I was ready to post a reader survey today. Those plans were dashed when this big story hit.

The Ducks have brought back the most successful coach in team history. This morning General Manager Bob Murray rehired Randy Carlyle to be Anaheim's on ice boss. A very controversial move considering there is a big split among the Ducks faithful about Carlyle.

Some fans will point to the fact that he is the only coach in franchise history to have won a championship and that its good to bring in a proven success. He did lead the Ducks to the 2006-07 Stanley Cup title. On the other hand, Carlyle has his detractors as well. Those fans will look at the end of his first coaching tenure in Anaheim as well as his underwhelming term behind the Toronto bench.

In his statement, Murray had the following to say about rehiring Randy Carlyle:
“A proven winner and motivator, Randy has expertly managed the bench throughout his coaching career,” Murray said. “Our expectations are extremely high, and I believe Randy is the coach who can lead us to playoff success and our ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup.”

Of all the candidates available, Randy Carlyle was not my top choice. Heck, he wasn't in my top 10, but its Murray's job and not mine. I disagree with those that say this was a safe decision, due to Carlyle's winning pedigree with the team. In my opinion, the general manager could very well lose his job if the situation heads south quickly.

For what its worth, I'm in the middle on this one. I, like many of you, was not happy the way it ended for Carlyle in Anaheim. By November 2011 he lost the team and was a dead man walking. His message was no longer getting through to the players. It was time to go. In coaching, with very few exceptions, you are hired to be fired, no matter what you do (championships included).

It became very clear in 2015, Bruce Boudreau was not going to lead to the team to a championship. That feeling was reinforced by last season's poor start and disappointingly brief playoff run. Carlyle might just be what this team needs to get to the next level. Only a handful of players (Ryan Getzlaf, Cam Fowler, Andrew Cogliano and Corey Perry) remain from his first tenure. Carlyle's stint coaching the Leafs could help him with current wave of young Ducks players. He is a smart man, who I believe can learn from his past experiences.

In the spirit of the reader survey, where do you stand on the return of Randy Carlyle behind Ducks bench?

I'll post some of the responses in a day or two.

- Ed

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