Two To Watch

The verdict on in-season NHL coaching changes this season, at least so far, is split.

Six coaches fired, three of those teams now in a playoff position, three not so much. Of the three hired that had NHL coaching experience - Ken Hitchcock, Darryl Sutter, Bruce Boudreau - the news has been good for Hitchcock's Blues and Sutter's Kings, less so for the Anaheim Ducks under Boudreau.

Of the three that didn't have head coaching experience, Dale Hunter has maneuvered Washington into eighth in the east, while the results for Montreal under Randy Cunneyworth and Carolina with Kirk Muller behind the bench have been less positive.

We'll see how those six situations develop over the final half of the season - and see if more coaching changes result.

With the coaching moves so far, and with a number of teams well down in the standings possibly looking at alterations behind the bench for next season, the question is always out there: who are the hot coaching candidates not in the NHL?

Often, it's names who have been there before. Marc Crawford. Randy Carlyle. Pat Quinn. Michel Therrien.

Two who haven't, but are gaining lots of attention these days for their work in the AHL, lock horns tonight with at Ricoh Coliseum.

Dallas Eakins, with his Marlies in first place in their division, has been attracting lots of kudos for his work, particularly with the readiness of the players he has supplied to the parent club when they've been promoted. Nazem Kadri, Keith Aulie and Darryl Boyce would be the three most recent examples.

Eakins' squad, with Colton Orr and Phillipe Dupuis down from the Leafs and Jussi Rynnas having allowed one goal in his last two games, tonight takes on the Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL's top team with a sparkling 23-8-1 record this season. The Barons are the farm team of the Edmonton Oilers and are coaching by Todd Nelson, a one-time Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick who has the farm club doing much better than the Oilers are at the NHL level these days.

It's tough for guys like Eakins and Nelson to be recognized and to get a chance at the NHL level even if it's deserved. Eakins, at least, is benefitting to some degree by being in a large media market. It's more difficult in Sooner country for Nelson, who actually worked on the same bench as Cunneyworth under John Anderson in Atlanta and will coach the Western Conference squad in the AHL all-star game Jan. 30.

It's hard to see Eakins getting his NHL chance in Toronto where Ron Wilson just netted a contract extension. For Nelson, it's unclear what will happen in Edmonton if Tom Renney can't coax better results out of a team that many hoped would challenge for a playoff berth but has already all but fallen out of the race.

Regardless, Eakins are Nelson are two to watch, and they'll bash brains tonight down at the Ricoh.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Jimmy]

I find it hilarious that Toronto fans keep talking and hoping Eakins becomes the next coach. This is a fanbase that just froths at the mouth with hate for the best prospect the team has secured since Wendel Clark, because appearently , based on their relationship with Kessel and Sundin, Leaf's fans hate skill players. This fanbase would eat a rookie head coach alive. Besides, the time for a rookie head coach has passed. The Leafs are in the latter half of a rebuild that after this season , should have them as a perenial top 4 team in the conference for the next five or so seasons, (if all goes well). First , Wilson deserves to see what he helped build through to the end. The fact that this never comes up is hardly fair. However, if Wilson is fired, I have a hard time seeing them going with a rookie. Blysma worked out pretty good in Pgh, but he was handed a group that was easily the best team in the league. Coaching is - in my opinion - extremely overrated. But I still cant see Burke handing off what he buillt to a rookie who will get raked over the coals the minute something goes wrong.

[Wade]

In this day and age NHL teams are equipped to research, scout and network like never before. There's not a single AHL coach whose record and credentials haven't been examined by each team in the league. Eakins has done great work (I'm sure Nelson has, too) but if other teams with recent coaching vacancies have passed over them (for now) it's because there have been better candidates available. Eakins may be nudging toward the top part of the list but the reason why he won't replace Wilson just yet isn't because Wilson got an extension, it's because Wilson is the better NHL coach.

[Art]

Damien, i once asked you if the Leafs would ever give Eakins the head coaching job with the Leafs. You said likely not, because he has no NHL experience, and with a club like the Leafs, going with an inexperienced head coach is a bad idea (media wise, mostly likely...I am paraphrasing).

I wish that were not the case. I really like Eakins and I want him behind the bench of the Leafs. It would probably also be a major NO to have him as an assistant coach. Bringing a potential replacement in to work with the current head coach is probably an insult, and Burke would not do that to Wilson. But could he insist on a new head coach who replaces Wilson to have Eakins as an assistant? Would Eakins even be intersted? or would he rather be head coach on a bad team. Seems like a hard place to prove yourself...

anyway, I wish Eakins the best.

[M]

@art Eakins used to be an assistant in the days under Paul Maurice (whose name was left out of the article as a notable) I think Maurice is a great coach and should find a new job shortly.

[sla]

I used to like Eakins..then I keep seeing him in those cheesy Marlies commercials