Speculation: Head Coach Hunt 2021
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Coyotedroppings
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rt
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Pierre LeBrun today in the Athletic:
Lane Lambert, New York Islanders:
Barry Trotz’s longtime assistant is viewed by many around the game as being ready to be an NHL head coach. I suspect Arizona has him on its radar and it wouldn’t surprise me if expansion Seattle also doesn’t reach out when the time is right. Obviously the Isles are still in the playoffs so any team wanting to talk to Lambert must be patient. Or, they can call Isles GM Lou Lamoriello now and see how that goes (I’m joking). But either way, it seems like a foregone conclusion Lambert will be an NHL head coach sooner rather than later.
Todd Nelson, Dallas Stars:
Nelson has won at every level he’s coached and seems due as well. Sources say he’s interviewed recently with Arizona and Columbus. The Coyotes are looking at a number of guys who would be first-time NHL head coaches as the organization looks to rebuild the roster. Nelson — who was interim head coach in Edmonton replacing Dallas Eakins midway through the 2014-15 season — has been highly thought of everywhere he’s gone but still awaits his first real chance as NHL head coach.
Rocky Thompson, San Jose Sharks:
He’s another name like Lambert and Nelson that seems on the verge in the next year or two. The Sharks plucked him out of the Vegas organization where he was AHL head coach to join Bob Boughner’s San Jose staff. He’s another guy I thought Arizona would reach out on but as of this weekend, that hadn’t happened.
LeBrun: Which coaches are in position for new NHL opportunities?
^ these are the three names (of 25) that LeBrun mentioned connected (or not connected in Thompson's case) with the Coyotes.
Karl Taylor is the only interesting new name that I haven't posted in this thread yet. LeBrun didn't mention the Coyotes with him, though.
Lane Lambert, New York Islanders:
Barry Trotz’s longtime assistant is viewed by many around the game as being ready to be an NHL head coach. I suspect Arizona has him on its radar and it wouldn’t surprise me if expansion Seattle also doesn’t reach out when the time is right. Obviously the Isles are still in the playoffs so any team wanting to talk to Lambert must be patient. Or, they can call Isles GM Lou Lamoriello now and see how that goes (I’m joking). But either way, it seems like a foregone conclusion Lambert will be an NHL head coach sooner rather than later.
Todd Nelson, Dallas Stars:
Nelson has won at every level he’s coached and seems due as well. Sources say he’s interviewed recently with Arizona and Columbus. The Coyotes are looking at a number of guys who would be first-time NHL head coaches as the organization looks to rebuild the roster. Nelson — who was interim head coach in Edmonton replacing Dallas Eakins midway through the 2014-15 season — has been highly thought of everywhere he’s gone but still awaits his first real chance as NHL head coach.
Rocky Thompson, San Jose Sharks:
He’s another name like Lambert and Nelson that seems on the verge in the next year or two. The Sharks plucked him out of the Vegas organization where he was AHL head coach to join Bob Boughner’s San Jose staff. He’s another guy I thought Arizona would reach out on but as of this weekend, that hadn’t happened.
LeBrun: Which coaches are in position for new NHL opportunities?
^ these are the three names (of 25) that LeBrun mentioned connected (or not connected in Thompson's case) with the Coyotes.
Karl Taylor is the only interesting new name that I haven't posted in this thread yet. LeBrun didn't mention the Coyotes with him, though.
rt
Clean Hits on Substack
I'll trust in BA. If Lambert gets and interview and Thompson doesn't, I'll be disappointed. But it is what it is. I don't have information available to me outside of career coaching records, articles, and interviews. Of all the guys rumored, Thompson would be the top of my list, and Lambert would be at the absolute bottom. This isn't based on a ton of info, however. It's likely I have the wrong opinion, based on lack of information. Still, Thompson is very motivating and everything I read about him is exciting, and I love the way he talks about his career.
Lane Lambert always looks and sounds like a guy who just had a huge dinner after a long, hungover day of traveling across the country after a prolonged business, is up three hours past his bedtime, and his 50mg nightime edible kicked in hard about 90 minutes ago. His eyes are half-mast at best, and it looks like he could be blown over by a feather. I know he's a very big, very tough guy, who had a long and violent career filled with dozens or hundreds of fights. I'm just talking about his demeanor. He looks like a regular at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. The kind where they know his order and when to call his cab for him.
Okay, so all of that mean-spirited, useless, shallow crap aside, I'm not sure I love that he hasn't been a head coach at any level in over a decade. Barry Trotz is great. Probably the best coach in the NHL, honestly. I like that Lambert has spent a decade as his right hand man. I'm not sure that he's always been on those coattails. I'm not sure I want a guy doing a discount Barry Trotz impression. There's just too much about Lambert that unfairly reminds me of Tocchet. That marble mouthed bewilderment, and that "he's a good guy, loves the game" and was along for the ride with coaching successes but not necessarily a driver of it.
Having said all of that, his four seasons as an AHL head coach were good. Very good winning percentage. Always made the playoffs and had one good run. I like that these weren't star-studded AHL rosters. He seemed to get more out of them than I'd expect. I also like that he paid his dues coaching at lower levels, first. Was an AHL assistant. Got promoted in the same organization and then eventually got called up to the NHL to assist there. That a start coach has thought enough of him to bring him along from Nashville, to Washington, to New York.
He's pretty much the universally recognized "Next One Up". He's maybe neck-and-neck with Todd Nelson, in that regard. It could be fine. He might be great. He's low on my list as a complete outsider with zero access to meaningful information.
Lane Lambert always looks and sounds like a guy who just had a huge dinner after a long, hungover day of traveling across the country after a prolonged business, is up three hours past his bedtime, and his 50mg nightime edible kicked in hard about 90 minutes ago. His eyes are half-mast at best, and it looks like he could be blown over by a feather. I know he's a very big, very tough guy, who had a long and violent career filled with dozens or hundreds of fights. I'm just talking about his demeanor. He looks like a regular at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. The kind where they know his order and when to call his cab for him.
Okay, so all of that mean-spirited, useless, shallow crap aside, I'm not sure I love that he hasn't been a head coach at any level in over a decade. Barry Trotz is great. Probably the best coach in the NHL, honestly. I like that Lambert has spent a decade as his right hand man. I'm not sure that he's always been on those coattails. I'm not sure I want a guy doing a discount Barry Trotz impression. There's just too much about Lambert that unfairly reminds me of Tocchet. That marble mouthed bewilderment, and that "he's a good guy, loves the game" and was along for the ride with coaching successes but not necessarily a driver of it.
Having said all of that, his four seasons as an AHL head coach were good. Very good winning percentage. Always made the playoffs and had one good run. I like that these weren't star-studded AHL rosters. He seemed to get more out of them than I'd expect. I also like that he paid his dues coaching at lower levels, first. Was an AHL assistant. Got promoted in the same organization and then eventually got called up to the NHL to assist there. That a start coach has thought enough of him to bring him along from Nashville, to Washington, to New York.
He's pretty much the universally recognized "Next One Up". He's maybe neck-and-neck with Todd Nelson, in that regard. It could be fine. He might be great. He's low on my list as a complete outsider with zero access to meaningful information.
rt
Clean Hits on Substack
Why doesn't Todd Reirden come up? He was fired after the Caps choked in the bubble, but they had a great record under him, despite the Stanley Cup hangover. They haven't looked better since he got fired, that's for sure. Jim Rutherford called him 30 minutes after it was announced the Caps fired him. He was a Penguin 10 days later. He was the big hot prospect before Washington hired him. He got fired, but it's not like the team was bad. They are under pressure because of the Ovi window. He got no leash at all. He's still only 49 years old. So he's "young". As for his plans in Pittsburgh, it's clear Mike Sullivan is going nowhere. He did not hire his assistants. JR dismissed Sullivan's picks and hired his own replacements. Now JR is gone. Sullivan is likely looking to make some changes. So are Burke and Hextall. They didn't hire Reirden either, obviously.
It feels like he hasn't been in ANY rumors from ANY of the insiders. Why?
It feels like he hasn't been in ANY rumors from ANY of the insiders. Why?
rt
Clean Hits on Substack
"Meanwhile, Reirden oversaw reclamation projects Mike Matheson and Cody Ceci. He also fixed a broken power play that finished with the NHL’s fourth-best conversion rate."
Who stays? Who goes? Analyzing the Penguins' pressing personnel decisions
"If you were to make a list of the reasons the Penguins flamed out of the Toronto bubble in four games last year, an inconsistent defense (especially the third pair) and the power play might be the first two things you’d say. And those were the two areas Reirden would focus his attention.
To understand the job he’s done, think of how poorly things could have gone.
Fans of two separate fan bases essentially wanted to send Cody Ceci to the coldest corner of Siberia. His value had plummeted so far, the Penguins were able to sign a guy who consistently made upwards of $4 million a year to a $1.25 million deal with very few expectations. They’d pair him with Matheson, who had slid so far down the Florida Panthers' depth chart he was a healthy scratch in the playoffs and admitted in his first meeting with the Pittsburgh media his confidence was wavering.
Kris Letang, who always plays a Jekyll and Hyde game, had watched his turnover rate get worse as he approached his mid-30s. Brian Dumoulin’s skating hadn’t looked the same since his major injury last year. And sophomore John Marino was trying to find a way to take the next step without trying to jump the whole staircase at once.
So what happened? A blue line that could have torpedoed the season instead has become a backbone behind the NHL’s best defense in March — in terms of both goals-against average and save percentage — providing the springboard for yet another postseason appearance. Letang was getting Norris Trophy buzz earlier this year. Dumoulin looks like his old self.
And, somehow, pairing two castaways in Matheson and Ceci has turned into a perfect marriage. Ceci’s contract looks like one of the bargains of free agency. Matheson may well be the most fun Penguin to watch and a fine fit in Mike Sullivan’s system.
That duo has played well enough together that, at least on paper, they’re officially listed ahead of the Marcus Pettersson-Marino pairing. And Pettersson and Marino would easily be a lot of teams’ second pair.
At the same time, by encouraging movement and implementing just enough structure, the power play is clicking like it hasn’t in years. Jared McCann deserves some credit there. And so does Reirden.
“I think the staff has done a great job,” Sullivan said. “These are all smart guys. They’ve brought some new ideas to the table for our team. They challenge me to be a better coach every day. I have so much respect for these guys, how hard they worked. I’ve been very pleased with how our staff has grown and developed.”
As Mike Sullivan garners Jack Adams buzz, Todd Reirden is providing the primary assist
This one here really gets me interested:
Why Todd Reirden will take a leading role in determining how the rest of the Penguins' season unfolds
Who stays? Who goes? Analyzing the Penguins' pressing personnel decisions
"If you were to make a list of the reasons the Penguins flamed out of the Toronto bubble in four games last year, an inconsistent defense (especially the third pair) and the power play might be the first two things you’d say. And those were the two areas Reirden would focus his attention.
To understand the job he’s done, think of how poorly things could have gone.
Fans of two separate fan bases essentially wanted to send Cody Ceci to the coldest corner of Siberia. His value had plummeted so far, the Penguins were able to sign a guy who consistently made upwards of $4 million a year to a $1.25 million deal with very few expectations. They’d pair him with Matheson, who had slid so far down the Florida Panthers' depth chart he was a healthy scratch in the playoffs and admitted in his first meeting with the Pittsburgh media his confidence was wavering.
Kris Letang, who always plays a Jekyll and Hyde game, had watched his turnover rate get worse as he approached his mid-30s. Brian Dumoulin’s skating hadn’t looked the same since his major injury last year. And sophomore John Marino was trying to find a way to take the next step without trying to jump the whole staircase at once.
So what happened? A blue line that could have torpedoed the season instead has become a backbone behind the NHL’s best defense in March — in terms of both goals-against average and save percentage — providing the springboard for yet another postseason appearance. Letang was getting Norris Trophy buzz earlier this year. Dumoulin looks like his old self.
And, somehow, pairing two castaways in Matheson and Ceci has turned into a perfect marriage. Ceci’s contract looks like one of the bargains of free agency. Matheson may well be the most fun Penguin to watch and a fine fit in Mike Sullivan’s system.
That duo has played well enough together that, at least on paper, they’re officially listed ahead of the Marcus Pettersson-Marino pairing. And Pettersson and Marino would easily be a lot of teams’ second pair.
At the same time, by encouraging movement and implementing just enough structure, the power play is clicking like it hasn’t in years. Jared McCann deserves some credit there. And so does Reirden.
“I think the staff has done a great job,” Sullivan said. “These are all smart guys. They’ve brought some new ideas to the table for our team. They challenge me to be a better coach every day. I have so much respect for these guys, how hard they worked. I’ve been very pleased with how our staff has grown and developed.”
As Mike Sullivan garners Jack Adams buzz, Todd Reirden is providing the primary assist
This one here really gets me interested:
Why Todd Reirden will take a leading role in determining how the rest of the Penguins' season unfolds
You have more insight than I do on all these guys, but I was told years ago, "watch and learn from the best". Trotz is one of the best. Thompson scares the hell out of me though. But, we don't have much to go on, but all I know for sure is that BA has to kill it with this hire, along with the draft, UFA and trades. That is a tall order, but if he screws up with the coaching hire, the rest won't matter. Hope BA takes his time when looking for the new coach because "good things come to those who wait". That holds true for the organization and fans. We can't keep on tripping on our own feet, can we?
Hate that they are in on Lambert and haven't even interviewed Thompson. Lambert feels like John Stevens part two.
rt
Clean Hits on Substack
rt
Clean Hits on Substack
rt
Clean Hits on Substack
They won 59% of their regular games with him. Lost in round 1 the first year and round 2 the second. Since he left, 64% in the one season with a 1st round exit.
Wilkes-Barre won 52% of their games with him as head coach. Lost in round 2 the first year and round 1 the second. John Hynes won 64% of games with Wilkes-Barre in the two seasons after Reirden left. The team had two 2nd round exits in those seasons.
So who knows? You may have a point. It’s not exactly earth shattering. But he got a super shitty Penguins D core to overachieve this season and has been loudly given credit for it. He also revived a PP that was head-scratchingly mediocre after he left. Then again, that doesn’t necessarily speak more to anything beyond your speculation that maybe he’s just a great AC.
Mosby
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Some good quotes here from Army on where the search stands. He also touches on some other topics.
JasonDemersWasOkay
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RABBIT
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Only if you believe that the names listed in the article are actually from BA's list and not the writer's speculation...
RemoAZ
Let it burn
That was a good article. Thanks for posting it. I'd miss a lot of this kind of stuff if you guys didn't bring it over. Always appreciated.
rt
Clean Hits on Substack
rt
Clean Hits on Substack
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