With the Anaheim Ducks having probably the most disappointing season of all 30 clubs. It seems they are faced with two choices. The first would be to shake up the team. And would most likely involve the highly anticipated trade of Bobby Ryan. Which 29 other teams are salivating over, because Bobby Ryan has the talent to be one of the best producers in the league. But this season he hasn’t been producing, and is not living up to his $5 million dollar price tag. The second, Fire the head coach. Randy Carlyle has served as the Ducks head coach for 6 seasons, and is a third of the way into his 7th. He has amassed a winning record with the franchise, going 273-182-61, over 536 games. And most notably, in his second season as head coach, he captured the first ever Stanley Cup for the city of Anaheim. But this season he has the Ducks sitting in the basement. So if your Bob Murray, and your team is struggling badly, despite a plethora of talent, which decision would you make?
It’s a tough situation, but what if it could be made easier? What if one of the top coaches over the past 5 seasons was suddenly looking for work? Well that’s exactly what happened this week as Bruce Boudreau, head coach of the Washington Capitals, was fired. He is the fastest coach to reach 200 wins in the modern era of the NHL, and also won a Jack Adams trophy for coach of the year with the Caps. And he is now the new head coach of the Anaheim Ducks. Bob Murray waited a whole 2 days after the news, to fire Carlyle and hire Boudreau. Just long enough for the Ducks to finish their Eastern road trip against the Montreal Canadians last night. A game in which they actually managed to win. But it wasn’t enough to save Randy. The prospect of getting Boudreau was too great. And Bruce should be a good fit in Anaheim seeing as how Washington and Anaheim have similar components.
Carlyle wasn’t the only one to go from the Ducks organization, and obviously wasn’t the only head coach to lose his job recently. From the Ducks, assistant coaches Dave Farrish, and Mike Foligno were relieved of their duties. As was video coordinator Joe Trotta. The axe also fell hard around the NHL as, Paul Maurice of the Carolina Hurricanes joined Boudreau, and Carlyle in the unemployment line. Well, I guess just Carlyle, as Boudreau was quick to find work. Dale Hunter stepped in as head coach of the Capitals, as Kirk Muller filled the vacant spot in Carolina.
I don’t know what to say about Paul Maurice. He has had three coaching stints (2 with Carolina, 1 with Toronto) all of which ended in losing efforts. He is only 44 years old, and I’m sure he will coach again at some point, but my guess is not for a while. There are lots of top junior coaches out there, as well as plenty of good coaches changing hands in the NHL, for anybody to be desperate enough to hire Maurice. And lets not forget about TSN. They love working as a temp agency for downtrodden coaches.
Randy Carlyle on the other hand, should be employed by the end of the week. Well that might be a little optimistic, but if I were a club looking for a coach, or thinking about firing my current one, I’d do it soon. This guy will get snapped up. He has coached 6 winning seasons in the NHL, made the playoffs 5 times, and has won a Stanley Cup. He is also a great coach of the cycle and the power play. And loves to coach a tough, gritty game that goes back to his playing days as a defenseman for the Leafs, Penguins, and Jets. For those teams he amassed exactly 1400 penalty minutes over 17 seasons. I guess it’s safe to say he loves to play the game with truculence. Hmmm, where have I heard that word before? Also, current Leafs GM Brian Burke, who was the GM in Anaheim at the time, hired Carlyle in 2005. I think it’s safe to say that Randy Carlyle will be employed somewhere soon. The only question is where?
