Speculation: Kevin Dineen.... next head coach for Canes

[cptjeff]

I predict that Mullet is fired after the buzzer of the final game. They're going to want to at least in part build the new team with the rubber stamp of coach's approval. Ron has a lot of connections around the league and knows a lot of people. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

I wonder if Scott Walker is on anybody's radar after his Guelph team's success this season. Who knows.

I want to see Scott Walker in Charlotte. I'm not really hugely of one mind or the other about Muller, but I'd lean towards letting him start the season. I generally think NHL teams fire coaches far too quickly, and that blaming the coach is often just a cover for a lousy roster. I think that may be the case here. We need a better defined identity for our bottom 6- I forget who it was, but somebody made a very nice point recently about the defined lines of that cup team- the lower lines, especially the 4th, had fixed roles and weren't just players that didn't fit elsewhere. We need to return to that. Get lots of guys with grit, and add some team toughness. Get rid of the nondescript replacement level guys like Nash, and bring back a real energy line again.

Going back to Walker, I think bringing a guy like Scott Walker into Charlotte can help develop those type of players. The guys who come up to the NHL after spending decent amounts of time in the AHL are often grinders who help team toughness and maybe chip in some points. Guys like Scott Walker, who followed that development path himself. Coincidentally (or not) those are exactly the type of players you need for success in this league and that the Hurricanes roster pretty much entirely lacks. And the thing is that they often come from lower levels as skill guys, and have to adapt to being role players, because guys who have the skills to just keep up at the NHL level are going to dominate at lower levels. So you take the guy who's been blowing past everyone with his skating in the OHL, and is thus able to score a ton, and develop him into a guy who can go into corners and get physical. It can be a bit of a transition, but it needs to happen in order to get something out of guys who aren't good enough to be skill guys at the NHL level, but have the physical skill to keep up with NHL speed play. Guys like Boychuck.

As an organization, that has been the gaping, oozing, flaw that's doomed us, year after year. We cannot develop those types of players, and we desperately need them. So before we talk about Scott Walker as a head coach, let's talk about putting him where he really needs to be, in the role of teaching those guys who are never going to be skill guys at the NHL level how to be grinders.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I hope they hire Dineen just so that at some point he can tell them he's coached 23 women who have bigger balls than the lot of them.

Sure, that's sexist and a terrible reason to want a coach, but you know whatever.

 

[Ole Gil]

If JR leaves, I wonder if we'll finally let the coach have more input into the roster. It seems like for the last decade, it's been JR assembling a team, and saying "Do something with it" to the coaches. If you're going to have a coach, and believe in them, you have to let them build a roster that fits their plan. (speculation)

With Ward/Skinner as pieces, and a wide open bottom 6/bottom 4, the opportunity to shape the team into something specific seems to be there. Bigger, faster, more skilled, grindier, or whatever.

 

[tomdundo]

I want to see Scott Walker in Charlotte. I'm not really hugely of one mind or the other about Muller, but I'd lean towards letting him start the season. I generally think NHL teams fire coaches far too quickly, and that blaming the coach is often just a cover for a lousy roster. I think that may be the case here. We need a better defined identity for our bottom 6- I forget who it was, but somebody made a very nice point recently about the defined lines of that cup team- the lower lines, especially the 4th, had fixed roles and weren't just players that didn't fit elsewhere. We need to return to that. Get lots of guys with grit, and add some team toughness. Get rid of the nondescript replacement level guys like Nash, and bring back a real energy line again.

Going back to Walker, I think bringing a guy like Scott Walker into Charlotte can help develop those type of players. The guys who come up to the NHL after spending decent amounts of time in the AHL are often grinders who help team toughness and maybe chip in some points. Guys like Scott Walker, who followed that development path himself. Coincidentally (or not) those are exactly the type of players you need for success in this league and that the Hurricanes roster pretty much entirely lacks. And the thing is that they often come from lower levels as skill guys, and have to adapt to being role players, because guys who have the skills to just keep up at the NHL level are going to dominate at lower levels. So you take the guy who's been blowing past everyone with his skating in the OHL, and is thus able to score a ton, and develop him into a guy who can go into corners and get physical. It can be a bit of a transition, but it needs to happen in order to get something out of guys who aren't good enough to be skill guys at the NHL level, but have the physical skill to keep up with NHL speed play. Guys like Boychuck.

As an organization, that has been the gaping, oozing, flaw that's doomed us, year after year. We cannot develop those types of players, and we desperately need them. So before we talk about Scott Walker as a head coach, let's talk about putting him where he really needs to be, in the role of teaching those guys who are never going to be skill guys at the NHL level how to be grinders.

Well, they could always try Kostopoulos-Yelle-Walker 2.0. That worked out well, right?

 

[Oogie Boogie]

I hope they hire Dineen just so that at some point he can tell them he's coached 23 women who have bigger balls than the lot of them.

Wouldn't work on this bunch.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Wouldn't work on this bunch.

I didn't say it would work. It would just be amusing to me.

 

[cptjeff]

Well, they could always try Kostopoulos-Yelle-Walker 2.0. That worked out well, right?

The Walker part worked out. BTW, are Bruins fans still pissed off about him? Trouble is, it's hard to set that kind of thing up with castoffs from other teams. When you're fishing for an energy line in free agency, you're gonna run into problems- guys who bring both energy and skill don't draw a whole lot of money, but teams generally hold on to them. You should be developing a lot of those guys yourself, or trading for them, but trading has a cost- prospects who other teams will probably turn into energy guys, which decreases your chances of doing it in house. But I can't remember the good energy guy we've developed. You might have to go back to LaRose, and he became useless as we tried to bring him into a more skilled role later in his career.

 

[DaveG]

The Walker part worked out. BTW, are Bruins fans still pissed off about him? Trouble is, it's hard to set that kind of thing up with castoffs from other teams. When you're fishing for an energy line in free agency, you're gonna run into problems- guys who bring both energy and skill don't draw a whole lot of money, but teams generally hold on to them. You should be developing a lot of those guys yourself, or trading for them, but trading has a cost- prospects who other teams will probably turn into energy guys, which decreases your chances of doing it in house. But I can't remember the good energy guy we've developed. You might have to go back to LaRose, and he became useless as we tried to bring him into a more skilled role later in his career.

Yep, LaRose and before that Craig Adams.

This team has never been good at developing grit. In part it's because we don't draft it, but the picks are a disaster when we try to anyhow (see 09 draft). I still think we need to give Blanchard a shot here eventually. Let Bowman walk, he's a total tweener.

 

[Sens1Canes2]

I hope they hire Dineen just so that at some point he can tell them he's coached 23 women who have bigger balls than the lot of them.

Sure, that's sexist and a terrible reason to want a coach, but you know whatever.

No, sexist would be saying that you don't give any credence to the job he did with women's team because, well, it's women's hockey so who cares.

Which is pretty much where I fall on him.

 

[cptjeff]

Yep, LaRose and before that Craig Adams.

This team has never been good at developing grit. In part it's because we don't draft it, but the picks are a disaster when we try to anyhow (see 09 draft). I still think we need to give Blanchard a shot here eventually. Let Bowman walk, he's a total tweener.

You don't have to draft for grit specifically, a lot of the grit guys in the NHL were offensive players at lower levels. Other teams can bring guys like that (*cough Boychuck*) into the AHL and turn at least some percentage of them into successful role players. We can't seem to do it.

 

[faulkingdynamic]

The lockerroom could use a paint peeling leader behind the bench again. Muller and Mo are soft dudes verbally, Dineen is not

 

[What the Faulk]

If this happened:

Kevin Dineen - Head Coach
Ron Francis - General Manager
Rod Brind'Amour - Something something assistant
Eric Staal - Current Captain



So that begs the question: what title is Keith Primeau getting? Director of...captaincy?

 

[Joe McGrath]

If this happened:

Kevin Dineen - Head Coach
Ron Francis - General Manager
Rod Brind'Amour - Something something assistant
Eric Staal - Current Captain



So that begs the question: what title is Keith Primeau getting? Director of...captaincy?

Director of concussion awareness

 

[Incubajerks]

I really hope they'll pick a coach with great experience, i don't see the point with Dineen. i will be really happy with Lavi too.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Director of concussion awareness

That'll be a joint position shared with Shane Willis and Dave Tanabe.

So not to sound like another poster here, but let's have a discussion - assuming Muller is shown the door, here are the head coaches who've been in the NHL over the last five years who currently do not have a HC gig in the NHL:

John Anderson
Scott Arniel
Guy Boucher
Cory Clouston
Marc Crawford
Randy Cunneyworth
Kevin Dineen
Scott Gordon
Tony Granato
Wayne Gretzky
Glen Gulutzan
Craig Hartsburg
Dale Hunter
Mike Keenan
Ralph Krueger
Peter Laviolette
Jacques Lemaire
Jacques Martin
Andy Murray
Terry Murray
Claude Noel
Davis Payne
Pat Quinn
Craig Ramsay
Tom Renney
Ron Rolston
Joe Sacco
John Stevens
Brent Sutter
Rick Tocchet

Which of these guys, if we want somebody with prior experience as an NHL HC, would be desirable targets?

 

[the halleJOKEL]

wayn greztky

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Don't forget, Maurice isn't signed past this season.

I think Guy Boucher would be awesome, just because of how evil he looks from that scar on his face.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Don't forget, Maurice isn't signed past this season.

I think Guy Boucher would be awesome, just because of how evil he looks from that scar on his face.

The scar he refuses to tell anyone how he got. He always sort of reminds me of Mads Mikkelsen in Casino Royale

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Or this guy:

And then when Eric comes to the bench and says "See that backcheck!", he could respond:

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

 

[Ole Gil]

No, sexist would be saying that you don't give any credence to the job he did with women's team because, well, it's women's hockey so who cares.

Which is pretty much where I fall on him.

There's no checking in women's hockey, which might actually make him uniquely qualified for the Canes roster.

 

[Finnish Jerk Train]

Or Tommy Flanagan...

Multiple. Stanley. Cups.

 

[tomdundo]

Or Tommy Flanagan...

Multiple. Stanley. Cups.

But would our team suddenly become a biker gang?

 

[raynman]

But would our team suddenly become a biker gang?

Truculence. Team toughness. Grit.

 

[go comets]

the new coach needs to come from outside the organization and have a track record.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

the new coach needs to come from outside the organization and have a track record.

The only guys with a track record and outside the org are the guys garnet listed. So who do you want from that list?