Rutherford's free pass for Maurice baffling

JR Loves Paul...he has said many times how hard it was to fire him the first time and that he really did not think Mo was to blame then...a change just had to be made! he has said this after Laviolette lead the Franchise to the Stanley Cup!

This may not be a popular thing to say but I would be willing to bet that if JR had kept Cullen and listened to Lavi a little more about player decisions the Canes would still be a top team every year. Laviolette did an amazing job keeping the team competitive with the injuries suffered during the 06-07 and 07-08 seasons just missing the playoffs both years despite having to use AHL players due to JR's Bargin bin shopping and PK self imposed budget. Now that Mo is back we are spending all the way to the cap as well as paying Laviolette...extending Mo's contract on top of that.

So where was all this willingness to spend in the 2 years after the cup when a couple of real players to replace injured players could have sent up back to playoffs rather than just missing? Anyone remember Anson Carter as the big move JR made in 07-08 at trade deadline with 2 top 6 forwards hurt and Belenger as the cullen replacement?

The only reason the team came apart in early 08-09 season was because JR spent all summer undermining Laviolette so he could fire him and bring back his best friend MO.

So NO I AM NOT BAFFLED AT ALL that he would go out of his way to not blame coaching in any way for 9....oh I mean 10 losses in a row and 12 losses out of 14 games. IT will take an empty RBC Center to get MO out of here...losing is just losing untill attendance starts falling to record low levels Mo is safe!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. "Friends don't make good business partners". Pony Tail Pete needs to learn that one day.

I believe the greater intent of JR's statements Monday were directed at the players and meant to serve as a verbal warning to put it mildly. A public statement berating management, coaches included, would not serve a positive purpose, the discussion is best done behind closed doors, after all the coaches are not the ones on the ice. The players have to step up and follow the management's lead, this is a basic guiding principle of any organization, successful or failed. In due time the management will be held accountable or reap the benefits for the end result. I am sure much has been discussed as of late on many levels behind closed doors at RBC. Now back to the play on the ice:
The players have to follow the system, but it needs to flow, playing instinctively. It seems to often they are unsure of themselves and their team mates. They have not been making the play, pass, hit, or moving without first looking up or stopping and thinking, the game played at this level is measured in milliseconds, a fraction of a second lost in thought or hesitation can be the difference between telegraphing the pass, play, getting caught out of position, or giving the goalie the reaction time they need to make the save.
The defense has been a mismatch since the preseason. Pitkanin hurt, Ward hurt, Gleason hurt. How many games have we actually had our top 4 D on the ice in the same game, for the entire game. They need to play together in their pairings as they were meant to be for some period of time so they can rely on one another and play the pairings and position the way it was drawn up, instinctively and confident of each other. Yes, they are professionals and should be able to switch up, but our defensive pairings have been different nearly every night out on the ice, if not nearly every period. From shift to shift it is hard to play this way when we do not have any consistency in our groupings.
The forwards also have been affected by the defensive mismatch. It is hard to press forward when you constantly are concerned about rotating back to help cover the D. I believe what the message to the team is that they need to begin again, a fresh start and just play the game, do your job and push forward. To much thought and hesitation on the ice has been killing us, they need to just play their game.
Yes, I have been critical of this teams effort and play in previous posts but after hearing JR's statement, the players statements, and coaches statements of late, and then taking time to reflect on it and the basic practice session held, I think I get the point that is trying to be made. Players just need to play their game as they were brought in to do. Play the system.
Now team please battle tonight, man the torpedoes and full speed ahead, CHARGE, and lets go Canes!

Oh Luke...Jimmy is not going to appreciate your honesty and clarity, but you are bang on...the subject of Maurice and job security is almost taboo around these parts...heaven forbid that the Good Son Paulie Maurice is ever accountable for his actions behind the bench and in the locker room. MO has more lives than a cat, more free passes than a radio DJ, more job security than Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker ...Im actually shocked that Paul Maurice did not run in yesterday's election...he is a winner!!!!!

I can see Luke's points about Maurice sharing blame; but then again with the team's forwards missing from last season only Patrick Eaves (who has not exactly lit the NHL on fire with Detroit), and with the coaching by committee approach, I wonder how productive it would be to single out Maurice for criticism if indeed there are legitimate coaching concerns. Jim Rutherford is amazingly candid; so I doubt he would sugarcoat anything that was on his mind. As for me, I was stunned when Maurice was selected and he was far from my first choice. I thought he did a great job last season under trying and difficult circumstances. I would typically be inclined to blame the coach, but under the situation at present, I don't see Maurice as being a key component to the team's horrible performance thus far. I hate that the team started off playing amazingly uninspired hockey. Still, I think if I were Jim Rutherford, I wouldn't call out Paul Maurice in public; and if I were Paul Maurice, I would tell Jim Rutherford -- there's nothing wrong with this team that fore-checking, crashing the net, hounding the puck, winning battles in the corners one-on-one, and physical play in front of the net won't solve. I would also hand Jim Rutherford a report with glossy photos of some large framed agile, hostile, and mobile power forwards who don't have to be cajoled, begged, or persuaded into crashing the net and screening the goalie -- and ask for an early holiday present.