I think we’d take almost anyone at this point.
The issue to me is that all anyone really thinks about is who was fired recently that is worth hiring or which Assistant has been passed around enough that makes blokes here comfortable to assume they could be a decent option or the best coach in the AHL that might be worthy of a shot (we literally had one in Vellucci and had multiple opportunities to hand him the team to see if he can do better than Sullivan and instead they just doubled down on Sullivan with an extension and his clone as his new Assistant).
I think there's a lot of really good candidates that this team should look at that are some repeated names but also ones that deserve a better shot.
Todd Nelson to me is one that has always deserved a shot and I absolutely love his approach to coaching and his players will run through a wall for him just as he would for his team. He also openly admits (as do his players) that he wants feedback good or bad and doesn't hold it against the players and the players have stated the same that Nelson is very good at getting them to really buy in because of that. He was so royally screwed over in Edmonton. They hired him to be their next coach, its what Todd told them, he did an amazing job for their Affiliate and then they hired Dallas Eakins from another AHL team, of course Eakins goes 1yr, absolutely dreadful and gets shit-canned early the next season where Todd takes over and does better than Eakins ever did in Edmonton.
Then to me you pick a new age coaching brain out of the ranks - David Carle is one I have mentioned to death since Warsofsky is now the Sharks HC. Warsofsky was someone I also mentioned a ton before he even joined the Sharks, kind of sucks but whatever, there are some good options out there. I mean at worst maybe even go Vellucci as the HC, Nelson as the AC (Nelson might not even bother if it's an Assistant gig again), Carle as AC2, you basically have a succession line ready to go there. Unless they just clean house which I would totally get and just go Nelson as the HC, so weird he's not a coach in the NHL at all.
“The guys love playing for Nelly,” said 29-year-old veteran Steve Pinizzotto. “There were times the roster was changing on a nightly basis. You can’t give Nelly, Gerry and Rocky enough credit. They’ve done a tremendous job.”
Nelson, 44, has been a professional head coach for seven seasons. All seven teams have reached the playoffs. His teams are 137 games over .500.
His systems are aggressive, hockey’s version of fast-break basketball.
Team captain Anton Lander said Nelson’s system is tweaked but never changes. Despite bouncing back and forth between Edmonton and Oklahoma City this season, Lander said it’s always a smooth transition when he rejoins the Barons.
“Nelly, Gerry and Rocky have been together, which is big,” Lander said. “It’s the same system every year. The thing they do best is bring the team together. We work hard for the guy next to us in the locker room.”
The Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate has made the playoffs four consecutive years. A big reason is the continuity of the system used by their coach.
www.oklahoman.com
This was Fridgeman back in 2015...
When Todd Nelson took over for Dallas Eakins in Edmonton, I’m not sure how many people thought he would be the permanent choice. It’s no guarantee, but it’s very clear he’s put himself deep into the conversation. The Oilers are determined to wait until after the season before making any decisions, but it’s going to take a real high-level candidate to push him out.
I’d wondered if (for argument’s sake) Todd McLellan was the guy, if the Oilers may ask him to keep Nelson as his top assistant. But that’s a recipe for trouble, and it’s believed Nelson, who has already been an NHL assistant, would rather run his own bench than return to that position. One thing is for sure: everyone’s learned he coaches at the NHL level exactly how he does it at the AHL level. Players relate to him, and play hard for him.
Anyways, funny enough while Nelson would have been a good option for the Capitals, they hired Carbery instead, someone Dubas hired as Keefe's Assistant for 2yrs before the Caps plucked him back. Carbery is a damn good hire and it sucks to see the Caps get lucky with him, he's definitely a coach that will have a fantastic coaching career and I like his uptempo style - hard to see with an older roster but as it gets younger, it'll show more.