After orchestrating a solid in-season turnaround and compiling a 27-23-8 record overall, Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau has been rewarded with a two-year extension.
“Since joining the organization last November, Bruce has done an outstanding job with the team,” said Ducks General Manager Bob Murray. “He’s committed to us and determined to lead us back to the playoffs.”
Boudreau likely won his extension with the job he did in 2012. After Jan. 1, Anaheim went 24-15-6 -- the fifth best record in the Western Conference -- and made a spirited push for the playoffs.
“I’m really happy about this,” said Boudreau. “I’m convinced we have a great core of players and a bright future, and I’m excited to be part of it.”
Murray said repeatedly last season the club wasn’t interested in a rebuild and that the slow start under ex-head coach Randy Carlyle was an anomaly, not a sign of a fractured team.
He then backed that up with a three-year extension for defenseman Francois Beauchemin -- believed to be a highly-coveted asset at the deadline -- and sticking with forward Bobby Ryan after a flurry of trade speculation.
The Boudreau extension, combined with yesterday’s one-year contract extension to Saku Koivu, are two more signs the Ducks like their current group.