Now that this is seemingly coming to an end, a couple thoughts:
- Out of all of the candidates the summer, I wanted Gallant. Coaches like him don’t come around very often. That being said, we probably wouldn’t have beaten the Rangers out, even if we did pay him more money. The Rangers were probably the most desirable destination. On top of that, it looks like we are going into another rebuild under a new regime. The Rangers are a lot closer to winning than we are. Chances are slim that Gallant would’ve been looking for a rebuild situation.
- On the flipside, Tourigny seems like the perfect candidate for our role when you think about the goal. His main focus is going to be development of youth, and that’s what he succeeds at currently. He will likely have more patience than the other candidates would’ve when it comes to being a “cellar dweller” in the league.
- If there’s ever a couple years to get a coach acclimated to the major leagues, it’s these next couple. The upcoming drafts are deep, and stacked with high-end talent in the early rounds. Might not be the worst thing to see a couple development years with the expected growing pains.
- I wonder what the deal is with Nelson. He seems to be interviewed in some capacity every year. He has an impressive winning history, but yet can’t secure a head coach role. Makes me wonder if it’s always just the wrong fit/wrong time, or if teams look at the one season that he had coaching the Edmonton Oilers and are spooked by that. Pre-McDavid Oilers we’re plain awful, shouldn’t fall on him.
- I would hope that there’s some serious emphasis on power-play structure when it comes to rounding out the coaching staff. It seems the last couple coaches we’ve had have brought in their longtime friends and have tried to fit a square peg into a round hole.
- I wonder if a goalie coach is looked at by the new staff. We have a couple young, interesting prospects in the position, I would hope there’s some serious intention to develop them.
- I would say Kessel is 100% ready to put the Coyotes behind him (if this hire comes to fruition.)
- I’m really curious to see how Keller plays under Tourigny
- Although we want Phil Housley gone, I can’t help but to make the connection that Jakob Chychrun had his best year under him. In fact, when Housley was hired, he stated that Chychrun was going to be a huge priority for him. I would hope there’s no turning back for Chychrun at this point (seeing as Housley is most likely not returning) but it does make you think.
