If Berube is fired, who would you like to see behind the Flyers bench?

[kelmitchell]

Babcock

 

[Patrick Division]

Mike Babcock no doubt. Back up the brinks truck and get him here.

 

[GKJ]

I really don't see how firing Berube is going to save this season with this roster!

It doesn't, but it does save bad players from having an equally bad coach

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

Mike Babcock no doubt. Back up the brinks truck and get him here.

I feel like Babcock would be loved in this city too for some reason.

 

[Bologna 1]

devils fan here, i think if NJ gets rid of deboer he could do some good things for the flyers. he would have a couple horses up front to rely on (giroux/voracek ala parise/kovalchuk) and i just think with the type of team it is, it may be a nice match.

 

[renberg]

I doubt if he'd take the job after he boogied out of Washington but Dale Hunter is my first choice. If not him, then Doug Jarvis. I don't think that Babcock is realistic. He wants to be HC and GM.

 

[Teezax]

Fire him when there is a better option, there is nothing available right now that can change anything with this mediocre team.

 

[ericWONT]

I feel like Babcock would be loved in this city too for some reason.

Your feeling is probably correct. And that feeling is because he's an elite coach. The Red Wings never missed the playoffs under his tenure. Won a cup. Were constant cup contenders. On top of that, don't forget the 2010 Olympics.

I'm not about to get into the argument of if it's the team or the coach. That's a whole thread in it of itself.

I would LOVE for Babcock to come here. However, I'm sure Philadelphia is at the bottom of his list.

Can't even imagine who would end up here but I have a gut feeling a change is coming soon.

 

[Sniped]

Would Babcock be enticed to come to Philly is the real question.

 

[healthyscratch]

Todd Fedoruk.

Eta: sorry that's who I expect to see, who I want is Babcock. Misread the question.

 

[RJ8812*]

I doubt if he'd take the job after he boogied out of Washington but Dale Hunter is my first choice. If not him, then Doug Jarvis. I don't think that Babcock is realistic. He wants to be HC and GM.

Dale Hunter isn't going to leave the Knights. He's getting paid an insane amount of money to run that team (~$7m a season). There's a reason why he went back after coaching the Caps for only one season

 

[renberg]

Dale Hunter isn't going to leave the Knights. He's getting paid an insane amount of money to run that team (~$7m a season). There's a reason why he went back after coaching the Caps for only one season

That's why I posted that I doubted that he would take the job. Also that time in Washington may have soured him on coaching in the NHL.

 

[usahockey22flyers]

I don't know if a new coach would even make a difference right now

 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Doug Jarvis would be my choice, although I'm probably in the minority around here, but I'd reconsider John Stevens if he became available. While I understand things didn't go well his first time around here, I think having some experience under Darryl Sutter has been a good thing for him.

 

[ponder719]

I'm tempted to bring Mike Keenan back from Siberia (Well, Chelyabinsk, but it might as well be Siberia) just to see what he'd be able to make of these guys. I suspect he'd make a hat out of Umberger, just so he wouldn't have to see him on the ice.

Realistic goal, though, if Babcock's available, him. If he isn't, then try to pry one of the Red Wings guys out of there before Detroit promotes them.

 

[daynus]

Babcock by a country mile. Don't worry about the price, Ed will pay it.

 

[JayRosehillMVP]

Babcock by a country mile. Don't worry about the price, Ed will pay it.

That's actually a good point. If anyone could get in a bidding war with Toronto, its us.

I'll second Tippett, too. Be nice to snag him after he's inevitably fired.

 

[Striiker]

If Babcock really wants a lot of control like is being rumored that could be a dealbreaker before a bidding war even starts. I don't see Hextall or Snider wanting to give the coach too much of a say in personnel decisions, that's the GM's job.

 

[JayRosehillMVP]

If Babcock really wants a lot of control like is being rumored that could be a dealbreaker before a bidding war even starts. I don't see Hextall or Snider wanting to give the coach too much of a say in personnel decisions, that's the GM's job.

He's a great hockey mind. I wouldn't give him too much say but his input would probably be pretty helpful. He's also in agreement with Hextall's philosophy on young players, is he not?

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

He's a great hockey mind. I wouldn't give him too much say but his input would probably be pretty helpful. He's also in agreement with Hextall's philosophy on young players, is he not?

Yeah, I actually think Babcock is a good fit should he test the market. Plus, having an owner with some of the deepest pockets in the league makes us a legitimately plausible landing spot for him should they decide to go in a different direction with a new coach.

 

[Beef Invictus]

A pile of old ham could do a better job at this point.

 

[Garbage Goal]

Like hockeyfreak and Striiker have said, it's hugely painful to say but it's not smart to fire Berube mid-season. It's also my worst fear that Hextall re-signs Berube in the off-season.

If Berube gets fired mid-season it leads to yet another rushed in-house hire that probably involves some good old boys club stuff. I'm sick of that ****. Also sick of keeping clearly bad coaches on for too long, which fans themselves can call but the organization can't apparently, then having to fire them after the season starts. Did it with Laviolette and now it might have to happen with Berube.

For the record though, I'm not knowledgeable enough to suggest a coaching hire. The best potential coaching hires are mostly guys who haven't been given a shot in the NHL as a head coach yet. Anyone who has either isn't good enough and, by extension, is either unemployed or done in the league. The rare case where a great coach with experience hits the market there's going to be lots of competing interest and there's always worries about how that coach would look with a different team and organization. Most, if not all, great coaches are kept by teams so I'd rather not go the retread route. Hire someone new from outside the organization. A guy like Appleyard would have more knowledge about who's available in regards to that. I really only follow the NHL and a lot of fans are like that.

On a side note, I just saw that we're a quarter of the way through the season we only have two more wins than the Oilers and Sabres... maybe getting McDavid or Eichel isn't as unlikely as some think, especially if Hextall does what we're expecting.

People really don't realize how bad we've been. I've been saying the last couple GDT's we already have a top five pick. If the losing continues we're actually going to be in the same grounds as the worst of the worst with the likes of the Oilers.

We're extremely, ridiculously bad lately and on pace for a pick (including current trends) that even the most pessimistic people didn't predict coming into the season. We're a notch above the likes of Columbus (who have been hugely injured), Carolina, Edmonton, and Buffalo. Fall that one notch and who knows.

 

[Random Forest]

Aside from the obvious Babcock, Todd McLellan is a guy I'd have interest in, and he's going to be under pressure soon. He's been excellent at finding use of unheralded players to fill out his roster. Guys like that are capable of finding NHL utility out of players by, you know, actually using them in roles that maximize their skill sets.

We all say, "oh well, player X was a tweener, and probably wouldn't have been much anyway", but that mentality is terrible, imo. I think a guy like McLellan could players like Cousins, Akeson, Gustafsson, etc. into effective, though unspectacular, NHL players. And getting the most out of the roster has ALWAYS been a concern for this team.

But like GG said above, I also don't know who's available outside of the NHL. But if we're looking for guys with experience, Babcock and McLellan are at the top of my list.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I don't think I would put Cousins in that group since he hasn't even played an NHL game & unlike the other two he has the pedigree.

 

[Garbage Goal]

Aside from the obvious Babcock, Todd McLellan is a guy I'd have interest in, and he's going to be under pressure soon. He's been excellent at finding use of unheralded players to fill out his roster. Guys like that are capable of finding NHL utility out of players by, you know, actually using them in roles that maximize their skill sets.

We all say, "oh well, player X was a tweener, and probably wouldn't have been much anyway", but that mentality is terrible, imo. I think a guy like McLellan could players like Cousins, Akeson, Gustafsson, etc. into effective, though unspectacular, NHL players. And getting the most out of the roster has ALWAYS been a concern for this team.

But like GG said above, I also don't know who's available outside of the NHL. But if we're looking for guys with experience, Babcock and McLellan are at the top of my list.

I have to agree with all that as well. That mentality is terrible in my eyes too and just last season we saw it with Gustafsson now this season with Akeson. As far as proven NHL coaches go McLellan is a great idea and probably first on my list. Babcock would be worth a look-see, but there would be so much competition for him and he would probably be coming in with so much pride and demand that it would drive me off. Not a fan of Bylsma. Other then those three I can't even think of anyone notable off the top of my head.

This is why I tend to shy away from coaching discussions though. I think the best opportunities for hires come from guys who haven't seen a head coach job at the NHL yet and, for this organization specifically, from outside the organization. When it comes to that description most fans can't really come up with candidates. Guys like Appleyard who have that kind of superb knowledge aren't all that common.