Fire Monty

[Konstantinov]

It worked in January of 2019, last time we were in last place in January.

If that doesn't work, clean house in the offseason from the top down. This team is rotting at the core.

[Konstantinov]

This has to be considered at this point.

[TheJackBurton]

:::sigh:::

[Russdv14]

I've said for the last 6 weeks or so that Monty should take a leave of absence from the tea. The team has quit on him so he should quit on them for a while. He and others have taken personal time so e should (again).

And if I were the per play or the defensive zone coach I would accept a demotion to the minors. Whatever they are teaching or doing is either ineffective or being tuned out too. You take experienced d-man like Fowler and Parayko and they play nothing like they have in the past. I would think it is the system which is allowing all those quality shots from the other team and the criss crossing and the open lanes for the other team to pass through causing our goaltenders to lose confidence too. And the power play is slow moving and predictive. What a mess

So I don;t think. it is all on Monty, but if you leave things to Julien and Ott and Weber it might even get worse

[The Average Gatsby]

Nope. We’ve gotta ride this thing all the way down at this point. We don’t need to fire the coach, go on an empty calorie run and lose in the first round. We need to pick as high as possble.

[HighStick]

Didn't he just sign a 5 yr deal? They'd have to pay that still.

[Jeff Goldblum]

Ain't happenin'. But whoever is in charge of the PP needs to be fired immediately. They cant even get set up and if by some miracle they do the only play they have is to go down low and try to pass it to buch in the slot which works 1 out of 50 times.

[Younghopp1991]

Does Monty have anyone in the league coach-wise that he considers “his guys” i wonder what that coaching staff looks like

[TheHighHat]

Since Montgomery was given a 5 year contract in the rare situation where he knew he had a much longer shelf life than the current GM you would think that Monty had Army's ear in the summer regarding the roster and subsequent moves including his coaching staff.

Did Montgomery misread the room (vibe, leadership, & talent) of his team and tell Army that he liked the makeup with the possible exception of the French kid that took a few bad penalties vs the Jets?

What were Monty's thoughts on Kyrou? Did he not see the disappearing act after the Stanley hit?
Was Army actively trying to trade Kyrou before July 1st?
If yes, were they asking for too much back in return and ended up over playing their hand?
Remember that Bolduc trade happened on the very day that Kyrou's NTC kicked in.

Did Monty tell Army that he thought Tucker was ready to be a full time 3rd pair d-man even though they acquired an inexperienced 3RHD?
Who made the decision not to bring in a cheap veteran LHD like R. Suter or M. Grzelcyk (ex-Monty player) to hold the hand of Mailloux just in case?

Montgomery inherited Army's massive mistake (Buchnevich) but plays him like he's a 1st liner.

We will probably never know the answer, but the question becomes:
Did Army fail Monty or did Monty fail Army?
Are they equally culpable?

As far as Monty's job status is concerned, I just don't see Army firing him because of the term/dollars left on the contract (Stillman would probably veto) coupled with the way he was hired.

Looking forward to the TDL where does Steen fit into the equation as far as input into personnel decisions?
I would love to hear Steen's vision for the future.
How is his relationship with Monty?
How much say will Monty have at the TDL?
Out of that 3 headed monster, does the current GM have the final say?

Army is scrambling to save his legacy, but his final grade might be 5 years away because of the possible liquidation at the upcoming TDL.

[zamadoo]

Who made the decision not to bring in a cheap veteran LHD like R. Suter or M. Grzelcyk (ex-Monty player) to hold the hand of Mailloux just in case?

Great post, lots of great questions. This one I couldn't figure out. He was basically the last quality UFA signed, and he was hanging out for a while, but we didn't sign him. Why? Part of the Monty firing in Boston, not a great relationship?

I've been meaning to pose some questions about Monty on this forum.

The first time we had him, after we won the Cup, was he the PP guy? I remember that 21-22 team being something else offensively, and that was the start of the team only shooting when it's a perfect chance - always looking for the perfect passing play, fewer shots, but high quality shots only. 9 players or something with 20 goals. Then Monty goes to Boston, we immediately get worse but continue playing that style, and are forced to sell. Now Monty is back, and the core players still play like that, which worked last year when their top horses came back from the tournament ready to lead, but now we have the worst offense in the league.

I suppose my questions are: What are Monty's strengths as a coach? Tendencies?

I knew zilch about him, so my knowledge is from what I've read here and observed when he's been our coach. Rumors here were that he is a "player's coach" compared to Chief who was not (then what was he?). I also speculated that he implements a driving, up-tempo offensive system, which seemed to be indicated by some on here.

So we got our 'player's coach' for these young players that Army had to read a book to figure out how to motivate (Thomas and Kyrou), and in his first full year they once again look like they're tuning out their coach who is asking them to simply be professional and do their job. He's tried every lineup imaginable, perhaps to a fault, but good grief what is he supposed to do

Anyways, before firing the coach we'll have to pay for several more years again, I think we should try to move some players.

[dhsux]

How happy can Monty be?

If the Blues are going to keep the guy, all-in if you will...as I suspect they are.... then try to get him what he thinks they need and try to move what he thinks they don't need.

Or else why keep him?

[Rollin' on the River]

I’d start with canning Ott and going from there.

I’m not really sure what Ott’s coaching message is, but it’s not working either.


I’d fire Ott and go from there

[zamadoo]

I’d start with shitcanning Ott and going from there.

I’m not really sure what Ott’s coaching message is, but it’s not working either.


I’d fire Ott and go from there

I thought about him too. Probably in too deep with Steen taking over. But heck, they've got Claude Julien on staff. How much does it cost to bring in Larry Robinson for a brief consultation?

[Rollin' on the River]

I’d start with shitcanning Ott and going from there.

I’m not really sure what Ott’s coaching message is, but it’s not working either.


I’d fire Ott and go from there

I thought about him too. Probably in too deep with Steen taking over. But heck, they've got Claude Julien on staff. How much does it cost to bring in Larry Robinson for a brief consultation?

I don’t know. But it worked for Parayko before.

I just don’t know why we have to keep bringing it outside consultants. We need to actually make use of the coaches we have and I don’t feel like we are currently

[a smell of green grass]

The beauty mark on Monty's nose is the same one that exists on the next GM, Steen. That beauty mark is what will keep both of them on the job for a long time.

Both have "bought in" to Army/Management approach of how to rebuild the team using mid first-round picks. Both believe that the Blues can take it to the next level, complete the roster, by "staying competitive" till the last puck drop of the regular season.

My guess is that very few GMs and even fewer coaches would walk into the deep hole that Army has created, and the staying-competitive approach prevents any sort of ladder to climb out.

When you consider that no GM and no Coach would want the job, Monty looks pretty good.

[Inglewood Jack]

Ya cant win the Kentucky Derby with plow horses, no matter how well they are trained. This is on Army. No all-stars, at best 3rd team all-star.