CANUCKS: Ex-Vancouver coach Desjardins hopes to become Kings-maker
Former Canucks coach strives to set right mood to build confidence and swagger
The Willie Watch was a trending topic in Vancouver.
Out of curiosity, it’s gaining traction in Los Angeles.
The former Canucks coach always seemed to be on the hot seat in Vancouver. Whether it was loyalty to veterans cemented in unproductive roles, trusting young players and struggling with the dual mandate of winning while rebuilding on the fly, he was pulled in different directions.
Lost in a 101-point season that propelled the Canucks into the 2015 playoffs, was the sobering reality that the club was aging under his guidance that was terminated April 10, 2017. A 30-43-9 season ended with an eight-game losing streak, 25 points shy of the final wild-card berth and being the lowest-scoring team in franchise history with 182 goals.
“Vancouver had its challenges and I never left here thinking I was the reason the team didn’t do well — I never felt that,” the Los Angeles Kings coach said Tuesday before facing his former club at Rogers Arena. “They had to make a move and I was the one they decided to make. That’s the way it goes in our business.
“I never felt I didn’t do a good job, that’s why I thought I’d get a (head coaching) chance.”
In Los Angeles, the determined Desjardins has stuck to a familiar mantra of reaching players on another level.
Since replacing the fired John Stevens on Nov. 4 as interim head coach, Desjardins believes by setting the right mood to manufacture compete, confidence and a certain swagger in his veteran-laden club, the Kings can climb out the NHL cellar. It hasn’t worked. They were 4-6-0 in the first 10 games since his arrival, but a 5-2 home-ice win over Edmonton on Sunday suggests a spurt could get them back to Pacific Division relevancy.
Especially if players buy in to what Desjardins is selling.
“I think it (message) has been received, but I think it takes a little bit of time to put in place,” he said. “Teams have habits and L.A. has always been a good defensive team. Now, with the way the game has changed, they have to gamble a little bit more and create more. It’s something we’re slowly working at and we’ll get better.”
To get there, Desjardins has to balance wants and needs because he wants more offence — the Kings were 30th in goals per game and 29th on the power play after 23 games — but players can’t be extending shifts and be vulnerable on the back check.
“The long-shift part is easy,” said Desjardins said. “You can play better defensively and offensively if you keep your shifts short. When you get tired, that’s when you start making mistakes. But when you’ve had success playing well defensively, I think that’s what the guys want to do, but it’s a challenge to get them to take a step and gamble more in the offensive zone.”
The biggest challenge might be getting through to Ilya Kovalchuk.
He was signed to a threeyear, US$18.5 million freeagent contract and is a fourthliner. He was pointless in nine games — even though he shared the team lead with 14 points heading into Tuesday’s game — and it’s hard to imagine the 35-year-old is going to abandon his one-dimensional game. Kovalchuk didn’t play a shift in the third period Sunday and was a team worst minus-13.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of getting through to him,” stressed Desjardins. “He has a great attitude and he’s not hanging his head. It’s nothing like that. But it is hard to find it when you’ve always been top-two line guy and all of a sudden somebody puts you on the fourth line. It’s going to be hard to find his game and it’s not fair to him in some ways. I’m making him play to his weaknesses.
“But at the same time, I’ve got to look after a team and see where he fits. It’s a hard thing for him to accept and you think about that, but you also think about the message you’re sending the team and how that applies,” he added.
For his part, Kovalchuk was trying to take the high road.
“I don’t know how to be on the bench, because that’s first time in my career I sit there for third period,” he explained to the Orange County Register. “But I’m that kind of guy. You know, I don’t care. We were winning and that’s all that matters.”
The challenge for Desjardins will be to learn from the past or stick to his principles. His critics said the 61-year-old Climax, Sask., native was loyal to a fault with veterans in Vancouver. But he did show a level of patience and belief in Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi and Markus Granlund who became top-six staples and had career seasons in 201617.