High Maintenance Vs. No-Maintenance

Randy Carlyle, coach of the Anaheim Ducks and former Norris Trophy winning and Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman, is the right coach for the Anaheim Ducks. Despite Carlyle's "kid" line, Carlyle has been an effective tactical coach for a fairly veteran group of NHL players.

Reading and listening to Carlyle's comments throughout the postseason, and especially the first two games of the Finals, was enlightening and entertaining. I was particularly struck by his proclamation that he had many "no-maintenance" players. For a coach like Carlyle, and for most coaches, I imagine, "no-maintenance" players are a coach's dream. You know what to expect from the player each and every game. The player gives you consistency night in and night out. Even better than that, of course, is that "no-maintenance" players need a coach to devise strategy but do not need a coach to review basic fundamentals such as appropriate position in a particular situation.

Listening to Carlyle's comments, and reading about how he, as a player, wanted rookies to be quiet (that's putting it politely, "shut up and listen" might be better and yet still too mild), it seems obvious that, for as good of a job as he's done with the Ducks, that he, or someone of his ilk, would be a poor choice to coach our current crop of Pittsburgh Penguins. Like it or not, the Penguins probably still have more "high-maintenance" players than "no-maintenance" players.

When it comes to work ethic and the willingness to improve, the 2006-07 took on Sidney Crosby's identity, to the betterment of each player on the team and the team as a cohesive whole. In this, in players who want to improve and are willing to work to improve, the Penguins, as a whole, appeared to an outsider to be a fairly "low-maintenance" group last season.

Unfortunately, however, having a "no-maintenance" player is about more than just work ethic and willingness to improve. Most players only arrive at the "no-maintenance" label through experience. Surely that was true for Norris Trophy winners Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer (and: snark warning: Pronger might want to watch his elbows to ensure he can maintain that "no maintenance" label). For most players, it takes experience, during the regular season and in the playoffs, playing through every possible situation, to arrive at a point where they are "no-maintenance" players. As in, the coach knows and can rely on this type of play from this player, all day, every day. The coach not only doesn't have to worry about the player's work ethic but about the player having a mental lapse and blowing a coverage. The coach knows what he's getting from a "no-maintenance" player, and he doesn't have to coddle or scold to a ridiculous extent. He just calls out the number of his "no-maintenance" player and lets the player do his job.

In the midst of the Finals series, I've found it interesting that Anaheim's so-called kid line is older than the Penguins' trio of Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. No doubt Anaheim's players are still inexperienced but talented kids. No doubt that Crosby, Malkin, and Staal, are ridiculously talented youngsters who are younger than even another team's "kid" line. Yet in noting that Anaheim's "kids" are older than Pittsburgh's kids, I've also noted that Randy Carlyle still views his kids as "high-maintenance." Watching Ryan Getzlaf in the Finals, I have no doubt there will be a day when he is a "no-maintenance" player. I've also noticed from Carlyle's treatment of Getzlaf that Getzlaf is in no way a "no-maintenance" player in the 2007 Cup Finals.

Like it or not, kids are usually "high maintenance" players, at least until they acquire the experience that makes them shed that "high maintenance" label. And while most Pens fans love the team's insanely talented and equally young core players, I've found Carlyle's discussion and treatment of Anaheim's slightly older (than Pittsburgh) Kid line to provide an important reminder for Pens' fans.

What is that reminder? Simply put, part of watching a player evolve from "high maintenance" to "no maintenance" is simply maturity, simply gaining experience. And, unfortunately for Pens fans who might get impatient, the Pens' core players are younger than even the kids of most other teams! There is no substitute for maturity that comes from experience when it comes to all of the centers winning faceoffs, Evgeni Malkin playing in the playoffs, and Jordan Staal adding assists to goals.

The Penguins got playoff experience this year, which should, hopefully, propel them to bigger and better things next season. For the moment, however, it's worth noting that two of the team's top goal scorers in the playoffs were a 19-year-old and an 18-year-old who will only be one year older next season. Which, of course, is not to deny the once-in-a-generation talent of Crosby and the, if not once in a generation, still special, talent of an 18-year-old who thrived in the Show.

Rather, the point is that Randy Carlyle would not be a good coach for next year's Penguins team, either. At this juncture, still (and hopefully remaining) no-maintenance when it comes to effort, developing all that high-end talent remains a high-maintenance priority.

But don't be surprised, if not next season, but the season after that, Michel Therrien (or someone else) is forced to adjust his method of coaching--which, of course, is what happens when "high maintenance" players become "no maintenance" players.