The Ottawa Senators moved to the second name on their list and have just named Guy Boucher as the next head coach of the franchise.
Boucher coached his last NHL game against the Senators on March 24th, 2013 and was fired the day after the Lightning's 5-3 loss to Ottawa. He spent a year and a half or so coaching SC Bern in the Swiss league before being fired last November.
Boucher made the Conference finals in his rookie season as a head coach, but missed the playoffs in his second year and was canned early in his third season.
You can read below what I wrote earlier this morning about the club being spurned by Bruce Boudreau, and as expected the owner had a different take on the situation
Eugene Melnyk on Boucher: "We wanted a great coach and this process yielded our top pick. I couldn’t be happier."
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) May 8, 2016
I don't disagree that Boucher might have been a solid #2 candidate in the process, but when they offer Boudreau a contract then you can't claim Boucher was first choice all along.
So the coach is now in place...thoughts??? ---
So I left you Friday with a bit of optimism that it could be a great weekend for the Senators organization. A couple of decisions going the right way and it could have been a great coup.
Could have been. It didn't quite go that way, and that is not a good thing.
First off was the decision of Drake Caggiula, the undrafted NCAA senior and his choice to go to Edmonton. It would have been nice had he chosen Ottawa, but it is certainly nothing to lose sleep over. He might have been a contributor but like I said going in, you never know with these types of players and while it might be a bit disappointing its not the end of the world.
Then last night, after things seemed all rosy between the Senators and Bruce Boudreau, the Minnesota Wild stepped up and opened the wallet to a point the Senators weren't willing (or able?) to go.
Bruce Garrioch reported that Boudreau's asking price was 4 years, $12M and the Wild stepped in and anted up 4 yrs, $11M, which was essentially a year more (and more $$$)? than the Sens were willing to go.
Garrioch also said that
This isn’t a setback for the Senators. The interview process to replace the fired Dave Cameron is believed to be complete and the next step is for GM Pierre Dorion to make his shortlist for the Senators before one or two of the final candidates meets with owner Eugene Melnyk to get the final stamp of approval.
I call BS on that one.
I don't know if Boudreau is (or was) the answer, but by virtue of them offering a contract to him, the Senators felt he was.
The fact that they didn't get him, and were unwilling to meet his contract request despite the factors (family and otherwise) that made him a fit, is yet another black mark on a docket that is replete with them.
The Senators had to know that he was going to be in demand and would get close to what he was asking for. They also had to know that he has a track record behind him where he has earned having the security of a 4th season.
Boudreau isn't some rookie coach coming in from junior or the AHL going to be just happy earning an NHL job. Despite his lack of playoff success he has guided teams to division titles almost every year and has the highest winning percentage of an NHL coach who has coached more than 210 games. Higher than Babcock, higher than Quenneville, even higher than Bowman. Regardless of whether you think the rosters he was handed were stacked or not, that is pretty impressive company.
Maybe their recent run of the bargain basement coaches has given them the mindset that guys will just take the job because it is offered. Well last night they found out that you get what you pay for and the fact that they weren't willing to pony up for the guy widely acknowledged as the best man available for the job is evidence of more unwillingness to do what it takes to make the club better.
Again to reiterate, although I thought he was, I don't know for sure that Boudreau would have been the perfect fit, but the Sens obviously did. They had him and they lost him. Now they will go back to their list and have to turn to a guy who will know that he is the second choice (or maybe even third). Whether it is Yeo, Carlyle, Boucher, Hartley, Dineen or Crawford, I don't see the same fit as I saw with Boudreau.
So however they want to package it, it is a setback for the club, and it is another decision that comes down to money.
If I sound a little pessimistic, it is because I am.