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Speculation: The search for a new Head Coach - Rumors and Speculation

Static said:
Absolutely. It is hard to fault him when management gave him few young guys to work with. Still, I'd like to know why guentzel left, and almost zero young forwards had any success there. Was he the coach when McCann was there?
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Yes he was. McCann did play at nearly a 60 point pace in his last season as a Penguin.

Maybe I can buy that he doesn’t immediately give a ton of opportunity to young players, but it seems like they are able to earn it.
 
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All Mighty said:
Yes he was. McCann did play at nearly a 60 point pace in his last season as a Penguin.

Maybe I can buy that he doesn’t immediately give a ton of opportunity to young players, but it seems like they are able to earn it.
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Regardless, his lack of exposure to the predominant age bracket on our roster would be concerning. He has a lot of valuable experience leading teams on playoff runs, but I question how he would adapt to a completely different roster makeup and timeline.
 
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If Carle goes pro this year, according to Buci, he could command 4-5 years at $4M-$5M AAV. I wonder if Pat would be comfortable with that commitment. That's bordering on "impossible to fire" territory.

I think one of the things Pat liked in hiring Cronin is that Cronin was in no position to be anything other than a yes man. Is Verbeek willing to hire somebody and allow them the freedom to do the job the way they see fit? I wonder about that.
 
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Dr Johnny Fever said:
If Carle goes pro this year, according to Buci, he could command 4-5 years at $4M-$5M AAV. I wonder if Pat would be comfortable with that commitment. That's bordering on "impossible to fire" territory.

I think one of the things Pat liked in hiring Cronin is that Cronin was in no position to be anything other than a yes man. Is Verbeek willing to hire somebody and allow them the freedom to do the job the way they see fit? I wonder about that.
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This is all that I could find on current NHL coaching salaries. 4-5 million AAV would put Carle at the top of the list (3rd-7th).... It is super doubtful that the Ducks would pay that price. No small market team pays their coaches well per this list. My guess is that Cronin got something around 800k-1.2M max. It wouldn't surprise me if he got even less... like super low-balled 500-700k making it easy to fire and pay out his final year.



Rank
Coach
Team
Total Compensation

1
Mike Sullivan
Pittsburgh Penguins
$5.5 million

2
Jon Cooper
Tampa Bay Lightning
$5.3 million

T-3
Peter Laviolette
New York Rangers
$4.9 million

T-3
Jared Bednar
Colorado Avalanche
$4.9 million

5
Bruce Cassidy
Vegas Golden Knights
$4.5 million

6
Peter DeBoer
Dallas Stars
$4.25 million

7
Paul Maurice
Florida Panthers
$3.9 million

8
Craig Berube
Toronto Maple Leafs
$3.5 million

9
Martin St. Louis
Montreal Canadiens
$2.9 million

10
Rick Tocchet
Vancouver Canucks
$2.75 million

T-11
Andrew Brunette
Nashville Predators
$2 million

T-11
Rod Brind’Amour
Carolina Hurricanes
$2 million

T-11
Jay Woodcroft
Edmonton Oilers
$2 million

14
Jim Montgomery
St Louis Blues
$1.9 million

15
Scott William Arniel
Winnipeg Jets
$1.5 million
 
HanSolo said:
I'd be very apprehensive about a direct to head coach NCAA hire with no experience as an NHL assistant, but if they were going to go with anyone of that ilk, it's hard to top Carle. I'm open to it in the sense that I wouldn't be immediately pissed off but I'd be nervous to see how it goes.
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I'm just happy that we're now seen as a possibility for guys like him. 2 years ago no one would have even considered Anaheim a possibility for a hot commodity type coach, first time or otherwise ... we wouldn't be talking about Carle or Woodcroft, we'd be talking about the more generic, mediocre retreads because deep down we'd all know the good ones would be offered better jobs. Yet there's now pundits who actually think he SHOULD choose the Ducks if given the choice.
 
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Having gone through it a few times, I’m leaning Carle, as well. Cronins difficulties were his difficulties, they’re not universal - I’ve seen coaches talk in person and on video 5 if not 10+ years ago about how the younger generation players require more explanation to ultimately buy in, and Cronin gets to tell this as if it was a major surprise, if not even a weakness on their part. He’s more of an epitome of the league‘s dinosaurs than he’s resembling a rookie. I don’t like being hard on the guy after the fact, because I believe his heart is in the right place and he means well, and I do believe his work could have laid some foundation, but that’s about it. Woodcroft might have something going for him, but I wouldn’t pass on the upside pick just because I got burnt on the „rookie“ pick Cronin.
 
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So I have done a bit of digging on coaches, and perhaps found a interesting person. Jussi Ahokas the current head coach of the Kitchener Rangers - recently won OHL coach of the year. He has pro experience having coached in the Liiga, in his homeland Finland, where he won coach of the year. Previous to being a head coach in Liiga he was a head coach of u16, u18 & u20 junior teams in Finland, as well as coaching at various levels for the national junior Finnish teams - he was the head coach of the Finnish teams who won gold at the u18 WJC in 2015/16 & u20 WJC in 2018/19.
I know he is unlikely to be hired but it was fun to find a guy who could perhaps become a rare European head coach in the NHL someday.
Here are a couple of links to some youtube videos where he discusses his thoughts about coaching/hockey, if some of you are revved up about digging into the subject since the Ducks are in their offseason and looking for a head coach.
- The Positive Impact of Breaking Your Season Into Chapters
- Why Positionless Hockey is the Future with Jussi Ahokas
 
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FiveTacos said:
I'm just happy that we're now seen as a possibility for guys like him. 2 years ago no one would have even considered Anaheim a possibility for a hot commodity type coach, first time or otherwise ... we wouldn't be talking about Carle or Woodcroft, we'd be talking about the more generic, mediocre retreads because deep down we'd all know the good ones would be offered better jobs. Yet there's now pundits who actually think he SHOULD choose the Ducks if given the choice.
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Anaheim is a rough market when it comes to FAs. At least until our fortunes turn around. Some players prefer higher celebrity status of big market teams, or the prestige of playing for teams with longer legacies, and I doubt most teams are keen on California state tax sapping a greater portion of their take home salary.

I think some of these considerations might still impact a coach's interest in coaching this team but they also get one of the promising youth cores in the league, a team with a ton of cap space for when it's needed, and extremely minimal public/media scrutiny. It's easier to just put on your shoes and get to work without much noise in a place like Anaheim.
 
I think Carle is a very risky pick, and I am not sure the Ducks should make it. He's never coached in the NHL, and has no experience coaching NHL vets. He might be the next Cooper, but, more likely, it will take him at least a year or two to figure things out. Even if he has veteran support, change is hard for anyone, and it's a lot of new. The Ducks can't waste another year letting a coach figure it out. They need to hit the ground running.

I am much more interested in Woodcroft. He has NHL experience and success. The players liked him, and he's had time to reflect. I think the Ducks need stability, and someone who knows exactly what they are doing. Woodcroft seems stable.
 
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zegrassyknoll said:
haven't listened but this is good to hear... i've said it before but it's not surprising that coaches would want to come here. turning a team around does wonders for a resume and we have the talent to do it.

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Anaheim have talent, assets and cap space. Yes it's not a glamour team but if we get the right coach we are then only a piece or two away
 
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NWWisconsinDuck said:
The more I look into Jeff Halpern the more he might sneakily be my favorite possibility
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I've been thinking the same. Carle and Woodcroft seem to be the popular choices but that article posted earlier in the thread gave a nice rundown on Halpern that makes some intriguing points about his time working with Jon Cooper in Tampa, the success that he has been a part of there, and the coaching path he's taken from AHL assistant coach to NHL assistant coach. Feels like he may be ready to be a head coach somewhere and could be a great option.
 
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70sSanO said:
So if the Oilers get swept is Knoblauch available?

John
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Even if he was available, hard pass. For similar reasons as to why Im weary of Woodcroft. Im not saying its easy to coach the Oilers, but they have 2 of the best players in the game who can win all by themselves, with some good talent around them too. We also went though one failed Oilers coach already.

Personally, Id rather take a swing on a highly touted first time NHL coach, or someone who has shown the ability to work with and get the most out of young players, not just someone who can coach guys with proven talent.

At the end of the day, the front office is showing they have expectations that need to be met, they have seen the downfalls of now 2 HCs, so I have to assume they know what they are looking for and what they want to avoid.
 
Rybread86 said:
Even if he was available, hard pass. For similar reasons as to why Im weary of Woodcroft. Im not saying its easy to coach the Oilers, but they have 2 of the best players in the game who can win all by themselves, with some good talent around them too. We also went though one failed Oilers coach already.

Personally, Id rather take a swing on a highly touted first time NHL coach, or someone who has shown the ability to work with and get the most out of young players, not just someone who can coach guys with proven talent.

At the end of the day, the front office is showing they have expectations that need to be met, they have seen the downfalls of now 2 HCs, so I have to assume they know what they are looking for and what they want to avoid.
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I agree. Not sure why he's telling Skinner to only save 80% of the shots in the playoffs. He should tell him to stop 90+% and the team would be doing much better. It's really basic strategy that he can't seem to master.
 
Two other names I'm interested in are Marco Sturm and Todd Nelson, who I feel are like an in-between of a retread veteran coach and somebody completely green like Carle.

Both have some NHL assistant experience (less so for Sturm), but Nelson has had a ton of success in Hershey and Sturm has done a good job developing some young Kings players.

Nelson in particular seems like a thoughtful guy:



 
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Mr Rogers said:


Apparently Marco Sturm has had a good run in the Kings org. Had no idea he was coaching there.
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Definitely one of the better candidates.

Sturm always seemed like a player coach for German teams and I'm sure he has had a huge influence on the whole country's rise in the grand scheme of hockey. I could see him being on Pat's radar. I would describe him the least risky of the young coaches.

Earlier mentions: Jussi Ahokas is very new to NA and does not have enough of a track record. Never going to get hired by a GM who is starting to feel some pressure.

Now Carle, it would depend on the freedom and say he gets regarding assistant coaches, term. Essentially the whole program would be his for up to 5 years and on top of that he would have to be paid like a top coach. Ideal situation for both parties but he is unknown to the general public so I imagine Pat considers him a quite risky hire. But honestly, Pat has shown quite often to be able to think outside the box.
 
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