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It's been just a day since the Calgary Flames relieved Bob Hartley of his coaching duties and names of potential replacements are already starting to surface.
With the timing of Hartley's firing in mind it seemed like a safe bet that GM Brad Treliving and co. would put the full court press on Bruce Boudreau, and they still may, but there are no shortage of other candidates being considered for the job.
Via Gary Lawless' column at TSN.ca: So the GM has some ideas. Boudreau is one of them. Utica Comets head coach Travis Green is likely another.
Another coach to keep an eye on is Kevin Dineen. He previously had an NHL bench in Florida and has spent the last two years watching how Joel Quenneville operates in Chicago.
The Flames have also been linked to Randy Carlyle, likely due to his history with Brian Burke, but I don't think he is a good fit unless he has changed significantly since his days with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Boudreau will deservedly be the most heavily courted of the bunch, and wouldn't come without a fight, but I really think he should be the Flames' top candidate.
Boudreau has won eight division titles in eight full season as a head coach and owns a career record of 409-192-80 in the regular season. The success he has enjoyed is almost unparalleled and it's no fluke.
The knock on Boudreau is he can't win in the playoffs but even then he sits above .500 in the post-season. His lack of success in Game 7
more to do with poor goaltending and no puck luck than his teams being outplayed.
If the Flames can't get Boudreau I think the alternatives they're supposedly looking at, Carlyle aside, are pretty good.
Travis Green has enjoyed success at both the CHL level (Portland) and AHL level (Utica) over the last few years. In three seasons with Utica the Comets have finished above .500 each year, captured a division title, and have won three of five playoff series they've participated in.
It sounds like Flames GM Brad Treliving is open to giving some new blood a chance and Green fits that mould.
Lastly, Kevin Dineen is an experienced coach that has been quite successful since being relieved of his duties with the Panthers in 2013.
In the few years since Dineen has led Team Canada's women's team to a Gold Medal at the Olympics and also served as an assistant on a Stanley Cup winning team in Chicago.
I think the Flames could certainly do worse than Dineen in their search for a new head coach.
There's a lot of balls in the air right now, obviously, but I expect we'll see some clarity sooner than later.
It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
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