Next Possible Rangers Coach

[EdJovanovski]

Let me coach the team....
Here’s my philosophy

Shoot from everywhere and anywhere and crash the net hard
Hit everyone and everything every shift
Clear the front of your crease
Stand up for your teammates

If you fail to do any of these things you’re healthy scratch. Simple

 

[RangerBoy]

Mike Vellucci? He is the Canes AHL coach. Long time OHL executive/head coach at Plymouth. Vellucci is the Canes AGM and added the AHL coaching duties. I heard Vellucci prefers coaching than being an executive on either the 31 Thoughts podcast or the Bobcast. Vellucci was a candidate for the Canes coaching job. Carolina's AHL team is currently in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Trailing 3-1 to Scott Gordon's team.

Vellucci developed many players in the OHL at Plymouth including JT Miller

Rakell's decision to leave his native Sweden at such a young age to play Canadian major junior turned out to be a wise one. His agent, Peter Wallen of Octagon, credits Vellucci for helping Rakell adjust to the North American game, in the first year spending extra time with him after practice to go over the nuances of the different style over here.

"Mike Vellucci had a big impact on Rickard,'' Wallen said Thursday over the phone.

Rickard Rakell is giving the Ducks a big boost

Under Vellucci, lines are clicking and players producing – none moreso right now than Brampton native Tyler Seguin.

"I was on the fourth line (under Stefan) and then Mike came in and put me on the top two lines," said the 17-year-old. "He gave me a chance and after a couple of games like that I earned my spot."

Vellucci also pulled Seguin, a natural centre, back in from the flank, making the rookie the second-line centre between Ryan Hayes and Tyler J. Brown.

"With our young guys, Tyler is a prime example – he was on the fourth line and that wasn't suitable for his role," said Vellucci. "I think he had eight or nine points in his first 20 games and if you look at him now he's averaging a point per game."

Whalers riding high with Vellucci at helm | The Star

Vellucci would be a fresh face and a developmental coach.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

and no visors !

 

[Ola]

Another candidate from left field, Kelly "Crim" McCrimmon.

Tremendous coaching experience from the WHL. Managerial experience from both the WHL and NHL. One of the most connected hockey persons out there. Work horse. He co-assisted GMGM building the Vegas team, now there can't be that much to do there anymore. The Leafs were after him before that for a assistent GM role.

I definitely think he could be of good help for Gorton and lead a solid coaching crew. A little old though.

 

[Savant]

Mike Vellucci? He is the Canes AHL coach. Long time OHL executive/head coach at Plymouth. Vellucci is the Canes AGM and added the AHL coaching duties. I heard Vellucci prefers coaching than being an executive on either the 31 Thoughts podcast or the Bobcast. Vellucci was a candidate for the Canes coaching job. Carolina's AHL team is currently in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Trailing 3-1 to Scott Gordon's team.

Vellucci developed many players in the OHL at Plymouth including JT Miller



Rickard Rakell is giving the Ducks a big boost



Whalers riding high with Vellucci at helm | The Star

Vellucci would be a fresh face and a developmental coach.

I'm not going for Vellucci. The Canes passed him up for Rod Brind'Amour. That's a red flag to me. Also I dont know that Gorton wants to hire someone who may have a front office itch, especially if Sather is still in his ear. Don't think that's happening. I think there are better options in the AHL alone.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

Admit it. A coach who can say...backcheck or I'll effing kill you..and have the players so scared they actually do it...is a bit appealing isn't it?

But what if they are bad at it, and then the coach needs to start killing players to keep his word?

 

[Mac n Gs]

I'm not going for Vellucci. The Canes passed him up for Rod Brind'Amour. That's a red flag to me. Also I dont know that Gorton wants to hire someone who may have a front office itch, especially if Sather is still in his ear. Don't think that's happening. I think there are better options in the AHL alone.

I do think Vellucci is at least another intriguing name to mention. If we’re going the AHL route, give me Keefe, Groulx, or Leach.

 

[GAGLine]

I'm not going for Vellucci. The Canes passed him up for Rod Brind'Amour. That's a red flag to me. Also I dont know that Gorton wants to hire someone who may have a front office itch, especially if Sather is still in his ear. Don't think that's happening. I think there are better options in the AHL alone.

Carolina hasn't made the playoffs since the 2008-09 season. Their coach resigned, they fired their GM and their owner tried to lowball potential replacements:

Hurricanes GM search being stalled because of low salary offer, says report

"Apparently Carolina is not showing the money," Kypreos said. "I’m told in the ballpark of $400,000 a year, that’s where that job will start, and there’s just no way that they can attract good hockey people, credible people, experienced people, to take that salary.
"Now whether or not it’s a lesser role still remains to be seen but it’s an nonstarter for many of the established that we’ve heard that are out there and that have shown interest."

The 'lesser role' Kypreos referenced is the other concern. When it was announced that former general manager Ron Francis would transition to team president of hockey operations, it was also said that the new general manager would report directly to Dundon.

Friedman and others reported Dundon, a close friend of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, could be attempting to structure the Hurricanes franchise in a similar way, giving him the latitude to make player personnel decisions.

Another Candidate Withdraws From Carolina GM Search

Los Angeles Kings’ AGM Mike Futa removed himself from contention for the Carolina Hurricanes GM job recently, and now another leading candidate is pulling out. According to several reports including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Nashville Predators AGM Paul Fenton has withdrawn as well.

Two respected AGMs preferred to remain AGMs with their current teams rather than pursue the Carolina GM job.

Carolina eventually hired Brind'Amour and Waddell. Brind'Amour is Francis 2.0, a former star player for the team who has been working as an assistant to the last 2 coaches. It doesn't seem like they did a very exhaustive search for a new coach. Waddell hasn't worked as a GM since 2010 in Atlanta, and he sucked there.

I know nothing about Velluci, but I don't think Carolina not hiring him isn't any sort of flag, red or otherwise.

 

[Savant]

Carolina hasn't made the playoffs since the 2008-09 season. Their coach resigned, they fired their GM and their owner tried to lowball potential replacements:

Hurricanes GM search being stalled because of low salary offer, says report



Another Candidate Withdraws From Carolina GM Search



Two respected AGMs preferred to remain AGMs with their current teams rather than pursue the Carolina GM job.

Carolina eventually hired Brind'Amour and Waddell. Brind'Amour is Francis 2.0, a former star player for the team who has been working as an assistant to the last 2 coaches. It doesn't seem like they did a very exhaustive search for a new coach. Waddell hasn't worked as a GM since 2010 in Atlanta, and he sucked there.

I know nothing about Velluci, but I don't think Carolina not hiring him isn't any sort of flag, red or otherwise.

I live in Raleigh. I am very aware of what's going on down here. Its not great

 

[haveandare]

I'm not going for Vellucci. The Canes passed him up for Rod Brind'Amour. That's a red flag to me. Also I dont know that Gorton wants to hire someone who may have a front office itch, especially if Sather is still in his ear. Don't think that's happening. I think there are better options in the AHL alone.

Eh, thats like saying I wouldn't want Sergachev here because Berghevin moved him for midling player. Other people make bad decisions based on sheer incompetence sometimes. I'm not saying I know enough about this guy to judge either way that we should or shouldn't have him, but the Canes not hiring him doesn't mean much to me.

 

[Savant]

Eh, thats like saying I wouldn't want Sergachev here because Berghevin moved him for midling player. Other people make bad decisions based on sheer incompetence sometimes. I'm not saying I know enough about this guy to judge either way that we should or shouldn't have him, but the Canes not hiring him doesn't mean much to me.

It's really not. That's not the point I'm trying to make.

No one knows Vellucci better than the Hurricanes organization and they passed him up for someone with no head coaching experience.

 

[nyr2k2]

It's really not. That's not the point I'm trying to make.

No one knows Vellucci better than the Hurricanes organization and they passed him up for someone with no head coaching experience.

Right, but if the organization is run by a bunch of jackasses, does it matter that this guy was passed up? The Mets constantly do the wrong thing, trade the wrong guy, let the wrong guy walk. If you just did the opposite of everything they do, you'd probably be f***ing great. I know absolutely nothing about the guy, but that fact that Carolina took a pass on him doesn't really give me any hesitation.

 

[haveandare]

It's really not. That's not the point I'm trying to make.

No one knows Vellucci better than the Hurricanes organization and they passed him up for someone with no head coaching experience.

Yes and nobody knew Sergachev better than MTL and they passed him up for a complimentary winger they're trying to force to play center.

Incompetent people make incompetent decisions sometimes. A decision isn't wise just because it was made, and almost certainly isn't wise just because someone with questionable decision making abilities made it.

Again, I'm not saying he'd be a good coach necessarily, just that the Canes passing him up for a player with zero experience is just as likely to be a sign of their GM's utter incompetence as it is to be a sign of this guy being unfit to coach an NHL team.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

It's really not. That's not the point I'm trying to make.

No one knows Vellucci better than the Hurricanes organization and they passed him up for someone with no head coaching experience.

You know why they hired Rod? Because he’s working for peanuts. He basically alluded to it himself.

 

[Savant]

You know why they hired Rod? Because he’s working for peanuts. He basically alluded to it himself.

Relative peanuts. Rod made millions as a player.

 

[Savant]

Yes and nobody knew Sergachev better than MTL and they passed him up for a complimentary winger they're trying to force to play center.

Incompetent people make incompetent decisions sometimes. A decision isn't wise just because it was made, and almost certainly isn't wise just because someone with questionable decision making abilities made it.

Again, I'm not saying he'd be a good coach necessarily, just that the Canes passing him up for a player with zero experience is just as likely to be a sign of their GM's utter incompetence as it is to be a sign of this guy being unfit to coach an NHL team.

I dont buy that arguement.

 

[Savant]

Right, but if the organization is run by a bunch of jackasses, does it matter that this guy was passed up? The Mets constantly do the wrong thing, trade the wrong guy, let the wrong guy walk. If you just did the opposite of everything they do, you'd probably be ****ing great. I know absolutely nothing about the guy, but that fact that Carolina took a pass on him doesn't really give me any hesitation.

Carolina is a train wreck but it doesnt change they are his current employer.

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

You know why they hired Rod? Because he’s working for peanuts. He basically alluded to it himself.

Cause he's the bod

 

[nyr2k2]

Carolina is a train wreck but it doesnt change they are his current employer.

And that they are his current employer doesn't change the fact that they're terribly mismanaged. If I were a team who interviewed the guy and liked him, nowhere on my list of pros and cons would I list "Carolina didn't hire him" as a con. Hell, it might be a pro.

Sometimes organizations make the wrong call on their own players or own staff. It happens, even to good organizations. You evaluate a guy based on your own standards and judgments, not another team's evaluations. At least, that's what I would do, especially if that organization sucked. Anyway, I don't really have anything else to add.

 

[ponytrekker]

But what if they are bad at it, and then the coach needs to start killing players to keep his word?

My son's old midget coach used to say, "If you change on the backcheck, just take your skates off when you get to the bench."

 

[Winston2018]

I do think Vellucci is at least another intriguing name to mention. If we’re going the AHL route, give me Keefe, Groulx, or Leach.

Just read Keefe wiki page ..he has a successful resume..hope Gorts looks at him closely.

 

[Levitate]

Definitely feels like they're looking at some assistant coaches that are still coaching in the playoffs

 

[RangerBoy]

It’s not a secret that Dallas moved quickly on Jim Montgomery knowing the Rangers were interested, too. But why did Montgomery pick Texas over New York? “Out of respect for the Rangers, I’m going to be careful with that,” he said Thursday. “I enjoyed interviewing with Glen Sather, Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury.”

Would it be fair to say that Dallas is closer to winning? “I would say that the No. 1 reason was Jim Nill,” he answered. “In our two interviews, he was very confident how to build, how to continue, what he has and where they are going. That was my first question, what are your expectations? He said they want to win, are at the peak of our window for next two-to-five years. It was matter-of-fact, not selling, but what he believes. He’s elite at what he does, no BS, here’s what we are doing and where we are going. That’s the way I am wired, not cliché lines. If we lose a game, I’m going to explain why. Everybody deserves to know why we lose.”

He made so many calls to learn about Nill and the Stars that it led to the leaks about his hiring. What did he learn? “The most important relationship you have is with your GM … you’ve got to be on the same page. They told me I wouldn’t find a better person. Every organization has warts, but if you have good ownership and a good GM, you will do well. Dallas has that.”

The Rangers were interested in Montgomery, which is why Dallas snapped him up quickly. Do not be surprised if New York’s next bench boss has never coached in the NHL before. You are always looking for connections, which is why Boston University’s David Quinn is a prominent mention. Here’s another: In 2015, the Oshawa Generals won the Memorial Cup. Adam Graves, who works for the Rangers in hockey and business operations, has an ownership stake in that team. The coach was D.J. Smith, now an assistant in Toronto.

31 Thoughts: What follows for Leafs after Dubas promotion? - Sportsnet.ca

Montgomery didn't want to walk into a rebuild? It sounds like it.

 

[RangerBoy]

Some quick context. The NHLPA revealed the results of its players’ poll Wednesday, and Smith — somewhat surprisingly — received the most thumbs-up to this question: Which current assistant coach should be the next head coach?

Maple Leafs grooming D.J. Smith to become an NHL head coach - Sportsnet.ca

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

DJ smith has been mentioned here before.