I certainly think the team has a cartoonishly large Org chart. We, somehow, have 9 scouting Heads/ Directors /Chief Scout positions and 14 scouts. Granted most of the higher up guys likely most just scout too, but, damn there are a lot of titles.
There are different issues when you’re talking about power with head coaches.
If you’re talking about a GM getting players who fit a coach’s system (and if he gets to choose there), I don’t know if Laviolette gets that in Washington. Maybe they are getting guys for him or maybe the team has an identity and they get players who fit it.
I just don’t think our team as it was constructed when he was interviewed would have worked well for him. I can see Fitz’s team work pitch as probably not helping if that was a thing. (I didn’t want Laviolette, so whatever.)
In the past Ruff has talked about keeping his coaching style flexible in order to work with the kind of talent he has. That’s a good thing imo. We play a speed possession based system in part because that plays to our current strengths. Ruff has his flaws but he’s not dumb or terrible coach.
Laviolette certainly didn’t get to pick all his assistants in Washington and typically NHL head coaches don’t.
They get a mix of guys who are there when they arrive, hot young hires from juniors/NCAA, their guys from their past jobs, the GMs guys from their past jobs, or available ex-NHL head/assistant coaches.
3 of his 4 Assistant Coaches (as of 2021-22) pre-date Laviolette, but he did get to bring on Kevin McCarthy, who’s been with him since his time with the Hurricanes.
I just do not believe that there’s some weird mass coaching collective (that I still don’t quite understand) unique to us, because it doesn’t make sense to me. I see our coaching staff going about this the normal way.
I don’t see our owners telling our GM how the team should be coached or Fitz having wildly unconventional ideas about coaching. He’s very actively teaming building and has an team identity in mind. I thought he was saying Ruff was a partner in the end of the season presser because he was defending him as a development coach.
When people were doubting assistants run special teams I posted this article of an interview with Micheal Therrien, who was starting as the Flyer’s AC.
Flyers contributor continues his series on the new coaches and their systems
www.nhl.com
And here’s an article about what AC’s do from the Athletic, using the Leafs as an example (Justin Bourne was Marlies video coach for 2 seasons.)
Off The Ice
On The Bench
Player Interaction
A three-part look at their role: off the ice, on the bench, and player interaction.
theathletic.com