Willie Desjardins’ time behind the Canucks bench ended in April, following three seasons, one playoff appearance, two years in which they finished near the bottom of the standings, and plenty of questions about deployment issues and his usage of younger players.
However, it seems he’ll soon find himself back behind the bench.
According to Steve Simmons of Postmedia, Desjardins is expected to be named coach of Team Canada for the upcoming 2018 Olympics. Nothing has been announced from Hockey Canada.
Desjardins has experience coaching on the international stage. He was an assistant working with Pat Quinn when Canada took gold in the 2009 World Juniors, and was the head coach the following year when Canada took silver.
Now, it will be interesting to see how respective hockey nations fill out their Olympic rosters for 2018. The NHL has announced its schedule for the upcoming season -- cementing the fact the league will not be participating in South Korea.
Based on earlier reports, Canada will look to build a roster with players competing in Europe and in the American Hockey League.
Related: In farewell to Vancouver, Desjardins defends his approach to young players