Seattle Kraken have to say no to Bruce Boudreau as head coach
Recently former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau expressed interest in the Seattle Kraken job. He would be a bad hire.
On the surface, it might seem like a good idea for Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis to hire Bruce Boudreau as the franchise’s first head coach. On the contrary, it would be a huge mistake. Boudreau is far from the right man for this job.
From 2014-18, I covered the Anaheim Ducks for two different websites. I am well aware of what Boudreau’s strengths and weaknesses are.
Big Plus
Regular season wonder
On the positive side, Boudreau has an overwhelmingly successful regular-season record. How could he not? Boudreau started his NHL head coaching career with Washington and an up-and-coming Alex Ovechkin in 2007. He put up a .648 winning percentage (208-104-40) with four division titles in five years running the Caps.
He followed that up a successful five-year run (2011-16) with the Ducks. Boudreau coached Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in their prime. With him behind the bench, Anaheim went 201-88-40 and four division titles. Then on to Minnesota for four more years of moderate success before losing his job last year.
All in all, Boudreau has a career 567-302-115 regular-season record.
Outweighed by the negatives
Postseason failures
Despite four first-place finishes and a Jack Adams Trophy as the 2007-08 Coach of the Year, Washington won two playoff series. The Ducks won just three playoff series for all their regular success, making it to the Western Conference Finals only once.
Coaching in the regular season and playoffs are two different animals. Superior talent leads to regular-season success. When it came to postseason matchups against close-to comparable talent, Beaudreau lost the battle of X’s and O’s. He was handily out-coached. That’s a big reason why Boudreau got canned despite his in-season successes.
Player Development
Several young players who should have thrived in a successful organization instead plodded along. It would have been nice to see talents such as Marcus Johansson, Shea Theodore, Sami Vatanen, and Joel Eriksson-Ek develop into great players with the teams he coached.
Communication
There is a disconnect between what Boudreau says he wants to happen and what takes place on the ice. Also, no one ever accused himu of being easy to talk to. Not that his door is always shut, but he isn’t going to change his style, either.
In his final season, Teemu Selanne had it out with Boudreau about playing time. Keep in mind, even at 43, Selanne was still highly skilled and productive. Here is an excerpt from the Hall of Famers autobiography.
“I asked what he has against me. I told him that since he became our coach, he has not respected me one bit. You never put me on ice when we play 5-on-3 or 4-on-4 or when we are one goal behind in the end of the game. Be honest for one time and answer.
“He just stammered that decisions were not his alone and it was a group decision. I asked which group and he said GM and scouts. I yelled at him ‘Whoa, what kind of a coach are you if you don’t even decide the lineup?’ He tried to skate away but I just yelled that I wasn’t finished.
“I told Boudreau if you ever want to win something in a playoffs, you’re going to need me. Nobody else wants to win as much as me.”
So angry with Boudreau, Selanne said he wouldn’t have retired if someone else was coaching the Ducks at the time.
“If we had any other coach, I’d still play,”
So if one of the most respected players in hockey can’t get a straight answer from Boudreau, what about a young expansion team?
Age/Relatability
Seattle sports fans are spoiled by a coach like Pete Carroll. He may be older, but one of his biggest positives is that Carroll can relate to young players. Boudreau is 66 years old and as old school as it gets. Today’s players don’t react well to a “because I said so” mentality.
In the end, the Seattle Kraken must hire a head coach who can develop talent and cultivate relationships. That man is not Bruce Boudreau.
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What do you think about Bruce Boudreau’s interest in coach the Seattle Kraken? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.