Confirmed with Link: Bill Armstrong is the new GM of the Coyotes

[0point1]

This guy seems like he is in it to win it. Wouldn't surprise me if he did.

If he watches every game last season there is a high chance he just quits. "Holy s what did I get myself into I wish Florida hired me."

Seriously though, I hope he does and sees that Tocchet can't adjust when things start to turn sour in a game. Add in the under performance of nearly the entire team under Tocchet's watch and there is no way Tocchet should stick around more than the next season.

 

[Canis Latrans]

I just would find it almost impossible to believe that a good hockey guy could watch the Coyotes play and think that they are well coached.

I don't like the idea that RT can have any input on which players are any good. He sucks at getting anything good out them anyways.

It doesn't mean Tocchet's opinion is useless though. For all any one knows it gives information some one outside the organization, like our new GM, couldn't glean simply from watching them, and then Armstrong can use that information to determine how they were used improperly, and whether the team should trade the player away or hope they can turn things around better under a new coach later. You don't want another young player being traded away for a middling asset only for that player to have an explosion in productivity elsewhere like we've seen happen however many times now. Maybe some players Tocchet was using properly and Armstrong agrees they should be traded though.

 

[Canis Latrans]

We are strapped for cash. I see this as a good opportunity for BA to come in, look at the roster, adjust the way he wants to set us up for future success. Defacto rebuild. No point in getting rid of RT now if the coach he wants isn't there.

Who knows, with this changing of the guard, BA could sit down with RT and be honest with him. BA said he respects RT, has to be the other way around too. Perhaps GMJC was ok with the passive approach. BA has a much different tone than GMJC, and perhaps the tone from the top will help propel players and coaches to do things differently.

Yeah, I agree that he likely doesn't make a coaching change unless the coach he wants is available right now. The offseason may also end up shorter so you don't want to hamstring a new coach with less preparation time if you don't have to. More likely than not Armstrong is too focused on revamping the scouting, development, and the roster. He'll get to the coaching at some point, but it's not the top priority in his grand scheme. Meruelo may have also asked him to keep Tocchet on for budget reasons, something like, just let him coach out this season, if you still want to after, I'll pay for whomever you like to be the next coach.

A further point to consider, numerous sources warned Armstrong about the organization's disarray and how he should wait for a better opportunity, so perhaps if we want a decent coach with a good track record like Gallant, we're going to need to get things going in the right direction first. So the team currently is scaring off good candidates and Armstrong needs to right the ship before he can attract that kind of coach.

 

[XX]

It doesn't mean Tocchet's opinion is useless though.

There's an anecdote in one of Craig's newer articles about Tocchet not liking Martinook's game and that's why he was traded. Domi and Strome were traded not long after. This is his roster. The only two guys left from when Chayka was hired are Richardson and OEL. Tocchet fired Allen and brought in Kessel & Housley as well.

This dude still has a job solely due to his friendships around the league.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

Not really surprised that RT will do/say all he can to keep a head coach position in league as it might be difficult for him to get another one soon.

For BA & the franchise, I think they understand they need to still field a competitive team whilst cutting payroll, in order that the young core carries on learning/develop. But it is likely that they also consider this season as a transitional one, in light of the economic context, BA's recent arrival, lack of picks etc.

So it makes sense for RT to stay this year in that context, but there is very little doubt in my mind that is performance will be closely monitored. It will be interesting to see which assistants he gets.

Obviously if he is handed an extension before or within the first part of next season, I will then be very worried.

 

[RABBIT]

Man. Tocchet needs to be fired immediately. It’s a terrible mistake not to fire him right now.

I’m inclined to agree with you. I want RT gone just as bad as anybody. That said, it almost makes sense that he’s staying.

1. He has one more year.
2. The team will most likely not be competitive if we are trading OEL and Kuemper which is the perfect scenario to let RT fall on the sword.
3. He’s cheap, and ownership needs to recover from the pandemic year.
4. GMBA already has a laundry list of items to handle this first offseason that take precedence over finding a coach who will make something out of a significantly depleted roster this year.
5. Only a few good coaches left in free agency that are probably waiting for the Seattle job or out of our price range - we may have a higher budget for coaching next year.

Again, I don’t want Tocchet back. I don’t want to allow him the opportunity to plead his case to his buddies around the league and somehow convince BA that he needs more time after this contract. That said, I think I can stomach him being the scapegoat in his final year of his contract. May make for a better case to fire him if he trades away a lot of talent for picks and prospects and we finish near the bottom again, maybe BA knows that and is playing long ball. Who knows which coaches will be available this season/next offseason.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

My one issue with the idea that they hold on to Tocch for a lame duck year is this... Would they truly want to waste a whole year of player development on poor coaching?

A season is very valuable. Why have your "young core" be taught a whole nother season how to play poorly.

That also leads into the culture idea... Keeping the coach seems anti-thematic to preaching about changing the crappy culture here. If anything, it could get the players even more ingrained in the losing mentality that Tocchet has.

Not to mention it signals to your players and the league that the team is ok with losing. If Armstrong wants to build with the "young core"... He can't let that happen. If he wants to tear it all down and restart from scratch then sure.

 

[rt]

^ exactly. I want Keller, Dvorak, Garland, Schmaltz, Hayton (!!!), Crouse, Chychrun, and Soderstrom free of Tocchet and Housley. This does actually matter. Van Ryn can start helping them right away, rather than Tocchet continuing to actively harm their development. It’s important.

 

[RABBIT]

Both of you have valid points, and I agree with you. In a perfect world he would be replaced already, I just don’t know if they have the same fears. They could think a coaching change at this stage of their career could do more harm than good (which I doubt) and that it makes more sense financially to wait out the last year and find someone new. Letting a contract expire vs firing always looks to be the better PR move.

I still want him gone yesterday, and I still have hope BA will share that vision soon. Like @XX said, that article posted almost seems like RT is kind of campaigning to keep his position.

 

[rt]

I can’t think of any NHL head coaches that simply didn’t have their contracts renewed. I’m trying to think of one that went into the final season of their deal without an extension.

My memory sucks and there’s no good way to Google this. Can anyone help?

 

[Jamieh]

I can’t think of any NHL head coaches that simply didn’t have their contracts renewed. I’m trying to think of one that went into the final season of their deal without an extension.

My memory sucks and there’s no good way to Google this. Can anyone help?

Trotz in Washington.

 

[RABBIT]

I can’t think of any NHL head coaches that simply didn’t have their contracts renewed. I’m trying to think of one that went into the final season of their deal without an extension.

My memory sucks and there’s no good way to Google this. Can anyone help?

Trotz in Washington.

If it can happen to Trotz it can happen to anyone. He wanted more money to stay in WSH, and Tocchet will probably ask for a raise or to stay at the same rate, which his resume does not fit. Could be an easy decision if they are smart about it. Or they can just fire him now.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

Both of you have valid points, and I agree with you. In a perfect world he would be replaced already, I just don’t know if they have the same fears. They could think a coaching change at this stage of their career could do more harm than good (which I doubt) and that it makes more sense financially to wait out the last year and find someone new. Letting a contract expire vs firing always looks to be the better PR move.

I still want him gone yesterday, and I still have hope BA will share that vision soon. Like @XX said, that article posted almost seems like RT is kind of campaigning to keep his position.

Oh yea, for sure. I should preface my statements by saying that I think the points people make about him staying this year are logical and could definitely happen. The team could/would totally do something like that and they could back it up with some type of reasoning.

One way to put it is this: My viewpoint involves a certain philosophy that may be more idealistic in terms of execution vs what the team's philosophy may be. It's easier to be idealistic when it's not your money on the line and you aren't the one taking any blame for any missteps. My own viewpoint also carries different types of risk and nothing is guaranteed.

 

[Coyotes2000]

Rick Tocchet is an assistant coach.. never suited to be a head coach. He doesn't have the disposition and runs the team like a yoga glass

 

[Jakey53]

Rick Tocchet is an assistant coach.. never suited to be a head coach. He doesn't have the disposition and runs the team like a yoga glass

I don't think the team "bent over" for RT though.

 

[Mosby]

I can’t think of any NHL head coaches that simply didn’t have their contracts renewed. I’m trying to think of one that went into the final season of their deal without an extension.

My memory sucks and there’s no good way to Google this. Can anyone help?

Boudreau last season.

 

[Jagged Ice]

Boudreau last season.

He was fired on Valentines day.
Edit- I guess that was the final year of his contract technically so he almost finished it.

 

[rt]

Cool. So there’s precedent for wait-and-see final contract years for notable head coaches recently. Let’s all hope that’s the approach BA takes, rather than a sight-unseen extension.

 

[Jamieh]

If it can happen to Trotz it can happen to anyone. He wanted more money to stay in WSH, and Tocchet will probably ask for a raise or to stay at the same rate, which his resume does not fit. Could be an easy decision if they are smart about it. Or they can just fire him now.

Trotz wanted term more than money.

 

[_Del_]

Trotz wanted term more than money.

He negotiated the team committing to a conditional option year into his contract, and then when he met the condition that he wanted, he wanted to tear up the contract's option year for a new contract with more money and term.

It was a lot more complicated than "he just wanted term".

 

[CLW]

There's an anecdote in one of Craig's newer articles about Tocchet not liking Martinook's game and that's why he was traded. Domi and Strome were traded not long after. This is his roster. The only two guys left from when Chayka was hired are Richardson and OEL. Tocchet fired Allen and brought in Kessel & Housley as well.

This dude still has a job solely due to his friendships around the league.

Lol. The change in the country club culture has to start with Numero Uno.

 

[Jamieh]

He negotiated the team committing to a conditional option year into his contract, and then when he met the condition that he wanted, he wanted to tear up the contract's option year for a new contract with more money and term.

It was a lot more complicated than "he just wanted term".

I can only tell you what both sides said??

"But if you think money was the main sticking point between the two sides, that’s not the case. Money was a factor, but there was a bigger factor that held up negotiations, according to MacLellan.

“I think the five-year term is probably a sticking point,” he said. “We have a coach that's been here four years. You do another five, that's nine years. There's not many coaches that have that lasting ability. It's a long time and it's a lot of money to be committing to that, to a coach.”

 

[Jamieh]

He negotiated the team committing to a conditional option year into his contract, and then when he met the condition that he wanted, he wanted to tear up the contract's option year for a new contract with more money and term.

It was a lot more complicated than "he just wanted term".

It was a 2 year option.

 

[_Del_]

So he wanted to tear up the two year obligation he negotiated the Caps into committing to in order to get more money and term. That's much different.

 

[Jamieh]

So he wanted to tear up the two year obligation he negotiated the Caps into committing to in order to get more money and term. That's much different.

And it was term that was the issue more than money. As I stated.