My last blog written after the Ducks loss in game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, foreshadowed that I wouldn't be as gracious this time around than I was in that piece. I have had time to reflect and temper my thoughts, but the reality is its time to get to work. Today, I take on the man behind the bench Bruce Boudreau.
Inconsistent
Many times during the season I criticized the Duck coach for his lineup decisions as well as the unevenness of his team's performance from game to game, and even period to period. For the sake of full disclosure on the former point, when Boudreau's personnel moves worked out contrary to my opinions, I admitted I was wrong and gave him his props.
The latter point about spotty play was a sore point all season long. I'm not an “I told you so guy,… but in this case it rings true. Many stretches during the regular season, Anaheim seemed to lose their focus on the ice. They committed dumb penalties and gave the puck away in their own zone. Against lesser teams, the Ducks were able to get away with their inconsistencies, but it usually came back bite them versus superior competition. For lack of a better term, it was the Ducks Achilles heel.
When a team loses concentration or focus the way Anaheim did this year, it falls on the coach. It is part of his job to make sure his team is ready to play all 60 minutes every night they take the ice. Of course its not all Boudreau's fault, but the buck stops with the head coach.
Goaltending
One of the skeletons in Boudreau's closet is his management of goaltenders. In Washington, he was criticized and rightly so for the way he handled Jose Theodore, Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby. Boudreau could never quite get a handle on the situation.
Frederik Andersen had an outstanding season in the Anaheim net. That doesn't mean he is Superman or even the second coming of Ken Dryden. It was clear that something was amiss with Andersen's performance during the WCF. As the series progressed, his play regressed. By the time game five came around, Andersen needed a break. It was too late to make a change however, because Andersen's understudy, John Gibson, hadn't played in seven weeks.
In both the Winnipeg and Calgary playoff series, Boudreau had opportunities to give Gibson a start. I advocated for it and took the heat from those who thought I was nuts. My reasoning was that if Gibson were needed later on in the playoffs at least he would have gotten a game or two in to shake the rust off. Gibson should have played in game six and after Andersen's horrible performance in that contest as well as the start of game seven a change was needed. Again it was too late, Boudreau wasn't going to risk putting in a guy that hadn't seen game action in almost two months.
Hit the Wall
Boudreau's “Waterloo… with Anaheim has the conference finals. That is an improvement over his previous plateau in Washington, the conference semi-finals, but neither is a good enough result for the talent he was in charge of. There is no denying his career regular season record of 363-167-69 is spectacular. He coached teams to championships in both the ECHL and AHL, which are big accomplishments. None of those career achievements, however are the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When the tournament gets down to the final four to eight teams, the coach behind the other team's bench is pretty darn good too. It is at that level where Boudreau shows he might not have the same goods as his opponent.
Time to Change
I was watching a NASCAR race several years ago and something I heard registered with me that I think it applies to this situation. A car owner was being interviewed about changing to a younger driver. He said something to the effect of “I'd rather have a driver that has a blank slate and lots of potential, than one that has a track record of not winning at all at this level.…
If that isn't an excellent parallel to the Ducks and Boudreau's current relationship, what is? Maybe the best he can do is make it to the conference finals. Its not a crime and it is certainly better than 90% of the men who have coached in the league. For this team, with the talent assembled, it isn't good enough.
None of today's opinions are out of left field. Boudreau has heard much of it before. It is also not a personal attack on Boudreau. It is, as they say in the courtroom, "facts already in evidence."
The situation is now in General Manager Bob Murray's hands. It may be his toughest decision during the off-season. Does he ride with the guy that wins during the regular season and some playoff series or does he roll the dice and bring on someone else.