It came as no surprise when Steve Yzerman announced, within days of his team's season ending, that head coach Jeff Blashill would not return. You couldn’t fault Blashill for the results the past few years.
After inheriting a 24 year playoff streak, and a roster seriously on the decline, the talent he had to work with was far from playoff material. His work molded a handful of prospects into productive NHLers. While those players began to take the next step, it looked like the team was about to turn the metaphorical corner toward playoff qualification.
Then the wheels fell off. A handful of injures, covid cases, and a player who couldn’t be bothered to be there when his teammates played in Canada, all took their toll. The goaltending that bailed out the defense nearly every night the first two months of the year started showing some growing pains. Ultimately, the team lacked the depth to compensate for any of this. And the compete level suffered. Too many games down the stretch saw the Wings getting out-shot 20-5 midway through the second period. And while they may have only been down a goal or two, the hole was dug. While it was promising to see that they could be competitive with a full roster, it was obvious that the roster needs a few more bodies to take the next step. What was more obvious, however, was their compete. Things were snowballing. One goal would lead to three, and the double-digit games started adding up.
So when Blashill was relieved of his duties, it was a surprise to no-one. The team needed a new voice. Someone who gets the most out of their players. Someone who can hold the players accountable. Someone who can deploy a quality defense. And someone who will still be able to nurture the young players on the club, as well as the next wave in the pipeline.
Having the coaching decision made quickly, gave the team early access to the coaching market. One that began to settle as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued to unfold. And for a team that didn’t qualify, that’s the best-case scenario.
So let’s shift our focus. Another non-playoff club, the San Jose Sharks, waited until June 30 to relieve Bob Boughner and his staff of their duties. By this point, eight teams have officially filled coaching positions. Another, the Edmonton Oilers, removed the ‘interim’ tag from Jay Woodcroft. And a 10th team, the Winnipeg Jets, were to announce Rick Bowness as their new coach. The Sharks became the 11th team this offseason that will be naming a new coach, just as everyone else had filled their vacancies.
Why the sudden change?
A few things could be at play here. Either something really bad, the kind of thing that gets people “canceled” these days, happened amongst the staff. Someone that the organization really likes became a possibility. Or they just waited too long to make the decision. One thing is out of your control, one thing is unexpected, and the last is 100% on management.
To me, I don’t see anyone earth shattering that suddenly hit the market, save for Tampa assistant coach Jeff Halpern. We obviously don’t know what happened behind closed doors, but it seems to me that this is a team that just waited way too long to announce their new direction, and as a result, missed out on all the great candidates on the market.
Granted, the Sharks are a team that likely won’t be competitive for a while. They have a handful of really terrible contracts that they won’t be able to move. No real prospect pipeline, since they shipped it away for Erik Karlsson. And really only two stars of note. Not the most attractive situation for any coach, which makes this decision all the more baffling. This is the kind of thing that should really piss-off ownership. Unless it was something outside the team’s control.
Steve Yzerman was deliberate, made his decision quickly, and got a solid candidate in Derek Lalonde. The Sharks management is looking questionable at best. And at this point, there is no guarantee they will end up with a better coach. The difference in management styles is stark here. It’s not like the Sharks were a playoff team who failed to show up. They didn’t even make it. If I’m the owner, I don’t like the decision. Not to mention, it being by interim GM Joe Will.
While the Wings are still early in the rebuild, and in Steve Yzerman’s tenure, I’ve yet to find a decision that you could really question like this. It’s nonsensical to me that they could be so laid back, and wait so long before a change. Now they have no coach heading into free agency, so the team just kicked the can down the road another year. Sure, it’s the GM that ultimately signs the players, but coaches have a lot of influence as to whether or not they will fit their style.
A big swing and a miss by the interim GM in San Jose, and things like this reassure me that Yzerman is one of the best.
UPDATE 2022/07/05 - it appears Mike Grier has been named GM in San Jose. He will begin his tenure with a challenging coaching hire, with the carousel of candidates mostly settled. This is far from an attractive position, with the club hamstrung with cap issues for the foreseeable future.
There is one interesting connection here though... Mike Grier and Tampa Bay assistant coach Jeff Halpern played together with the Washington Capitals from 2002-04. Could Halpern take this opportunity to move into a head coaching role?
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