News Article: Linden: Canucks to look at coaching options at end of season

[M2Beezy]

So whats the list of options here

Mark Crawford
Don cherry
Green
Michell Therrien

???

 

[CCF]

Benning is the real issue.

 

[Zombotron]

Okay guys, here's the list of coaching candidates:

• Marc Crawford
• Michel Therrien
• Green
• Chartreuse
• Don Cherry
• Jean Chrétien
• Nard Wuar
• Orval Tessier
• Bill Dauterive
• Mauve
• Joe Clark
• Wesley Crusher
• Beverly Crusher
• Red Green
• Wayne Campbell
• Grey Fox

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Okay guys, here's the list of coaching candidates:

• Marc Crawford
• Michel Therrien
• Green
• Chartreuse
• Don Cherry
• Jean Chrétien
• Nard Wuar
• Orval Tessier
• Bill Dauterive
• Mauve
• Joe Clark
• Wesley Crusher
• Beverly Crusher
• Red Green
• Wayne Campbell
• Grey Fox

I'll take Wesley Crusher for $500, Alex...



WHEATONNNNNNNNNN

 

[WTG]

Michel Therrien is intriguing, he definitely has the most experience so far. Also, last time we took a "washed out" coach from Montreal it turned out pretty well. Problem with him though is he's probably not the best young players coach, especially with his development of Galchenyuk which has been rather a disaster.

Marc Crawford also doesn't seem like a bad option for a "transitional" coach. He has experience developing talent and he knows the Sedins so he would probably be the best "fit", but probably not the best coach available. But seeing how we are going into a more "development > winning" direction he might be the best option available.

If we want a more modern direction Sheldon Keefe seems like a good option too, he has had a good track record with the Marlies particularly in development and winning. Plus, he's a "new age" kind of coach who employs a possession heavy system, but also lets his skilled players play a skilled game. Particularly his development of Nylander stands out. But his teams success might be due to the Marlies being absolutely stacked with good possession players due to Dubas's involvement.

Travis Green is a coach that I do not think will have a good fit here, he really seems more like a Gerald Gallant, an old school coach. If we were to go in that direction I'd rather have Gallant then Green TBH, plus having another AHL coach might be a bad direction. If I were management though I'd fire Willie now, and let Green run the team and use it as a "testing out" period. It would probably be in the best interest of the team long term to go in that direction.


With all the coaching option available now I'd probably get Marc Crawford, Sheldon Keefe 1-2 punch.

 

[Hit the post]

I'll take Wesley Crusher for $500, Alex...



WHEATONNNNNNNNNN

If Benning is still the GM, might as well have a "red shirt" be the coach...

 

[y2kcanucks]

Michel Therrien is intriguing, he definitely has the most experience so far. Also, last time we took a "washed out" coach from Montreal it turned out pretty well. Problem with him though is he's probably not the best young players coach, especially with his development of Galchenyuk which has been rather a disaster.

Marc Crawford also doesn't seem like a bad option for a "transitional" coach. He has experience developing talent and he knows the Sedins so he would probably be the best "fit", but probably not the best coach available. But seeing how we are going into a more "development > winning" direction he might be the best option available.

If we want a more modern direction Sheldon Keefe seems like a good option too, he has had a good track record with the Marlies particularly in development and winning. Plus, he's a "new age" kind of coach who employs a possession heavy system, but also lets his skilled players play a skilled game. Particularly his development of Nylander stands out. But his teams success might be due to the Marlies being absolutely stacked with good possession players due to Dubas's involvement.

Travis Green is a coach that I do not think will have a good fit here, he really seems more like a Gerald Gallant, an old school coach. If we were to go in that direction I'd rather have Gallant then Green TBH, plus having another AHL coach might be a bad direction. If I were management though I'd fire Willie now, and let Green run the team and use it as a "testing out" period. It would probably be in the best interest of the team long term to go in that direction.


With all the coaching option available now I'd probably get Marc Crawford, Sheldon Keefe 1-2 punch.

Yeah I'm with you there. Crawford seems like a good idea, and he seems to have changed up his style a bit after spending some time in Switzerland.

 

[VanJack]

Yep....Crawford is anxious to get back in the saddle as an NHL coach.....would likely accept a short-term contract.....Therrien would definitely demand term on his contract to come here....as a 'transitional' or 'bridge' head coach, Crow might make a lot of sense.

 

[Zombotron]

Let's take on Crow to get the kids indoctrinated, and once the team is sufficiently seasoned, we can throw big money at a high-tier big-name coach, like, uh... that dude coaching the Rangers

 

[valkynax]

Let's take on Crow to get the kids indoctrinated, and once the team is sufficiently seasoned, we can throw big money at a high-tier big-name coach, like, uh... that dude coaching the Rangers

Who's that?

*gasp* Torts?

 

[Ryp37]

The next coach is gonna be transitional/stop-gap no matter what so it should be someone that can focus on development while implementing an exciting style of hockey. We're not gonna find a Babcock who will be here during the re-build and after.

Definitely no to Therrien, guys a nonce.

Don't get the clamouring for Crawford.

I do like Keefe. Problem is the AHL coaches want to build their resumes and have NHL coaching careers so coming into a situation like ours is a tricky situation for them.

 

[M2Beezy]

Who's that?

*gasp* Torts?

AV..

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I get the feeling that if the Canucks go to replace Desjardins, we'll be looking for an experienced NHL coach rather than plucking a rookie from the minors (a la Green) again.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

If Benning is still the GM, might as well have a "red shirt" be the coach...

Indeed! It was him or Chretien for me tbh. Wil has the advantage of his youthful enthusiasm

AV..

No, that's not it... it's, like, Ron Low or something...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I would tend to agree with Mr C, I suspect that a more experienced guy is the target next go around. Yes, that means you're maybe looking at a retread, but a lot of these AHL coaches just don't have what it takes at the NHL level. (Guys like Eakins and WillieD - who were both highly regarded coaching "prospects" iirc - have been complete washouts at this level) ...that said, ideally we would maybe target a bright young hockey mind on the up and up, but this guy below hits the nail on the head regarding the difficulty of that approach imo

[snip]

I do like Keefe. Problem is the AHL coaches want to build their resumes and have NHL coaching careers so coming into a situation like ours is a tricky situation for them.

Bingo. If you're patiently biding your time to break into the NHL and the Canucks come calling, how appealing is what amounts to a pretty tough gig in what isn't the most forgiving environment?

The other layer to this discussion is the possibility of other firings. A guy like Ruff or even Cooper could become available in the off-season. No guarantees we get *them* either, but imo it's worth waiting to see if any really high quality coaches become available.

And, if it were me, I'd be targeting a guy like, say, Yeo (just to give an example)... someone who hopefully learned a few things from his first kick at the can coaching at this level. Not quite a retread, but not a total noob either... just my $.02

 

[MS]

And, if it were me, I'd be targeting a guy like, say, Yeo (just to give an example)... someone who hopefully learned a few things from his first kick at the can coaching at this level. Not quite a retread, but not a total noob either... just my $.02

My exact opinion also. Most guys seem to really hit their stride in their 2nd stint as an NHL coach. It's a huge adjustment being the guy in charge of millionaire professionals.

We missed the boat on Guy Boucher twice, once when we hired Willie and a second time when we didn't fire him last year. He'll probably be a Jack Adams finalist this year.

 

[VanJack]

I get the feeling that if the Canucks go to replace Desjardins, we'll be looking for an experienced NHL coach rather than plucking a rookie from the minors (a la Green) again.

Canucks are in all probability a lottery team again next year anyway....do they really need to overpay an experienced coach to do that?

If Benning and Linden are secure in their jobs, they go with a guy like Green as a potential short-term solution; but if they're looking over their shoulders at the owner, then it's a recycled coach for sure with a 'name'.

But whoever comes in here needs a one year contract, plus an option, and that's it......The four years they offered up to Torts and Willie were a disaster.

 

[Huggy43]

Don't get why people want Crow back. Kinda tired of gathering former players/people who have been with the organization before. We need new blood & not an old boys club.

 

[Trelane]

Oh no you di'n't

1. Kesler handcuffed Jimbo
2. Matthias's goals were scored against weak teams
3. Kassian had to hit rock bottom
4. Bonino was too slow
5. Burr was gettng too old
6. Lack was overrated
7. Gilly left Jimbo with nothing
8. Rebuilding teams don't need cap space
9. Management experience is overrated
10. Advanced analytics are for nerds

And we have a new entry *drum roll*

..

It's all the Sedins fault!!

Hank really should have signed better players this off season. Hank's really slippin these days.

Half the stuff on the list is true. The balance is mostly inapplicable, irrelevant, or best classified as meh deals the kind that make up more than 50% of any GM's transaction history if one takes the time to examine it. Should have kept Burr, eh???

Re Sedins - if they were close to 60 points and +/- was a modest 0, the team would likely be in a playoffs position. This is controversial?

Re Eriksson - Aquaman had money, it was going to get spent on something. Luc didn't pan out so they took the next biggest name available. I also understand that the twins were consulted prior. Who can say if they could have nixed if they really wanted to.

 

[Ozone]

I get the feeling that if the Canucks go to replace Desjardins, we'll be looking for an experienced NHL coach rather than plucking a rookie from the minors (a la Green) again.

Boom. Exactly what I was thinking.

As long as our current owners, GM, and President are around...

 

[Mal Reynolds]

My exact opinion also. Most guys seem to really hit their stride in their 2nd stint as an NHL coach. It's a huge adjustment being the guy in charge of millionaire professionals.

We missed the boat on Guy Boucher twice, once when we hired Willie and a second time when we didn't fire him last year. He'll probably be a Jack Adams finalist this year.

Yep. In our recent history (the last ~20 years), our two best coaches - on paper at least - were both in their 2nd NHL coaching stint... Boucher is/was an interesting one for sure, always felt he got the short end of the stick in Tampa. He's a bit defensive for my tastes but he's definitely a winner. Oh well. Guess I can be happy that the Sens hopefully found a coach who'll last longer than the average iPhone

Just off the top of my head... what about a guy like Dineen? I seem to recall the word being that he wasn't the most X-and-Os type and maybe more of a "motivator", so perhaps a bit too Willie-esque for our tastes... still, he had a decent run in Florida with a pretty average roster before the bottom fell out, and has been working under Q in Chicago since. May have picked up a thing or two. His body of work in the AHL with Portland seems pretty solid.

Anyways, don't really know enough about him to push an agenda either way... but yeah, someone like *that*... someone who's grown (and is growing) and who isn't as freakin' stubborn & resistant to change as what we have now...

 

[jigsaw99]

no to Therrien. the guy is too old school. plus he seems like an a hole.

 

[Machinehead]

Let's take on Crow to get the kids indoctrinated, and once the team is sufficiently seasoned, we can throw big money at a high-tier big-name coach, like, uh... that dude coaching the Rangers

AV..

You don't, believe me.

AV isn't who he was in 2011. He's slightly snapped.

 

[Ernie]

Pretty meh on this.

Willie is obviously a mediocre coach, but I've seen enough of the decision making of this management group to doubt that we'll be getting anyone better.

 

[KeninsFan]

Terrible move for the franchise. Fire the GM/President and let the new guys decide.

Benning/Linden shouldn't be given another year with a new coach. Firing Willie is such a lame cop out - the roster has been poorly constructed every year under Benning.

 

[Tim Calhoun]

My exact opinion also. Most guys seem to really hit their stride in their 2nd stint as an NHL coach. It's a huge adjustment being the guy in charge of millionaire professionals.

We missed the boat on Guy Boucher twice, once when we hired Willie and a second time when we didn't fire him last year. He'll probably be a Jack Adams finalist this year.

We also missed the boat big time on John Stevens. Gillis might still be our GM if he were hired.

Some other "2nd stint" candidates:

Dave Cameron, Paul MacLean, Craig Berube, Kevin Dineen, Kirk Muller, Adam Oates