hakstol. Yes, you are right, he can only work with what he's been given. However, he needs to try some new things with the players he has, especially by game 10 of a losing streak.
- BiggE

Re: the Weise thing

I just wonder if he’s scared to death to take out any other veterans from the lineup. I think the younger players need veterans to lean on. On the other side, I don’t know how it could be any worse. Just thinking about his reasoning

Hopefully he has a few more “creative” tid bits because his team has been shut out 6 times already. What risk is trying Giroux at wing ? If it hadn’t worked, he’d have moved him back.

- landros 2

We can apply that to anything then. Therefore the premise that was offered that the coach doesn't take risks is squashed.

Sorry, I just can't any of this seriously. No point in discussing it further. Have a nice day.
- BiggE

That's pretty funny. Made too much sense for you huh? You have a nice day also.

Re: the Weise thing

I just wonder if he’s scared to death to take out any other veterans from the lineup. I think the younger players need veterans to lean on. On the other side, I don’t know how it could be any worse. Just thinking about his reasoning
- funmaster18

If he's hanging his hat on Dale Weise being the guy that gives him just enough vets in the lineup for the kids to lean on, than he's even more delusional than I thought. When it comes to the young forwards, between Couturier, Giroux, Voracek, Simmonds, Filppula, Raffl and even Lehtera, there seems to plenty of vets for the kids to lean on.

I'm not even talking about Martel. Hak has no control over who is on his 23 man roster. I'm talking about things like:

Not realizing that it's time to try and break up the top line

Benching Konecny while giving 12+ minutes of ice time to Weise

Having Weise in the lineup over Leier

Rushing AMac, who is naturally rusty after the amount of time he missed, right back onto the top pair.

Not trying Sanheim on the 2nd pp unit


It's these things that have me fed up with Hakstol. Yes, you are right, he can only work with what he's been given. However, he needs to try some new things with the players he has, especially by game 10 of a losing streak.
- BiggE

It appears anything Hak is trying is failing. The hand picked coach doesn’t appear to have many answers and it appears they will have to come from within. Have to think guys like G, Vorecek and Simmonds are wondering what the (frank) is Hexy doing ? It’s not often a GM does nothing unless it is a “tank”. Which I’ve been assured the Flyers would never do....

I agree with everything you wrote. The only thing I'd add is that I thought they played with effort yesterday, but did they play with the desperation that you'd think we'd see from a team that had lost 9 games in a row?
- MJL

You’re right about the desperation. I thought simmonds played with desperation. I think g always gives his best it just doesn’t always show. The problem to me is they don’t have enough experienced players that fully understand the desperation. Young players I’m sure can pull from their previous experience but they are also wide eyed and digesting everything that comes with finally making it to the NHL. It’s more a product of the make up of the team which I’m not all that surprised with given given how the team is constructed right now

We can apply that to anything then. Therefore the premise that was offered that the coach doesn't take risks is squashed.

- MJL

Ok....

If he's hanging his hat on Dale Weise being the guy that gives him just enough vets in the lineup for the kids to lean on, than he's even more delusional than I thought. When it comes to the young forwards, between Couturier, Giroux, Voracek, Simmonds, Filppula, Raffl and even Lehtera, there seems to plenty of vets for the kids to lean on.
- BiggE

Out of the forwards that have been with the team all season, Weise and Lehtera have been scratched the most. The six players you mentioned other than Lehtera have played more games, and average more icetime than Weise does.

one of the benefits of having Snider around was he took the fans side. Even if he let his guys do their job, there was a voice of the fans coming from the team. And I am glad Hextall is not taking on that voice and doing what he thinks is right. It would just be nice if someone else took on that role
- funmaster18

That should be Holmgren role as he's in charge of ticket sales. But he just sits silently cause he knows we all love him so much.

To the coach question the correct answer is 0. https://www.nhl.com/news/...017-18-season/c-290549742
Even the first time nhl head coaches were nhl assistants.

If he's hanging his hat on Dale Weise being the guy that gives him just enough vets in the lineup for the kids to lean on, than he's even more delusional than I thought. When it comes to the young forwards, between Couturier, Giroux, Voracek, Simmonds, Filppula, Raffl and even Lehtera, there seems to plenty of vets for the kids to lean on.
- BiggE

I don’t think he’s hanging his hat on it, just looking at how replacing Weise isn’t changing much about the team right now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Dale Weise fan

If he's hanging his hat on Dale Weise being the guy that gives him just enough vets in the lineup for the kids to lean on, than he's even more delusional than I thought. When it comes to the young forwards, between Couturier, Giroux, Voracek, Simmonds, Filppula, Raffl and even Lehtera, there seems to plenty of vets for the kids to lean on.
- BiggE

Same coach that hung his hat on VDV for two seasons....anything is possible.