Confirmed with Link: Canes Sign Bill Peters to Contract Extension Through 18-19

[Bunch of Jurcos]

Coach Peters gets contract extension through 18-19 season

http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=890185&navid=DL|CAR|home

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[Havoq]

http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=890185&navid=DL|CAR|home

RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed head coach Bill Peters to a contract extension through the 2018-19 season.
“Bill is a talented, young coach in the National Hockey League,†said Francis. “We are happy that he has made a commitment to the Hurricanes, and that he will be a major part of the team continuing to grow.â€

Peters, 50, was named the Hurricanes’ head coach on June 19, 2014, becoming the 13th person to serve as head coach in the franchise’s NHL history. In 2015-16, Peters led the team to a 35-31-16 record, the team’s highest points total (86) since 2010-11, and a 15-point improvement from 2014-15. The Hurricanes have gone 65-72-27 in his two seasons behind the bench.

In May, Peters served as head coach for Team Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship, guiding his home country to its second consecutive gold medal at the event. The Three Hills, Alb., native was an assistant coach for the 2015 Canadian squad that claimed World Championship gold in the Czech Republic. This September, Peters will serve as an assistant coach for Canada at the World Cup of Hockey.

Prior to joining the Hurricanes, Peters was an assistant coach for three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. From 2008-09 through 2010-11, he was head coach of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Rockford IceHogs, where he coached eight players that went on to win the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010 and 2013. Before coaching at the AHL level, Peters led the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs for three seasons, and guided the team to the 2008 Memorial Cup as champions of the Canadian Hockey League.

 

[Finnish Jerk Train]

 

[sheriff bart]

Good news, Hedy.

 

[Ole Gil]

Seeing some results first might have been nice. Guess with rebuild finish date being pushed back, that wasn't really an option?

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I was hoping Sheriff Bart would be the first to respond.

 

[CandyCanes]

Many coaches get fired before they can even leave their mark on the team, as they just don't get enough time. So I'm very excited that we have been patient with Bill, and now locking him up shows we are committed to him & his system. Bill was left with a lot work to fix this team, and he has done an incredible job making progress.

I don't think we have ever seen this team more fundamentally organized before. He seems to have a great system in place, and our young players have seemed to thrive in it. As more players enter the system, hand picked by Bill & Ron I truly believe they are going to build something special here. Bill & Ron's project should be coming to fruition soon, and I think we are really going to enjoy being Canes fans for years to come.

 

[Finnish Jerk Train]

 

[CalUK]

Great news, good coach, he's definetly been improving this team.

 

[sheriff bart]

I was hoping Sheriff Bart would be the first to respond.

Sometimes the stars align.

 

[sheriff bart]

Seeing some results first might have been nice. Guess with rebuild finish date being pushed back, that wasn't really an option?

So, you would have preferred that he entered this year as a lame duck coach? If the Canes have a good year, then he's the most valuable coach available on the free agent market and the team is again starting over on coaching.

I think we have seen a good progression and RF is showing the patience necessary for organizational growth. While I want and expect the team to make a playoff push this year, I understand that there is work still to be done. JR left this team as a burning tire fire.

 

[Roboturner913]

#deadlast

 

[Joe McGrath]

Seeing some results first might have been nice. Guess with rebuild finish date being pushed back, that wasn't really an option?

Improving 15 points despite having the worst goaltending in the league doesn't qualify as some results?

 

[Ole Gil]

While my fear of the Canes having an amazing season, and Peters leaving is non-existent, I get that his contract is up, and they have to resign him.

Like I said, I'd feel better about committing to Peters for 3 more years with some winning on the resume.

I'm not sold on his system being a winner yet. Hopefully, it turns out to be, because it looks like they'll be spending 3 to 5 years tailoring the roster to it during this rebuild.

 

[Ole Gil]

Improving 15 points despite having the worst goaltending in the league doesn't qualify as some results?

I'm not as confident in blaming the goaltending as you are. I still think there may be a link between this extreme possession system, and our goalie stats.

Just like there appears to be a link between the system and opposing goalie stats.

Improving 15 points was good. But that was a low bar to step over. And the flukey health of the forwards probably played a big part in it.

Or maybe the team is moving in the right direction. I think it's tough to tell, which is my point.

 

[Roboturner913]

Babcock style teams have no track record for success, really

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

bill and rons excellent adventure

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Babcock style teams have no track record for success, really

In fairness, Babcock's teams also spent to the cap, had elite players like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, etc..and had awesome depth with guys like Rafalski, Holmstrom, Franzen, Hudler, Filppula, etc.. What remains to be seen, is can a team without that elite talent and doesn't spend to the cap, play a system like this and still compete for a cup?

Don't get me wrong, I like what Peters has done and think this past season, he got about as much as a coach can get with that roster, but it's fair to question if he can take it to the next level without that level of talent / spending like they had in Detroit. I think (or at least hope) he can, but still think the team is going to need more talent to get there.

 

[Roboturner913]

In fairness, Babcock's teams also spent to the cap, had elite players like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, etc..and had awesome depth with guys like Rafalski, Holmstrom, Franzen, Hudler, Filppula, etc.. What remains to be seen, is can a team without that elite talent and doesn't spend to the cap, play a system like this and still compete for a cup?

Don't get me wrong, I like what Peters has done and think this past season, he got about as much as a coach can get with that roster, but it's fair to question if he can take it to the next level without that level of talent / spending like they had in Detroit. I think (or at least hope) he can, but still think the team is going to need more talent to get there.

There is a fair amount of middle ground between "perennial Cup contender" and cellar team that I think most people reasonably expect.

If we are really griping about contract extending a guy who is considered one of the better young coaches in the game today, I need to just check out for a couple years again.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

There is a fair amount of middle ground between "perennial Cup contender" and cellar team that I think most people reasonably expect.

But I didn't read Wally's post as "cellar team". I read it as improving 15 points is good, but not a very hard bar to get over so "jury is still out". I see nothing wrong with that, but you saying Babcock's system works as a proof point is apples and oranges, since Babcock's teams were immensely more talented and deep.

If we are really griping about contract extending a guy who is considered one of the better young coaches in the game today, I need to just check out for a couple years again.

Meh, I don't see it as griping. Wally just said he would have preferred to see more success. That's it. Everybody else (including me, even I didn't come right out and say it), is fine with the signing.

 

[Novacane]

I'm happy. Gives even more structure for the future and let's the young guys know he's the guy

 

[Vagrant]

I suppose I shouldn't be afraid of an unpopular opinion. Let me preface all this by saying that I understand it. Peters is a rising star in the coaching community and a guy that is getting a lot more exposure and love from virtually every direction. He's a fantastic coach for his style. He was able to come into this situation and do what Paul Maurice wasn't entirely able. Full marks for that.

However, he's a trap/possession coach. The system that he runs requires players to fit a certain stylistic identity that may not suit their abilities. Going back in time a bit, it's like when Laviolette built his team to his specifications to the extent that he was essentially the only one that could coach that group. And when he began to falter in terms of keeping the room together, they had to break down and start from scratch. I think when Maurice came in, there was an attempt made to change the system but it never really caught. There were too many guys on this team that weren't going to buy in and it resulted in some really confusing hockey to watch. The difference with Peters is that, by now, he's the only coach these guys have had at the NHL level and the buy in is already established. What concerns me is that with the massive influx of offensive talent we've gained by some shrewd drafting and trading, we may be giving Peters players that he doesn't know how to play. There might even be *too* much interchangeability to forwards in this system. In the NHL, you need at least one line that is going to go out there and push offense and take chances. Is Peters capable of allowing that to take place if it's the best choice for the team or will he squash it because it sets a bad example for players going off script to create offense? I don't know. But early returns on that haven't been encouraging. Jeff Skinner has seemed almost apathetic at times during Peters' tenure, presumably for being pushed to be more of a two-way forward. Elias Lindholm has consistently looked afraid to create his own shots. Sometimes you need to let the horses run. At some point in the not so distant future, Peters is going to have to make a decision. We have some exciting young offensive minded forwards. With as strong as the development curve has been for defensemen (sans Murphy, notice anything about that?), it has been almost equally bad with forwards. Rask might be the only guy that has had an upward swing in his career arc and it's partially because Peters style and Rask's abilities are almost perfectly aligned. What can we expect from guys like Teuvo, Lindholm, Aho, Saarela, Tolchinsky, etc. under Bill Peters? That's what concerns me. Great coaches make adjustments when their personnel no longer requires them to coach a certain way to keep games close. Hopefully, Peters will be able to make that adjustment. As it stands right now, it only seems as though Peters has asked his players to adjust without exception. That concerns me.

 

[sheriff bart]

While my fear of the Canes having an amazing season, and Peters leaving is non-existent, I get that his contract is up, and they have to resign him.

Like I said, I'd feel better about committing to Peters for 3 more years with some winning on the resume.

I'm not sold on his system being a winner yet. Hopefully, it turns out to be, because it looks like they'll be spending 3 to 5 years tailoring the roster to it during this rebuild.

I think I said "good" not "amazing". Two different things here. Without locking Peters up, unless the team regresses or treads water, he is not going to be looked at as a failure. Any improvement in the results is going to seen as a success. I'm as ready for playoff hockey as anyone here, and I'm happy with the extension. I think Peters has done about all he could do with the group he has had in Carolina. Obviously the hockey community thinks well of him if he is tapped to be the head coach for Team Canada in international competition. I doubt hockey crazed Canadians would just select anybody for that.

 

[Ole Gil]

Echoing what Boom Boom clarified for me. The extension is fine. I just wish we knew this path was going to work before committing 3 more years to it.

Or maybe, as Vagrant pointed out, GMRF is hedging his bets by getting players he likes rather than just guys to fit Peters system, so if it doesn't pan out, the next coach has something to work with.

But with a system as extreme as Peters, that could make it not work. Definitely a fine line having a rebuild around what Peters wants to do.

 

[StormCast]

However, he's a trap/possession coach. The system that he runs requires players to fit a certain stylistic identity that may not suit their abilities. Going back in time a bit, it's like when Laviolette built his team to his specifications to the extent that he was essentially the only one that could coach that group.

A possession coach, yes, but a trap coach? No, not all. And those are two distinctly different things. Yes, Lavi had a go-for-broke, push all the time offensive approach that required everyone to skate. The style was very risky and relied heavily on the left wing lock to shore up some of its leaks and flaws.

Is Peters capable of allowing that to take place if it's the best choice for the team or will he squash it because it sets a bad example for players going off script to create offense?

Huh? He does not try to stifle or squash offense, he's not Hitch or Lemaire. He wants high tempo offense with everyone moving as a single unit, he prefers skating rather than chip-n-chase zone entries. When the puck goes low, he clearly preaches zone possession time but as a way to enable not thwart offense. He insists on solid two-way play but not a defense at the expense of offense philosophy, as is implied.

I think this post is an example of trying to hard to be a contrarian.