Dale Hunter parted ways with the Washington Capitals today, but the Caps aren’t the only team in need of a new head coach. Bob McKenzie provided some interesting scuttlebutt (or lack of movement, depending) regarding three Canadian NHL teams searching for a new suit: the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens.
Let’s go one-by-one, then.
Calgary: McKenzie reports that the Flames’ process is still in its “early stages,” with a list of 10-12 candidates likely boiled down to five or six interviews. Bob Hartley and Troy Ward are “prominent” in the discussions so far.
Edmonton: McKenzie basically says that the “crickets” are chirping in Edmonton with GM Steve Tambellini and coach Tom Renney’s contracts set to expire, although Tambellini is likely to be back.
Montreal: The Canadiens are reportedly in the process of “touching base” with candidates such as Hartley, Michel Therrien, Guy Carbonneau, Marc Crawford and perhaps more.
***
If McKenzie’s reports are any indication, it might be a while before teams pull the trigger on new coaching hires. With that in mind, let’s open the floor: which coaches would make the most sense for each team and which ones would be a bad fit?