Monday, February 16, 2009
Critiquing the Critics: The Therrien Edition
First off, the facts. Therrien has been fired, not directly after the relatively humiliating, hole in the wall punching 6-2 defeat to Toronto, but over 24 hours after, with a game scheduled for 2 the next day.
Dan Byslma has been called up from Wilkes Barre on the interim tag to replace Therrien. Assistant Andre Savard was "reassigned" within the organization, while Tom Fitzgerald assumes his role (from Director of Player Development) and Mike Yeo keeps his job on the PP.
Wes Goldstein at CBS calls it the easy way out. Scott Burnside at ESPN agrees. I tend to agree. Ray Shero made a host of moves this offseason. Zigomanis, Satan, Fedotenko, Sykora, Cooke, Dupuis, not to mention Michel Therrien.
He says,
"I think we're all accountable. I'm accountable. This is my team."Are you Ray? Is it Ray? If it is, then this is just as much your fault. We know Therrien wasn't your guy and a Stanley Cup appearance forced your hand to sign him to a deal. But if I'm Mario Lemieux, I'm looking at the big picture of this team.
Ray Shero made these moves. It's quite debatable whether or not the Pens should've matched Tampa for Malone. But still, that's 27 goals, 51 points, and grit. Something these Pens lack outside of a man named Godard (during his 3 minutes of time), Fedotenko and Cooke (when they're not injured).
Hossa? You don't replace Hossa. He made his decision to leave, some say because of Therrien, to that point we will never know. But, it was a deal that sold a top prospect for a run at the Cup. The Pens won't get those picks or prospects back. Well, maybe Colby, but Sid needs his bff.
Others left, Gary Roberts, who at times was a possessed geriatric beast. Jarkko Ruutu, a pest, who'd at least stick up for himself and his teammates. This was of course before he garnered a taste for human flesh.
Yet who has Shero replaced all these guys with. Sykora, whom has worked out well, but has been oddly used in his time thus far in Pittsburgh. Zigomanis, the floater known as Miroslav Satan, Fedotenko, and a rotating group of about 10 AHL'ers, including Finnish "stud" Janne Pesonen.
As much as you can say about Ziggy's faceoff abilities, Satan's wrister, Tank's Fists, Sykora's hands, and Pesonen's potential, these are still UFA retreads that place a square peg in a round hole.
What can Shero do about it? Well if this is his team, as he says. He can start by shedding some weight. He has 65% of the cap tied into 6 guys. Did he not learn anything from Tampa?
This is not to say I'm saying Therrien should not have been fired. I've not been a Therrien proponent. He's got less emotion than the Mona Lisa, can't put together a game plan (or lines) to save his life, and his solution to any sort of adversity is putting Crosby and Malkin together.
However, this is a perfect storm. Injuries decimated what was a good D corps last year. There's no Ty Conklin heroics in goal, as Fleury is either great or inconsistent, and Sabu, now Garon, isn't likely to spell him for any period of time. Nor is there any true semblance of secondary scoring, Staal has regressed, Talbot has regressed, etc. etc.. The powerplay, even with 2 of the top 3 scorers in the league, is ranked in the bottom 10 (yet Mike Yeo keeps his job, pardon me?). That's going to get you fired no matter what kind of previous success you've had with a team.
But if Shero has the gall to say that everyone, including himself, should be held accountable for what is currently adding up to a wasted season for the Pens (as we've seen the window of opportunity for teams in the Salary Cap era closes very quickly) then this is as much his fault as Therriens. In reality, this is Lemieux's team, and apparently like the Ottawa Senators, the GM gets to pass the buck.
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Denson's thoughts will go here. Cause I'm sure he'll defend someone along the way.
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