For the right player, for example a young defenseman on a track of ascendency, we should absolutely be in that group. Our own first rounder should absolutely be on the table in the right deal, independent of whether or not we look to acquire picks as a seller.…
Excluding 'making good picks at the draft,' my first goal would be acquire a top 15 draft pick at the draft. Depending on how the lottery shakes out, I see a number of non-playoff teams who might be willing to part with their 1st round pick. Calgary, Buffalo, New Jersey, Detroit, Ottawa, and Arizona all strike me as teams that might be willing to prioritize next year over their 1st rounder if they don't win the lottery and see their favorite targets picked before their turn.
…
Agreed.For the right player, for example a young defenseman on a track of ascendency, we should absolutely be in that group. Our own first rounder should absolutely be on the table in the right deal, independent of whether or not we look to acquire picks as a seller.
I agree with you on this one. I don’t think some things can be fixed without Tonya Harding as a bench coach.Agreed.
But the group I was referring to was definitely more along the though process of looking to trade their 1st rounder for a good roster player for 2024/25 than it was looking to trade the pick for a guy with long-term upside. Essentially, I was thinking about teams that might be willing to give up a non-late 1st rounder in a Buch deal.
At the draft, what do you think our 1st + Buch would do for moving us up to a point where we could get a Dman we would be happy with?
If Pittsburgh ends up getting the East WC2, maybe Detroit or Washington looks into getting Buch. Detroit to replace an older vet like Perron with a younger one in Buch, or Washington looking to add to make that last push with Ovi. Though both would likely need some sort of picture as to what Buch would want on an extension.I just don’t see a team that’s drafting in the top 10-14 wanting Buch who’s 1 year from UFA. The same reason we don’t
Send him (Krug) to the SJS (or any team on his NTC that will take him for a bag of pucks)!Trade Krug for nothing in return.
As Blues GM, a rebuild is ridiculous and absolutely out of the question.
I'm retooling. We have proven vets like Binny, Thomas, Parayko, folks working on mastering their craft like Kyrou, kids coming up ready to roll like Neighbors and Bolduc and Kessel is coming along amazingly. That's my core.
Extra assets would go to a bonafide 1LD, which would be my top priority and I'm not drafting that. That one addition would change the blueline and give me time to work out what to do. Folks like Krug become point machines when they got the right people around them and if that can be leveraged, there might be good reason to keep him.
Without that one piece, though, this teams window won't open.
I agree with these rankings. The only spots I might quibble is around Torpo and Binner moving up a tier, but I understand why you have them where you do.Here are my (probably fluid) tiers of availability regarding the assets within the organization.
Please note, these are not tiers ranking potential returns or the overall value of each player/asset. These are groupings of my eagerness to move them and the type of goals I'd be looking to accomplish in any deal involving them. I have attempted to list roster players in order of value within each tier, but I didn't try that hard at this aspect of the post.
Tier 1: Functionally untouchable. No one is offering a package that would make it worth parting with the asset. Obviously any player is moveable if the Avs suddenly want to trade us Makar or the Oilers want to give us McDavid. But realistically, there is no trade offer that would be worth considering.
Thomas
Tier 2: Almost untouchable. It is at least plausible that a team could offer a package worth considering, but I'm only moving an asset from this tier if at least one asset coming back is a tangible piece that improves the organization in all of the short, medium, and long terms. A high end prospect in his D+1-3 season (depending on position) or a 21-24 year old good young NHL player with substantial team control. Someone my pro scouting staff is in love with. And then I need more to sweeten the pot. I'm not calling anyone about these assets, but I'll listen if you call me and bring them up.
Parayko, Dvorsky, and any 1st round pick in the year 2025 and beyond.
Tier 3: Really hard to get and only available for specific returns. I'm not moving any of these assets just for the sake of getting a 'valuable' package. I'm not swapping any of the players for pure futures assets and would only be interested if I'm getting back a player who is a specific target of our pro scouting staff. However, I wouldn't need the same sweetener(s) to get a deal done that I'd need to be talked into the tier 2 assets and might add value on our end if the target is right.
Kyrou, Neighbours, Hofer, Bolduc, Kessell, Dvorsky, Lindstein, Stenberg, any other quality prospect who hasn't made the NHL yet, and the 2024 1st.
Tier 4: Truly on the table for good value. I don't feel a need to move these guys in the next 11 months, but if you offer me a package with sufficient value, I'd do it. I'd take a package of pure uncertain futures instead of a specific target, but it still needs to be a package where I feel the value received is on par with the value I'm giving up. I believe all these guys carry tangible value to the growth of our organization if they remain here.
Binner, Leddy, Faulk, Saad, Hayes, Sunny, and Torpo
Tier 5: Pavel Buchnevich. He either needs to be extended or moved in the next 11 months. No in between. He is the only asset in our organization who I feel that way about, so he gets his own tier. If I can get it done at the draft for a package I like? Great. If not, keep talking extension and keep exploring the trade market until the 2025 trade deadline when something has to get finalized.
Buch
Tier 6: Move them for cap space. If I can shed this contract from the organization, I'm happy to do it. The long-term benefit of getting out of the contract outweighs short term loss of talent/presence.
Krug and Schenn
Tier 7: Included as a sweetener in a deal to accomplish another goal:
Perunovich, Tucker, Alexandrov, Walker, non-1st round draft picks.
Here are my (probably fluid) tiers of availability regarding the assets within the organization.
Please note, these are not tiers ranking potential returns or the overall value of each player/asset. These are groupings of my eagerness to move them and the type of goals I'd be looking to accomplish in any deal involving them. I have attempted to list roster players in order of value within each tier, but I didn't try that hard at this aspect of the post.
Tier 1: Functionally untouchable. No one is offering a package that would make it worth parting with the asset. Obviously any player is moveable if the Avs suddenly want to trade us Makar or the Oilers want to give us McDavid. But realistically, there is no trade offer that would be worth considering.
Thomas
Tier 2: Almost untouchable. It is at least plausible that a team could offer a package worth considering, but I'm only moving an asset from this tier if at least one asset coming back is a tangible piece that improves the organization in all of the short, medium, and long terms. A high end prospect in his D+1-3 season (depending on position) or a 21-24 year old good young NHL player with substantial team control. Someone my pro scouting staff is in love with. And then I might need more to sweeten the pot. I'm not calling anyone about these assets, but I'll listen if you call me and bring them up.
Parayko, Dvorsky, and any 1st round pick in the year 2025 and beyond.
Tier 3: Really hard to get and only available for specific returns. I'm not moving any of these assets just for the sake of getting a 'valuable' package. I'm not swapping any of the players for pure futures assets and would only be interested if I'm getting back a player who is a specific target of our pro scouting staff. However, I wouldn't need the same sweetener(s) to get a deal done that I'd need to be talked into the tier 2 assets and might add value on our end if the target is right.
Kyrou, Neighbours, Hofer, Bolduc, Kessell, Dvorsky, Lindstein, Stenberg, any other quality prospect who hasn't made the NHL yet, and the 2024 1st.
Tier 4: Truly on the table for good value. I don't feel a need to move these guys in the next 11 months, but if you offer me a package with sufficient value, I'd do it. I'd take a package of pure uncertain futures instead of a specific target, but it still needs to be a package where I feel the value received is on par with the value I'm giving up. I believe all these guys carry tangible value to the growth of our organization if they remain here.
Binner, Leddy, Faulk, Saad, Torpo, Sunny, and Hayes.
Tier 5: Pavel Buchnevich. He either needs to be extended or moved in the next 11 months. No in between. He is the only asset in our organization who I feel that way about, so he gets his own tier. If I can get it done at the draft for a package I like? Great. If not, keep talking extension and keep exploring the trade market until the 2025 trade deadline when something has to get finalized.
Buch
Tier 6: Move them for cap space. If I can shed this contract from the organization, I'm happy to do it. The long-term benefit of getting out of the contract outweighs short term loss of talent/presence.
Schenn and Krug
Tier 7: Included as a sweetener in a deal to accomplish another goal:
Perunovich, Tucker, Alexandrov, Walker, non-1st round draft picks.
I wasn't a fan of naming him captain and I think that any morale loss would be more than offset by the vote of confidence in giving Thomas the C and eliminating the $26M in cap commitments (over 4 more years). But I agree that moving Krug is preferable. I'm not paying to move Schenn, but I'd give him away if a team doesn't view him as a negative asset with that contract.I also mostly agree.
Schenn is tougher to move as captain. I'd bump him up if management feels he has the room. His long term downside is trumped by the short term hit to morale of losing yet another C.
Dvorsky is on here twice. I'd see why as you could make an argument either way.
I'd move our 1sts down to tier 3. I'll trade this year's first for a good shot at a young top pair D, and I'd do the same with other years with top 5 protection for the right player.
I'd move Faulk down a peg with the caveat that only applies if I can't move Krug. I don't want both on the roster next year. If you can't move Krug, move Faulk. If we move Krug, Faulk moves up where I'd move him only for good value.
I was going to ask about the draft pick years in your tiers but figured this was the reason. Thanks for the clarification.I wasn't a fan of naming him captain and I think that any morale loss would be more than offset by the vote of confidence in giving Thomas the C and eliminating the $26M in cap commitments (over 4 more years). But I agree that moving Krug is preferable. I'm not paying to move Schenn, but I'd give him away if a team doesn't view him as a negative asset with that contract.
Whoops. The Dvorsky in tier 3 was supposed to be Snuggy. I very much intended Dvorsky to be in tier 2. I edited my post to fix.
I do have our 2024 1st in tier 3, but I have future firsts in tier 2 because I absolutely don't like the notion of trading what could become a top 5 pick. Trading the 2025 1st (top 5 protected) still creates a scenario where we pick top 5 in 2025 and then have to give a team an unprotected 1st in 2026 (the Gavin McKenna draft). Trading even a top 5 (or 10) protected 1st in 2025 and beyond means that a rebuild is fully off the table even if your plans go wrong because you could eventually wind up giving a team an unprotected 1st. The NHL has never approved a trade that includes indefinite top 5 protection and even though I think this team can execute a retool without years of being in the basement, there is no guarantee of that.
We have the benefit of more time than we do with Buch (so he doesn't fit in that tier) and I'm not giving him away for nothing (so he doesn't fit in tier 6 either). I think he was battling injury this year and will be better next year. I don't think we need his cap space in 2024/25 and I don't think the roster improves by simply removing him. His contract should be easier to move next summer to when his trade protection gets cut in half.
I'd rather keep him than give him away for nothing, even if we can't move Krug.
Nice summary. I'd underscore that Buchnevich has 11 months. And re-signing him is not a disaster, but the less likely path. If the doesn't move until the trade deadline next year, its fine. We don't know quite what the market is, but it was weaker than expected this past deadline.Here are my (probably fluid) tiers of availability regarding the assets within the organization.
Please note, these are not tiers ranking potential returns or the overall value of each player/asset. These are groupings of my eagerness to move them and the type of goals I'd be looking to accomplish in any deal involving them. I have attempted to list roster players in order of value within each tier, but I didn't try that hard at this aspect of the post.
Tier 1: Functionally untouchable. No one is offering a package that would make it worth parting with the asset. Obviously any player is moveable if the Avs suddenly want to trade us Makar or the Oilers want to give us McDavid. But realistically, there is no trade offer that would be worth considering.
Thomas
Tier 2: Almost untouchable. It is at least plausible that a team could offer a package worth considering, but I'm only moving an asset from this tier if at least one asset coming back is a tangible piece that improves the organization in all of the short, medium, and long terms. A high end prospect in his D+1-3 season (depending on position) or a 21-24 year old good young NHL player with substantial team control. Someone my pro scouting staff is in love with. And then I might need more to sweeten the pot. I'm not calling anyone about these assets, but I'll listen if you call me and bring them up.
Parayko, Dvorsky, and any 1st round pick in the year 2025 and beyond.
Tier 3: Really hard to get and only available for specific returns. I'm not moving any of these assets just for the sake of getting a 'valuable' package. I'm not swapping any of the players for pure futures assets and would only be interested if I'm getting back a player who is a specific target of our pro scouting staff. However, I wouldn't need the same sweetener(s) to get a deal done that I'd need to be talked into the tier 2 assets and might add value on our end if the target is right.
Kyrou, Neighbours, Hofer, Bolduc, Kessell, Snuggy, Lindstein, Stenberg, any other quality prospect who hasn't made the NHL yet, and the 2024 1st.
Tier 4: Truly on the table for good value. I don't feel a need to move these guys in the next 11 months, but if you offer me a package with sufficient value, I'd do it. I'd take a package of pure uncertain futures instead of a specific target, but it still needs to be a package where I feel the value received is on par with the value I'm giving up. I believe all these guys carry tangible value to the growth of our organization if they remain here.
Binner, Leddy, Faulk, Saad, Torpo, Sunny, and Hayes.
Tier 5: Pavel Buchnevich. He either needs to be extended or moved in the next 11 months. No in between. He is the only asset in our organization who I feel that way about, so he gets his own tier. If I can get it done at the draft for a package I like? Great. If not, keep talking extension and keep exploring the trade market until the 2025 trade deadline when something has to get finalized.
Buch
Tier 6: Move them for cap space. If I can shed this contract from the organization, I'm happy to do it. The long-term benefit of getting out of the contract outweighs short term loss of talent/presence.
Schenn and Krug
Tier 7: Included as a sweetener in a deal to accomplish another goal:
Perunovich, Tucker, Alexandrov, Walker, non-1st round draft picks.
Well done. Agreed on every point.Here are my (probably fluid) tiers of availability regarding the assets within the organization.
Please note, these are not tiers ranking potential returns or the overall value of each player/asset. These are groupings of my eagerness to move them and the type of goals I'd be looking to accomplish in any deal involving them. I have attempted to list roster players in order of value within each tier, but I didn't try that hard at this aspect of the post.
Tier 1: Functionally untouchable. No one is offering a package that would make it worth parting with the asset. Obviously any player is moveable if the Avs suddenly want to trade us Makar or the Oilers want to give us McDavid. But realistically, there is no trade offer that would be worth considering.
Thomas
Tier 2: Almost untouchable. It is at least plausible that a team could offer a package worth considering, but I'm only moving an asset from this tier if at least one asset coming back is a tangible piece that improves the organization in all of the short, medium, and long terms. A high end prospect in his D+1-3 season (depending on position) or a 21-24 year old good young NHL player with substantial team control. Someone my pro scouting staff is in love with. And then I might need more to sweeten the pot. I'm not calling anyone about these assets, but I'll listen if you call me and bring them up.
Parayko, Dvorsky, and any 1st round pick in the year 2025 and beyond.
Tier 3: Really hard to get and only available for specific returns. I'm not moving any of these assets just for the sake of getting a 'valuable' package. I'm not swapping any of the players for pure futures assets and would only be interested if I'm getting back a player who is a specific target of our pro scouting staff. However, I wouldn't need the same sweetener(s) to get a deal done that I'd need to be talked into the tier 2 assets and might add value on our end if the target is right.
Kyrou, Neighbours, Hofer, Bolduc, Kessell, Snuggy, Lindstein, Stenberg, any other quality prospect who hasn't made the NHL yet, and the 2024 1st.
Tier 4: Truly on the table for good value. I don't feel a need to move these guys in the next 11 months, but if you offer me a package with sufficient value, I'd do it. I'd take a package of pure uncertain futures instead of a specific target, but it still needs to be a package where I feel the value received is on par with the value I'm giving up. I believe all these guys carry tangible value to the growth of our organization if they remain here.
Binner, Leddy, Faulk, Saad, Torpo, Sunny, and Hayes.
Tier 5: Pavel Buchnevich. He either needs to be extended or moved in the next 11 months. No in between. He is the only asset in our organization who I feel that way about, so he gets his own tier. If I can get it done at the draft for a package I like? Great. If not, keep talking extension and keep exploring the trade market until the 2025 trade deadline when something has to get finalized.
Buch
Tier 6: Move them for cap space. If I can shed this contract from the organization, I'm happy to do it. The long-term benefit of getting out of the contract outweighs short term loss of talent/presence.
Schenn and Krug
Tier 7: Included as a sweetener in a deal to accomplish another goal:
Perunovich, Tucker, Alexandrov, Walker, non-1st round draft picks.
I agree. I think now is the time that we have to take a chance and swing for a home run, because Carle could be one.After the World Juniors we were talking about David Carle and I was hopeful that perhaps he wouldn't get an NHL offer this summer and could potentially be convinced to take the Jon Cooper path of making an AHL stop after huge success at the junior/amateur level. With the number of coaching vacancies that have opened up this year (with likely a couple more coming) and him winning another National Championship, that is obviously not going to happen. He will be getting at least one NHL offer and likely multiple.
I'm ready to make him an NHL offer.
DU's defensive structure was a thing of beauty in the Frozen 4 and while they are a very talented roster, they were out-talented by BU and BC. He also obviously has a ton of experience working with guys in their young 20s. Effectively implementing defensive structure and effectively helping young players grow their games are the two biggest strengths that I'm looking for in a new coach for 2024/25 and beyond. And given my expectations for next season, I'd be fine if his lack of pro experience leads to some rough patches in 2024/25.
I think he is a great fit for us, but more importantly I think we are a good fit for him. I'm not sold that any of Buffalo, Ottawa, New Jersey, or Minnesota will be willing to hire a guy with no NHL experience. Those fanbases are getting restless and will all be pretty pissed if they miss the playoffs again next year due to coaching inexperience. Same thing with Detroit if they make a change or any team who fires a coach due to playoff disappointment.
I could see a couple basement teams making offers, but I think our roster is better suited to a young guy trying to make the jump. Our roster certainly has flaws, but the veteran group is certainly better overall than the teams that are 15-44 points behind us in the standings. Guys like Thomas and Parayko are good enough (and experienced enough) for a new coach to really lean on. We have a very strong goalie tandem to keep games close when we botch things. Schenn, Saad, Leddy, Hayes and Faulk can all act as locker room vets who can also contribute on the ice. We have more guardrails to prevent the team from going off a cliff than the basement teams we'd likely be competing against.
If I were him and thinking about making the jump, I'd certainly be trying my hardest to avoid being the coach of a team that people are penciling to lose 50 games. One benefit of not going in the tank completely is that you are more appealing to coaching candidates.
And it probably doesn't hurt that Ryan Miller (our AGM, not the retired goalie) got his law degree from DU and started his career in hockey working for a Denver based agency. It also wouldn't hurt that we were the team who gave Montgomery his 2nd chance in the NHL (Carle was an assistant under Montgomery at DU for a few years).
The more I think about it, the more I want the Blues to make an aggressive pitch to make Carle our head coach next year. He ticks a ton of boxes, we have the freedom to 'take a risk' behind the bench next year, he has a hell of a winning pedigree, and we have ties to his professional network. I think we are great fits for each other and I'm not sure what he has left to accomplish in the NCAA.
I agree. I think now is the time that we have to take a chance and swing for a home run, because Carle could be one.
Even if he doesn’t work out, I don’t really see any serious downfall to it. If he sucks at the pro level and we have to fire him in 3 years, so be it. Given the shelf life of most coaches, that might be all we get out of Bannister or anyone else anyways.
The only thing we don’t want with a new coach is for them to stunt the development of our young players. Obviously with Carle doing extremely well with college kids, that isn’t a concern with him.
So I look at it like this. Either:
A.) Carle ends up being a stud and we just found the next elite coach in the league
OR
B.) He’s nothing special and we don’t win a lot, but in the meantime our young players still developed well and we added a few more strong draft picks along the way. If we have to fire him, we can bring in the best veteran coach available to come in and and take the reins as this team begins to contend again.
Kinda looks like a win-win scenario IMO.
Not perfect metrics, but the draft pedigree of his players suggest that they have developed and improved rather than him simply recruiting already great players.I don't follow college hockey on a macro level that closely. I only really watch specific prosoects. There is a difference between recruiting/coaching kids and developing kids. Do his college players grow under him? Or is he just recruiting talented kids and creating good x's and o's schemes without them really developing a ton as players?
well said. i'm glad you have come around on him. he is a star, and we should hire him tomorrow morning.After the World Juniors we were talking about David Carle and I was hopeful that perhaps he wouldn't get an NHL offer this summer and could potentially be convinced to take the Jon Cooper path of making an AHL stop after huge success at the junior/amateur level. With the number of coaching vacancies that have opened up this year (with likely a couple more coming) and him winning another National Championship, that is obviously not going to happen. He will be getting at least one NHL offer and likely multiple.
I'm ready to make him an NHL offer.
DU's defensive structure was a thing of beauty in the Frozen 4 and while they are a very talented roster, they were out-talented by BU and BC. He also obviously has a ton of experience working with guys in their young 20s. Effectively implementing defensive structure and effectively helping young players grow their games are the two biggest strengths that I'm looking for in a new coach for 2024/25 and beyond. And given my expectations for next season, I'd be fine if his lack of pro experience leads to some rough patches in 2024/25.
I think he is a great fit for us, but more importantly I think we are a good fit for him. I'm not sold that any of Buffalo, Ottawa, New Jersey, or Minnesota will be willing to hire a guy with no NHL experience. Those fanbases are getting restless and will all be pretty pissed if they miss the playoffs again next year due to coaching inexperience. Same thing with Detroit if they make a change or any team who fires a coach due to playoff disappointment.
I could see a couple basement teams making offers, but I think our roster is better suited to a young guy trying to make the jump. Our roster certainly has flaws, but the veteran group is certainly better overall than the teams that are 15-44 points behind us in the standings. Guys like Thomas and Parayko are good enough (and experienced enough) for a new coach to really lean on. We have a very strong goalie tandem to keep games close when we botch things. Schenn, Saad, Leddy, Hayes and Faulk can all act as locker room vets who can also contribute on the ice. We have more guardrails to prevent the team from going off a cliff than the basement teams we'd likely be competing against.
If I were him and thinking about making the jump, I'd certainly be trying my hardest to avoid being the coach of a team that people are penciling to lose 50 games. One benefit of not going in the tank completely is that you are more appealing to coaching candidates.
And it probably doesn't hurt that Ryan Miller (our AGM, not the retired goalie) got his law degree from DU and started his career in hockey working for a Denver based agency. It also wouldn't hurt that we were the team who gave Montgomery his 2nd chance in the NHL (Carle was an assistant under Montgomery at DU for a few years).
The more I think about it, the more I want the Blues to make an aggressive pitch to make Carle our head coach next year. He ticks a ton of boxes, we have the freedom to 'take a risk' behind the bench next year, he has a hell of a winning pedigree, and we have ties to his professional network. I think we are great fits for each other and I'm not sure what he has left to accomplish in the NCAA.
to take it even further, zbuium was considered late 1st round pick at beginning of season. maybe carle saw his talents much more clearly than the ntdp guys did, maybe he helped him improve. either way, he is now potential top 5 pick after year under carle and zbuium gives him a lot of credit for his development this year.Not perfect metrics, but the draft pedigree of his players suggest that they have developed and improved rather than him simply recruiting already great players.
Z Buium is a high pedigree draft-eligible freshman who is a lock to get selected in the top half of the 1st round. But besides him, they don't have any other 1st round picks on the roster this year. Their leading scorer is a 20 year old junior who was drafted in the 7th round in 2022. Their 3rd leading scorer is a 22 year old junior who was drafted in the 7th round in 2019. Their 4th and 5th leading scorers were 2nd round picks and their 6th leading scorer went undrafted.
To compare, the team he just defeated in the championship had three guys who were drafted in the top 10 in 2022 and 2023, plus another 1st round pick and a good chunk of other drafted players. 7 guys from BC played for the US at the World Juniors while DU sent 1. BC's goalie was Team USA's starter at the World Juniors and a 3rd round NHL draft pick.
DU's 2022 National Championship team didn't have a single 1st round draft pick on it.
Now, there is a much more complicated discussion about the difference between getting the most out of guys who play multiple years in your NCAA program and actually developing them for (or at) the next level. He might be great at the former and not good at the latter. Perhaps he is simply getting the most out of lesser talent and fostering a good enough environment to keep older players that might be ready to jump to the AHL. Maybe he is only improving the skills to excel in the NCAA and not the ones they need to translate their game to the pros. I doubt that, but it is a complex topic and could be true.
But he definitely isn't simply recruiting the best talent. The Boston/Michigan area schools are beating DU to the high end talent year after year. He is for sure getting more out of less and I'd wager that he is genuinely improving them.
Edit:
Jack Devine got picked in the 7th round after his freshman season at DU and Wheeler now has him ranked as Florida's #5 prospect.
Massimo Rizzo got picked in the 7th round a year before going to DU and Wheeler now has him ranked as Florida's #5 prospect (in a good prospect pool).
Bobby Brink was picked 34th overall before going to DU and saw steady improvement in his 3 years there. Wheeler now has him as Philly's #3 prospect and he had a pretty decent age 22 rookie NHL season this year.
There is definitely proof of concept that he is actually developing guys. He doesn't much track record of his alums turning into legit NHL players, but he also doesn't recruit guys with high draft pedigree. I believe that Z Buium will be his first ever player to get drafted in the 1st round and he probably only landed him because his older brother was already on the team.
Long story short, I don't watch nearly enough college hockey to say that he's some great skills developer. However, he is unquestionably effective at communicating with guys in their early 20s, teaching guys that age effective defensive hockey, and getting buy in to that defensive hockey.