As soon as the curtain closed on the 2015-2016 season, Montreal Canadiens’ general manager Marc Bergevin wasted no time in publicly stating that the organization had no real intention of shaking up the player and coaching personnel. While this didn’t sit well with the majority of the fan base that had been calling for Michel Therrien’s head (and continues to do so), a breath of fresh air overtook a market that desperately needed an injection of good news as the Habs announced the hiring of Kirk Muller as associate coach yesterday.
This came as a huge surprise to practically everyone, including members of the media and insiders. This certainly wasn’t the first time that Bergevin exercised his customarily secretive means of operating, which demonstrates the craftiness of the GM and his willingness to improve his team despite what we may all believe. Bringing Muller back helps Bergevin gain a lot of respect from his biggest detractors – myself included – and he’s singlehandedly found a way to spread enthusiasm all over Montreal.
When Muller spoke with the media this morning, he began with this:
"Bonjour mes amis, je suis contente de revenir avec les Canadiens" - Kirk Muller starts his press conference with French.
— Sean Coleman (@SColemanCTV) June 3, 2016
Muller went on to discuss how there were potential opportunities for him to interview for head coaching positions while citing Anaheim and Calgary as examples. Over in St. Louis where he served as assistant coach to Ken Hitchcock before leaving the organization earlier this week, Muller was offered a one-year deal similar to the rest of the coaching staff. Many presumed that “Captain Kirk… was the shoe-in heir to Hitchcock’s legacy as soon as the latter retired in 2017. Instead, he opted to jump on the opportunity presented to him in Montreal as associate coach. He felt as though the security offered here made a lot more sense, and there was no way he’d pass on the chance to come back to his beloved city. He said all the right things: that he’s excited to come home, how he looks forward to working with Michel Therrien, and even mentioned P.K. Subban:
Muller on Subban: "He's already to called me to say hi. I'm excited to work with him again."
— Sean Coleman (@SColemanCTV) June 3, 2016
He’ll rely on Subban to be the quarterback of the power play and it’s clear that Muller will help the team improve on its less-than-spectacular man advantage. Under his tutelage, the Habs were ranked #2 overall:
The Kirk Muller effect
— Sean Coleman (@SColemanCTV) June 2, 2016
Habs power play with Muller (2006-11): 21.6% (2nd)
Habs PP since then: 16.7% (26th) pic.twitter.com/7VsVIniM30
Clearly, his return is met with open arms and confidence that he can help turn the team around. Known also as an excellent communicator, he’ll certainly facilitate the building of relationships between the players and the coaching staff. Most importantly, he’ll be able to reach out to Subban in a very effective way and the timing could not have been better. The head coach has had issues regarding the superstar defenseman, and Muller is the right guy to nip it all in the bud.
Lacking in unanimity, however, are the question marks hanging over Michel Therrien. Is Muller next in line to replace Therrien if the Habs start the season by stringing together a few losses? Would his hypothetical appointment as interim head coach be accepted by the French media, considering he doesn’t speak the language?
The question I ask myself is: Should J.J. Daigneault or Dan Lacroix fear for their jobs? When Gerard Gallant left the Canadiens’ organization to become head coach of the Florida Panthers, he left behind a huge void that couldn’t be filled by either of the aforementioned. Michel Therrien stated in his conference call that there will be a “change of responsibilities… and that Muller will be behind the bench with him. I’m not implying that Daigneault or Lacroix are inevitably being relived of their duties, but what happens to Lacroix specifically once the power play starts to improve and the players prefer to speak with Muller should their morale start to waver?
Finally, I’d like to add that it was a tactical move by the general manager to have both Therrien and Muller on the same conference call. Once again, Bergevin is giving his buddy Michel a vote of confidence regardless of the incessant pressure on him to fire the head coach.
Let’s hope that Arpon Basu is wrong in calling this the biggest move the Habs will make this summer…
And: