Am I wrong about Willie D? [poll]

[JM_]

So, we're at the 1/4 mark and despite the predictions Willie is still the coach and both Linden and Benning have publicly said he's their guy. I've posted as much as anyone about my frustrations with Willie, but maybe I'm missing something. 

 

Yes the record is a disaster. But, Bo and Tryamkin are getting better. The Sutter-Sedin's experiment is working. Loui is starting to score. Stecher has earned a spot. 

 

So what I would like is for this to be a discussion about what things Willie is doing right and do these outweigh his mistakes? Am I wrong about Willie? 

 

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES

Thanks to all who responded, it has helped to understand whats going on. I'm still on the #freewilly side, but closer to the line. If he could get better at in-game decisions I'd probably be neutral on him. The big Q seems to be does his system fit out players, which begs the question, what system would be better?

 

 Basically it seems to boil down to he's a nice guy who cares about his team who's not viewed as a great tactician, but who has also been given a less than ideal lineup. 

 

Positives

Better than Torts
Players like him
Some good young player development 
Stresses hard work and accountability 
Players can earn ice time / doesn’t “punish” players unfairly
Found a way to “fix” top line, at least for now with Sutter
He’s doing the best job he can with the talent provided

 

Negatives
Not a good in-game tactician (strategy changes, time outs, read of players in game performance, etc)
Some nighty line deployment decisions still a mystery to many 
Poor line changes
Calling Miller the “#1” instead of letting performance dictate 

 

Meh’s/Unclear: 

Not really good enough or bad enough to make all the difference

Unclear if he’s the reason for some players lack of performance

Does his “system” really fit our players?

 

[ice orca]

50/50 i guess.

[ForsbergTheGreat]

Coaches aren't the sole reason players develop. 

But they can be the reason why players don't develop.

[EmilyM]

If there was an option for "Willie is okay. Sure, he makes some questionable calls sometimes, but firing Willie won't solve our problems. You can only work with what you got, and our roster is very thin this year in terms of skill." that'd get my vote.

[thejazz97]

Just now, EmilyM said:

If there was an option for "Willie is okay. Sure, he makes some questionable calls sometimes, but firing Willie won't solve our problems. You can only work with what you got, and our roster is very thin this year in terms of skill." that'd get my vote.

 

It's not black and white.

 

Willie's in about the 20th shade of grey.

[JM_]

Just now, EmilyM said:

If there was an option for "Willie is okay. Sure, he makes some questionable calls sometimes, but firing Willie won't solve our problems. You can only work with what you got, and our roster is very thin this year in terms of skill." that'd get my vote.

 

Nah whats the fun in that. The world must be binary  I really just want to know the +s that people see in his coaching and I'm willing to learn. 

[TimberWolf]

Willie is not the total problem but he's a part of it. Firing him will not extinguish the tire fire

[goalie13]

2 minutes ago, EmilyM said:

If there was an option for "Willie is okay. Sure, he makes some questionable calls sometimes, but firing Willie won't solve our problems. You can only work with what you got, and our roster is very thin this year in terms of skill." that'd get my vote.

Agreed.

 

Sometimes, it seems people forget that the Sedins did not go straight from the draft to the first line.  It takes time to develop (most) players, but CDC doesn't seem to have the patience for it.

[EmilyM]

9 minutes ago, S'all Good Man said:

 

Nah whats the fun in that. The world must be binary  I really just want to know the +s that people see in his coaching and I'm willing to learn. 

I would vote "Willie isn't the problem", with the caveat that I mean just for the remainder of this season.
Mostly for the fact that there'll be more options for new coaches in the offseason and bringing in a new guy into this tire fire right now is a recipe for destroying a new coach's potential career.
And, what would firing Willie do right now? Let's say we bring in a new coach and he turns this team around. But to what degree could a new coach bring this team around to? We go from 28th to 25th? We go to 20th? We surely aren't a championship team with this roster. I'm not advocating keeping Willie around to help us tank, but isn't bringing in a new coach only prolonging the inevitable, which is we need a lot of personnel help?
And what is the evidence he doesn't develop young players that so many people point to? Because Virtanen and Tryamkin sat at the start of the season? By all indication, both came in out of shape and not ready to put the work in. There's a very good possibility that he sees more of these players than we do, and perhaps he is rewarding players that a high majority of fans consider "plugs" are actually putting the work in and earning spots like your Skilles, Chaputs, and Megnas. Tryamkin turned it around and he's now a regular fixture on the blueline. Virtanen did not and he is on the farm.
I say wait until the offseason and re-assess.

 

[Angry Goose]

WD strikes me as an honest and caring guy that wants his players/the team to succeed.  When times times are tough you want a  coach that tries to pick you up and not keep knocking you down.  Contrast that with Torts and you tell me who would rather play for.  Add to that he has a very knowledgeable coaching staff, IMO coaching is not a problem.  

[Makaramel MacKhiato]

Willie was right that youngsters earn playing time. Tryamkin is earning it, Stecher is earning it, Granlund as well. I don't mind him as a coach, either way we're gonna lose. 

[Nucker 67]

Got a feeling the Canucks will do just enough to not get Willie fired. Besides, JB and TL may want to turn the other cheek and let his contract run out at the end of the season, as opposed to firing him now. Doesn't look good on the organization (or them) to fire another coach. What I think they should do is move the Sedins to the 2nd line once Hansen is 100%. Start the transition.

 

Eriksson - Horvat - Sutter

Daniel - Henrik - Hansen

[JM_]

16 minutes ago, ice orca said:

50/50 i guess.

 

So good. But not real good?

[Alflives]

I think for our young players to take the next step, Willie needs to go.  Or, JB has to come out and say the team is focussing on developing.

[EmilyM]

2 minutes ago, Alflives said:

I think for our young players to take the next step, Willie needs to go.  Or, JB has to come out and say the team is focussing on developing.

What is the evidence that we aren't developing young players, though? What do you do when your bluechip prospects come into camp out of shape or show lacklustre work ethic? Reward them anyways because we need to get younger? What motivation is that to work harder? What motivation is that to come into camp in better shape next year?
Tryamkin got tough love. He worked his ass off and you can bet he will never come to camp out of shape again. What if he were thrown into the line-up right away when he was out of shape? It would've been a disaster.

[chon derry]

virtanen not meeting expectation, tryampkin's situation to start the season ,  baertschi inconsistent lately, some sloppy play by elder ,missed opportunities by henrik , injurys with  hansen, tanev, rodin ,huttons sophomore slump. some questionable deployment from willy, plenty of blame to spread around . 

[JM_]

9 minutes ago, EmilyM said:

Tryamkin got tough love. He worked his ass off and you can bet he will never come to camp out of shape again. What if he were thrown into the line-up right away when he was out of shape? It would've been a disaster.

 

This is a really interesting point. Tryamkin was flamed for exercising his negotiated rights and not allowing JB to send him to Utica, even for a conditioning stint. I have to think under a guy like Torts that would have sealed Nik's fate and he'd be on Torts sh!t list for the whole season, but Willie didn't. So +1 Willie on this one. 

[JM_]

2 minutes ago, chon derry said:

virtanen not meeting expectation, tryampkin's situation to start the season ,  baertschi inconsistent lately, some sloppy play by elder ,missed opportunities by henrik , injurys with  hansen, tanev, rodin ,huttons sophomore slump. some questionable deployment from willy, plenty of blame to spread around . 

 

But what things do you see as +'s in Willie's game?

[EmilyM]

1 minute ago, S'all Good Man said:

 

This is a really interesting point. Tryamkin was flamed for exercising his negotiated rights and not allowing JB to send him to Utica, even for a conditioning stint. I have to think under a guy like Torts that would have sealed Nik's fate and he'd be on Torts sh!t list for the whole season, but Willie didn't. So +1 Willie on this one. 

Totally. And I truly believe it's going to work out for Jake too. It takes some players longer to understand what you need to do to play in the NHL. Tryamkin got it very quickly. And I am glad Willie stuck to his guns and forced him to learn the hard way. Jake is up next

[Nucker 67]

Just now, EmilyM said:

Totally. And I truly believe it's going to work out for Jake too. It takes some players longer to understand what you need to do to play in the NHL. Tryamkin got it very quickly. And I am glad Willie stuck to his guns and forced him to learn the hard way. Jake is up next

Jake may look back on this Utica assignment as the turning point in his career. I think it was a great idea to send him down, away from the media and spotlight, away from family and friends, just concentrating on developing his game.