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South Jersey • 51 Years Old • Male
The Coach's Next Step
Posted 8:58 AM ET | Comments 1
Nine games into Peter Laviolette’s stint behind the Flyers’ bench as head coach and the team is a measly 2-6-1, playing the same uninspired brand of hockey that put John Stevens out of a job.
Laviolette has come in and done some things differently than Stevens – players are being held accountable at practice for in-game stupidity, for one. Is it helping? Nope. The same players are making the same mistakes; it’s the only point of consistency this team is showing, and it truly sucks to watch.
There has been talk of a trade to shake things up a bit, but who gets dealt? There are so many No Trade Clauses and lengthy contracts on this roster – and don’t forget the Salary Cap – that the choices are limited. Personally, I don’t think a trade would do the trick, but at this point it’s moot due to the NHL’s Holiday Trade Embargo that is currently in place, and doesn’t get lifted until January 9th, I believe.
It’s time for Laviolette to start giving guys a different perspective on game day – a view from on-high. Yes, the dreaded ‘healthy scratch’. “You get to watch the game from the press box tonight.” Not necessarily as punishment, but as a learning experience in some cases. Scott Hartnell could use a game or two upstairs for both reasons, and he’s just one example. Braydon Coburn, quite possibly, might benefit from seeing a game from a different angle, too.
Maybe that’s not the answer, but really, what else can be tried? These guys need to get their heads out of their asses and start playing as a team before it’s too late – and that day approaches faster with each passing piss-poor effort they come out with.
Laviolette has come in and done some things differently than Stevens – players are being held accountable at practice for in-game stupidity, for one. Is it helping? Nope. The same players are making the same mistakes; it’s the only point of consistency this team is showing, and it truly sucks to watch.
There has been talk of a trade to shake things up a bit, but who gets dealt? There are so many No Trade Clauses and lengthy contracts on this roster – and don’t forget the Salary Cap – that the choices are limited. Personally, I don’t think a trade would do the trick, but at this point it’s moot due to the NHL’s Holiday Trade Embargo that is currently in place, and doesn’t get lifted until January 9th, I believe.
It’s time for Laviolette to start giving guys a different perspective on game day – a view from on-high. Yes, the dreaded ‘healthy scratch’. “You get to watch the game from the press box tonight.” Not necessarily as punishment, but as a learning experience in some cases. Scott Hartnell could use a game or two upstairs for both reasons, and he’s just one example. Braydon Coburn, quite possibly, might benefit from seeing a game from a different angle, too.
Maybe that’s not the answer, but really, what else can be tried? These guys need to get their heads out of their asses and start playing as a team before it’s too late – and that day approaches faster with each passing piss-poor effort they come out with.
I want to see Briere and Hartnell as healthy scratches for at least a game a piece. When Kalinski and Nodl were called up, they were actually working hard to create plays and hit the net hard and some good scoring chances. Imagine what two skilled veterans could accomplish if they did the same thing and stayed out of the penalty box