Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Flyers Fall to 0-3-0; Laughton Continues OHL Domination

It's beginning to smell like a coaching change

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Flyers Fall to 0-3-0; Laughton Continues OHL Domination
- bmeltzer

It's got a similar feel to the 2006-07 season, and we're just waiting for the 9-0 curb stomping to finally cause a change.

It is only 3 games, but it's also 48 from last year and the signs were there even before. Now, they're not even competing.

It's beginning to smell like a coaching change
- Pyzik

It certainly does. The breakout scheme this team employs is an abomination. They seem uninspired and generally play stupid hockey.

Poor decision making with the puck seems to be the norm in whatever zone they happen to find themselves. But it seems most prevalent in the neutral zone when they are "attempting" to carry the puck up the ice. Watching film on this team it is clearly evident that they will either try to force a long pass up or across the ice, and or attempt to carry the puck into three defenders who have blocked him off.

Instead of getting the puck deep and having the second forward pursue with speed, they fumble the puck, or attempt to beat three players, turn the puck over, and its off the other way.....

It happens over and over infinity.

Bill,
You mention something that I have been saying for the last couple seasons...there are simple, fundamental hockey plays that are not being executed. Is the onus on the players or on the coaching staff? I honestly feel it is a combination of both, but the team won't get rid of 23 players. Looks like 2006-07 all over again...

It's beginning to smell like a coaching change
- Pyzik

Uh huh.

This is a team that is good enough that with direction and purpose should be able to compete. They are playing with neither. Too many stationary passes, too many half effort passes.

G's diving break up on a back check was the most effort on a back check I have seen from a Flyer forward in a long time.

Mason was good enough for this team to win. That first goal was a softy and he said so. He didn't try to hid from it.

Mesz looks awful. He looks slow, tentative with the puck and not making strong passes.

It's got a similar feel to the 2006-07 season, and we're just waiting for the 9-0 curb stomping to finally cause a change.

It is only 3 games, but it's also 48 from last year and the signs were there even before. Now, they're not even competing.
- Jsaquella

i'm ready for both the GM and coach to leave, just like '06-07.

Lavy needs to go.

His system of clearing the puck from behind the net by throwing it into the slot to a wide-open opposition forward is awful. Schenn executed it perfectly, and it ended up in the net.

His system of clearing it in the defensive zone from the net out of hurridly and panicly throwing the puck up the boards without looking has led to too much defensive zone time.

His system of having one player trying to skate through an entire team is not working.

His system of having 3 players bunch up around the net as pass to bad angles on odd-man rushes is not producing goals.

If only he'd change the way his system worked...

Uh huh.

This is a team that is good enough that with direction and purpose should be able to compete. They are playing with neither. Too many stationary passes, too many half effort passes.

G's diving break up on a back check was the most effort on a back check I have seen from a Flyer forward in a long time.

Mason was good enough for this team to win. That first goal was a softy and he said so. He didn't try to hid from it.

Mesz looks awful. He looks slow, tentative with the puck and not making strong passes.
- wbon22

I thought Mesz was pretty good last night.

What is crazy to me is the lack of anything from the 1st line through 3 games.

The 1st line has barely been noticable. I expect Claude and Scott to atleast produce a few chances. Ok, one game, it happens. 3 games and barely a sniff...

It's got a similar feel to the 2006-07 season, and we're just waiting for the 9-0 curb stomping to finally cause a change.

It is only 3 games, but it's also 48 from last year and the signs were there even before. Now, they're not even competing.
- Jsaquella

this squad has a lot more talent, i think, than that group - but what we're seeing is simply nowhere near good enough. a very long off season after last year's debacle, a full training camp - it's unacceptable.

offense is anemic. and more fundamentally, the breakout, as anyone with 2 functioning eyes can see, is putrid. the back end (for the most part), and especially the goaltending have been doing their jobs.

i don't want to see lavi get fired, because of everything else that goes with it. i want to see him succeed. starting to think though that he won't last the first 10 games.

Honestly I think it is 2 problems....

1) The team has tuned him out...coaches like him (Torts, Keenan, etc) only have a very short shelf life...and here we are 4 years in and the players aren't responding to him anymore.

2) The team is very talented, yet I don't think they have the players that can constantly execute his vision on a nightly, shift by shift basis.

Honestly I think it is 2 problems....

1) The team has tuned him out...coaches like him (Torts, Keenan, etc) only have a very short shelf life...and here we are 4 years in and the players aren't responding to him anymore.

2) The team is very talented, yet I don't think they have the players that can constantly execute his vision on a nightly, shift by shift basis.
- Pyzik

I agree.. It's like they don't buy into the system anymore at all.

Bill, I'm curious to your sources for the new period by period stats? For some reason I Can see you having the family taking notes shift by shift player by player

i'm ready for both the GM and coach to leave, just like '06-07.
- isaiah520

I'm not ready for the GM, yet, but I'm definitely more open to it.

this squad has a lot more talent, i think, than that group - but what we're seeing is simply nowhere near good enough. a very long off season after last year's debacle, a full training camp - it's unacceptable.

offense is anemic. and more fundamentally, the breakout, as anyone with 2 functioning eyes can see, is putrid. the back end (for the most part), and especially the goaltending have been doing their jobs.

i don't want to see lavi get fired, because of everything else that goes with it. i want to see him succeed. starting to think though that he won't last the first 10 games.
- hammarby31

I'm not worried about anything that comes with a coaching change. I don't think they can correct it until they make a move. I have little faith in Laviolette being able to fix it because of his own aversion to change and because it sure looks like a team that's doing little more than going through the motions until the new sheriff rides into town.

I fear a panic trade far more than a coaching change

Seravalli's article speculating a trade might be coming. I can't see this. We've revamped the roster, and the team has more than enough talent to be scoring IMO. Maybe the D would be suspect but dear God.. The top six forwards have to play better before we give up an asset in a desperate attempt to upgrade. I mean we have goals from Lecav L Schenn and B Schenn so far. Zero from Giroux.

http://www.philly.com/phi...art_fuels_trade_buzz.html

I'm not worried about anything that comes with a coaching change. I don;t think they can correct it until they make a move. I have little faith in Laviolette being able to fix it because of his own aversion to change and because it sure looks like a team that's doing little more than going through the motions until the new sheriff rides into town.
- Jsaquella

hard to believe that a good core with some new parts would go through the motions at the start of an 82 game grind - especially after how last year went. that bothers me.

hard to believe that a good core with some new parts would go through the motions at the start of an 82 game grind - especially after how last year went. that bothers me.
- hammarby31

This is what is bothering me as well. Where's the urgency? I remember in the beginning of 07/08, we started well after the non playoffs, and although there were bumps in the road, it set the tone for a successful season. SO far.. jack and it's infuriating me.

hard to believe that a good core with some new parts would go through the motions at the start of an 82 game grind - especially after how last year went. that bothers me.
- hammarby31

That's what has more worried that a new coach isn't the answer, just the start

I'm not opposed to a coaching change, but I don't see how a coaching change will help these players hockey awareness improve. Could it just be that, like the early 2000s Rangers, they have a lot of talent but a bad team?

No, absolutely not. It's all the coach's fault. Bring us a real coach, not this joke of a coach. What's he ever done?

It's got a similar feel to the 2006-07 season, and we're just waiting for the 9-0 curb stomping to finally cause a change.

It is only 3 games, but it's also 48 from last year and the signs were there even before. Now, they're not even competing.
- Jsaquella

I agree, it's only a matter of time before Lava gets canned. Either the Flyers get going or Lava gets gone.

The Flyers issues reek of coaching problems.

They need a coach to come in and promote an improvement in their transitional game. They need to fix how they get the puck out of the defensive zone, and how they proceed through the neutral zone.

If they just worked on this one thing you'd see less goals scored against as a result of lazy turnovers, and you'd see the offense increase with more consistent zone entry.

Not to mention, to an outside observer, it just doesn't seem like Lavy is motivating the players. The players are professional and shouldn't need someone to tell them to get their poop together, but you see it so often where the coach reeks of apathy and it permeates to his players.

I'm not opposed to a coaching change, but I don't see how a coaching change will help these players hockey awareness improve. Could it just be that, like the early 2000s Rangers, they have a lot of talent but a bad team?

No, absolutely not. It's all the coach's fault. Bring us a real coach, not this joke of a coach. What's he ever done?
- jmatchett383

I think it is more of a case that what Lavi wants them to do is ingrained in their minds even if they cant do it. They are thinking, I want to do this, but the coach and the system says I must do this, even if its not there.

The forwards seem to be thinking, I need to get up ice fast to catch that home run from the defense. I want to dump this puck in safely but the coach says carry it in.... I want to reverse the puck around the back side of the trap but the coach says attack and carry it in....

It goes on and on. These are all theories mind you but after a while of watching it happen over and over....what else could it be?

The Flyers issues reek of coaching problems.

They need a coach to come in and promote an improvement in their transitional game. They need to fix how they get the puck out of the defensive zone, and how they proceed through the neutral zone.

If they just worked on this one thing you'd see less goals scored against as a result of lazy turnovers, and you'd see the offense increase with more consistent zone entry.

Not to mention, to an outside observer, it just doesn't seem like Lavy is motivating the players. The players are professional and shouldn't need someone to tell them to get their poop together, but you see it so often where the coach reeks of apathy and it permeates to his players.
- Scruffton

I don't think Lavi's system is "pass the puck right in front of the goalie," or, "Throw the puck up the wall without looking as soon as you get it," or, "try to stickhandle through the entire team."

The Flyers issues reek of coaching problems.

They need a coach to come in and promote an improvement in their transitional game. They need to fix how they get the puck out of the defensive zone, and how they proceed through the neutral zone.

If they just worked on this one thing you'd see less goals scored against as a result of lazy turnovers, and you'd see the offense increase with more consistent zone entry.

Not to mention, to an outside observer, it just doesn't seem like Lavy is motivating the players. The players are professional and shouldn't need someone to tell them to get their poop together, but you see it so often where the coach reeks of apathy and it permeates to his players.
- Scruffton

The D can't get it out alone. My observation is the forwards are not helping the way they should. Way too much separation resulting in a lot of turnovers.