The Fire John Hynes Thread

[Jack Be Quick]

He lives a few doors down from me and gives out sun chips for Halloween. I’m ok with seeing a for sale sign.

Post of the day my man.

 

[Oneiro]

Travis Zajac. Player/coach. Do it.

 

[Blender]

Jukka Jalonen.

Might as well, he's overdue for an NHL job anyways.

 

[Lindys Lazy Eye]

I'll take Pete back at this point.

 

[DingDongCharlie]

I’m not sure you can put bad coaching aside on this one

Ok fair enough. I’m not that familiar with Hynes as I didn’t follow the devils even after you got Hall from us.

The good side is you guys have a good GM and a very solid roster on paper. Hope you guys get a new coach. Can’t see Shero not seeing what is painfully obvious in Hynes inability I’ve witnessed to match lines.

When Yeo was canned in StL the team turned around quick

 

[Davegarri]

Guy Boucher is available lol

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

I blame Shero for allowing this coach to stick around this long.

 

[pulkit1989]

That ex habs coach is available. Michael therrian?

 

[jkrdevil]

That ex habs coach is available. Michael therrian?

I know this is sarcastic, but he is an Assistant in Philly.

 

[Blender]

This is his 5th season, he should have absolutely no leash left. Provide results or go.

 

[My3Sons]

It’s two games in and even if the team has looked bad for four of six periods you have to show some restraint. The NHL is not the NFL.

 

[Oneiro]

Guy Boucher is available lol

I'm kind of down for this. He gets a lot out of teams. For a season.

 

[The 29th Pick]

It’s two games in and even if the team has looked bad for four of six periods you have to show some restraint. The NHL is not the NFL.

its angry hour, round here, take your sensible posts elsewhere !

 

[Davegarri]

It’s two games in and even if the team has looked bad for four of six periods you have to show some restraint. The NHL is not the NFL.

Have to re-evaluate after the first 15 or 20 games. At that point if we are not playing well you have to really think hard about cleaning house

 

[Hisch13r]

I'm kind of down for this. He gets a lot out of teams. For a season.

First season Boucher is a mythical coach

 

[NJDevs26]

I'm kind of down for this. He gets a lot out of teams. For a season.

And for an added bonus he has a prior relationship with Nico.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Have to re-evaluate after the first 15 or 20 games. At that point if we are not playing well you have to really think hard about cleaning house

That's too many games.

 

[Oneiro]

He's so handsome.

And he has hair.

 

[Team Concept]

Top candidates to fill NHL coaching vacancies, from the big...

If anyone has a subscription it'd be mighty nice of you to post the names.

Dave Tippett
Current Position: Senior Advisor to Seattle’s NHL expansion group
Earlier this season Tippett joined Seattle’s expansion group as an advisor and he said he wasn’t planning on coaching the Seattle team when it begins play in the fall of 2021, something that was widely rumored. He said, instead, that he was content in the senior management role the group carved out for him. But Tippett subsequently said to The Athletic that you never say never when it comes to coaching and acknowledged there is nothing quite like coaching in the NHL playoffs. Others have reported that perhaps the coaching bug remains very much part of Tippett’s psyche. If that’s the case, Tippett would go to the front of the class in terms of desirability for a team looking to bring order and structure. Although his teams have always been defensively sound, Tippett is a forward-thinker and, for a team like Anaheim that has many desirable pieces, including top-flight goaltender John Gibson, the turnaround might be accelerated if Tippett decided that coaching was still very much in the cards for him. Likewise, he would be a great fit in Buffalo where the Sabres earlier courted Todd McLellan.
Mike Yeo
Current Position: Idle. Relieved of his duties as Blues coach 19 games into the 2018-19 season
Hard to get a handle on just what Yeo’s coaching ceiling might be given the circumstances and roster limitations he faced in Minnesota and St. Louis. Certainly his work after replacing Ken Hitchcock in the latter stages of the 2016-17 season was, well, yeoman, as the Blues went 22-8-2 and defeated Minnesota in the first round. For the first four years of his tenure as an NHL head coach, Yeo, now 45, was the youngest head coach in the league. That experience should put him in a good place should one of these teams come knocking given Yeo’s passion. His experiences might put him in good stead in Ottawa given the many challenges facing that team.
Bob Hartley
Current Position: Head coach Avangard Omsk, KHL
Hartley’s Avangard Omsk team advanced to the KHL final this season, his first in Russia. While he’s not part of the Hockey Canada network of coaches, which is generally helpful in finding employment as an NHL coach, there is no denying Hartley’s ability to get results regardless of where he’s coached and how much talent he’s had at his disposal. He is a former Jack Adams winner as coach of the year and won a Stanley Cup in Denver with the Avalanche. But beyond that he’s a coaching lifer. It seems not to matter particularly where he works as long as he works. His work in Calgary after a successful stint coaching in Switzerland is often overlooked but he did get a very ordinary Flames squad to the second round of the playoffs in 2015. On the eve of the NHL playoffs, Hartley seemed quite happy with his Russian coaching adventure and raved about how he and his staff were treated. Would he give that up to jump into the organizational quagmire that is Ottawa? Not sure, even though he’d be an excellent fit for a team that will continue to play with an underdog tag for the foreseeable future – something that fits Hartley’s coaching persona.
Marc Crawford
Current Position: Interim head coach Ottawa Senators
Crawford, like Hartley, won a Stanley Cup in Denver with the Avs before less successful stints in Vancouver, Los Angeles and Dallas. But the former Jack Adams winner also enjoyed success in Switzerland and was a part of Guy Boucher’s staff when the Senators advanced to within a game of the 2017 Stanley Cup final before beginning their current descent into chaos. Crawford, 58, took over for Boucher this season and would seem a safe choice to remain in that position moving forward. But it’s also fair to question whether there was any appreciable change in how the Senators played when Crawford took over – they were 7-10-1 after Crawford took the reins on March 1. It also seems critical to have a completely fresh start with a new president of hockey operations and a new coach in order to move past the misery of the past two seasons.
Michel Therrien
Current Position: Provides media analysis for broadcast outlets in Quebec
Therrien stayed on top of the game and, while he’s had opportunities to coach in Europe a la his old pal Hartley, there is still the pull return to the NHL game. Therrien is old school but has a wealth of experience as a head coach at the NHL level in both Montreal, where he had two stints as bench boss, and Pittsburgh, where he took a young Penguins team to the Stanley Cup final in 2008. Could the 55-year-old replicate that success with a young but troubled Oilers team? Certainly he would be a figure commanding immediate respect wherever he gets an opportunity.
Dan Bylsma
Current Position: Assistant coach Detroit Red Wings
Bylsma, 48, succeeded Therrien in Pittsburgh and won the Cup in 2009. The Penguins’ best playoff season after that under Bylsma was a trip to the 2013 Eastern Conference final when they were swept by Boston. A two-year tenure in Buffalo turned out poorly for all concerned; although the fact that Bylsma’s successor with the Sabres, Phil Housley, likewise failed to gain traction suggests this is as much on the team as it is on the coach. Discuss amongst yourselves but Bylsma, also a former Jack Adams winner, is a thoughtful and intelligent coach and has ties to the Anaheim area where he played on the Ducks team that lost in the 2003 Stanley Cup final.
NHL Assistants

Luke Richardson
Current Position: Assistant coach Montreal Canadiens
It wasn’t surprising reading that Canadiens players were raving about the work done by Richardson, who joined Claude Julien’s staff this season after spending last season as an assistant with the Islanders. What was expected to be a huge black hole for the Canadiens this season – their defensive game – ended up not being that at all as the Habs surprised most by making a valiant effort at a playoff berth. Player after player spoke glowingly about Richardson, who played 1,417 NHL games as a defenseman, praising his calming demeanor, his ability to teach on the fly and his supportive nature. Such are the qualities that would seem to translate easily to being a head coach, especially of a young team in need of a firm but intuitive hand. Richardson’s connection to Ottawa is strong having been born in the Canadian capital and having played for the Senators at the end of his career before being an assistant coach with the big club and then head coach with the Senators’ AHL affiliate in Binghamton. Given how many good young defensive prospects the Senators have in the system, Richardson’s expertise would seem to make him a nice fit for the Senators. Richardson, 50, also played in Edmonton, and his personality and teaching style would seem to be a good fit as well, as the Oilers have a handful of top young defensive prospects looking to push their way onto the big club. One longtime NHL player noted the work done by both Montreal assistants, Richardson and Dominique Ducharme, and how both represented potential head coaching material: “I’ve watched the impact he’s (Ducharme) has had on Claude and on the culture in that Montreal room.”
Lane Lambert
Current Position: Associate coach New York Islanders
Lambert, 54, is a longtime associate of Islanders coach Barry Trotz, was part of the Stanley Cup winning coaching staff in Washington last season and moved to Long Island with Trotz in the offseason. Lambert, a native of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, who played 283 NHL games, plays a significant role in game planning and practices, and helped the Islanders’ penalty kill, which was instrumental in the team’s first-round sweep of the Penguins. One longtime NHL executive named Lambert as one of two top coaching talents ready to take on an NHL team and said he would be a good fit in Edmonton. “They need a defensive system like the Islanders,” the former NHL player said. Lambert also has experience running a bench as the head coach with Milwaukee of the AHL. Another former player and NHL executive studied how Lambert and another longtime AHL coach Dean Evason ran their benches and communicated with players. He was very impressed with both and suggested both have NHL head coaching abilities. Evason was part of Bruce Boudreau’s staff in Minnesota this season after six seasons as head coach in Milwaukee.
Minor Pro coaches

Sheldon Keefe
Current Position: Head coach Toronto Marlies, AHL
It seems inevitable that Keefe will be an NHL head coach sooner than later. His work with the Marlies is exemplary and he’s considered a top young coaching mind. He would seem to be a good fit with any of the four teams looking to fill vacancies. The question is whether Toronto GM Kyle Dubas envisions him behind the Leafs bench at some point, pending what happens to the Leafs in the short term. At just 38 years old, it will take a leap of faith for an NHL GM to entrust a rebuilding team to a first-time NHL head coach with a relatively short resume compared to some of the other options – although it can be argued that his youth is also one of Keefe’s most attractive traits.
Dallas Eakins
Current Position: Head coach San Diego Gulls, AHL
There is a school of thought that Eakins, 52, is the heir apparent to the Anaheim head coaching job vacated when veteran Randy Carlyle was dismissed late in the regular season. Ducks GM Bob Murray coached the final 26 games for what was a lost season for the Ducks, but the feeling is that Eakins learned valuable lessons from his first stint as an NHL head coach in Edmonton, where he rubbed many folks the wrong way with his brash style, and is ready for a second go-round. He is credited with changing the culture in San Diego and helping some of the Ducks’ young talent, like Troy Terry and Max Jones, transition from the AHL to NHL. One source close to the Ducks said Eakins would be the safe hire, especially given his knowledge of some of the young talent expected to take on a big burden in returning the Ducks to the playoffs. But would he be the right hire? The source was more non-committal on that front calling him a front-runner for the position but not a lock. The fact the Ducks’ job remains unfilled is good news for Eakins whose Gulls are in the AHL playoffs.
Brent Thompson
Current Position: Head coach Bridgeport Sound Tigers, AHL
Thompson is a bit under the radar but has done solid work with the Islanders’ top farm team, guiding them to a 43-24-9 record this season and home-ice advantage in the first round of the AHL playoffs. A native of Calgary, the 48-year-old won an ECHL championship and has been with the Isles’ top farm team since 2014-15. Thompson was tabbed by one NHL executive and longtime player and scout as a top coaching talent not already in the NHL.
Mike Vellucci
Current Position: Head coach Charlotte Checkers, AHL
Vellucci, 52, holds the titles of assistant general manager and director of player personnel for the Hurricanes but his work in coaching the Canes’ top farm team is exemplary, as they were an AHL-best 51-17-8 this season, Vellucci’s second as head coach after a long run as coach and GM of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. One NHL executive said he was surprised that Vellucci hasn’t been more sought-after at the NHL level given his track record in Charlotte and his long coaching/managing background. Another former NHL player and executive said Vellucci is interesting because of his management background: “It’s an interesting mix, it really is.”
Scott Gordon
Current Position: Coach, Philadelphia Flyers organization
Gordon’s current status is a bit up in the air with the hiring of Vigneault as Flyers head coach. Gordon coaxed the Flyers back into the playoff discussion before a late-season swoon ended those dreams. But with a 22-12-4 record with the Flyers after coming up from Lehigh Valley in the AHL to replace the fired Dave Hakstol, Gordon shouldered his way back onto NHL radars. He can return to the Phantoms next season, but given his work with some of the young Flyers both in Lehigh Valley and with the big club, a team like Ottawa might be a nice fit for the 56-year-old former netminder.
Outside Professional Hockey

Rikard Gronborg
Current Position: Coach of the Swedish men’s national team
The list of European head coaches in the NHL is a pretty short one. Alpo Suhonen coached Chicago for one season, 2000-01, and Ivan Hlinka coached Pittsburgh for a total of 86 games between 2000 and 2002. Language, culture and differing coaching styles all contributed to a virtual wall existing between the NHL and European born and/or trained coaches. But if there is one person prepared to break through that wall it could be Gronborg, 50, who has a strong connection to North America, having played at St. Cloud State and coached at the minor pro level before taking on national team duties in Sweden. Gronborg is immensely popular in coaching circles and considered forward thinking. A source close to the Sabres indicated that, when they failed to land McLellan, Gronborg’s name was thrown into the mix, especially given the number of top young Swedes on the Sabres’ roster, including last June’s No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. Would it be an outside the box hire for Buffalo GM Jason Botterill or any of the other GMs (assuming Edmonton gets a GM at some point) to hire from outside of North America? Sure. But it does seem like high time that coaches with different perspectives are considered as the NHL game continues to evolve.
Scott Sandelin
Current Position: Head coach University of Minnesota, Duluth, head coach Team USA World Junior Championships
With Hakstol, David Quinn and Jim Montgomery all recently making the jump from Division I college hockey to the NHL without previous NHL head coaching experience, there is definitely a trend developing for NHL clubs to mine college hockey, not just for players but for coaching expertise. “People are watching them closely to see the transition,” one former NHL player and executive with a solid understanding of the college coaching ranks said. He wonders if Sandelin, fresh off a second straight national championship with UMD and tabbed to coach at next year’s world juniors, will be the next to get that chance. He also mentioned Providence College head coach Nate Leaman as another coach to watch vis a vis NHL openings. “I think he’s going to be an NHL head coach,” he said of Leaman.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

Dave Tippett
Current Position: Senior Advisor to Seattle’s NHL expansion group
Earlier this season Tippett joined Seattle’s expansion group as an advisor and he said he wasn’t planning on coaching the Seattle team when it begins play in the fall of 2021, something that was widely rumored. He said, instead, that he was content in the senior management role the group carved out for him. But Tippett subsequently said to The Athletic that you never say never when it comes to coaching and acknowledged there is nothing quite like coaching in the NHL playoffs. Others have reported that perhaps the coaching bug remains very much part of Tippett’s psyche. If that’s the case, Tippett would go to the front of the class in terms of desirability for a team looking to bring order and structure. Although his teams have always been defensively sound, Tippett is a forward-thinker and, for a team like Anaheim that has many desirable pieces, including top-flight goaltender John Gibson, the turnaround might be accelerated if Tippett decided that coaching was still very much in the cards for him. Likewise, he would be a great fit in Buffalo where the Sabres earlier courted Todd McLellan.
Mike Yeo
Current Position: Idle. Relieved of his duties as Blues coach 19 games into the 2018-19 season
Hard to get a handle on just what Yeo’s coaching ceiling might be given the circumstances and roster limitations he faced in Minnesota and St. Louis. Certainly his work after replacing Ken Hitchcock in the latter stages of the 2016-17 season was, well, yeoman, as the Blues went 22-8-2 and defeated Minnesota in the first round. For the first four years of his tenure as an NHL head coach, Yeo, now 45, was the youngest head coach in the league. That experience should put him in a good place should one of these teams come knocking given Yeo’s passion. His experiences might put him in good stead in Ottawa given the many challenges facing that team.
Bob Hartley
Current Position: Head coach Avangard Omsk, KHL
Hartley’s Avangard Omsk team advanced to the KHL final this season, his first in Russia. While he’s not part of the Hockey Canada network of coaches, which is generally helpful in finding employment as an NHL coach, there is no denying Hartley’s ability to get results regardless of where he’s coached and how much talent he’s had at his disposal. He is a former Jack Adams winner as coach of the year and won a Stanley Cup in Denver with the Avalanche. But beyond that he’s a coaching lifer. It seems not to matter particularly where he works as long as he works. His work in Calgary after a successful stint coaching in Switzerland is often overlooked but he did get a very ordinary Flames squad to the second round of the playoffs in 2015. On the eve of the NHL playoffs, Hartley seemed quite happy with his Russian coaching adventure and raved about how he and his staff were treated. Would he give that up to jump into the organizational quagmire that is Ottawa? Not sure, even though he’d be an excellent fit for a team that will continue to play with an underdog tag for the foreseeable future – something that fits Hartley’s coaching persona.
Marc Crawford
Current Position: Interim head coach Ottawa Senators
Crawford, like Hartley, won a Stanley Cup in Denver with the Avs before less successful stints in Vancouver, Los Angeles and Dallas. But the former Jack Adams winner also enjoyed success in Switzerland and was a part of Guy Boucher’s staff when the Senators advanced to within a game of the 2017 Stanley Cup final before beginning their current descent into chaos. Crawford, 58, took over for Boucher this season and would seem a safe choice to remain in that position moving forward. But it’s also fair to question whether there was any appreciable change in how the Senators played when Crawford took over – they were 7-10-1 after Crawford took the reins on March 1. It also seems critical to have a completely fresh start with a new president of hockey operations and a new coach in order to move past the misery of the past two seasons.
Michel Therrien
Current Position: Provides media analysis for broadcast outlets in Quebec
Therrien stayed on top of the game and, while he’s had opportunities to coach in Europe a la his old pal Hartley, there is still the pull return to the NHL game. Therrien is old school but has a wealth of experience as a head coach at the NHL level in both Montreal, where he had two stints as bench boss, and Pittsburgh, where he took a young Penguins team to the Stanley Cup final in 2008. Could the 55-year-old replicate that success with a young but troubled Oilers team? Certainly he would be a figure commanding immediate respect wherever he gets an opportunity.
Dan Bylsma
Current Position: Assistant coach Detroit Red Wings
Bylsma, 48, succeeded Therrien in Pittsburgh and won the Cup in 2009. The Penguins’ best playoff season after that under Bylsma was a trip to the 2013 Eastern Conference final when they were swept by Boston. A two-year tenure in Buffalo turned out poorly for all concerned; although the fact that Bylsma’s successor with the Sabres, Phil Housley, likewise failed to gain traction suggests this is as much on the team as it is on the coach. Discuss amongst yourselves but Bylsma, also a former Jack Adams winner, is a thoughtful and intelligent coach and has ties to the Anaheim area where he played on the Ducks team that lost in the 2003 Stanley Cup final.
NHL Assistants

Luke Richardson
Current Position: Assistant coach Montreal Canadiens
It wasn’t surprising reading that Canadiens players were raving about the work done by Richardson, who joined Claude Julien’s staff this season after spending last season as an assistant with the Islanders. What was expected to be a huge black hole for the Canadiens this season – their defensive game – ended up not being that at all as the Habs surprised most by making a valiant effort at a playoff berth. Player after player spoke glowingly about Richardson, who played 1,417 NHL games as a defenseman, praising his calming demeanor, his ability to teach on the fly and his supportive nature. Such are the qualities that would seem to translate easily to being a head coach, especially of a young team in need of a firm but intuitive hand. Richardson’s connection to Ottawa is strong having been born in the Canadian capital and having played for the Senators at the end of his career before being an assistant coach with the big club and then head coach with the Senators’ AHL affiliate in Binghamton. Given how many good young defensive prospects the Senators have in the system, Richardson’s expertise would seem to make him a nice fit for the Senators. Richardson, 50, also played in Edmonton, and his personality and teaching style would seem to be a good fit as well, as the Oilers have a handful of top young defensive prospects looking to push their way onto the big club. One longtime NHL player noted the work done by both Montreal assistants, Richardson and Dominique Ducharme, and how both represented potential head coaching material: “I’ve watched the impact he’s (Ducharme) has had on Claude and on the culture in that Montreal room.”
Lane Lambert
Current Position: Associate coach New York Islanders
Lambert, 54, is a longtime associate of Islanders coach Barry Trotz, was part of the Stanley Cup winning coaching staff in Washington last season and moved to Long Island with Trotz in the offseason. Lambert, a native of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, who played 283 NHL games, plays a significant role in game planning and practices, and helped the Islanders’ penalty kill, which was instrumental in the team’s first-round sweep of the Penguins. One longtime NHL executive named Lambert as one of two top coaching talents ready to take on an NHL team and said he would be a good fit in Edmonton. “They need a defensive system like the Islanders,” the former NHL player said. Lambert also has experience running a bench as the head coach with Milwaukee of the AHL. Another former player and NHL executive studied how Lambert and another longtime AHL coach Dean Evason ran their benches and communicated with players. He was very impressed with both and suggested both have NHL head coaching abilities. Evason was part of Bruce Boudreau’s staff in Minnesota this season after six seasons as head coach in Milwaukee.
Minor Pro coaches

Sheldon Keefe
Current Position: Head coach Toronto Marlies, AHL
It seems inevitable that Keefe will be an NHL head coach sooner than later. His work with the Marlies is exemplary and he’s considered a top young coaching mind. He would seem to be a good fit with any of the four teams looking to fill vacancies. The question is whether Toronto GM Kyle Dubas envisions him behind the Leafs bench at some point, pending what happens to the Leafs in the short term. At just 38 years old, it will take a leap of faith for an NHL GM to entrust a rebuilding team to a first-time NHL head coach with a relatively short resume compared to some of the other options – although it can be argued that his youth is also one of Keefe’s most attractive traits.
Dallas Eakins
Current Position: Head coach San Diego Gulls, AHL
There is a school of thought that Eakins, 52, is the heir apparent to the Anaheim head coaching job vacated when veteran Randy Carlyle was dismissed late in the regular season. Ducks GM Bob Murray coached the final 26 games for what was a lost season for the Ducks, but the feeling is that Eakins learned valuable lessons from his first stint as an NHL head coach in Edmonton, where he rubbed many folks the wrong way with his brash style, and is ready for a second go-round. He is credited with changing the culture in San Diego and helping some of the Ducks’ young talent, like Troy Terry and Max Jones, transition from the AHL to NHL. One source close to the Ducks said Eakins would be the safe hire, especially given his knowledge of some of the young talent expected to take on a big burden in returning the Ducks to the playoffs. But would he be the right hire? The source was more non-committal on that front calling him a front-runner for the position but not a lock. The fact the Ducks’ job remains unfilled is good news for Eakins whose Gulls are in the AHL playoffs.
Brent Thompson
Current Position: Head coach Bridgeport Sound Tigers, AHL
Thompson is a bit under the radar but has done solid work with the Islanders’ top farm team, guiding them to a 43-24-9 record this season and home-ice advantage in the first round of the AHL playoffs. A native of Calgary, the 48-year-old won an ECHL championship and has been with the Isles’ top farm team since 2014-15. Thompson was tabbed by one NHL executive and longtime player and scout as a top coaching talent not already in the NHL.
Mike Vellucci
Current Position: Head coach Charlotte Checkers, AHL
Vellucci, 52, holds the titles of assistant general manager and director of player personnel for the Hurricanes but his work in coaching the Canes’ top farm team is exemplary, as they were an AHL-best 51-17-8 this season, Vellucci’s second as head coach after a long run as coach and GM of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. One NHL executive said he was surprised that Vellucci hasn’t been more sought-after at the NHL level given his track record in Charlotte and his long coaching/managing background. Another former NHL player and executive said Vellucci is interesting because of his management background: “It’s an interesting mix, it really is.”
Scott Gordon
Current Position: Coach, Philadelphia Flyers organization
Gordon’s current status is a bit up in the air with the hiring of Vigneault as Flyers head coach. Gordon coaxed the Flyers back into the playoff discussion before a late-season swoon ended those dreams. But with a 22-12-4 record with the Flyers after coming up from Lehigh Valley in the AHL to replace the fired Dave Hakstol, Gordon shouldered his way back onto NHL radars. He can return to the Phantoms next season, but given his work with some of the young Flyers both in Lehigh Valley and with the big club, a team like Ottawa might be a nice fit for the 56-year-old former netminder.
Outside Professional Hockey

Rikard Gronborg
Current Position: Coach of the Swedish men’s national team
The list of European head coaches in the NHL is a pretty short one. Alpo Suhonen coached Chicago for one season, 2000-01, and Ivan Hlinka coached Pittsburgh for a total of 86 games between 2000 and 2002. Language, culture and differing coaching styles all contributed to a virtual wall existing between the NHL and European born and/or trained coaches. But if there is one person prepared to break through that wall it could be Gronborg, 50, who has a strong connection to North America, having played at St. Cloud State and coached at the minor pro level before taking on national team duties in Sweden. Gronborg is immensely popular in coaching circles and considered forward thinking. A source close to the Sabres indicated that, when they failed to land McLellan, Gronborg’s name was thrown into the mix, especially given the number of top young Swedes on the Sabres’ roster, including last June’s No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. Would it be an outside the box hire for Buffalo GM Jason Botterill or any of the other GMs (assuming Edmonton gets a GM at some point) to hire from outside of North America? Sure. But it does seem like high time that coaches with different perspectives are considered as the NHL game continues to evolve.
Scott Sandelin
Current Position: Head coach University of Minnesota, Duluth, head coach Team USA World Junior Championships
With Hakstol, David Quinn and Jim Montgomery all recently making the jump from Division I college hockey to the NHL without previous NHL head coaching experience, there is definitely a trend developing for NHL clubs to mine college hockey, not just for players but for coaching expertise. “People are watching them closely to see the transition,” one former NHL player and executive with a solid understanding of the college coaching ranks said. He wonders if Sandelin, fresh off a second straight national championship with UMD and tabbed to coach at next year’s world juniors, will be the next to get that chance. He also mentioned Providence College head coach Nate Leaman as another coach to watch vis a vis NHL openings. “I think he’s going to be an NHL head coach,” he said of Leaman.

Thanks dude, but you may want to edit that.

 

[Blender]

I have no interest in one of these recycled old boys club coaches. This just perpetuates mediocrity in the league.

 

[Bleedred]

Guy Boucher would be pretty sweet as a power play coach. Gotta be better than Kowalsky. Most would be.

I wouldn't want him as a head coach though. He'd be funny, but I don't think he's for the NHL as a head coach.

 

[Bleedred]

I have no interest in one of these recycled old boys club coaches. This just perpetuates mediocrity in the league.

I agree with you, but that's exactly the route we didn't go when we hired Hynes in the first place.

And that's okay, it wasn't a bad hire. It just doesn't seem like it's working out or that it's gonna work out.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

He's so handsome.

And he has hair.

JMac has probably scared a lot of people away from ex Devils, but lets get some of the true legends in here. Scotty as head coach, Nieds to coach the D, Elias as an assistant and Marty as the goalie coach.

 

[Blender]

I agree with you, but that's exactly the route we didn't go when we hired Hynes in the first place.

And that's okay, it wasn't a bad hire. It just doesn't seem like it's working out or that it's gonna work out.

Coaches pretty much always have a shelf life. Hynes has been here for the rebuild and overall done a decent job, but he might not be the right guy to push the team forward now.