As Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving continues his thorough search for a new head coach another name has surfaced.
This time it's long time assistant Geoff Ward, who currently works under John Hynes with the New Jersey Devils.
Friedman says you can probably add Geoff Ward to the list of #Flames coaching candidates. Longtime #NHL assistant.
— Boomer & Warrener (@BoomerAndRhett) May 16, 2016
Ward is responsible for running the forwards and power play in New Jersey. Last season, his first with the club, Ward helped coach the NHL's 9th best power play unit as they clicked at 19.9% on the year.
Considering the Devils' lack of high-end offensive talent - both up front and on the back end - that is an impressive feat.
The Calgary Flames' power play was dreadful last season and, should Ward be hired, I think he would definitely be able to get more out of it. If he can coach the Devils to a top-10 power play who knows what he could do with the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Mark Giordano, etc.
Treliving has talked about wanting a coach who has come from a winning program and, while the Devils didn't make the playoffs last season, Ward does fit the bill.
He served as an assistant in Boston from 2007-08 to 2013-14 and during that span he won a Stanley Cup, reached the Stanley Cup Final twice and helped coach a team that consistently made the playoffs.
After that he went overseas to coach Alder Mannheim in Germany for one season. His team won the league championship that year and Ward was named coach of the year.
He parlayed that into a job with the Devils where, as mentioned above, he did a pretty good work.
There's no guarantee he ends up being offered a job with the Flames - there is a lot of competition - but I think he'd be a good fit for the position.
Time will tell if Treliving and the rest of the management staff feel the same way.
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