Clicks and Clippings: "Get to know Coach Kirk Muller" edition
by Carolyn Christians on Nov 28, 2011 1:44 PM EST
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There is much out there for Hurricanes fans to read today. Below, I've included excerpts from the most recent and most insightful - a good way to get a preview of the new man taking over the reins for the struggling Carolina hockey franchise.
Later today: John Forslund is set to be on XM Radio's "NHL Home Ice" channel shortly after 2pm. Any other links that pop up between now and the press conference later will be added here.
***UPDATED: (2:55pm) John Forslund on the phone with the folks at NHL Home Ice a little while ago: Audio [12:18]
***UPDATED (3:20pm) John Forslund calling into The David Glenn Show - Audio from 99.9 this afternoon [13:44]
Finally, the press conference with Jim Rutherford and Kirk Muller is scheduled for 5pm - look for more here at the blog from our other writers this evening. It will also be streamed at CarolinaHurricanes.com
Canes fire Maurice, name Muller coach - Chip Alexander, Canes Now
- Rutherford said Muller's contract calls for him to be paid for the remainder of this season and the next three seasons.
- Muller was not the only person considered for the job, Rutherford said, although he did not name any other potential candidates. Rutherford said he did a thorough search, lasting more than a month, anticipating that a coaching change might be needed.
- "It's unfortunate," Rutherford said of the firing. "But we need to see if we can get back into it with a new coach, or if we need to change some players."
- Rutherford called Muller a "proven leader and motivator" and praised his "strong communication skills."
- In an interview with the CBC last year, while an assistant with the Canadiens, he talked about one strength as a coach: communicating with players. "It's about energy, pushing guys, managing people and just getting them to buy into your X's and O's system," he told the CBC.
Maurice fired, Kirk Muller hired, it’s OK to be jealous of Carolina - Puck Daddy is full of insight including:
- But in hiring Muller, [Rutherford] makes a smart, bold move that should have other fan bases a little jealous — especially in Montreal.
- If Karl Rove was "Bush's Brain," Muller was "Jacques' Noggin": orchestrating the team's defensive system and its special teams to spectacular results, including the 2010 run to the conference finals that saw the Canadiens upset both the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games.
- He uses video, breaking it down in one-on-one sessions with players. He's charismatic and a communicator. Where as a coach like Maurice is rigid, Muller makes adjustments. That could be key with a versatile roster in Carolina.
Several more good stories new and old - after the jump
Excellent interview: Muller takes his work ethic to Admirals' AHL bench - Montreal Gazette, Oct 22, 2011
And what kind of team will [Kirk Muller's team] be?
"Very aggressive," Muller said without hesitating. "You have to be good defensively, you have to be good without the puck," he added. "But since the lockout and no red line, you've got to be able to score and you've got to be able to score at the right time. So I really stress for the guys to be a very aggressive forechecking team, and I tell my forwards that if they want to play here they gotta work - they've got to be workers and do a lot of skating and tracking down and heavy forecheck."
Comments today from the Predators' GM on how this played out: Poile discusses Kirk Muller’s departure - Josh Cooper, The Tenneseean
"We were thankful that we had the summer and his first quarter of the season for Kirk to work within our organization and work with our younger players. Congratulations to him for getting a head coaching job so quickly. I think everybody saw right away why Kirk was a candidate to be a head coach. I hoped selfishly it would have been a little bit longer with us. But I don't like to stand in anybody's way. We promote and developed not only players, but management and coaching prospects."
New today at NHL.com:
Well done: Six challenges facing new Canes coach Muller - Dave Lozo, NHL.com Rookie Carolina coach Kirk Muller has a number of tasks to undertake.
AHL gamble pays handsomely for Muller in Carolina - John Manasso, NHL.com Kirk Muller's gamble that the best route for becoming a head coach in the National Hockey League was to leave his role as an NHL assistant.
And digging deeper into Muller's coaching resume and style
Today,
What they're saying: Habs on Muller - Luke DeCock, Canes Now - quotes from Subban as well as Brian Gionta, Carey Price and others in Montreal upon hearing the news.
P.K. Subban: "He was obviously well liked by the players. Guys really enjoyed playing for him. All the guys are happy to see him coaching in the NHL. He’s a great coach. He works well with people. He’s a great teacher. Learning from him last year was great for me. Obviously, he had a long career so he’s had every possible experience as a player to help him coach in the NHL."
And in the last year or two
Muller named head coach of AHL's Admirals - John Manasso, Fox Sports, June 2011 quotes Muller back in June after he was interviewed for four (of the five) NHL openings in New Jersey, Dallas, Minnesota and Ottawa, but without an offer, turned to the AHL, making a call to Predators GM David Poile.
Muller said that what attracted him to the Nashville organization were some of the hallmarks of the franchise: stability, loyalty and dedication to building through the draft and the minor league system.
Kirk Muller is more familiar with Carolina than you’d think | ProHockeyTalk New 'Canes bench boss has some history with the club and staff. - connections to Rod Brind`Amour, Ron Francis, and Brandon Sutter are listed.
Holding the whole organization accountable
The Second Mo Dynasty falls - Luke DeCock, CanesNow
Which raises the question: With this team struggling mightily for a month, what took so long to make this change? (Meanwhile, fan interest turned to apathy, tickets went unsold, season tickets went unused, and the foundation built in 2002, 2006 and 2009 was chipped away, little by little, with each dishearting loss.) Only Karmanos and Rutherford know the answer.
Finally, Oldies but goodies
Communication is Job 1 on Canadiens' bench - cbc.ca (May 2010) Assistant coach Kirk Muller has been given more responsibility in this year's playoffs, whether it's overseeing the Canadiens' penalty kill or addressing players during timeouts or critical situations.
From November 2009 - Kirk Muller on HNIC radio interview - Audio, to sense Muller's engaging personality, of which there is certainly beaucoups. [10 minutes]
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Comments
huh
so dude coached brandon sutter already. and brandon is one of our hardest working guys. and muller wants hard working guys. ummm…mr. staal? best to take notice, please, if you want to keep that C on your chest much longer…
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
Mo is gone so we need to move on to our next favorite whipping boy, right? Why don’t we all just shout our pie holes and give the new guy a chance to do his thing and see how his philosophy and approach work out and how the players respond.
sorry, but do you honestly think staal has been giving 100% this season? i don’t think so. time for him to man-up
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 28, 2011 2:31 PM EST up reply actions
Do you honestly think you know even a percentage of what is going on behind the scenes? As fans we tend to see these guys as commodities that either perform or do not. They are human. Their are a lot of factors that can play in to how well someone performs in this game. The truth is the difference between being elite and looking like you are being completely outworked is probably only a slight dip in effort.
i can only judge what i see on the ice. on the ice, staal is not staal this year. looking forward to him stepping it up and leading us to some wins!
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 28, 2011 2:56 PM EST up reply actions
I am really dissapointed in Luke today
first a snarky RT about Muller stepping in to bad situation not being ideal for a rookie head coach, and the above linked article questioning why it took them a month to get a new head coach. I am not sure if he is aware or not, but Coach’s R Us isn’t an actual store where you can just go pickup a new coach whenever yours goes bad. Replacing a head coach is a process and it does take time. We got our coaching change, and a very promising guy at that. Good for them for going outside the franchise and looking for new voices. Good for them for not recycling a Therrien or Hartley or one of the other usual suspects and going for fresh blood. Could this be a failure, sure. But it is a gamble, and this organization doesn’t like to make any of those. so kudos to them.
I enjoyed Luke's piece especially this part:
“Maurice did an excellent job fine-tuning the team that Peter Laviolette left him in December 2008, and a surprisingly good job of making adjustments on the fly in the 2009 playoffs, but given the chance to retool the team on his terms, it was back to business as usual.”
Like it or not, Luke tells it like it is, which is all you can ask for a columnist.
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 28, 2011 2:30 PM EST up reply actions
I’m with Luke on this because this should have happened long ago instead of waiting for the season to be lost (for all intents and purposes).
Luke, the force is with you. Thank you for blasting those who needed blasting!
by Canes Pucknut on Nov 28, 2011 2:31 PM EST up reply actions
way too much star wars on TV this past weekend
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 28, 2011 2:32 PM EST up reply actions
The season is lost?
Dude, we’re 5 points out of 8th with a helluva lot of games to go. Step back from the ledge
We needn't have been nervous. The Melk-Man always* delivers.
* sometimes
The ledge is not an unrealistic place to be. Aside from the points, we have played 2 or 3 more games than teams ahead of us. But the biggest challenge is gaining ground when ALL but 1 team is in front of you — someone is always gaining points each night because they are playing each other. It would take a streak of epic proportions to even sniff the playoffs.
at this time last year, Buffalo was 9-13-3
I don’t remember their streak being that epic, but maybe it was just overshadowed by New Jersey’s.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 4:46 PM EST up reply actions
Ah, but they weren’t in 14th place were they? They were in 11th. Leaping over 3 teams is not the same as leaping over 6.
they were technically 11th
but essentially 13th, since Toronto and Florida (who trailed by 2 and 1 point, respectively) had three games in hand.
Our situation here isn’t really that different. That there are more teams muddled up means that there are more teams we need to jump but also that there are more teams who could legitimately fall back with a losing streak.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 5:01 PM EST up reply actions
You can’t say they were “essentially 13th” unless you want to say that the Canes are “essentially” 8 points back with 6 teams to leap over.
Sure some teams can have a losing streak, but someone ahead of us is always beating them.
the Canes are essentially 8 points back with 6 teams to jump
the Sabres were essentially 6 points back with 5 teams to jump. Considering that they jumped all the way to 7th, a run like that should put Carolina in 8th.
I don’t remember how epic that run was, because everybody was paying attention to New Jersey, who started later and came from farther back.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 5:12 PM EST up reply actions
it'll certainly take some doing
fwiw, I just checked. Buffalo’s longest winning streak last year was 4 games, and that was the last 4 games of the season
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 5:19 PM EST up reply actions
You’re the one making that comparison, not me. The Sabres were never below 11th in the actual standings, regardless of what the games in hand said. The Canes are in 14th, with 6 teams to clear and if you factor the games played/in hand it’s worse than it looks. The Isles are only 4 pts back and have 4 games in hand. So yeah, it could get worse, but not much.
I don't really follow this response
I made the comparison, and you said something about an epic win streak, and I said that the comparison shows that it doesn’t require an epic win streak (although it does require a level of consistency not yet seen in these parts).
I made the comparison based on number of games above or below a point per game pace. Without everyone having played the same number of games, nothing else really makes sense. Well, perhaps average points won per game makes more sense, but this is very similar and requires less work. Either way, a team effectively in 13th place at this point last year recovered to finish 7th without ever having a win streak exceeding four games. Right now, Carolina is effectively in 14th place and needs to get up to 8th. That requires passing the same number of teams (6) and making up the same number of points (8). So the same sort of run is exactly what we need. Obviously, better is better. Just saying that this is what needs to happen to become a playoff team.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 7:24 PM EST up reply actions
I disagree with how you are categorizing the Sabes with the “effectively 13th”. That seems to be the general disagreement.
FWIW, if the Canes rattle off a 10-1-2 streak, I would still believe it to be epic – especially considering from whence they came.
Perhaps the best way to look at is how many wins they’ll need and it’s a crapload.
fair enough
yeah, it’d take a hell of a run. I just wasn’t totally sure what epic entailed. I was just point out that it was both possible and had been done recently. As far as the “effectively 13th” bit, I’m holding steady on that. Ever since I’ve followed hockey, I haven’t looked at raw point totals at any time other than the end of the season. All about points per game.
FWIW, I looked back at stats since the lockout to see how often this kind of turnaround had been effected. In the two years immediately following the lockout, there were FOURTEEN teams that had dug themselves in this kind of hole, and only one, the 2005-2006 San Jose Sharks, climbed back into a playoff spot. And they actually came back to finish 5th in the conference.
In the last four years, only seven teams have dug themselves in this kind of hole, and only two recovered to make the playoffs, last year’s Sabres and the 2007-08 Capitals, who came back from dead last in the NHL at 8-15-1 to finish in a tie for 6th and wrap up the East division. One other team, the 2008-09 Florida Panthers, got back into a tie for 8th, but they lost the tiebreaker and were left out.
The main thing I draw from that is that I’m amazed to look back and see how stratified were just a few years ago, and how much parity there is now. But since we got that parity, it hasn’t been at all uncommon to see teams make a run from a late November hole (it’s actually been surprisingly frequent, given that a team usually has to be pretty bad to dig themselves that kind of hole).
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 29, 2011 10:54 AM EST up reply actions
Luke Deja Vu
Same old Luke…wish he would stay away from hockey…clearly there is a “glass more than 1/2 full” to this move…negative,negative,negative….
Why? That’s a good question. Coaches are always available. And if worse comes to worse, you stick one of the multiple assistants we have as interim head coach. Or hell, JR can do some coaching duties (which is actually pretty common).
I personally feel as if he took way too long. Muller has been raring for a head coaching job for a while and he could have quite possibly taken the job a month ago. I think the problem was that the team wasn’t prepared enough to decide what coach to bring in, and yes, that is JR’s fault. Mo looked on the way out at the end of last season. Over the off-season, I would have put tons of resources into scouring the Earth for possible replacements. I don’t think he did that.
Coaches are always available…yeah but do you just want us to replace Mo with any old coach? Come on.
I have said it before, I thought the contingency plan coming into this season was Dave Lewis. I think what they have seen out of Lewis made them rethink the contingency. I like the fact they didn’t just say, well let’s just go with Lewis, or Let’s just go with Daniels. I think they were patient and got what they wanted. or at least that is my speculation.
Luke nailed it.
“The result is all too often a lowest-common-denominator approach that seems designed to create four fourth lines, three third defensive pairings, a goalie who plays 90 percent of the time (or more) and a toothless power play. Meanwhile, underperforming veterans are always given preference over unproven young players.”
Read more: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/decock-the-second-mo-dynasty-falls#ixzz1f1wWpflA
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
The Condor. #63.
Yeah
I commented in the other thread on this one—do ya think these are all his ideas/perceptions or do you think he might have poached a bit from fan postings on this or other sites??
You don’t think the former beat writer, who still covers the Canes, and has watched the Canes for years and years couldn’t come to that conclusion on his own?
Maybe, but I’m also coming from the whole idea that Luke isn’t the biggest hockey expert on the block either. But yes, he could have come to those conclusions—but I never saw him express them like this before. It makes a wonderful summary of most of the posts here and in response to Canes Now blogs…
What makes you think he’s not the biggest hockey expert — particularly as compared to the highly qualified collection of fans on message boards? He was the beat writer for YEARS with this team. Are you suggesting that a collection of fans (many of who didn’t even know who Kirk Muller was it seems) would somehow have greater insight than someone who followed the team as a job? That he’s have to arrive at those opinions from reading fan boards? Newflash: identifying Paul Maurice’s shortcomings as a coach was not particularly difficult was it?
Luke has been highly critical of all the brass at 1400 EMR at one point or another.
Well, for one thing, Luke’s not from a hockey background. He has learned hockey over the years having to cover it from the N&O. And yes, some of us fans on this board have played hockey (ponds, kid leagues and some college), and have watched hockey at all levels for a heck of a lot longer than Luke.
I’ve watched Luke from when we first came to town. Luke knew next to nothing then. He’s gotten a lot better and learned a lot, and he has soem good takes, but my friend, he IS a lot less qualified then many on this blog.
Some of us have been around the block a few times…
Whatever you say.
I still contend that years spending day in and day out with the Hurricanes staff and players and spending time in press boxes and morning skates with literally every single media person and team covering the league is valuable “background”.
My comment was directed at the ridiculous suggestion that someone who covered this sport for years as his own livelihood would have to read message boards to formulate thoughts for a column.
It is silly to think he is incapable of forming his own thoughts on the matter, given his background.
It is not so silly to believe that his presentation isn’t influenced by places like this board.
PS – I mean NO ill intent with this comment, but if not having a “hockey background” (how you seem to be defining it), exactly how do you evaluate the staff here at Canes Country?
It’s a bit insulting to think talking about hockey is some sort of birthright. But I think someone already brought that up as one of hockey’s mass appeal issues.
I agree
I was just pointing out, and have spoken to Luke in the past, that his Mo summary smacks fairly highly of some fanposts I can recall. I know he does read fan posts and comments…As obviously does Chip since you can see their responses to fan comments. So yes he has valuable background.
Luke doesn’t write in a vacuum either. I know he has his hockey opinions. I comments in other boards on how his knowledge and assessments (and with it more pointed criticisms) has grown over the years due to his immersion with the team. This is similar to what JR commented on—as Fans become more knowledgable, their complaints about the coaching and its flaws become more vocal… Luke directly reflects this.
So I’m not calling you out, or calling misinformed. I was only commenting that it appears to me Luke borrowed from some of the fans posts on Mo…
…while also pointing out that many posters here have pretty fair hockey knowledge and insight as well for a variety of reasons.
Fair enough but I do not buy it the “borrowing” from fans. I still don’t have any reason to believe he would (professionally) or would even need to. He lived thru Mo the first time around up close and personal – and now again. I just don’t buy it.
How many different ways can you say the same thing? Particularly when the viewpoint is shared by just about anyone that’s watched Mo and Mo teams over the years.
Let's Face it the truth is the truth......
Whether a fan posts it or Luke writes it for N&O everything he pointed out is the Truth….the fact that most fans (some of us not born into Hockey knowledge from up NORTH) knew all of these things before Rutherford or PK could see them is the real problem.
the fact that most fans (some of us not born into Hockey knowledge from up NORTH) knew all of these things before Rutherford or PK could see them is the real problem.
It’s not that they couldn’t see the issue, its that the did not want to. Mo is like a son to both of them, so it was going to take quite a bit to let them go. I am personally shocked that it happened and pleasantly surprised that they took a shot on a rising start rather than simply " keeping it in the family "/
I believe in strength. I believe in unity. And if that strength, that unity of purpose, demands a uniformity of thought, word and deed then so be it.
by Douchebag St John on Nov 28, 2011 6:02 PM EST up reply actions
If you can field four 4th lines and three 3rd pairings, what does that say about the talent level of your team? It’s always 100% the coach’s fault when things go bad. Never the tight fisted owner. Not the GM who handed you the 20 man roster. I use Luke’s articles as a good fire place starter.
I obviously interpreted it differently. The way I read it, Luke is saying that Mo buries his possible talent on the lower lines, while giving preferred veterans minutes. I don’t think anyone could deny this. What this ends up doing is creating a very weak top line and a strong fourth line. Basically, his mishandling of talent creates multiple inept lines.
Are you suggesting that this team, with this “talent” (or lack of it), should be no better than where they are? I agree that the roster is lacking, but are they really conference basement level of talent?
Luke’s point wasn’t that the roster was made up of 4th line players anyway – just that it looked that way.
Sorry. Luke’s brilliance must be just over my head.
I have played golf with the man and we talked hockey. I have seen him in conversation with hockey players, coaches, and fellow professionals in the hockey media. He is fine when he can get back to a desk and craft an article taken from various sources. When he is in the moment his lack of understanding, hockey prescence and ability to grasp the subtle aspects of the game are glaring.
Who said Luke was brilliant?
This is the second time you’ve posted about your personal experience with Luke. Got it, you don’t like the guy and don’t respect his work.
You haven’t, however, explained how Luke is wrong in his assessment. He complimented what Mo did accomplish and criticized what he didn’t. What part do you disagree with?
Ok so lets break it down.
First off I do have a bias. The analogy I would use in describing Luke and his hockey views would be if he were covering basketball and Coach K just threw a blanket over the other teams ability to get into the paint while at the same time rushing their perimeter shots and his headline would be Duke wins due other teams poor shooting.
Mo didn’t get fired for stifling creative players. Or for creating nothing but 4th lines and 3rd D pairings. He failed because for three seasons he couldn’t coach up either the PP or PK. It was because he was stubborn in overslotting players like LaRose. It was for not using 4 lines and wearing out his top 9. And it was for not making in game changes. Last game against Winnipeg was a classic example. The Peg clogged the middle in their D zone. We continuously took the puck there. No adjustments. Not sure Luke would have seen or appreciated that.
As for stifling players. Mo moved just about everyone onto the top line at some point and allowed Staal to do his thing. Whatever is bothering Staal is on Staal. Was Skinner stifled. Was McBain stifled. Has Joni been stifled. They have all had green lights to go. Problem is that JR and PK shop at the player bargain barn and we have a lack of creative players. That in turn allows the other team to focus on the creative players we do have.
As for D pairings… Mo put Harrison with Faulk creating a 2nd pairing out of a 3rd one. Allen and Gleason worked until Gleason reverted back to last year’s version. And hard to have a true top pairing when your number one D is hurt.
Mo did ride Cam. But what were the options. Peters isn’t even the number one goalie in Charlotte.
Mo needed to go. But the reasons where in my opinion not what Luke thinks. And JR was the one who signed both LaRose and Dwyer and gave LaRose money well beyond a 4th liner. He signed Stewart and Poni who are ok 3rd liners when what we needed was a replacement for Cole. He had the money and went and signed Kabs for $4.25M. GMs don’t like coaches that bench their expensive signings. To my mind to a large extent JR inadvertently set this up for failure by not addressing the team’s true needs.
When I read articles on my sport I want to see something more than what I see. Some true insight. On some matters I expect to disagree but want to be stimulated by smart arguments. Just don’t get that with Luke.
by sittler27 on Nov 28, 2011 9:01 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Team's True Needs
Maybe Jim Rutherford was so upset today because he realizes his decision to pay Kaberle and re-sign LaRose rather than finding a true replacement for Cole put this season’s debacle in motion. I do think Maurice did a poor job with Dalpe and Boychuk and that his approach did stifle their natural offensive creativity. It’s hard to be creative on the fourth line getting four or five shifts a night.
Also, what is going on with Gleason? He started off quite well; but is playing poorly again. Is he hurt? Bad back?
Not sure what is ailing Gleason. He is a brooding kind of guy and I wonder if the team struggles weigh more heavily on him than others. He has gone back to being hesitant and it causes him to be flat footed and reaching. He isn’t the most nimble guy at the best of times so if he has a drop off it really shows. Maybe this change will get him going.
I tend to agree on Boychuk and Dalpe but to me it is more of a style of coaching where Mo expected guys to earn their ice time. The result may in the end be creativity stifling but to me “creativity” is overrated. There aren’t a ton of highlight reel goals on a given night. Most are as a result of speed and going to the tough areas of the ice. You can do that from the 4th line and show you are ready. But therein lies one of Mo’s failings…. Stewart did exactly that for two games and his reward was to stay on the 4th line. That sent all the wrong messages not only to Stewart but others. I expect it will be different with Muller. For one thing he spent 19 years in various roles and knows exactly how that feels as a player.
by sittler27 on Nov 28, 2011 9:24 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Bobby Ryan, Dustin Brown, Zach Parise
If Peter Karmanos, Jr. would take the jump into a higher salary, Bobby Ryan, Dustin Brown, and Zach Parise are all being discussed as available. Apparently, the Ducks are actively shopping Bobby Ryan. http://spectorshockey.net/wordpress/2011/11/29/nhl-trade-rumors-november-29-2011/
It would make a huge statement about the direction of the Hurricanes to add a young but proven first line wing. It definitely increases the payroll; but the payoff would be enormous for the franchise. Peter Karmanos, Jr. ultimately has to decide if he wants to have a team that is consistently short one or two key players or if he wants to pay for and build a top six team. Coaches can only do so much with teams that have too many holes to cover them all.
I try to catch Lyle’s blog every day since he not only seems to have good contacts but I also enjoy his responses to rumors that pop up.
Any one of those three would be great additions. Bobby Ryan has struggled this year and the Ducks have fallen hard ( much like the Canes). Teams in mutual misery often make good trade partners since they trade guys that may just need a change of scenery to get back on track.
Yeah
I don’t have a problem with Luke posting an article on why he thinks Mo is faltering, that’s totally appropriate. It’s when he posted multiple articles beating the dead horse, and used wording that showed a pretty strong bias against Maurice, that I got sick of him. If you follow him on twitter, he beat that horse even farther.
I ended up unfollowing both him and ice_chip because, well, the N&O provided nothing to me. Every actual useful bit of info, I got from one of the Canes media guys, or one of the CC folks who attended practices, or other sources. The only thing they added on top of that was their annoying snarky side comments.
by Raccoon Fink on Nov 29, 2011 12:02 AM EST up reply actions
For anyone who might not follow Luke he just tweeted that he caught up with Ray Whitney late last night to get his thoughts on the hire. It will be up on the N&O blog later.
Ray is never shy to share his thoughts. He has given out some short texts as to his thoughts so it will be interesting to see the longer version of what he is thinking. Cole also has some interesting info since he is getting direct reactions from guys that played for Muller as well as within the Habs organization. Pretty much what we are hearing….. the guys better be prepared to put in a 100% effort. He doesn’t take kindly to any player not ready to give it his all and will get in your face to let you know it.
Putting out the Effort
It’s going to be fun to watch the Hurricanes transition back to a more up-tempo, emotionally less constrained/anxious team. We will also get to see if all the players recognize the extra effort Muller is going to demand. I get the impression Muller means it when he says, players earn the ice time by their performance and not by their contracts.
In particular, I am interested in seeing how Muller handles Dalpe and Boychuk when and if they get called up this year. Boychuk in particular has been the subject of debate. I wonder Boychuk will respond when given ice time.
Muller doesn’t seem like the kind of coach who will acccept anything less than the best that each player has to give. I doubt it will take a lot of nuance for the player’s to know if Muller is pleased or displeased with them.
ditto
we all can’t boast NHL experience, play golf with players and coaches, attend practices, hang around the locker room, etc., but we all have eyes to see the obvious, as did Luke. He’s the only one in the media who had the balls to actually write about it, and if we’re all happy Mo is gone, we should be thanking Luke for beating that horse to help move things along, not berating him over the nuances of how he brought the subject to light for the masses who, inexplicably, don’t visit Canes Country every hour of every day. (God, do I do that? I gotta get a life…)
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 29, 2011 5:51 AM EST up reply actions
I agree with you to a point and we can agree to disagree overall. After all Luke is paid to do what he does and we end up reading it.
You hit on my concern with Luke…. It is easy to take swings at Mo and the franchise when they are where they are. But day in and day out when you look at individual games, what is obvious to his eyes may not be what is actually happening since he has a superficial understanding of the game.
As for my contacts…. it is a blessing to have that and it was earned in a rough and tumble manner I’d not recommend. I’m headed for platelet rich plasma injections this morning…. a trophy from playing days. It is a double edged sword and I am reminded of it every day. Luckily I can still run almost every day. A lot of guys from my era can’t boast that. Anyway, I pass on what I can because I appreciate the same from guys that have played basketball or football and stay close to their sport.
Well according to Luke DeCock we are in last place in the east(which we’re not) and are 6 points out of 8th place(which we’re not) usually i stop reading when I find shoddy journalism, especially when it’s simple things like this, but alas, I read on and learned that Luke doesn’t follow the Hurricanes, he follows the message boards and twitterbaters. Nothing original here.
Look I don't hate Luke nor do I disagree with alot of what he is saying
But I think he is heaping on, to blame the franchise for bringing him back for year 3 is one thing. To blame them for not axeing him a month ago is being unrealistic.
Also, kicking a man on his way out is poor form. It all comes off a little self congratulatory to me. Like " Hey I have said he should have been gone long ago, look at me."
If he’s kicking a man, it’s JR or PK. I doubt Luke expected Mo to fire himself. People need to separate the man from the performance. It’s what sports talking heads do – talk about sports, make predictions, revisit the predictions, etc. It comes with the territory.
He’s not kicking Maurice on his way out. He’s explaining why Maurice is on the way out. When someone gets traded or gets fired, you don’t look back and talk about all the great things, you talk about why he ended up in that situation. It’s a tricky situation to do that while the player/coach is still around. He’s just telling it as it is. I’m sure Maurice is thinking about what he did wrong right now, and this article explains it pretty well.
I defense of Mo...
The NHL.com article on six challenges had these points:
—It’s reached the point where it’s more mental than physical with Staal, and it will be up to Muller to get his best player to relax and re-discover his confidence.
Something Mo has been trying by rotating positions and linemates….But opbviously Mo can’t help as a former player. This will be Key to Muller’s style and coaching…
—Overall, the Hurricanes have been outscored 59-41 at even strength and 4-0 during 4-on-4 play. Muller needs to preach defense and have the offense come from sound play in their own zone.
ALmost word for word from Mo’s last comments…. Not the same as needing to pull back the offense the way Mo did it, but as a coach Mo did recognize the essential truth and flaws with this team. Mo didn’t get buy in. Can Muller, with his calls for accountability (Mo… not so much) get this?? With a more aggressive offenaive strategy the forwards may like better, maybe so. Another key point to how this team plays.
Either way Mo wasn’t a bad coach as far as his assessments and what the team needed. But he never could get it done with a stubborn sticking to his same old ways and habits/comfort patterns. Muller I’ve already seen comments on his adaptability and methods for getting results with what he is given. That would help us a lot since our team’s make up and Mo’s desires style didn’t seem to mix.
But the biggest difference I see going forward, once he’s able to implement it, is a style or system we can identify with this team. A way of playing we can look at and assess how we’re doing in relation to what the coach wants. Something we knew and had under Lavi, but to me has been glaringly missing under Mo.
Every coach will have the same basic ideas when you come down to it. Find one coach in the league who will not say responsible defensive play from the forwards helps out the team.
The difference is the implementation. Maurice’s idea is to have a very conservative, one-man high forecheck. This ensures the other four players are in good position if the puck comes into the zone. At the same time, it reduces offense. From what I have read about Muller, his idea is that forwards have the freedom to forecheck aggressively as long as they back-check and get back into the zone for defense. This obviously creates more offensive chances, which the team also needs and probably thrives on, but also could create a problem if the forwards do not come back and help out completely. Both methods have their advantages/disadvantages, and I think it will come down to whether Muller can instill the idea better than Maurice did.
Glad for the change.....but with change comes uncertainty
Just waiting to see how long it takes before we start to hear “Muller Must Go” if he doesn’t come out winning……. This is not a quick fix situation, while I do think it is for the best we still have a long row to hoe……….
No, no no…. before you hear “Muller must go”, the next should be,
JETTISON JR, for putting this team together.
JR, you still have lots work to do which includes getting PK to open his eyes to the reality on the ice.
by Canes Pucknut on Nov 28, 2011 3:27 PM EST up reply actions
Great post Carolyn!
Excellent job of putting the days big story together, with related articles and all that !!!
well now that the dust has "settled" somewhat
I think it is safe to come in…aint it ?? Thanks Miss Carolyn…I’m organised and i couldn’t have gotten off this done in time..:-)
9/11/01 - Never Forget !!
Long Live #63 The Condor
Go Canes & Checkers !!!
Great audio of Forslund on David Glenn show (see link above). In talking about developing young talent, you can hear John’s frustration bubble up when he talks about bringing a guy like Dalpe up, you have to play him on a scoring line and give him powerplay time if that’s the role you see him in down the line. I’m guessing JF was not a fan of Mo’s constant burial of Checkers on the non-existent fourth line…
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
The Team has talent
While we not the most talented team in the league, the claims that we don’t have talent or even sub-par talent just isn’t true.
Individually many of our players appear to have great talent – Skinner, Jussi, Yoni, Staal (in all previous seasons), Ward, Pikanin, Sutter (these guys have talent)
Our talent wasn’t being utilized wisely, our lines would change on a daily basis, our potential guys weren’t getting a fair chance to play, our starting goalie overworked.
This is the reason we needed the coaching change. Now we can find out if the players we have can do it, or not.
I agree the talent is better than the team’s position in the league would indicate but even with good coaching I think the team would have struggled to make the playoffs (not that they couldn’t make the playoffs, they are the cardiac canes after all but it would be a struggle). Maurice just didn’t adapt his style well to meet present conditions and when he realized his job was in serious jeopardy (probably nearer the start of the season) he turtled, falling back on the veteran players he knew and neglecting the newer vets and prospects.
Let's go Hartolina WhalerCanes!!!! I am a big fan of the Canes, but I still have some residual Brass Bonanza Blue and Green in me.
I think the key for Muller will be for him to try and get the PP going. If he can figure out how to do that over the next week, that changes everything. We get the most PP opportunities in the league, if he can bump us up 5%; that could mean a lot.
"We've got to risk implosion. We may explode into the biggest fireball this part of the galaxy has seen, but we've got to take that one in a million chance."
-- Captain Kirk in Star Trek 'The Naked Time'
One article states he wasn’t responsible for the PP in Montreal, but only the PK. So there is a challenge for him there. But given his player background, and numerous coaches played for and coached under, he might have an idea or two….
Either way, the PP is going to be key. Obviously no one else on the staff knows how to run an effective PP, so now it is up to him.
"We've got to risk implosion. We may explode into the biggest fireball this part of the galaxy has seen, but we've got to take that one in a million chance."
-- Captain Kirk in Star Trek 'The Naked Time'
As head coach of the Admirals Muller was responsible for the forwards and the power play. Anybody know how good Milwaukee’s PP was?
I couldn’t find the PP or PK stats for AHL teams, but this is what I got from the box scores.
The Admirals were 13 of 68 on the PP for 19.1%
The Admirals were 60 of 74 on the PK for 81.1%
The Checkers were 22 of 108 on the PP for 20.4%
The Checkers were 70 of 86 on the PK for 81.4%.
"We've got to risk implosion. We may explode into the biggest fireball this part of the galaxy has seen, but we've got to take that one in a million chance."
-- Captain Kirk in Star Trek 'The Naked Time'
good work
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 5:39 PM EST up reply actions
Well, the Admirals suck at drawing penalties is what I see. Maybe they need to dive and chicken-wing more. What’s Muller teaching them anyhow ?
by drifterscape on Nov 28, 2011 7:19 PM EST up reply actions
but also don't commit a whole ton
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 7:25 PM EST up reply actions
got the presser on the local news right now
JR thought JD was ready, but he wanted fresh ideas from outside the organization and he also didn’t want to ruin our player development in Charlotte.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 5:05 PM EST reply actions
not working on the Canes site for me
The Condor. #63.
by DidJussiThat? on Nov 28, 2011 5:15 PM EST up reply actions
just ran away to the weather report
but channel 14 had it for about ten minutes
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 5:17 PM EST up reply actions
JR thought JD was ready, but he wanted fresh ideas from outside the organization and he also didn’t want to ruin our player development in Charlotte.
Who is this man, and what has he done with the real JR?
I believe in strength. I believe in unity. And if that strength, that unity of purpose, demands a uniformity of thought, word and deed then so be it.
by Douchebag St John on Nov 28, 2011 6:03 PM EST up reply actions
I dunno, but I say we keep him
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 6:07 PM EST up reply actions
one thing that he already
has a leg up on is knowing what he has in Charlotte. After a battle saturday, and a waxing sunday. The Checkers are a team Muller should be quite familiar with. I’m excited to see what he can do. You’d be surprised what a dose of confidence and gumption can do to a team. I’m not saying he’ll catapult us into the playoffs, but he should at least get us not looking like CRAP every game.
Advocating the correct nickname for Tyrus Thomas be: Tyrusauras.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Checkers, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
Very cautious interview by Muller. Avoided (nicely) the Dalpe & Boychuk question and didn’t really touch the minute distribution question either, but was quick to address accountability – good stuff.
These two guys need to be up tbh
Time to go with a youth movement. I understand that Eric Staal can’t be dealt but move Gleason, Kaberle (if possible), Ruutu. Commit to giving PT to guys like Dalpe, Boychuk and other young players in the system to figure out what you’ve got.
Comments by Jim Rutherford: Pretty Intense
Jim Rutherford said words to the effect that this team does not have players who want to win at any cost. It was a calm, but intense statement. I heard it as a warning shot to some of the players that if they didn’t step up their game, they would be traded. After having fired his best friend, it doesn’t surprise me that he is not fooling around with wanting more effort and intensity.
what I like to hear
he is not fooling around
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 5:43 PM EST up reply actions
who could he be talking about?
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 28, 2011 5:43 PM EST up reply actions
lol
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 28, 2011 5:50 PM EST up reply actions
I really can’t say who it is, but I feel certain it is NOT:
Skinner, Ruutu, Gleason, Allen, Sutter, Jokinen, LaRose, Faulk. Those guys always give it 100%. I am not saying anybody absence from that list is coasting, just thinking about the ones who have never taken a shift off.
I’m sorry AD, but I’ve seen a couple of those players give less 100%. I would say Sutter, Dwyer, LaRose, Allen, and probably Ruutu give 100% every shift. Skinner is a great talent, but doesn’t give his all on the defensive side. Jussi doesn’t bitch as much as Staal, but he does his fair share of complaining. And if Gleason is always giving 100%, then he’s not as good as I thought he is.
"We've got to risk implosion. We may explode into the biggest fireball this part of the galaxy has seen, but we've got to take that one in a million chance."
-- Captain Kirk in Star Trek 'The Naked Time'
by PackPride17 on Nov 28, 2011 6:05 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
eesh = gleason
i believe timmay has given us enough over the years to get a little slack here, folks. he’s playing poorly, but i would not immediate connect that to lack of effort.
JR has taken his shot over the bow of the Titanic, let’s see who stays on board to try and save the passengers and who knocks women and children out of the way to grab a seat on a lifeboat.
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 29, 2011 5:53 AM EST up reply actions
I think this is the first wave of a storm. I bet there be some trades that have been in the works. If Staal isn’t traded and all of a sudden he finds a cure for his shit play I will never respect him again. I think of all the players on the team the one that tried the least is the captain. I’m rubbing my rabbits foot that Staal is on JR’s radar and needs to learn a new city.
Vancouver has forwards to trade. Maybe the new coach has an in with Nashville. I just hope the fans get some inspired hockey. I really don’t care if it’s Staal or not, just ike picking and he is ripe for it. Trade anybody but Sutter, Skinner and Ward.
if the return is worth it. Bring cole back and I hope there is a special spot in hell for JR.
A
Getting old sucks!
I actually wouldn’t be completely surprised is Staal rounds into form over the next couple of games. And it wouldn’t be because he was trying to get Mo fired. I think Staal is A LOT about confidence and if Muller can reintroduce confidence to Staal, his season could turn around.
"We've got to risk implosion. We may explode into the biggest fireball this part of the galaxy has seen, but we've got to take that one in a million chance."
-- Captain Kirk in Star Trek 'The Naked Time'
by PackPride17 on Nov 28, 2011 6:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I worry that scrambling his brothers nugget might have had an irreversible affect on #12. I hope I am wrong but, barring injury that we do not know about, its the only answer I’ve got.
I believe in strength. I believe in unity. And if that strength, that unity of purpose, demands a uniformity of thought, word and deed then so be it.
by Douchebag St John on Nov 28, 2011 6:52 PM EST up reply actions
Pack,
You pulling my chain? What you just said is why I have only a smidge of respect for Staal. He is the most over rated un rounded player in the NHL. At 8 mill. if he has hurt feelings and all of a sudden he s cured he is something that should be scraped off a shoe. He is a total head case. I kinda of hope Douce is correct and Staal may find his game again.
But come on, miraculous turn around and you say it’s confidence? I thik many of us are expecting him to turn around. My take is he is a sissy waste of 8 mill if he all of a sudden snaps back. I don’t buy he is just some sensative guy, not at that level. He makes too much and is Captain. Part of that check and the C is to man up.
I dunno, I really don’t like him much but I was a little surprised at your take on the situation.
A
Getting old sucks!
Is a player not allowed to have a bad start? He’s human, it happens. Good lord. If he breaks out of it, do you really think it would bother you THAT much???
by jbcanesfan26 on Nov 28, 2011 7:48 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Relax rookie.
Before Private Stinky ever knew what the internet was, Paladin was on this site trolling and rabble-rousing. He left for awhile, probably due to no internet connection wherever he was locked up. ;>)
by drifterscape on Nov 28, 2011 7:55 PM EST up reply actions
Haha I’m not a rookie. I don’t comment much, but I visit the site everyday. Just don’t understand all the hate for Staal. He’s not my favorite player by any means, but he isn’t the first important player to struggle, and he won’t be the last. He’ll break out of it, everyone will forget about his bad start, and the fans will select a new whipping boy. While it’s hurting the team right now, I think it’s good for the front office to see that it’s tough for the team to win without Staal producing. Hopefully it encourages them to increase the talent level a bit.
by jbcanesfan26 on Nov 28, 2011 8:16 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
um, was never private, thank you very much
LET'S GO CANES -- THE SEASON AIN'T OVER YET!!!
by Capt. Stinky on Nov 29, 2011 5:55 AM EST up reply actions
Vinny Lecavalier
Was supposed to be the next great thing…was for a while, then fell off the planet as well. He’s having a good year again this year. Will he ever be back to what was expected? Don’t know.
But these things happen… Ovechkin hasn’t been worth his money last year either, especially given previous year’s play.
These things happen. Staal has been pretty consistent his whole career. One really good spike that helped us win a Cup, but otherwise very consistent. He can still recover and score thirty goals for us again, but we’ll have to see.
But no way this is permanent or is he done. The right coach, the right thught, something will put him back on track.
Paladin,
What the hell are you talking about? How is a confidence issue about hurt feelings? Staal is struggling this season and has no one to turn to to help him figure it out. The former coach had no playing experience, none of the players around him have ever had to deal with the pressure he does. He is now getting a coach that understands what he is going through and can help direct him. At times we all need guidance, maybe “crybaby” Staal now has a shoulder to cry on.
Seriously man, I know you can’t stand Staal; but if you actually watch his game, it is 90% about confidence. When he is feeling it, he can & does carry the team. When he is off, he’s lost. Confidence is what hot streaks & slumps are all about. That’s the way sports work. The basketball player that makes a couple shots in a row; he feels he can’t miss. Then he misses 3 or 4 in a row and he is tentative to shoot. A quarterback who completes a few passes; now he can squeeze one in the tightest spot. Then a few tip off receivers fingertips, get intercepted, and he over thinks his throws. I’ve been threw both and I realize how big confidence is to performance.
Its not a sissy or sensativity issue, its just how people work. Hate Staal if you want, but get real.
"We've got to risk implosion. We may explode into the biggest fireball this part of the galaxy has seen, but we've got to take that one in a million chance."
-- Captain Kirk in Star Trek 'The Naked Time'
by PackPride17 on Nov 28, 2011 8:10 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
It’s 90% about not skating hard (unless he sees a chance to pad his stats with an empty netter). Seriously watch the guy – in yesterdays game I think I saw him break into a full skating stride maybe 3 times, otherwise he was doing his patented half shuffle, loop around with no stop/start. If Staal’s game comes around it will only be because the new coach is making him accountable for a lack of effort.
BTW the new coach is not going to free up this teams offense- quite the contrary, he is going to demand more defensive responsibility than PM did. The difference will be, that when it isn’t seen from a player he’ll sit or skate in practice.
Again, watch his game. You’ll have to go back to last year, but when he scores a couple; you can notice a difference in his game. His offense, even when not scoring, almost looks effortless. He’s quick with the puck and puts some hard shots on net. When he misses one he knows he should have had, it seems like he starts to over think everything. For Staal, confidence seems to get him in the flow of the game. When it is lacking, he looks lost and it is evident.
"We've got to risk implosion. We may explode into the biggest fireball this part of the galaxy has seen, but we've got to take that one in a million chance."
-- Captain Kirk in Star Trek 'The Naked Time'
by PackPride17 on Nov 28, 2011 8:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Example of Staal Needing Confidence
Staal one time had a streak of 18 games where he only scored 4 goals & 4 assists. Another time he had a 16 game streak where he only had 5 goals & 3 assists. The funny thing is that both of those streaks happened during the same season. Do you wonder what Staal ended up with on that season? He ended up with 38 goals, 44 assists; so 82 points in 82 games. You can call Staal streaky because that is what he is. But being streaky is all about having & not having confidence!
"We've got to risk implosion. We may explode into the biggest fireball this part of the galaxy has seen, but we've got to take that one in a million chance."
-- Captain Kirk in Star Trek 'The Naked Time'
by PackPride17 on Nov 28, 2011 8:50 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Hmmm, I at least understand where you are coming from now. I agree our boy is streaky. At his level of respo. and pay grade I guess my issue is he should have more good streaks than bad and while I do like and respect the example of his slumps in a 82 point effort I think, and just me as wa of explaining, tink he should be a perrenial 90 point guy and even when he can’t contribute points he is a force on the ice.
Soooo, trying to be respectful here, that means instead of getting a double team and flopping on the ice like a bass and allowing the opposing team to then over man another guy, stay up, fight, take frickin roughing penalty’s. Show he cares. I see his penaltys as more tantrums, not over doing it for the team or sticking up for a team mate or trying to motivate the team. Gleason used to be a good example of taking a good penalty (next topic?).
I dunno Pack, I agree on streaky, I get your side coming from the confidence angle, but I guess I just have to stick with that . I dunno, I don’t know the man only what I see. We all know what opinions are like I reckon. So I’ll let mine stand, but I would like you to point ou any motivating incidents that would lead Staal to get back his game. Granted you ain’t a bug on the wall in the locker room, but if you hear or notice something, I’d appreciate a word up.
I may not like him, ut I think we all know we ain’t getting rid of him. Maybe understanding will improve my inner calm.
A
Getting old sucks!
Trading Staal--nuts!
How many players can carry a team? We have two (and maybe Skinner will become one). We’d be nuts to trade one away. Guys like Staal don’t “lose it” forever. I don’t know that he’ll ever get 100 points in a season again, but he’ll be back.
Is anyone else bothered by the way he handled his trade to NY Islanders?
I know that guys hate playing there….but Muller’s debacle there seemed pretty bad. Don’t know if it’s been mentioned in these articles, haven’t had time to sift through them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Muller#Playing_career
As good as that compilation is, I believe I’ve found an article missing from the Clicks & Clippings. This is too good a read to pass up:
RLD Hockey: Muller takes over for Maurice in Raleigh
Writer sounds like she knows what she’s talking about.
Staal and Muller
I do have some hope that Muller can unravel Staal and get him going. If we embrace the fact that Staal is really a 75-80 point player and not a 95-100, then actually Muller is a great role model, and potentially a similar style of player. Muller was really a grind-it-out leader who could score, not a natural offensive force. Perhaps #12 can reinvent himself ala Captain Kirk.
Fire Luke DeCock!
Come on JR, get this done now! Don’t make us wait a month on this one.
Length of contracts
No disrespect intended to Muller, but isn’t three years to follow the remainder of this season rather optimistic? I suppose there’s a tradeoff between bringing someone in without breaking the bank and providing enough incentive to get someone to commit to a situation that’s going to be a challenge to turn around.
What’s a typical deal for a new head coach with no experience in the NHL, and how much time will Muller really have to implement his style of hockey here? Are coaching contracts shorter than three years unusual when you’re dealing with a new coach that lacks experience in the league?
I admit to coming into this from a college sports perspective
but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of an initial contract of less than three years
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 28, 2011 11:18 PM EST up reply actions
a new head coach with no experience in the NHL
Umm, well, that’s kind of strong—maybe no HEAD coaching experience in the NHL. But for Montreal he was an assistant for years, and was responsible for many parts of that team. He was also responsible for communicating directly with the players instead of the coach, especially during games. The man was an NHL team Captain. That’s a lot of leadership and NHL experience…
The guy was going to be hired by some team in the near future, probably this year. He knows that. You have to give him a convincing contract to get him to come to a faltering team in a smaller hockey market.
And isn’t it the exact same contract that Maurice had? Remainder of one season plus three. I don’t think Maurice’s was too long, but granted we knew what he was like.
I Hope that will not force Daniels to leave
But I would not be surprised if we will see Jeff behind some OTHER NHL team bench relatively soon. He is long overdue and I think this is a signal for him the he needs to explore the market – looks like there are few spots. Who is going to win here? Jeff – yes, Canes – not sure.
All above is my personal opinion.
Thanks,
Andy_S
Great hire!
The Montreal Canadien players can tell you what a good coach Kirk Muller is. Good hire for Carolina.
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