The Blame Game: Peter Laviolette vs. Paul Holmgren
Posted 2:29 PM ET | Comments 0
Peter Laviolette vs. Paul Holmgren
I wanted to give myself a few days to process what happened in Philadelphia before I started ranting and raving about the turn of events that transpired this past Monday morning. If you don’t already know, Peter Laviolette was relieved of his coaching duties just 3 games into the 2013-14 regular season. I don’t necessarily think him being fired was a shock to anyone, but I do think many were shocked at the length of leash he was given.
On the surface three games is absolutely miniscule over the long haul of an 82-game season. However, there is a lot more to this firing than three games. This firing also begs the question, “who is to blame?” There are really only four culprits to a team not performing well.
Option 1: The team. They are simply just not performing well.
Option 2: The coach. He is given a team and implements his system, but the system does not work for the team he has been given. In-game adjustments are not made, which leads to failure.
Option 3: The management. The GM of the team has not done well at putting a solid hockey team on the ice, which gives the coach nothing to work with. The GM has also not drafted well.
Option 4: All of the above. The star players are not playing like star players, the coach refuses to make adjustments to his system, and the team the GM has put together just simply doesn’t have what it takes to compete for a post-season spot.
When it comes to the Philadelphia Flyers, Option 4 seems the most logical. Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Scott Hartnell, and Matt Read have been held pointless in the first four games. Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek have one point each. It’s no wonder this team has scored a total of 5 goals in 4 games, which is abysmal.
While the players are responsible for their play, it is the GM who is responsible for the team that is on the ice. However, you can’t really fault Holmgren here, as this team is very talented up front with a good amount of depth. The main issue with the team underperforming (dating back the 2011/12 post-season) was that Peter Laviolette refused to change his system or make in-game adjustments. That is the sole reason the Flyers were removed from their last playoff run by the New Jersey Devils in 5 games.
So, doesn’t something have to give? Either the coach needs to adjust his system, or the GM needs to put together a team that can make that system function flawlessly. The system worked best when Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were still on the team. The system was working when Pronger was healthy. Therefore, we must blame Homer, right? Well, wait a minute. Is it that simple? Let’s take a walk back in time through the last few years of the most impactful transactions made by management:
• 26 June 2009 – Flyers acquire Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks.
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 1 July 2010 – Flyers acquire Andrej Meszaros from the Tampa Bay Lightning
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 7 June 2011 – Flyers acquire the rights to Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes
o Requested by Ed Snider
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 23 June 2011 – Flyers acquire Jakub Voracek and 1st rounder (Sean Couturier) from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jeff Carter
o Requested by Peter Laviolette
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 23 June 2011 – Flyers acquire Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Mike Richards and Rob Bordson
o Requested by Peter Laviolette
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 13 June 2012 – Flyers acquire 2nd rounder (Anthony Stolarz) and 4th rounder (Taylor Leier) from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Sergei Bobrovsky
o Requested by Peter Laviolette
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 23 June 2012 – Flyers acquire Luke Schenn from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for James van Riemsdyk
o Requested by Peter Laviolette
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
Holgren was responsible for acquiring a Hall-of-Fame defenseman in Chris Pronger and a solid puck-moving defenseman in Andrej Meszaros, both of which played well into Laviolette’s system. Both Pronger and Meszaros have been plagued by freak injuries over the last couple of seasons, requiring the Flyers to rely on unproven call-ups from the minors. This did not play well into Lavvy’s system, but no adjustments to that system were made.
It was also no secret that Lavvy did not get along with Mike Richards or Jeff Carter. The two had just recently been signed to mega-deals as the core of the franchise, only to be shipped out of town when Laviolette became upset with the two. The return was substantial, but was a step back in terms of progress. Again, no adjustments were made to the system to help develop the play of Schenn or Couturier. They were sort of…thrown into the fire.
Laviolette exhausted what very little patience he had in Bobrovsky early on in the 2010-11 season. There was a revolving door of goaltenders throughout the year, which worsened during the post-season. Because of this Ed Snider was forced to act, and demanded that Holmgren go out and get the best goaltender available at all cost. That goaltender happened to be Ilya Bryzgalov. We all know the rest of that saga.
It was also apparent that Laviolette had grown to dislike James van Riemsdyk. Something just didn’t jive between the two and we saw JVR lose a lot of playing time throughout the year. During the off-season, after a lot of trade rumors at the trade deadline, JVR was swapped for Luke Schenn, a stay-at-home type of defender.
After taking a look at these transactions it seems to paint quite a different picture of what really unfolded in Philadelphia over the last few seasons. Holmgren and the rest of the management team had put a solid product on the ice that produced 100+ point season two consecutive years. The only real knock on the team was goaltending, as usual. However, Laviolette was behind most of the trades that happened. He was given the reigns to control the roster much like Andy Reid was for the Philadelphia Eagles, and well all know how well that panned out.
Throw in a few freak injuries and a decimated blueline in 2012-13 and you find the Philadelphia Flyers missing the post-season for only the second time in 18 seasons. Regardless, Homer trusted Laviolette, which is why he executed the trades he made during Lavvy’s tenure as the Flyers’ head coach. Lavvy knew the team he wanted on the ice, and Homer provided it for him.
This firing was not just about three games. This firing was about a coach who never saw fit to make adjustments to a system that was flawed. This firing was about a coach who got what he wanted, but couldn’t make it work. This firing was about a coach who refused to change, and it was a long time coming. Lavvy was given another chance, but when management saw one of the worst training camp and pre-seasons it has ever seen, followed by an abysmal start to the season, it had seen enough (of the same).
I can’t say exactly who is to blame. Regardless of the system in place the players need to show up every night. To put it bluntly, they weren’t, whatsoever. It’s ironic that the team got its first win the night of Craig Berube’s debut as head coach, but irony is about all it was. Steve Mason stole that game for the Flyers with a stellar goaltending performance, but I don’t know that anyone expected much change because of Berube having only one day of practice to implement his system.
Right now it’s tough to point the finger at who exactly is to blame, but after about 15-20 games we’ll know. If the Flyers put it together and Berube gets a system in place that wins game, great. If not, and the team continues to struggle, we all know who is next on the chopping block.
I wanted to give myself a few days to process what happened in Philadelphia before I started ranting and raving about the turn of events that transpired this past Monday morning. If you don’t already know, Peter Laviolette was relieved of his coaching duties just 3 games into the 2013-14 regular season. I don’t necessarily think him being fired was a shock to anyone, but I do think many were shocked at the length of leash he was given.
On the surface three games is absolutely miniscule over the long haul of an 82-game season. However, there is a lot more to this firing than three games. This firing also begs the question, “who is to blame?” There are really only four culprits to a team not performing well.
Option 1: The team. They are simply just not performing well.
Option 2: The coach. He is given a team and implements his system, but the system does not work for the team he has been given. In-game adjustments are not made, which leads to failure.
Option 3: The management. The GM of the team has not done well at putting a solid hockey team on the ice, which gives the coach nothing to work with. The GM has also not drafted well.
Option 4: All of the above. The star players are not playing like star players, the coach refuses to make adjustments to his system, and the team the GM has put together just simply doesn’t have what it takes to compete for a post-season spot.
When it comes to the Philadelphia Flyers, Option 4 seems the most logical. Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Scott Hartnell, and Matt Read have been held pointless in the first four games. Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek have one point each. It’s no wonder this team has scored a total of 5 goals in 4 games, which is abysmal.
While the players are responsible for their play, it is the GM who is responsible for the team that is on the ice. However, you can’t really fault Holmgren here, as this team is very talented up front with a good amount of depth. The main issue with the team underperforming (dating back the 2011/12 post-season) was that Peter Laviolette refused to change his system or make in-game adjustments. That is the sole reason the Flyers were removed from their last playoff run by the New Jersey Devils in 5 games.
So, doesn’t something have to give? Either the coach needs to adjust his system, or the GM needs to put together a team that can make that system function flawlessly. The system worked best when Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were still on the team. The system was working when Pronger was healthy. Therefore, we must blame Homer, right? Well, wait a minute. Is it that simple? Let’s take a walk back in time through the last few years of the most impactful transactions made by management:
• 26 June 2009 – Flyers acquire Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks.
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 1 July 2010 – Flyers acquire Andrej Meszaros from the Tampa Bay Lightning
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 7 June 2011 – Flyers acquire the rights to Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes
o Requested by Ed Snider
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 23 June 2011 – Flyers acquire Jakub Voracek and 1st rounder (Sean Couturier) from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jeff Carter
o Requested by Peter Laviolette
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 23 June 2011 – Flyers acquire Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Mike Richards and Rob Bordson
o Requested by Peter Laviolette
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 13 June 2012 – Flyers acquire 2nd rounder (Anthony Stolarz) and 4th rounder (Taylor Leier) from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Sergei Bobrovsky
o Requested by Peter Laviolette
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
• 23 June 2012 – Flyers acquire Luke Schenn from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for James van Riemsdyk
o Requested by Peter Laviolette
o Executed by Paul Holmgren
Holgren was responsible for acquiring a Hall-of-Fame defenseman in Chris Pronger and a solid puck-moving defenseman in Andrej Meszaros, both of which played well into Laviolette’s system. Both Pronger and Meszaros have been plagued by freak injuries over the last couple of seasons, requiring the Flyers to rely on unproven call-ups from the minors. This did not play well into Lavvy’s system, but no adjustments to that system were made.
It was also no secret that Lavvy did not get along with Mike Richards or Jeff Carter. The two had just recently been signed to mega-deals as the core of the franchise, only to be shipped out of town when Laviolette became upset with the two. The return was substantial, but was a step back in terms of progress. Again, no adjustments were made to the system to help develop the play of Schenn or Couturier. They were sort of…thrown into the fire.
Laviolette exhausted what very little patience he had in Bobrovsky early on in the 2010-11 season. There was a revolving door of goaltenders throughout the year, which worsened during the post-season. Because of this Ed Snider was forced to act, and demanded that Holmgren go out and get the best goaltender available at all cost. That goaltender happened to be Ilya Bryzgalov. We all know the rest of that saga.
It was also apparent that Laviolette had grown to dislike James van Riemsdyk. Something just didn’t jive between the two and we saw JVR lose a lot of playing time throughout the year. During the off-season, after a lot of trade rumors at the trade deadline, JVR was swapped for Luke Schenn, a stay-at-home type of defender.
After taking a look at these transactions it seems to paint quite a different picture of what really unfolded in Philadelphia over the last few seasons. Holmgren and the rest of the management team had put a solid product on the ice that produced 100+ point season two consecutive years. The only real knock on the team was goaltending, as usual. However, Laviolette was behind most of the trades that happened. He was given the reigns to control the roster much like Andy Reid was for the Philadelphia Eagles, and well all know how well that panned out.
Throw in a few freak injuries and a decimated blueline in 2012-13 and you find the Philadelphia Flyers missing the post-season for only the second time in 18 seasons. Regardless, Homer trusted Laviolette, which is why he executed the trades he made during Lavvy’s tenure as the Flyers’ head coach. Lavvy knew the team he wanted on the ice, and Homer provided it for him.
This firing was not just about three games. This firing was about a coach who never saw fit to make adjustments to a system that was flawed. This firing was about a coach who got what he wanted, but couldn’t make it work. This firing was about a coach who refused to change, and it was a long time coming. Lavvy was given another chance, but when management saw one of the worst training camp and pre-seasons it has ever seen, followed by an abysmal start to the season, it had seen enough (of the same).
I can’t say exactly who is to blame. Regardless of the system in place the players need to show up every night. To put it bluntly, they weren’t, whatsoever. It’s ironic that the team got its first win the night of Craig Berube’s debut as head coach, but irony is about all it was. Steve Mason stole that game for the Flyers with a stellar goaltending performance, but I don’t know that anyone expected much change because of Berube having only one day of practice to implement his system.
Right now it’s tough to point the finger at who exactly is to blame, but after about 15-20 games we’ll know. If the Flyers put it together and Berube gets a system in place that wins game, great. If not, and the team continues to struggle, we all know who is next on the chopping block.