Elliotte Friedman talked about Kris Knoblauch’s way of coaching in today’s 32 Thoughts, using the Florida Panthers as an example for how he could make his players perform better.
There are many issues to look at in Edmonton, but let’s begin with this: the Oilers should trade Andrew Mangiapane. It’s obvious that he doesn’t fit with Kris Knoblauch’s plans, and there’s no reason to ignore that fact. It’s better to accept the loss and move forward. They’ve been looking for more players who would be okay taking on a role in the bottom six, much like Kasperi Kapanen has done.
One challenge I still notice is creating roles that everyone agrees on and feels good about. This was a struggle for Toronto during the Core Four period, and it seems to be a problem for the Oilers as well. Making every player on the team feel valued and important helped Florida become an excellent team.
– Elliotte Friedman
Coach not connected to role-players
Friedman’s comments hint at two different coaching styles: Kris Knoblauch of the Oilers and Paul Maurice of the Panthers.
For the Oilers, we’ve heard all year that Andrew Mangiapane isn’t fitting into Knoblauch’s strategy, where the first two lines get most of the playing time, and the last two lines get what’s left.
This has really hindered Mangiapane, whose preference for offense doesn’t match his role on the bottom two lines, and he’s been struggling as a result.
The same issue applies to the other bottom-six players, who don’t seem to get the support they need from Knoblauch. It was a similar problem with the Leafs, where the star players kept the team going for years, while the rest of the players wasted their talent in lower roles, just like in Edmonton.
On the flip side, the coach of Florida knows how to lift up and use all of his players, from the best to the least recognized. Of course, it’s easier when you have a lineup full of skilled players who can handle various tasks.
Because of this, Paul Maurice has gained the trust of his players, who have embraced their roles and have done well because of it. This resulted in them winning two Stanley Cups.
If Coach Knoblauch can find a way to get his players to adopt a team-first approach, he might see them more willing to take on lesser roles.
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