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The Calgary Flames have yet to determine if they're going to make a coaching change – or at least announce a decision on the matter.
I'd be fine with Glen Gulutzan returning for another year but *if* they do elect to hire a new bench boss, one candidate who stands out is Bill Peters.
With the Carolina Hurricanes missing the playoffs again, and the team changing the way things are run under new ownership, it seems like a safe bet to assume Peters is done with the organization.
I mean, the higher ups probably wouldn't allow him to talk to other teams while under contract –
he's making $1.6 million per season, according to The Athletic – if they intended to keep him around for the long haul.
So why would Peters make sense? For starters, he is a pretty good coach.
In each of his four seasons with the Hurricanes, they finished in the top half of the league in Corsi For%. They also controlled a larger share of the scoring chances than their opponent three times and finished higher in Scoring Chance For% each year.
His teams have consistently been able to out-play opponents at full-strength. They've just been submarined by horrendous goaltending each and every year.
When you finish 28th in save percentage during a good year, it's pretty difficult to win games. Despite that, the Hurricanes finished above NHL .500 three of the four years. That's not the highest of bars, I know, but it's not nothing while coaching a budget team and getting no goaltending.
Whatever you think of Mike Smith, it's probably fair to say he'd be an improvement over the guys Peters has dealt with in Carolina.
GM Brad Treliving and Peters also have a *bit* of a history – they have worked together with Canada at the Worlds – and going with Peters would be a more cost-friendly option than chasing a big name like Alain Vigneault, for example.
Should the Flames decide to hire a new coach – and NHL experience be a prerequisite – I think Peters would be a good choice.
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