Coaching Search Thread a.k.a. the Jeff Blashill Thread

[marcaractac 3,962]

Maybe we should just make a Blashill photoshop thread haha. These are amazing

[RedWingsRox 614]

I have a question:

With Babs gone, are the assistants, Granato, Hiller, Brewer still ours?

Will they follow Babs since he hired them?

Would especially like to keep Granato since he seemed to have a great impact on the effectiveness of the power play.

Most likely, the new head coach will decide their fate. That's the respectful thing for incoming guy.

[Dr Dubya 32]

After reading this thread... imagine if Blashill isn't hired?

Lol, I almost wanna see it now.

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

After reading this thread... imagine if Blashill isn't hired?

Lol, I almost wanna see it now.

Almost.

[frankgrimes 1,836]

After reading this thread... imagine if Blashill isn't hired?

Lol, I almost wanna see it now.

Same here but also if the Wings are going - and it looks like it - to hire him it will be interesting. According to some it should be easy to replace Babcock and I can't wait to see it unfold personally I think it will be as easy as replacing Godström or to a lesser degree Marian Hossa.

[wings4thecup06 504]

At this point, it almost has to be Blashill. Re-signing him to an extension last year that pays double what any other AHL coach makes, refusing to let other NHL teams talk to him......

Really. The guy is a winner. And the Wings management have clearly earmarked him as the plan B in case Babcock left...

[derblaueClaus 1,668]

I have a question:

With Babs gone, are the assistants, Granato, Hiller, Brewer still ours?

Will they follow Babs since he hired them?

Would especially like to keep Granato since he seemed to have a great impact on the effectiveness of the power play.

At the end of his presser Holland said it's their choice if they want to work under the new head coach and that they did sign them to the one year deal for that reason. So nothing is set. Keeping Granato would indeed be huge, though.

[HockeytownRules19 902]

Shep talking to Kenny right now, very interesting quote

Matt Shepard @ShepMatt · 11m 11 minutes ago

Holland, players who earned a role under Babcock have to earn it all over again and others have to make an impression

Guys like Weiss, Smith & Jurco (who should be a top 6-9 forward) are like Let's Roll! lol

Edited May 22, 2015 by HockeytownRules19

[krsmith17 7,191]

I am very excited to see what Blashill can do with this team. But what I am most excited about is there are no guarantees where players will line up on the roster... Will Ericsson remain on the top pair? Will Smith get a look on the power-play? Will Weiss have a chance at the 2nd line center spot? Will Jurco be in the top 6(9)? Will Pulkkinen be utilized better in the offensive zone (left side faceoff circle), Will Abdelkader / Helm remain in the top 6 (not necessarily saying they shouldn't...)? Will Ferraro / Callahan get a look on the 4th line? A lot of question marks... Going to be an exciting training camp. Can't wait!!!

[e_prime 1,936]

I am very excited to see what Blashill can do with this team. But what I am most excited about is there are no guarantees where players will line up on the roster... Will Ericsson remain on the top pair? Will Smith get a look on the power-play? Will Weiss have a chance at the 2nd line center spot? Will Jurco be in the top 6(9)? Will Pulkkinen be utilized better in the offensive zone (left side faceoff circle), Will Abdelkader / Helm remain in the top 6 (not necessarily saying they shouldn't...)? Will Ferraro / Callahan get a look on the 4th line? A lot of question marks... Going to be an exciting training camp. Can't wait!

This. x1,000,000,000.

I asked earlier in this thread, "How did Blash use Weiss in his conditioning stints with GR?"

I wonder solely because, maybe Weiss gets a chance under Blash the way he didn't with Babcock...

I mean, the guy did have some bright spots, some glimpses of his former self, and they were quickly buried*

*Maybe deservedly. I don't really remember exactly how it all went down, but I have hopes for the guy.

I hope he gets another chance and I hope he can show he's still a capable second line center.

I'm not saying HE IS. I'm saying I hope he gets another chance at it and somehow pulls it off.

[krsmith17 7,191]

I remember in the first game of his second conditioning stint with the Griffins he was playing in a lesser role with (I think it was) Hoggan and Porter (he and porter split center duty). Then in the second game he was moved up and playing with Pulkkinen and Callahan, if I recall corrently... I know he had a couple points (both goals?) in those two games and I remember one that he scored seconds into one of the games (game 1 I believe)... Anyway, I do hope Blash gives him a fair shot in training camp, along with a few of the other guys...

[gcom007 1,465]

This. x1,000,000,000.

I asked earlier in this thread, "How did Blash use Weiss in his conditioning stints with GR?"

I wonder solely because, maybe Weiss gets a chance under Blash the way he didn't with Babcock...

I mean, the guy did have some bright spots, some glimpses of his former self, and they were quickly buried*

*Maybe deservedly. I don't really remember exactly how it all went down, but I have hopes for the guy.

I hope he gets another chance and I hope he can show he's still a capable second line center.

I'm not saying HE IS. I'm saying I hope he gets another chance at it and somehow pulls it off.

I tend to hope he might get a chance and find a place here still as well, but I wouldn't be shocked if they ship him out this summer if at all possible. As I think I said before, if he was benched as long as he was, as often as he was, and in the playoffs, clearly Babcock wasn't the only one in the organization who had lost faith in him. Babcock didn't make decisions by himself, and wasn't it said that Holland was trying to move him at the deadline? I think if Holland has the opportunity to move him this summer, he will. Whether he has anything left in him at this point remains to be seen, but it's hard to imagine the Wings taking that gamble again next year if they can find a way to not have to.

I am very excited to see what Blashill can do with this team. But what I am most excited about is there are no guarantees where players will line up on the roster... Will Ericsson remain on the top pair? Will Smith get a look on the power-play? Will Weiss have a chance at the 2nd line center spot? Will Jurco be in the top 6(9)? Will Pulkkinen be utilized better in the offensive zone (left side faceoff circle), Will Abdelkader / Helm remain in the top 6 (not necessarily saying they shouldn't...)? Will Ferraro / Callahan get a look on the 4th line? A lot of question marks... Going to be an exciting training camp. Can't wait!!!

This, but I really, really, really hope Holland does something on defense this summer so the idea of E on the top pairing isn't even a possibility. We're not going to land a top guy, but I have to hope we can land someone better than E...

And as much as I don't like E, I'd be more tolerant of him if he were in a different role on this team.

Smith is definitely going to get a look on the power play. He's had issues, sure, but he's still young. No way his time will run out here before he gets more opportunities.

[kipwinger 8,518]

I don't think we need to land a top guy. We've already got Kronwall. We just need to upgrade, where possible.

Look at Tampa Bay's defense. Yzerman was criticized pretty heavily for wrapping up so much money in non-impact defensemen like Carle, Stralman, Garrison, and Coburn. None of those guys are really "top guys", but collectively they're better than any other alternative Tampa had. And they're playing good enough to win.

[gcom007 1,465]

I don't think we need to land a top guy. We've already got Kronwall. We just need to upgrade, where possible.

Look at Tampa Bay's defense. Yzerman was criticized pretty heavily for wrapping up so much money in non-impact defensemen like Carle, Stralman, Garrison, and Coburn. None of those guys are really "top guys", but collectively they're better than any other alternative Tampa had. And they're playing good enough to win.

Exactly. I've been over the idea of getting a top guy for a long while. I'd much rather have a more well-rounded whole, and it's a much more accessible goal.

[marcaractac 3,962]

Same here but also if the Wings are going - and it looks like it - to hire him it will be interesting. According to some it should be easy to replace Babcock and I can't wait to see it unfold personally I think it will be as easy as replacing Godström or to a lesser degree Marian Hossa.

There will likely be growing pains with a rookie NHL coach, no doubt. But Blash is the only right option. Any other coach available is a downgrade behind the bench right off the bat. Blash has all the tools to become a great coach in the NHL, and he knows he will have a lot to prove. I have no doubt he will be up for the challenge.

Going with Blash is not at all a big risk, yet still has a potential very high reward. There is no point in going with a guy like Hitchcock, when he has a reputation for his players tuning him out after a couple years, all while losing Blash to another team in the process. Blash is a guy who has been working his way through the system along with the youth in the organization. To not go with him would be idiotic. To not go with him IMO would also mean we need a new GM.

[number9 3,297]

Blashill has never coached in the NHL before and had success in the AHL because he was spoon fed great prospects by Holland

[LeftWinger 4,949]

...and now those great prospects are and will soon be on HIS NHL team. Plus he will still be spoon fed great players by the best organization in pro sports.

[e_prime 1,936]

Blashill has never coached in the NHL before and had success in the AHL because he was spoon fed great prospects by Holland

Thankfully he's still got that guy feeding him. Maybe he'll add a new entree to the menu this offseason?

man. now i'm hungry.

Edited May 22, 2015 by e_prime

[marcaractac 3,962]

Blashill has never coached in the NHL before and had success in the AHL because he was spoon fed great prospects by Holland

Like Babs just said today. As a coach, you still need great players and great leadership to win. A great coach will have his team playing at their potential or above all year long. Blash to this point has done that.

[number9 3,297]

...and now those great prospects are and will soon be on HIS NHL team. Plus he will still be spoon fed great players by the best organization in pro sports.

Thankfully he's still got that guy feeding him. Maybe he'll add a new entree to the menu this offseason?

man. now i'm hungry.

With such great players, why do we even need a coach? A monkey could coach team of Nyquists and Pulkinens at the AHL level

Like Babs just said today. As a coach, you still need great players and great leadership to win. A great coach will have his team playing at their potential or above all year long. Blash to this point has done that.

Or, ya know, they're just really good players playing at their potential

[marcaractac 3,962]

With such great players, why do we even need a coach? A monkey could coach team of Nyquists and Pulkinens at the AHL level

Or, ya know, they're just really good players playing at their potential

Good players still need a good coach to steer them all in the right direction.

[number9 3,297]

Good players still need a good coach to steer them all in the right direction.

What's that? Put pucks in the net? Try to win the game?

[e_prime 1,936]

Good players still need a good coach to steer them all in the right direction.

What's that? Put pucks in the net? Try to win the game?

...and butt pats. BoS for COACH!

[marcaractac 3,962]

What's that? Put pucks in the net? Try to win the game?

This comment reminds me of the people who say hockey is stupid because it is just people with sticks trying to put a piece of rubber in the net.

[number9 3,297]

This comment reminds me of the people who say hockey is stupid because it is just people with sticks trying to put a piece of rubber in the net.

Isn't it just that? Only difference being we don't think it's stupid