With the Flyers' season finally and mercifully over, two storylines will be dominating the immediate aftermath of this year. The draft is looming, with the team having seven picks in the first two rounds. The other is who is going to be the next head coach. Philly isn't the only team looking for a new man behind the bench.
The New York Rangers, after a truly disastrous season, have terminated their head coach, Peter Laviolette. This concludes a short two-year tenure in the Big Apple for him. This came a season after the Rangers won the President's Trophy, captured the Metro Division title, were the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Florida Panthers in six games.
The Blueshirts finished in fifth place and out of the playoffs. It was a season marred by injuries, controversy, and their captain, Jacob Trouba, being traded. A season of disappointment like this will usually end in the dismissal of a head coach.
Despite this, Laviolette is one of the best coaches in the NHL and should be considered a candidate for the Flyers' head coaching job. However, is he the right fit for this club moving forward?
Why He Should Be The Flyers' Next Coach
Few coaches in NHL history can claim the sort of resume that Laviolette can attest to. He has 846 career wins; that's good for seventh all-time and places him just three wins behind former Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock. He also holds the record for most wins by a head coach born in the USA. His 145 wins are third most in Flyers history. If he were to return, he could easily pass Mike Keenan (190 wins) for second place after a succesful season or two.
In that time, he has captured a Stanley Cup title with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and has taken the Flyers and the Nashville Predators to the finals. In his 23 years of coaching, he has missed the playoffs just nine times, including this season.
One of his biggest strengths is in working with younger players. With the Flyers, he worked and molded players like Claude Giroux, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and James van Riemsdyk, and helped them become scoring threats. He was able to work with veterans, such as Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere, and integrate them with the youth movement he was working with. This is a pattern with each team he has coached. He has a young, dynamic group with skilled vets. The teams he builds can score at will and are always a threat to come back when down.
Speaking of Briere, the Flyers general manager played under him. There is some familiarity there. Would it be weird to work for a former player? Not sure. However, Briere was a leader on that team and, as far as we can tell, both respected each other.
So, why is he out of a job then? After all, one bad year shouldn't cost a man his job, right?
Why He Shouldn't Be The Flyers Next Coach
The thing is, that's the other pattern with Laviolette. Much like his predecessor, John Tortorella, he can teach his team how to be better hockey players and improve their game. He also has a habit of not being around long behind the bench. The players work hard for him, but at some point tune him out.
We saw this a little over ten years ago. While he worked wonders with the Flyers, he also grew tired of Carter and Richards and got them traded. He had issues with JVR. He pushes the players until they don't respond. While Tortorella is more of a defensive-minded guy, Laviolette can build a brilliant offense. The one thing he'd lack here, that he hadn't had before in Nashville, New York, or his previous time in Philly, is a solid goalie in the net.
However, if Briere were to select Laviolette, which version would they get? Would we have another season of turmoil and tension between players and the head coach? After all, this is a pattern we have seen in his career. He gets in, takes the team to the playoffs, and then things fall apart rapidly.
Final Verdict
He is one of the best coaches in Flyers history. I didn't think the team should've fired him when they did. Since his removal, they've struggled to bounce back. The last time the Flyers were truly a great, dominant team was during his tenure. They haven't been the same team since.
Despite his qualifications, I think this would be the wrong move for Philadelphia. He might be able to do wonders with guys like Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Owen Tippett while working with vets like Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny. But how long would his message with the players last? How long before they tune him out, there is a rift between players and the coach, and he loses the locker room? Is that something we can afford right now?
The only thing that could make sense for him to return is if Briere truly trusts him and the two want to work together. A shared vision between the two, as well as the rest of the Flyers' administration, could involve bringing him back to Philadelphia.
I fear that this would be a poor, quick fix. In many ways, he'd help out, but his short tenures on teams are a warning signal to me. The Rangers started a rebuild a few years ago that Laviolette inherited. Last year, they were dominant. This year, hot garbage. The conditions here in Philadelphia are similar to what he saw when he arrived in New York. Could he fix this team? Maybe, or maybe he could make it a lot worse.
As much as I respect him as a coach, I worry about his past on other teams and how that would affect what he could accomplish here. I'd hate to hire him just to see him replaced in another year or so and we have to start the rebuild again.