A Closer Look At The Head Coach Hot Seat
Before the season even started, several names surfaced as options to be on the dreaded “first to be fired” list released by a number of outlets. Detroit’s Jeff Blashill led the pre-season predictions while Chicago’s Joel Quenneville was even included on the list. Other names included were Colorado’s Jared Bednar, and Winnipeg’s Paul Maurice. PHR ran a poll last week on this and Alain Vigneault and Claude Julien led the votes.
Heres a closer look at some of these names as teams approach completion of the first quarter of the season.
Raise your hand if you expected his name on this list before the season started. Edmonton, who was mentioned as a possible Stanley Cup contender during the preseason, has not only struggled in the first month of the season, but also had a heck of a time trying to score goals. Is it all on McLellan? It’s probably unfair to say so. But with giving up 13 more goals than scoring, and spared only by a dreadful Arizona team from being in last place, McLellan might be in trouble if the Oilers continue to slide.
Alain Vigneault
Another coach who was expected to lead his team deep into the playoffs, Vigneault’s Rangers were sputtering for the first few weeks of the season. Just two weeks ago, New York Post writer Larry Brooks wondered if Vigneault would even make it out of October with a job. It’s amazing what can change in such a short time. The Blueshirts are riding a six-game winning streak and have racked up quality wins against Vegas, Tampa Bay, and Columbus. Vigneault will still be scrutinized but the latest change in fortune have certainly helped his job status.
Jeff Blashill
After a brutal six game losing streak, Blashill’s seat was rumored to be scorching. Following a couple wins and a not-so-bad road trip, the Red Wings have 13 of their next 15 at home. This will most likely dictate Blashill’s fate, should there be a coaching change during the season. The third year coach can’t possibly be blamed for the roster, but the Red Wings want to be a perennial playoff participant. While that doesn’t seem realistic, an 8-8-1 record through 17 games is certainly not helping matters. Further, should the Red Wings not see progression with their younger players, it may seal Blashill’s fate.
Paul Maurice
Out of all the coaches who have been spoken of, Maurice’s name constantly pops up on the list. But so far this season, the Jets are 8-4-3 with 19 points and in second place in the Central Division. How many had him on the list is surprising since the veteran coach was not only extended back in September, but also has a winning mark in Winnipeg.
Jared Bednar
Mark it down as one of the biggest surprises that Colorado is 8-6-1 and are now sitting prettier after finally dealing Matt Duchene in what looks like a win for Joe Sakic. Bednar accepted the job after winning the Calder Cup with AHL Affiliate Cleveland before he endured the most miserable season in Avalanche history since moving to Denver in 1995. If the Avs continue to keep their head above water, Bednar would have a relatively cool seat.
Joel Quenneville
It doesn’t seem right to put him on this list. A man who led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups is leading a team that is now older and shuffling a roster to remain cap-compliant. Firing him, regardless of what the Blackhawks do, seems like a cop out for a general manager who outside of a few players, has won off of his predecessor’s work. Fan Rag’s Craig Morgan wrote as much back in August.
After a torrid start, the Blackhawks have cooled, and are struggling to find the back of the net. The power play is in the bottom rung of the league at 13.6% (27th out of 31) and Quenneville has been employing a line blender to try and find something to work. Should Chicago run out of gas and be eliminated early again or worse, miss the playoffs, then it’s safe to say Coach Q is in trouble. However, if history has taught hockey fans anything, it’s to never count out the Blackhawks.
Evening Snapshots: Red Wings, Mantha, Slumping Blackhawks
Heading home for a stretch where they play 13 of 15 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill says there is “zero excuse” for not winning tonight writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. After getting pushed around by Calgary Thursday night, Detroit looks to get back on track against a Columbus team mired in a four game winless streak. The goal for the Red Wings are to return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus, and this stretch of hockey with games predominantly at home serves as the best chance to get a good jump on it. Currently sitting 8-8-1, impressive forward Anthony Mantha added that the team needs have at least a .750 or .800 mark during the stretch at home.
- Speaking of Mantha, Khan reports that the goal-scoring forward is developing into a more complete player in his second NHL season. Dogged early in his career for lack of effort, Mantha has risen to the occasion, leading the Red Wings in goals and points through Friday. Blashill says that the 22-year-old is very motivated and is skating harder now than he had previously with the team.
- The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Hine writes that the Blackhawk faithful are keeping their hopes up that Chicago will turn things around soon. Hine likens the current slump to a “crisis of faith” as they’ve struggled to score goals, registering just 12 goals in the last seven games. The culprit, Hine writes, are the “big money” players not getting on the score sheet regularly. He singles out captain Jonathan Toews (4-6-10), Brandon Saad (6-3-9), Patrick Kane (5-9-14), Duncan Keith (0-8-8), Brent Seabrook (1-4), and Patrick Sharp (2-2) as those players. Kane hasn’t scored in seven games while Saad is goal-less in his last ten games. Head coach Joel Quenneville has been toying with lines, trying to find the right combination to break the scoring drought.
Red Wings Notes: Mantha, Bertuzzi, Blashill
Anthony Mantha has learned quite a bit writes the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. She writes that his rise in scoring is tied to his work ethic, which included an improvement to his skating and notes that the 23-year-old hasn’t gone more than three games without a goal. Paired with 21-year-old Dylan Larkin often this year, much has been made about how the younger generation needs to take the torch and lead the rebuilding Red Wings into a new era. Mantha has 13 points in 16 games (7-6) while Larkin has 14 points (2-12). Mantha is on pace to become the goal scorer the Red Wings envisioned him to be when they drafted him in 2013. With both playing well, and having Andreas Athanasiou back, the younger kids are injecting much needed speed and skill into the lineup.
- St. James continues, reporting that while winger Tyler Bertuzzi is closer to return, a spot in Detroit isn’t as open as it once was. With newly acquired Scott Wilson bringing “grit” and with Detroit winning more than losing recently, it will take some change for him to be re-inserted into the lineup. St. James indicates that Bertuzzi and 2015 first round pick Evgeny Svechnikov are the top candidates to be shuttled to Detroit when changes are needed.
- As for head coach Jeff Blashill, St. James indicates that a recent winning streak and stronger play, especially on the road, have taken some pressure off of the bench boss. She points out that after they finish up their road trip, Detroit has 13 of its next 15 games at home. Should Detroit play well during that stretch, St. James believes that a playoff berth could be within reach.
PHR Originals 10/29/17-11/05/17
The NHL rumor mill is on fire after the failed Kyle Turris–Matt Duchene trade, but there were plenty of other stories developed by the PHR staff this week. Here’s a recap on some of the pieces from this week:
Sutter: The Next Generation
Zach took a look at Riley Sutter, the latest entrant in a legendary hockey family. The young Sutter is climbing up draft boards as he tries to emulate the career of many relatives. Ron, Rich, Duane, Darryl, Brian, Brent, Brandon, Brett, Brody, Lukas, Shaun and now Riley. Family competition must be intense.
25-Year Old Freedom
Group VI free agency isn’t the ideal way for young players to hit the open market, but it does provide an opportunity to turn your career around. I took a look at a few players who have a chance to become free agents at the age of 25, and escape their current situation.
Motown Uncertainty
Nate examined if Jeff Blashill is really to blame in Detroit, or if the Red Wings’ problems are more deep-seeded. From the tone of the comments, fans are nearing their frustrating limit with the team after a sluggish start and no clear rebuild plan in place.
Free Agent Futility
After just a month of season, I took an early look at the big free agents from July 1. While the 2016 group had a disappointing start, this year’s class isn’t as clear cut. There hasn’t been a ton of team success from the big spenders, but individual efforts are about what was expected. At the end of the year, who will regret their spending spree most?
Polling The People
We ran a pair of polls this week, asking which coach is under the most pressure and which team was furthest from where they’ll eventually finish. PHR readers were pretty clear that Alain Vigneault should be watching his back in New York, while the Vegas Golden Knights were more mirage than miracle. Those Golden Knights are now 9-4, and likely scouting the local midget tournaments for goaltending help.
Chatty Cathy
I once again held my weekly live chat, and spoke about everything from Vadim Shipachyov to Deshaun Watson. Every Thursday evening we talk about anything you want—make sure to join us next week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Is Jeff Blashill Really To Blame For Red Wings’ Woes?
The Detroit Red Wings weren’t expected to do much this season so slogging to a 6-6-1 record shouldn’t catch anyone by surprise. But after starting out 4-1, the Red Wings dropped six in a row and suddenly Blashill found himself on toasty seat. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch wrote last week that the lack of improvement have started whispers around the league that the third-year coach is on borrowed time. The Detroit News’ Gregg Krupa adds that Blashill shouldn’t see a fourth season should the Red Wings continue to plummet in play. Aside from a lackluster power play, an inability to score goals, and some regression from scoring hopefuls Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, Blashill told Krupa back in July that he was 100% confident that Detroit would return to the playoffs after last year’s hiatus. That puts a lot of pressure on a coach who doesn’t have the strongest of rosters.
The Red Wings look far from a playoff contender. Worse, it looks like the Red Wings have a long journey back to respectability.
While Blashill certainly shoulders some of the blame for regression, others point out that Ken Holland, the architect of the team, should see the door first. From another standpoint, firing Blashill may just be putting a bandaid on a bigger wound. Red Wings blog Winging it in Motown had a writeup about exactly this and wondered if it would actually make sense to let Blashill go. From WIIM:
Things in Detroit won’t change for the better until the organization gets out of these bad contracts and changes the way it operates from a trades and free agency standpoint. The issues of this team start as a result of Holland and anything that leads to his return next season as general manager will just kick the can down the road. Unfortunately, another bad season is the only way to start the process of getting out of this mess.
The more the team struggles the louder the coaching change rumors will get. We have to hope for no knee jerk reactions that will set things back further as the season continues.
Regardless of what happens, Detroit is stuck with a lot of long-term deals drowning in dollars. It seems the Red Wings problems run deeper than just who is behind the bench.
Atlantic Notes: Sergachev, Chara, Kronwall
Mikhail Sergachev has done everything that he can do on the ice. Now it’s a question of whether Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper plans to keep the 19-year-old on their roster or send him back for another year of juniors. The 6-foot-3 top-prospect defenseman, who came over to the Lightning this offseason as the key piece in the Jonathan Drouin trade, must wait until Tampa Bay brass finalizes their roster, according to Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith.
The scribe writes that Sergachev has played major minutes in four preseason games so far as the team scrutinizes whether they plan to keep him. Smith believes that evaluation will continue for the first nine games of the season, the most that Sergachev can play in the NHL before his entry-level contract kicks in and begins his NHL service time. Whether the team keeps him from that point on is up in the air.
Red Wings Notes: Rebuilding, LCA, Parenteau, Athanasiou
After 25 years of sustained success where the team didn’t miss the playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings are entering a new phase of reality—and it will be painful writes the Athletic’s Corey Pronman. There is an entire generation of Detroit fans who didn’t know the playoffs without the Red Wings in them, but that will become a harsh truth as Detroit attempts to restock a steady–but hardly elite cupboard of talent. Pronman identifies Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, and Andreas Athanasiou as the pillars of hope for Detroit, but they are hardly the likes of Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov or Nicklas Lidstrom, players the Red Wings rode into Stanley Cup glory two decades ago. Pronman continues, writing that it’s not a knock on the players but instead, shows just how hard it is to win consistently in the NHL. Additionally, he reminds Wings fans looking for a full teardown that there is only a 25% chance that tanking will garner a #1 pick–which may not even pan out. Regardless of the path they take, Detroit is surely in for bumpy times ahead.
- The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James quotes Wings coach Jeff Blashill calling the new Little Caesars Arena the “Ritz Carlton” of hockey arenas. After years of playing at the hastily constructed and outdated Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings step into a state of the art facility that houses a practice rink and mammoth 25,000 square foot locker room.
- St. James also writes that P.A. Parenteau, who signed a PTO with the Red Wings has the best chance of getting a permanent spot by boosting the Red Wings powerplay. Last season, Detroit was dreadful with the man advantage and Parenteau has made a career of potting powerplay goals and it may be a perfect match for both the Wings and the nine-year veteran.
- The Red Wings are “standing firm” on their contract offer to forward Andreas Athanasiou, putting a two-year, $3.8M deal on the table. TSN’s Bob McKenzie cited progress between the camps and TSN reported that general manager Ken Holland expects to make a move in order to get cap compliant.
Mrazek Ready To Bounce Back For Red Wings
One goaltender who has a lot to prove this season is Detroit’s Petr Mrazek. After struggling for the past year and a half to eventually losing his job to Jimmy Howard to being left exposed for the expansion draft (due to attitude issues) and then not even taken, the 25-year-old once franchise goaltender finds himself at a crossroad. Either Mrazek rediscovers his game or he will slowly disappear into a permanent backup role.
However, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan, the goaltender has been working hard all offseason to return to form. Now with just one year remaining on his $4MM deal, Khan writes that Mrazek has been humbled by recent events and has come into camp hungry to perform. His numbers must be improved on. While his 2015-16 numbers are respectable (2.33 GAA, .921 save percentage), his second half was not that good, while his 3.04 GAA last year and .901 save percentage were both the worst percentages of any in his career at any level.
Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said that Mrazek struggled through the boredom of working on his basic skills, comparing it to basketball players who get bored just constantly throwing free throws — however, those skills are critical to success. Blashill says that Mrazek has begun to get back to the basics and worked hard to fix his game, especially when it comes to his moving around in the crease. The goaltender struggled to stay calm in the net and has often made simple saves look challenging. He has spent hours watching video every day in hopes to make changes to his current play.
“Not to be flying in the net, just stay calm and stop as many pucks as I can,” Mrazek said Saturday, following the second day of training camp at Centre I.C.E.
However, according to Blashill, it’s his work ethic that has changed as well as his attitude. Since being exposed in the expansion draft in favor of 33-year-old Jimmy Howard, who Vegas would never have had any interest in, Mrazek has seen the light. While he must win back the starting job from Howard this season, he is also playing for his future. A poor season will not only limit his potential earnings next season, but will likely force him to accept a backup position, while a big year could net his a long-term deal with Detroit or another franchise.
“The season wasn’t the season I wanted to have, so I’m happy I’m back,” Mrazek said. “I have lots to give back to Detroit. We all know they gave me a chance to play my first NHL game and gave me a chance to play (144) games. So, I have lots to prove and give them back.”
Red Wings Notes: Blashill, Rasmussen, Sadowy
Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill has a message for fans regarding summer hockey: temper your excitement. Blashill tells MLive’s Brendan Savage that summer hockey “isn’t real hockey” and goes to acknowledge that while it’s exciting to see hockey in July, it isn’t what it appears. From Savage:
“I used to recruit lots (as a college coach) and we’d go to tryout camps and watch them and you always had to temper it because it’s not real hockey. Again, for me, it’s just a good first glance, gives me a little better feel come main camp for most of these guys.”
Meanwhile, ninth overall pick Michael Rasmussen sat out a scrimmage due to a wrist injury from February. Savage reports that it was precautionary, and that he hasn’t indicated any issues with the injury after two days.
- A number of Red Wings blogs are at development camp and have done detailed write ups on the prospects participating. Winging It In Motown writer SlapshotGoal featured Rasmussen, specifically writing about his skating ability that many scouts, analysts, and fans were quick to criticize. The article goes on to say that it’s “baffling” how so many critique his skating, and she goes on to write an in-depth piece (with video) that reveals a skating ability that may be very underrated. Drawing comparisons to speedsters Dylan Larkin, and Andreas Athanasiou, she writes that Rasmussen is able to make adjustments “on the fly” and noting that between his speed, effortless stride, and body control, it gives him a “fluid gracefulness.” This type of analysis should quiet some critics, and give Rasmussen the benefit of the doubt in being a top ten pick.
- With a roster that needs to younger, Detroit Free Press beat writer Helene St. James writes that prospect Dylan Sadowy has impressed Grand Rapids coach Todd Nelson, despite a season that seemed to show a step back for him as a goal scorer. Nelson cautions patience because Sadowy is so young and there is a jump from the OHL to the AHL. Sadowy was told by Detroit brass to work on his conditioning, believing it will go a long way in helping his game. Sadowy spent time with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL in addition to the Griffins, registering 10 points (5-5) in 44 games between both squads.
Red Wings Notes: Tatar, Athanasiou, DeKeyser, Nelson
With Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou still waiting on contracts, the Athletic’s Craig Custance projects what they could earn once they sign on the dotted line. Tatar has been one of the few Red Wings scoring at a regular clip and his deal should be around $4.3MM per year. Term and dollars will be important to both parties, and Custance calls this the “tricky” notion of Tatar’s deal. Tatar potted 25 goals last season and is deserving of a significant raise. Meanwhile, Athanasiou is still relatively young, though many can already see how his devastating speed and scoring prowess could quickly translate into multiple 20 goal seasons, and possibly, 30. The Wings, according to Custance, could get him around a $1.9MM AAV because of his lesser time in the NHL. But if the trends continue, Athanasiou will come at a bridge bargain now, while getting a significant pay raise later.
- Defenseman Danny DeKeyser has become somewhat of a pariah for some Red Wings fans, but The Athletic’s Jack Han takes a closer look at the somewhat predictable decline in DeKeyser’s play and numbers. Signed by Detroit as an unrestricted free agent in 2013, DeKeyser flourished in the top six under Mike Babcock and earned the nickname “the human eraser” for his staunch commitment to his end of the ice while keeping opposing scorers in check. All of this changed, according to Han, when new coach Jeff Blashill took over and the defensive corps weakened.
DeKeyser was given top pair minutes, which exposed him against the better players on opposing squads. Worse, the generous contract from general manager Ken Holland only increased the scrutiny on his play, especially after a disastrous season in 2016-17. Is DeKeyser truly as bad as some think? Han doesn’t think so. He takes a look at Corsi and Scoring Chances to quantify DeKeyser’s value and after a thorough job, notes that DeKeyser certainly isn’t deserving of high end minutes. Regardless of where he does end up, it’s destined to be a rough road with a Red Wings blue line that isn’t exactly top tier. - With the hiring of Rick Tocchet in Arizona, Calder Cup Champion and current Grand Rapids bench boss Todd Nelson will remain with the Griffins. Nelson, hired back in 2015, has guided the Griffins to a second round showing in 2015-16, and a championship in 2016-17. The Red Wings are looking at infusing more youth into the lineup and Nelson steered much of that young talent with a steady hand. Having Nelson in Grand Rapids gives the organization peace of mind knowing that the development of several critical players, notably Evgeny Svechnikov, will be overseen by one of the best in the AHL.
