{"id":19305,"date":"2017-11-22T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=19305"},"modified":"2017-11-22T10:31:52","modified_gmt":"2017-11-22T15:31:52","slug":"case-claude-julien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/11\/22\/case-claude-julien\/","title":{"rendered":"The Case Against Montreal Canadiens Coach Claude Julien"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Montreal Canadiens<\/a> are at a crossroads and face the real possibility of a lost season. Fans have blamed many. First and foremost, many have noted the failings of general manager Marc Bergevin.<\/a>\u00a0Criticism has also been heaped\u00a0on players like Max Pacioretty<\/a><\/strong>, who has struggled<\/a>\u00a0and Alex Galchenyuk<\/a><\/strong>, who may yet be traded. Carey Price<\/a><\/strong> has had the worst season of his career. He hasn’t been helped by a defensive core which seems unable to defend<\/a>. Thus far, coach Claude Julien<\/a><\/strong> has escaped a lot\u00a0of criticism. That shouldn’t\u00a0continue.<\/p>\n

The Case Against Claude Julien<\/a><\/h1>\n

There are perhaps three major issues with the coach. Some come from his seeming inability to adapt his defensive system to Montreal. Others come from his inability to adjust to a more modern approach to the game. Third and finally, Julien has continued an opaque approach to information sharing with fans and the media.<\/p>\n

Defensive Disaster<\/h2>\n

In the last two years, the Habs have traded\u00a0P.K. Subban<\/a><\/strong>, Nathan Beaulieu<\/a><\/strong> and failed to re-sign Andrei Markov.<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0At the start of the season, many fans worried that relying on a slew of slow-footed depth defensemen wasn\u2019t a great idea. They were right. Enter Coach Julien’s defensive zone system. This system has been described\u00a0as one in which<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Defensemen protected the front of the net and suppressed shots from the crease. The center supported the defensemen down low. The wingers\u2019 first priority was to collapse into the slot. Goals against mattered less in the short term while players adapted to the system.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Over time, Julien has used this system to deny shots on goal, win games, and bring a Stanley Cup to Boston.\u00a0<\/em>Aaron Ward<\/a> described\u00a0Julien\u2019s defensive system a \u201cmajor shift<\/a>\u201d for the Canadiens. To be successful, it requires communication and adaptation. With a year of Julien\u2019s approach under his belt,\u00a0Shea Weber<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is ready for a full year under zone defense.\u00a0Early in the season, Julien noted\u00a0<\/a>that Karl Alzner<\/a><\/strong> was struggling to adjust. This remains\u00a0the case today.<\/p>\n

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Weekly reminder that Marc Bergevin believes the Habs are better this year, especially with their "improved defense."#MontrealCanadiens<\/a> #FireBergevin<\/a><\/p>\n

— All About The Habs (@AATHabs) November 19, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n