Curmudgeon wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:14 am
The Brown Wizard wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:38 am
There was an article recently comparing other top dmen that trotz has developed and NDs ice time. It is right in line with those players at the same age. Weber was one of them.
That's a great point and another example is Trotz appearing to help Carlson take the next step. Good coach for putting defensive structure in place and building from the net out, like the Preds first playoff team had Scott Walker as their leading scorer and defender Marek Zidlicky second, so that bodes well for developing both defensemen and goaltenders.
I remember hearing Trotz being interviewed a few times before the Capitals hired him and he was lobbying or was a candidate for the Canucks job but they ended up hiring Willie D. What a mistake.
The key thing about Trotz is he's not dead set on a system, he evolves and adapts his systems to the players he has to work with, that's what makes him great, also what makes championship teams as they can adapt their systems to each team in the playoffs.
2014: In recent years, Trotz’s Nashville teams were known for their unrelenting commitment to team defense, but the coach said he doesn’t advocate a specific style of play. Trotz believes systems should be designed to make players on a roster most effective.
“I think I’m very adaptable. When we had Paul Kariya for a couple years and we were a little deeper at forward we were a pretty high-scoring team,” said Trotz of two seasons (2005-2007) in which the Predators averaged more than three goals per game. “You need balance and if you have dynamic people — I’ve always tried to assess the talent and say ‘Okay, how can we get better as a group and how can we win hockey games?’ I've played a number of different systems based on our personnel but I like the personnel to dictate the strength.
Trotz had a lot of connections in Washington prior and the Caps were the 1st ones to reach out to him, but they were also looking for a GM first.
Trotz is familiar with the Capitals’ organization and the Washington region. His first professional coaching job was as an assistant in 1990-91 with the Baltimore Skipjacks, then the Capitals’ AHL affiliate. He spent seven years in the organization, five as an AHL head coach, including a Calder Cup championship in 1994 after the team moved to Portland, Maine.
“I know a lot of people in [the Washington] area, I know a lot about the organization. I sort of kept tabs of them over the years and there’s some great pieces there,” Trotz said. “It’s a great city and some great players to work with.”
Caps on a GM search:
Jim Benning, Boston’s assistant general manager, is considered the top option in the league for a front-office post, but TSN has reported that he is likely headed to Vancouver. Several former general managers, including Mike Gillis (most recently with Vancouver), Darcy Regier (Buffalo) and Jay Feaster (Calgary) are also reportedly candidates, according to RDS in Canada.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/c ... story.html
So at least we got Jim Benning for our GM, who was coveted. Willie was the sacrifice during the end of the Sedins swan song years and the low-key rebuild while having no prospects sans Bo and a owner wanting an immediate playoffs (2015), then was ok with a rebuild while trying to be competitive.
Can the Canucks just win a Cup within the next 5 years.