Coach AV returns next year? Yes or No

[Eddy Punch Clock]

I like AV but it may be time for new blood. However, if the players have in fact "tuned him out" after coming so close last season then I'd also question the integrity and heart of said players. Send them packing too.

AV to Montreal, Mac-T back in the NHL and Arniel back in the AHL seems like a likely trifecta to me.

[Topper]

I haven't voted on this and doubt I will, but I will comment on the 'lost the room" scenario many are spouting.

AV's style has been to develop a leadership core and leave much of the dressing room politics and motivation to that core. He and his coaches look after the style of play, on ice plays and scouting/prep for up coming games. Really not too much different than the way his predecessor managed the team.

The risk of this hands off approach to the room is the leadership core developing a country club atmosphere. I have no idea, but that may have been the stifled effort we saw in the last half of the season.

I suspect some changes to that leadership core in the off season.

[Jovocop]

I haven't voted on this and doubt I will, but I will comment on the 'lost the room" scenario many are spouting.

AV's style has been to develop a leadership core and leave much of the dressing room politics and motivation to that core. He and his coaches look after the style of play, on ice plays and scouting/prep for up coming games. Really not too much different than the way his predecessor managed the team.

The risk of this hands off approach to the room is the leadership core developing a country club atmosphere. I have no idea, but that may have been the stifled effort we saw in the last half of the season.

I suspect some changes to that leadership core in the off season.

Are you suggesting that Henrik should not be the captain? I am not sure who else is qualified to be the captain on this team.

If the core indeed developed a country club atmosphere, the blame should be on AV and MG for not realizing and fixing it before the damage is done. At the end of the day, AV and MG are the actual leaders of the group, not the C or the A's.

[porp]

AV needs some fresh scenery.

I think that he's a fantastic coach - for developing young teams into mature ones. However, he hasn't shown mental flexibility to try new strategies in the face of opposition teams that had figured out his system. Shuffling players around doesn't cut it.

As for who would be a better replacement...? I have no clue, but AV's forte is developing you teams and isn't the best fit for this Canucks team.

[Topper]

Are you suggesting that Henrik should not be the captain? I am not sure who else is qualified to be the captain on this team.

If the core indeed developed a country club atmosphere, the blame should be on AV and MG for not realizing and fixing it before the damage is done. At the end of the day, AV and MG are the actual leaders of the group, not the C or the A's.

another reading comprehension 101 failure

[coco_canuck]

The risk of this hands off approach to the room is the leadership core developing a country club atmosphere. I have no idea, but that may have been the stifled effort we saw in the last half of the season.

I suspect some changes to that leadership core in the off season.

It's difficult to evaluate what the coach did right or wrong behind the scenes, and even on the ice in many cases, but there was something off with this team in this series, and their execution was stale.

I've supported AV for a long time, and there's no doubt that he's an excellent coach, but you can only have a guy around for so long without the ultimate success before a change needs to be made.

It seems that we're at the stage where a change needs to happen, or is another slow early-season start away from happening.

I share DBR's sentiments, in that I don't want a change just for the sake of change, but if a coaching change is absolutely necessary, then it's on MG to find a suitable coach.

I'm not sure Mac-T is that guy...or maybe I should say that I HOPE he's NOT the guy.

[Canuck-One]

I don't see anyone who has the touch like AV does becoming available anytime soon. So why fire the guy. He didn't lace up the skates for a once around the rink with the family, the team did. They lost because there was no sense of urgency, the puck simply didn't belong to them and they played that way. If you want to score against top NHL goalies like Quick you have to get in close and ram it in or deflect a shot that he can't see or react to. You don't skate around dropping sloppy passes to the Kings. LA weren't dirty or overly physical. The refs were as poor as ever but even that incompetence went both ways. So I'll take a breath sit back and review them after I get over the disappointment.

[donlever]

...strangely (or not) enough I am not even that disappointed.

Oddly ambivalent really.

[Cornuck]

I don't see AV going anywhere.

I do think that he'll have a shorter leash next year, but it's hard to gauge a two-time President's Trophy coach.

I think that Gillis' moves this year didn't improve the current team (more than just the Hodgson move) and if GMMG can pull off a good trade or two this summer, AV will have more to work with.

But since our first AV playoffs, when he tried to protect 1 and 2 goal leads against Chicago, I've doubted his abilities to out-coach the opponent in a 7 game series.

[Aaronp18]

Oddly ambivalent really.

Yeah I kind of feel the same way.

Maybe it's because we only won one game and it wasn't until Game 4??

Just couldn't get into even the playoffs this year.

Maybe a nice long off-season will be good for everyone.

[herb]

I have no idea if AV should come back next year, but only once in this series did it feel like I was watching playoff hockey. This happened in the first shift when David Booth flew in on the forecheck and levelled Doughty. That was it. Only once did we get a glimpse of the style of aggressive, balls to the wall hockey we saw last year that got us to the finals.

After that first shift, the team looked like a limp, saggy, flacid, weak, lame ass version of last year's squad.

I don't know if it was fatigue, coaching, injuries or whatever, but I think we can all use some time off. I'm with Donny and I'm actually looking forward to this spring. The off season should be fun too, as I'm expecting some major changes that will mix up the core of the group. I don't think anybody but the Sedins and Kesler are untouchable.

I will say that I often find change to be a good thing. A bit of a refresh for some guys (Luongo) might do us all some good.

[wafflecombine]

Herb... I would add the effect that the reffing had on the series. The way things were called in the first three games cut the nut out of the Canucks aggression because they ended up in fear mode; passing on checks, not pressing hard, etc.

Whereas the Kings just went to work. I still wonder how Stoll didn't get penalized for leaping at Burrows with stick and elbows up. Sure Burrows sidestepped at the last second when he heard the locomotive but the intent to injure was still there and contact was still made.

meh. getting a little tired of the reffs. Maybe the long offseason will cure my disdain.

[Fred]

What scares me is another ex MG customer is sitting in the wings. It's not like MG doesn't like to hand out goody bags to his ex clients. I'd rather have AV than McT.

Considering the players AV works with how much more is it reasonable to expect

[ODB]

Bah, who gives a fuck about the president’s trophy? It's meaningless given how terrible our division is. AV won the presidents trophy... so what, who cares? We beat up on the weakest division by far in the league. Stick us in the Pacific or the Atlantic and we're a bottom four team in the conference. That's a fact!

Still a good team, still a cup contender! But enough about the presidents trophy!

And FIRE AV FFS!

[donlever]

Bah, who gives a fuck about the president’s trophy?

Last year it meant something.

This year it is just another one of the useless banners we have floating around up in the nether regions of Rogers.