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Sorry for the late post. To be honest I still haven't had a chance to watch the Colorado game in it's entirety.
I did catch the highlights and as I was following the updates of the game on my iPhone I was *hoping* by not watching it would change the Jackets fortunes -- i.e. the winning formula would be revived and all would be right in the CBJ world for at least a night.
Eeeh! Sorry LTL, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?
So for much for that. Instead the Jackets proceeded to drop the 8th game in the the past 9 to a "downplayed" Adam Foote led Avalanche. They fall to 11th in the Western Conference. They are now 3 points behind 8th placed Dallas. They've given up the most goals in the entire league. They've lost two in a row in regulation on this 4 game home stand.
What exactly is going right for this squad?
The short answer?
Nothing... really.
The one positive so far this season in the powerplay has really cooled off of late going 0-5 against Colorado. The once hot Rick Nash has also cooled scoring just 1 goal in his past 9 games. His -11 plus/minus is looking like his rookie year when he carried a -27 and is one of the worst in the entire league.
So things are bad. We get it. How about telling us something we don't know LTL?
Did you know the Jackets are 3-5-3 since Nikita Filatov bolted?
Hey -- you told me you wanted to know something you didn't know!
What's next for this team?
You can scratch firing Hitch from the list. From the Dispatch:
"Hitch is safe," Howson said. "To suggest otherwise is just ludicrous. It has not even entered anybody's mind. It's not something we'd even consider."
Fans get frustrated.. Believe you me I know as I'm one right there with ya as I'm frustrated as hell. Firing the coach is the easiest way to get a short term spark. I get that. As they say you can't fire 20 players but you can easily fire 1 coach.
I'm not at all surprised to hear that quote from Howson though. In fact I expected it and I agree with it.
1. Hitch has two full years remaining on his contract and a team like the Jackets is not going to eat that salary.
2. Unlike the short leash Hitch gives select players, I believe he's earned a long one here. Any way you slice it this team didn't even come close to tasting success until Hitch arrived. He led them to their first playoff birth and is a proven winner. You don't just fire guys like that the first moment you hit adversity.
That said there are some things I'd like to see Hitch do different because right now it sure does look like he's losing the squad.
Clearly he has his favorites. He loves size in his players. He loves his vets. There is no denying any of that. I'd love to see him stop favoring guys and play who's hot and bench who's not.
For instance why does Mathieu Garon take a seat the following a game after he plays well? Ride the guy until he cools off. I respect the fact they want Mase to be the #1 but the fact of the matter is he isn't playing like a #1 right now. Stop force feeding it. Hitch tells us he plays the guys he thinks gives the team the best chance at success yet benches a goaltender who just had as solid start.
How many turnovers can Tyutin make before he limits his minutes?
Was Mike Commodore really playing better than Kris Russell when he was scratched for multiple games?
Why not play the 4th line more when it's clear they have the energy and are making a big impact on the game? Give em a regular shift when playing well.
You can't fit squares in round holes. Certain players play a certain style. They aren't all going to be checkers. Yes they all need to be responsible in their own end but I'd like to see him be more open to tailoring his game plan around some of his players instead of it being a myway or the highway message.
I'd like to see a longer leash for the young players. I'm not saying Hitch hates young players but they seem to be gripping their sticks and playing not to make mistakes instead of just playing.
When a young player gets benched for committing a turnover and then watches a veteran do the same thing over and over again only to get even more playing time what kind of message does that send? Pretty easy to start tuning things out.
Hitch wants to win and feels the vets give him the best chance to do so. He's a firm believer that players should develop on the farm and only on the farm. Once they reach the NHL they aren't prospects and they don't need coddled. They are expected to play like men in a man's game.
I get that. I really do.
In a perfect hockey world that is the way it should work. Unfortunately that is not reality in today's NHL.
He's got to find a way to trust his young players. Like it or not, if he plans to stay in Columbus for the long haul a franchise like the Jackets is always going to have young, inexperienced and cheap players augmenting his lineup. He's got to make the permanent adjustment because it's not going to go away. Not every player can be shipped back the KHL.
Look I know there are contracts, egos and all kinds of team dynamics that go on in the foreground and background here. I know that no matter what certain players are going to get trotted out there time and time again for various reasons but just like he expects his players to play in uncomfortable situations, I expect the coach to coach in uncomfortable situations as well.
For instance I loved it when he benched the 1st and 2nd PP units at the end of the Toronto game. I'd like to see more of those kinds of messages sent.
No matter how much we'd like to blame the coach, the players are the ones that need to go out there, play hard and execute night in and night out. They can't use the excuse that they aren't capable because you know what - this is largely the same group last year that sure showed they were capable and rode it all the way into a playoff birth.
I received a great email today from a fan named W Eugene that I wanted to share here:
When I coached club soccer, we had a professional trainer consultant.
At try-outs as we were watching kids and discussing various talents, he said
"I can coach skills, I can't coach 'heart' !!
It's not skills the Jackets lack & their attitude can not be changed by 'coaching'
As Dick Vermiel said "If you don't work that hard to prepare, it doesn't hurt that much to lose."
The bottom line is the players are not getting it done on the ice. They aren't putting in the work. To me it's that simple. I'm not sure if they read to much of their own press or if that fast start got to their heads or if it just got "too hard". They aren't nearly as committed in all 3 zones and they aren't getting the saves they were last season. Nobody is working for each other out there.
If they think they are going to get help via a trade they need to think again. Scott Howson is not Doug MacLean. He will not make a knee-jerk reactionary trade to provide a short term spark.
Think back to last year in Jan/Feb when the Jackets had that rash of injuries - even then Howson didn't make a move when everyone was begging for one. He eventually brought in Jason Williams and then Antoine Vermette but that was largely after a potential disaster was adverted mostly off the play of then rookie Steve Mason.
I think he'll eventually get someone (Aaron Ward from Carolina anyone?) but it won't happen until it's a good deal for the short and long term futures of this team. He will not force it.
This team needs to look around the room and then in the mirrors. It's not the coach's fault they aren't playing hard. He can try to motivate them, have one on ones and make some adjustments but they are the ones who will need to pick themselves back off the mat if they hope to remain in the playoff fight. They know what they need to do and how they need to play to do it. Nobody is going to ride in on a white horse to do it for them.
The one thing I'd like to add about Howson is that if Hitch is his guy for the long term then he needs to start drafting/acquiring/signing players that fit his mold as it's no secret what kind of players Hitch likes. Either that or meet in the middle somewhere.
The good news is things can't get a whole lot worse... can they Clark?
-LTL
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Excellent article once gain, I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. This team couldn't even get motivated to face the Foote of doom, heck it was just another game. They are simply not putting in the work right now, it's that simple. However Hitch's inability to motivate the team/losing the team is very worrisome me. Yes it's the players who need to perform on the ice, but it sure feels like Hitch is not helping matters. Howsen is doing the right thing by reinforcing Hitch's position of strength, but it might be moot if he is unable to motivate the locker-room. I think it all depends on how much animosity there already is or isn't between Hitch and the players.
Regarding Howsen I think you are correct, he won't do anything. In my humble opinion, the relationship between the players and the coaching staff isn't that great right now, both are stubborn groups and this is a serious situation. Howsen needs to act, this upcoming stretch is crucial in the western conference, if we fall behind 5 or more additional points in the next 5 games we will be fighting an uphill battle to make the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, Howsen shouldn't go all Dougy Mac on us, but he should be doing something to stir the pot.... this product is getting stale quick. I know the answer is in the mirror, especially long-term, but we are reaching a stalemate and even adding a rental could be just enough spark to get us going again. If Howsen does nothing this situation could get ugly really quick. I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't think Hitch or the players are going to resolve this slump on their own, and I fully believe now is the time for Howsen to do something, just do something..