Calgary Flames: 5 Potential Head Coaching Options
The Calgary Flames are in need of a new head coach thanks to the firing of Bob Hartley, so who will it be?
The Calgary Flames face one of the toughest choices that an organization can face, hiring a new coach. Flames GM Brad Treliving has a chance to truly put his stamp on the team, as hiring a coach is one of the bench-marks that winning organizations etch in their journey to greatness.
It is imperative that the Flames hire the right coach, as the difference between Cup winners and bottom-feeders can often times come down to the right coaching. Making a bad hire could set the franchise back years into their rebuild, but making the right hire could make this club a playoff team immediately.
So who will be the next coach of the Flames? They certainly have options, from former NHL head coaches, to AHL coaches, to NHL assistants; there will be a long list of candidates from which to choose.
So here is a look at five potential coaches who could become the next head coach of the Calgary Flames.
Next: Randy Carlyle
Gulp. Randy Carlyle was interviewed by the Calgary Flames brass last week, and the connection between current Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke and Carlyle is hard to deny as they have both worked together on various occasions. Although Carlyle could just be getting interviewed as a favour from his buddy Brian Burke, and man do I hope I am right on that one.
In 188 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carlyle put up a 91-78-19 record over the course of four seasons. Despite a respectable record, Carlyle missed the playoffs in three of the four seasons, and lost in the first round the only time his club made it to the big dance. Most notable about his tenure with Toronto was his losing of the dressing room. The players simply didn’t want to play for him anymore, and it got quite comical, unless your a Leafs fan that is.
His tenure with the club was incredibly rocky, perhaps tarnishing his reputation for good in the NHL. Despite a strenuous stretch with the Leafs, Carlyle has won a cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, and winning a Cup is something nobody can take away from you. With that being said, Carlyle isn’t someone who should coach the Flames.
He is the definition of a shelf-life coach, and he also implements an old-school system that is proven to make fans fall asleep while watching it. While he would bring the goals allowed totals down for the Flames, he also has the potential of ruining some of the promising young offensive players in Calgary.
I am a diehard Flames fan, if Carlyle is hired, I might stop watching hockey all together. Please Brad say no to Randy Carlyle.
Next: Glen Gulutzan
Glen Gulutzan is also likely going to be interviewed by the Flames according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman. Gulutzan spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks and also was the head coach of the Dallas Stars for two seasons, missing the playoffs in both years, going 64-57-9 in the process.
Gulutzan has an impressive coaching resume in both the AHL and ECHL, and although his NHL coaching record leaves a lot to be desired, there are some hockey-minds who believe Gulutzan should get another shot in the NHL.
He is regarded as being a forward-thinking coach, and also spent time with Brad Treliving in the ECHL. Personally, the Flames could do worse than hiring Glen Gulutzan, he is a smart guy and isn’t as hard on his players as Carlyle is. I think the Flames should cast their nets a little wider however as Gulutzan has yet to prove he can be a successful coach in the NHL.
Gulutzan could also help the Flames penalty kill as he helped Vancouver’s penalty kill to a 9th, 2nd, and 17th place finish in his time with the Canucks. He could be a dark horse candidate to be the next coach for the Flames, but he still has a lot to prove as an NHL coach.
Next: Kevin Dineen
Kevin Dineen is the current assistant coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, but was the head coach of the Florida Panthers for two and a half seasons before being fired in his third season with the club. During his tenure with the Panthers, Dineen put up a 56-62-28 record, missing the playoffs in two of three seasons and losing out in the first round in his only appearance in the playoffs.
Dineen previously coached in the AHL where he had more success, guiding his AHL team to the playoffs in all but one season, and making it to the third round of the playoffs twice. Dineen also coached Canada’s womens team to a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Dineen was responsible for helping the Florida Panthers power play during his time, but the penalty kill frequently struggled under his watch. In addition the players eventually started to tune out Dineen similarly to Bob Hartley after awhile. Dineen is known as being a hard coach, and the Flames have proven that they can’t thrive for long under hard coaches like Mike Keenan, Jim Playfair, and of course Bob Hartley.
If the Flames want a good short-term coach, then Dineen is the right guy. He will likely help the power-play and will reign in some of the defensive deficiencies, but unfortunately his message might start to wear thin on the players. Calgary should look to add a coach who can grow with the team, and can motivate them on a consistent basis, Dineen doesn’t look like he can do that for more than a few seasons. Thusly hiring Dineen will likely only be another caveat until the Flames find another coach with a longer-lasting impact.
Next: Geoff Ward
The newest name to enter the Flames rumour mill is New Jersey Devils assistant coach Geoff Ward( pictured left). Ward spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins winning a cup in 2011. Ward has also coached in Europe winning a championship, as well as coach of the year in the top-tier German hockey league. Ward then moved to New Jersey this season and coached the Devils power play to a 9th place finish.
His ability to work one of the most anemic, lacklustre offence’s in the NHL to a top-ten power play is impressive. Ward’s experience with young players is also noteworthy as he has CHL experience with 6 seasons of coaching in the OHL.
If there is one quality the next head coach of the Flames should possess, it’s the ability to work with young players. The fact that Ward’s coaching resume is bursting at the seams with stops from everywhere to the AHL, ECHL, German League, and of course the NHL is a positive sign for the man.
Although it may be somewhat troubling that Ward has been an NHL assistant for so long, as he has always been a bridesmaid, never a bride. Is there something wrong with Ward, or is his coaching talent simply being overlooked?
Either way expect his name to be in the mix for the entirety of the vetting process.
Next: Mike Yeo
The other name that has been going around the rumour mill is Mike Yeo. Yeo coached the Minnesota Wild for parts of five seasons going 173-132-44 and making the playoffs in three of his five seasons including making it to the second round of the playoffs twice. Yeo will be interviewed since both he and Brad Treliving are representing team Canada over at the World Championships in Russia.
Yeo was the youngest NHL coach during his tenure with the Wild and is known for being a new-school coach. Yeo was a longtime NHL and AHL assistant, and in his only season as an AHL head coach, Yeo brought his team to the finals. Despite only having one year of experience Yeo was promoted to head coach of the Minnesota Wild where he seemed to struggle early on but eventually was able to gel with the team, and had some great success.
This season was a different story, Yeo had completely lost his team and you could argue without the heroics of Devan Dubynk the Wild would’ve been much worse than they already were. Yeo was videotaped yelling and swearing at his players during a practice this season which proved to be one of the final nails in his coffin.
Now players can sometimes merit being yelled at, but if you have to get to a yelling/swearing level to motivate your team you won’t have sustainable success in today’s NHL. Couple that with Dubnyk hiding a lot of the Wild’s issues these past couple seasons and it is easy to see why Yeo might be overrated.
But he is still young enough to learn from his mistakes, and has done some great things in his time as a professional head coach. Yeo could be a good fit for the Flames, but I believe his teams play too much of a systems game, and Yeo’s ugly departure from the Wild scares me a little bit. Hiring Yeo wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but I believe hiring a coach who can grow with the team might be a better choice.
Next: Flames Make Right Call In Letting Hartley Go
There are some other interesting names from Travis Green, Nate Leaman, Luke Richardson, and Sheldon Keefe. Who knows, maybe none of the names I mentioned are even going to be seriously considered. But if there is one thing to take away from all this it’s that the Flames have options, and making a bad coaching hire would be simply inexcusable with all the names out there.
Making a coaching hire is a franchise altering decision, one that could steer a team to greatness or push them into a downward spiral of mediocrity. The Flames will have options with their next coach, but it must be the right hire for the organization moving forward.
Oh and Brad Treliving if your reading this, please for the love of God don’t hire Randy Carlyle!