doc what do you think about the coaching yesterday against washington.
What about? It had no effect on the game. The Habs lost the game in the first period when Carey Price let in two soft goals.
However, to be fair to Mr. Price, your team also needs to score goals in order to win games.
The powerplay's ineffectiveness also contributed once again to the team's lack of success. Tomas Kaberle was brought in to help an inept powerplay & it's now worse than it ever was. Kaberle's ice-time is being reduced game after game & he's mostly used on special units. Now their stuck with his big contract for another two seasons. When he was acquired, no one in the NHL wanted him.....Carolina realized early that they had made a mistake by signing him & couldn't find a trading partner until Pierre Gauthier gave them a call last month.
Randy Cunneyworth is a rookie head coach. He's surrounded by a bunch of dummies, including one who had never been behind a bench before. Rookie coaches make mistakes, but usually, they have a veteran coaching presence to rely on, which isn't the case in Montreal.
The Habs will not make the playoffs. This is almost a given. Now the team will have to figure out a way to turn the tide. Will it mean parting with some of its top young talent? You need to give something in order to get something. My guess is that they'll hang on to the likes of Price, Subban & Pacciorety, while unloading veterans like Gill, Moen & Kostitsyn. They'll probably hang on to Plekanec, Gionta, Cole & Gorges. My guess is that they likely will put Scott Gomez on waivers if they already haven't done so, but i doubt anyone will pick him up. I'd be curious to learn which of those players i mentionned have no-trade clauses in their contracts.
Next season, they'll start over with a new coach, new GM, and new players. The foundation will still be there & they'll need to draft wisely & be patient. This team isn't that far off from being in the playoffs once again, but to do so, they'll need to get rid of their excess baggage, whether it means to send them to Hamilton in order to bury their contract, or trade them for picks or prospects.