The team only has a chance to be competitive early if they pick up a bunch of defensive players and hire someone like Hitchcock.
That is not the direction I want the team to go, and I don't think McPhee will either with his history.
I would rather the team be poor for 2-3 years while stockpiling young talent. And for those people saying "but the Oilers" I think they are the outlier and not the mean.
Young core players is the way to sustained success instead of patching together a team of over the hill vets and going for it for a year or two and be left with nothing after.
Vegas needs to be patient and focus on drafting, developing and stockpiling good young players consistently.
I think that the average fan would understand this but will it work in the Vegas market? Will the Knights try to go against and beat the odds with a win-now approach to roster building and coach selection?
Would someone like Hitch even want to work with an expansion team through those first few difficult seasons?
Vegas will probably see a few seasons of quality attendance regardless of play, the first pro sports franchise in a large city's history will make people show up even if they aren't fans yet, just out of curiosity or excitement. They don't need to worry about what people think of the Vegas market, at least in the beginning.
When it comes down to it, it won't really matter what the Vegas market could handle in terms of losing in the beginning, if they build a sustained competitive team they'll be fine. Sustained success will put butts in seats in any market.
Patience will be key here, yes you can build the best team you can with a load of vets and try for the playoffs right away, but if they aren't successful they end up in the middle of the pack not quite making the playoffs and not getting the best draft choices. Worst case scenario here: Atlanta, Florida, Arizona.
If Mgmt. is smart they should be looking for sustained success over immediate results, even though they will probably be better off than most expansion teams of the past. If they implement a good system, they could make the playoffs after a few years and remain a playoff team for a while. Best case scenario: San Jose, Tampa, Nashville
I think he's gone on record saying he wants to be a contender fast, and that he'll select the best players in the draft.
Well, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun put forth a few other names in his column yesterday. He notes that the Knights are looking for "a good communicator" for their first HC. As for his candidates...
*Craig Berube: Currently HC of the AHL's Chicago Wolves. He coaches the Flyers for 2 seasons. One playoff appearance in that time frame.
*Kirk Muller: Currently an assistant coach with Montreal(his second stint). HC of Carolina for 3 seasons. Never made the playoffs.
(Both Berube & Muller have ties with GM George McPhee.)
Garrioch adds that if you want someone who has coached an expansion team, consider Rick Bowness. He was Ottawa's HC for their first three seasons, wants to return to coaching and was a finalist for Anaheim's HC post last season.
Thoughts?
Marc Crawford might be a good option.
Wouldn't they have to give up a 2nd to the sens for him? Probs not the best course of action for a rebuilding team.
They got rid of that rule i think.
They got rid of that rule i think.
Travis Green seems like one of the better candidates vying for his first NHL head coaching job, but I'm not sure if that's the route that Vegas will want to go. It seems that he was in the running to replace Boudreau in Anaheim, and a lot of Ducks fans were in favor of the idea.
Please no Travis Green's. Gimme a mediocre coach with an NHL resume over an unproven AHL/CHL coach. Yes you can possibly end up with a Dave Hakstol or a Mike Sullivan but you're more likely to end up with a dud like Jared Bednar or Cody Eakins by going that route.
It's just risky and I don't think they should be making a high-risk/high-reward move. I'd even take a guy like Bob Hartley. Yeah he's not winning you the cup but the team isn't gonna be winning the cup in the first place early on. He's at least dependable as an NHL coach, if the roster is good then it will perform well enough under a guy like him. Of course I wait to see if another coach like Julien or Ken Hitchcock becomes a possibility but I definetely don't take a non-NHL coach. I'd even be willing to go to a Kevin Dineen or Gerard Gallant who didn't have long coaching stints but were decent enough.
This coach isn't a first choice type but a guy that can hopefully do the job for 1-2 seasons before the right guy becomes available unless that guy is there from the getgo.