Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
In this one we'll look at who is best fit to replace Randy Carlyle behind the Maple Leafs bench as the team's next full-time head coach.
Todd Cordell: Pete DeBoer I think Peter Horachek is a more than serviceable coach for now, and perhaps he'll coach his way into the full-time job, but if the Leafs have any doubts, I think they should bring in Pete DeBoer.
He missed the playoffs in two of his three full seasons with New Jersey, but he took a team with a declining Martin Brodeur in net and Henrik Tallinder and Pete Harrold playing regular minutes on the backend to the Stanley Cup Final.
His teams are consistently good in possession, which will no doubt be attractive to the Maple Leafs, and I think he's pretty good at getting a lot out of little. He surely learned some lessons in New Jersey and will come out better for it in the long haul.
Oh, and the Leafs were linked to him last summer when he was still with New Jersey, so he's clearly on the radar. I don't think Mike Babcock will leave Detroit, otherwise he'd be my top candidate.
Ryan Wilson: Peter Horachek (for now) Wait until the offseason. Learn about the players on the roster as they get away from the Carlyle way of doing things. You will then be able to choose a coach that best fits the roster. A coach should play to the team's strengths, find one that does that. A team shouldn't have to change to the coach's "strengths" IE: Carlyle.
Matt Henderson A large wheel of Cheese. Preferably something salty like a Parmesan. Or Pete DeBoer. I can't tell which one would have more personality but adding Parmesan to anything is a good idea. If they must insist on having a human then DeBoer is great at shot suppression and the Leafs desperately need to shore up their defense. With Kessel they will always have a scoring threat, but they need to learn how to stop the other team from peppering their goalie. I still lean towards the cheese.
James Tanner: Peter Horachek This is an easy one. Peter Horachek. They should have just given him the job in the summer when it was obvious that Carlyle should have been fired. I predict you will see him get the job.
Bylsma, no way.
Babcock is a pipedream.
I would think Dallas Eakins would also be an excellent choice, but I'd bet a ton on Horachek getting the job and I would pick him if it was my choice.
Adam French: Guy Carbonneau Well if I was cynical I would say they should hire Torts and tank as fast as possible, but knowing the Leafs they'd just end up being mediocre bad instead of balls to the walls bad.
If Shannaban is hoping that Babcock is going to trade a playoff team that has been consistently good for two decades for this...tire fire? He's out to lunch or has bribed him with some of that sweet sweet Leafs money. If Babcock let it be known that he was available, nearly every team in the league would give him the call and tell him why they should be the pick. What could Toronto say that would make him choose them other than "we have this dumptruck filled with money?"
Since Shanny is familiar with the Detroit Red Wings system, one wonders if he is after the Paulrus? At least the media scrums would be amusing.
All this blathering aside, I think they need a kick in the pants style of coach. I wished in the off-season it would have been Peter Laviolette, but that ship has sailed. Guy Carbonneau is my choice. Some say he lost the players, others that he was a PP specialist coach with an inflated ego, but nobody can say he wasn't winning. He had a solid record for the Habs and wasn't afraid to bench/reduce his "stars" like Kovalev or Kostitsyn. He came into the NHL too quickly and flamed out, but 4 years later he will likely have learned more and become more aware of what he needs to do. It could be a good fit...though I'm not sure if he's interested in coaching anymore.
Tim Chiasson It depends on whether the Leafs want a coach with established experience or an up and comer, but for me it all leads back to the Red Wings.
If the Leafs have any indication they have a chance at Babcock - of course there is no tampering in the NHL *wink* - then they have to wait out the season. Babcock would be a no-brainer.
If they're looking for a potential future star NHL head coach they should look to the Wings affiliate and grab Jeff Blashill. There's a guy that should be the next coach to come out of the American Hockey League and spent a year next to Babcock in Detroit before being given the reigns in Grand Rapids.
I think they should bring in Eakins as an assistant. I don't think Eakins is going to get a chance as a head coach right away and he shouldn't. He needs to be sheltered and cared for like person lost for years in the Amazon jungle just coming back to civilization for the first time. The Leafs know what they're getting with Eakins and he did a good job with the Marlies and knows some of these younger players.
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