Proposal: Who would be YOUR hire as the new Head coach?

[IDvsEGO]

I don't want someone whose going to approach the roster with any favoritism. I don't want Sullivan to begin with, but I don't mean that kind of short connection. Like, even if I was fine with everything else... I don't want Tocchet because of how well he knows Miller. I want as close to completely fresh eyes on this team as possible.

You don’t want Sullivan? The guy who’s somehow keeping Pittsburgh from being a terrible team, even though they have less talent than a lot of other teams.

 

[Tawnos]

You don’t want Sullivan? The guy who’s somehow keeping Pittsburgh from being a terrible team, even though they have less talent than a lot of other teams.

Pittsburgh *is* a terrible team and he's part of the reason they are. I have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[IDvsEGO]

Pittsburgh *is* a terrible team and he's part of the reason they are. I have no idea what you're talking about.

I would argue the roster having exactly 4 talented players would be the bigger reason.

 

[Tawnos]

I would argue the roster having exactly 4 talented players would be the bigger reason.

If I were making a list, that would be at the top of it, no doubt. That doesn't mean he's not part of the problem.

 

[IDvsEGO]

If I were making a list, that would be at the top of it, no doubt. That doesn't mean he's not part of the problem.

this is just an absurd take.
You’re acknowledging the team has almost no talent.
And yet they were still playing mostly meaningful games until the end of march or so.
That’s a team playing above their talent. Which is where you give credit to a coach.

 

[Tawnos]

this is just an absurd take.
You’re acknowledging the team has almost no talent.
And yet they were still playing mostly meaningful games until the end of march or so.
That’s a team playing above their talent. Which is where you give credit to a coach.

That's a team racking up a lot of extra points past regulation playing in a system designed to prolong how deep into the season some teams play meaningful games.

-3rd most games going past regulation
-2nd most games going to shootout
-4th most OTLs
-Most shootout losses
-6th least regulation wins.

 

[jniklast]

That's a team racking up a lot of extra points past regulation playing in a system designed to prolong how deep into the season some teams play meaningful games.

-3rd most games going past regulation
-2nd most games going to shootout
-4th most OTLs
-Most shootout losses
-6th least regulation wins.

So he's keeping them competitive in most games.

I really don't see how that is a bad thing considering their roster.

 

[Tawnos]

So he's keeping them competitive in most games.

I really don't see how that is a bad thing considering their roster.

That's only if you believe it's because of him, which I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a Penguins fan agreeing with.

 

[jniklast]

That's only if you believe it's because of him, which I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a Penguins fan agreeing with.

Well, that just seems to be the usual, fans blaming the coach, when in fact the whole team is on a decline.

 

[Tawnos]

Well, that just seems to be the usual, fans blaming the coach, when in fact the whole team is on a decline.

Both things can be true.

 

[McRanger92]

She's not getting a head coaching gig already lmao. So silly to even speculate that. She's literally proven shit.

She should HC an AHL team for a few years first.

 

[dshea19]

I am not averse to giving Muse a shot. Seems to have a lot of respect of the players. I am tired of retreads. We need our own Jon Cooper. A young guy that will be here for a good long time and is used to working with kids and NHL vets.

 

[Mac n Gs]

It’s tough for me to answer without knowing the direction of the roster. I do think it’s interesting to see the “newer” guys we interviewed last cycle have great success as first time head coaches in Carbery and Hiller.

The old, recycled guys don’t work, which is why it’s absolutely asinine that anyone is discussing Tocchet or Torts. It was so predictable that Lav was going to fail here. They have no time to ever reflect on why they were fired and change their process. At least Woodcroft took the year to talk to other coaches and try to learn. If we had to choose a previous coach, I’d go with him.

The other guys in juniors I’d be intrigued by are James Patrick and Brad Lauer. The David Carle idea is obviously a good one. I like Brooksie mentioning Savard too.

 

[Levitate]

Sullivan has a lot of the same flaws as a guy like Laviolette. Favors his vets and loves specific grinders. Wants his system played a certain way and doesn't adjust and doesn't play to his teams strengths, etc

He's a fine coach but in the way a lot of retread coaches are. He found a method that works for him and he sticks to it thick or thin.

 

[AK 27]

I don't think there's one standout coach in the pool. I like the idea of Torts for 2 reasons:

1) We know he can change the culture of a team. He already did once with the Rangers. And that was a likeable team with an admirable work ethic. I have to credit Torts for that. That's also what's needed on THIS NYR team.

2) Just hiring Torts might get Zibanejad to drop his no trade clause, haha. I doubt he wants to play for Torts again. Kreider probably doesn't either.

Of course then there's Sullivan, who I also like, who has obviously worked with Torts. He's kind of like a Torts Lite. Clearly a very good coach. No problem if that works out.

The younger coaches I don't know quite enough about. The older ones (Like Quenneville) I think it best to stay away from. A lot of these retreads need to be put out to pasture. And the organization doesn't need someone with his past. Don't get me wrong, things happen and I can forgive the guy. But it IS easier not to introduce any of that into an organization that already seems to have enough problems to deal with.

I hated the Laviolette hiring when it happened, regardless of how well he did in his first year. He never lasts more than a couple of years anywhere he goes.

Tocchet is a douche. Always was and always will be. I don't understand why people are so high on him. It's not like he has this amazing track record as a head coach. I don't think he would be a good fit for NYC.

I'm not sure a coach that's too young will have the balls to give this team the makeover it needs. I don't think a first year coach is a good idea for a team with this many veterans on it.

I dunno - that's all I got. We'll see!

 

[LOFIN]

Tocchet is a douche. Always was and always will be. I don't understand why people are so high on him. It's not like he has this amazing track record as a head coach. I don't think he would be a good fit for NYC.

I take issue with the bolded. A lot of Canucks reporters have told along these two years, that the word around the league is very positive around Tocchet. In the Athletic anonymous players poll, he had some players voting for him as a coach they would like to play for, and zero votes by people who would not want to play for him. Quinn Hughes gave him a ringing endorsement. If he's a douche, he's a douche that seems popular among players.

I don't really have an opinion about Tocchet as a headcoach. People seem to like him, he provides structure to the team, and is a good soundbite. On the other hand, it's a straight up fact that his teams struggle offensively.

I wouldn't mind if he was hired to coach the Rangers. Just a "meh".

 

[AK 27]

I take issue with the bolded. A lot of Canucks reporters have told along these two years, that the word around the league is very positive around Tocchet. In the Athletic anonymous players poll, he had some players voting for him as a coach they would like to play for, and zero votes by people who would not want to play for him. Quinn Hughes gave him a ringing endorsement. If he's a douche, he's a douche that seems popular among players.

I don't really have an opinion about Tocchet as a headcoach. People seem to like him, he provides structure to the team, and is a good soundbite. On the other hand, it's a straight up fact that his teams struggle offensively.

I wouldn't mind if he was hired to coach the Rangers. Just a "meh".

You think they're gonna hire him with JT Miller on the team?

 

[LOFIN]

You think they're gonna hire him with JT Miller on the team?

Why, do you think there is a problem between Tocchet and JT? Tocchet and frankly the rest of the Canucks management gave a ringing endorsement to JT at he Canucks end of season pressers.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

I think Jeff Halpern is close to the top of the list for me - I love that he's been in the Tampa organization and learning from Cooper who would be a dream hire himself if he ever became available. Looking at organizations that have had great success in recent years and trying to hire people away from them should always be the strategy IMO.

Todd Nelson is another intriguing option. 3 Calder Cups for 2 different organizations and has seen time as an interim in the NHL with Edmonton and as an assistant in a few places. He could be ready for the jump and the odd example of a first time (not counting his interim stint) head coach who has a lot of experience and also has a proven track record of winning.

I'm not as bullish on Carle mainly because this doesn't seem like the right situation for a young coach who would be coaching at the pro level for the first time ever. I'd be very intrigued by him obviously and think he will one day be an NHL head coach but I feel like that's close to unrealistic, I can't see him being interested in this job. Plus at 35 with a young family and a great situation in Denver I really don't know why he would leave at this point. I'd wait until my kids were older if I were him. Plus I'm the same age as him and I don't think I'm ready to be the same age as a head coach, I'm still adjusting to being older than most of the players.

I know Drury interviewed Jay Leach last time, he could be an option but I don't know much about him.

I'm not sure what retreads I'd want though if that's the direction they're going. Does anyone know why Rick Tocchet is thought so highly of any time coaching vacancies open? What exactly does his track record show that he'd be a good option? Vince said he was a finalist when Drury ended up hiring Gallant, what about Tocchet's Vancouver tenure would imply he's the guy to take the reins here? I think I'd prefer Torts over him and I don't really want Torts.

Coach Q would be great if this were 10+ years ago but he's a nonstarter because of all of the off-ice issues, don't want that anywhere close to this organization, if he ever gets another shot it should be in a smaller market.

Sullivan is a pipe dream, I don't see Pittsburgh letting him go. Obviously if he shook loose he'd be close to the top of the list.

Jay Woodcroft had success in Edmonton but flamed out pretty quickly, plus he looks like a grown up baby so that would be a little off-putting to have to look at behind the bench.

 

[AK 27]

Why, do you think there is a problem between Tocchet and JT? Tocchet and frankly the rest of the Canucks management gave a ringing endorsement to JT at he Canucks end of season pressers.

What the media tells you, what the players say publicly and what the actual truth is, especially in hockey, is drastically different. I doubt JT wants any kind of daily reminder of how things went down in his final season with Vancouver. Maybe that's just me reading into things but I sure wouldn't. I'd want a clean slate, which is what the NYR gave him.

 

[NYR94]

The next coach will be an AI trained solely on a dataset made from this forum's posts.

 

[AK 27]

Does anyone know why Rick Tocchet is thought so highly of any time coaching vacancies open? What exactly does his track record show that he'd be a good option? Vince said he was a finalist when Drury ended up hiring Gallant, what about Tocchet's Vancouver tenure would imply he's the guy to take the reins here? I think I'd prefer Torts over him and I don't really want Torts.

THIS is exactly what I want to know!

 

[McRanger92]

Tocchet/NYR stuff has come primarily from Seravalli who has a long history of pushing rumors of Rangers interest on behalf of the agents he gets his scoops from. Expect him to be heavily pushing Marner to NYR as well. I’m old enough to remember that the Rangers “coveted” Nazem Kadri.

 

[LOFIN]

What the media tells you, what the players say publicly and what the actual truth is, especially in hockey, is drastically different. I doubt JT wants any kind of daily reminder of how things went down in his final season with Vancouver. Maybe that's just me reading into things but I sure wouldn't. I'd want a clean slate, which is what the NYR gave him.

I have listened quite a bit of Vancouver media (I happen to like Canadian sports radio talk, weird for a European I know). The feeling I've got from all the talk around the team, and comments by the coaches, management and whatnot, is that Tocchet, the management, and a lot of the players preferred JT Miller. They saw EP40 as the issue. You can listen to forementioned people talk about him in the Canucks end of season pressers. The team actually fielded offers for both players during the season, JT Miller for the Rangers (and maybe some other teams), Pettersson to Carolina. Eventually, Carolina really went after Rantanen, and JT Miller actually asked to be traded because he couldn't bother with it anymore.

The reason why both players were on the table for trades, is that Q. Hughes really likes Pettersson, and he is the younger, higher upside player. But Tocchet and the management probably liked JT more.

I have zero reasons to see any issues between Tocchet and JT, if they were reunited. Yeah, Tocchet benched JT quite before he was traded, but JT had quit on that team at that point so that's nothing special.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Tocchet is the worst of the options.

Sullivan and Torts would right behind him.

There are others I don’t like but I would be really pissed if it were any of those 3.