VANCOUVER CANUCKS NEW COACH? from the province this morning Stevens still leading candidate The decision centers around one question, experience or potential? ot coaching candidate Dallas Eakins may be getting a second interview, but he’s still not the lead dog in the turtle race to fill the Canucks’ coaching vacancy. Los Angeles Kings assistant John Stevens is still the front-runner in the race to be the Canucks’ next head coach, even though he’s yet to speak with the team’s management. Eakins was in Vancouver for a couple of days last week to meet with Canucks GM Mike Gillis, and he will get a second interview, The Province has learned. There is a lot to like about his candidacy. He’s a fresh-thinking, smart coach with all sorts of promise, and a track record for developing prospects as the guy running the AHL Toronto Marlies. But Eakins will have to bring the house down in his second powwow with Gillis and Co. to get the job. There are some big-time hurdles the Canucks are going to have to get over before they view him as Alain Vigneault’s replacement. The biggest issue remains his lack of experience as a head coach in the NHL. With inexperience comes a lot of variables, and the Canucks have been all about reducing as many variables as possible since Gillis took over. Eakins will be confronted with some first-time challenges when he finally takes an NHL job. No one can be sure how he’ll respond. If nothing else in his post-season press conference, Gillis drove home the fact this can be a tough market to manage and coach in. And, to think, he was talking about the organization’s best of times, including a string of banners proudly hung in the rafters. Now, picture a scenario where the Canucks are in a rougher, more challenging division, and because of it, in tough to make the playoffs. Picture a market where many of Vigneault’s loyalists in the media still can’t get over the fact he was let go. How will Eakins respond to that? The Canucks will need to be convinced he can handle a situation where there just isn’t likely going to be much of a honeymoon. The second interview shows you what the Canucks think of Eakins. They clearly like him. A lot. They’re not bringing him back to waste anyone’s time. He’s the type of candidate who is a long-term solution, not a quick fix. Hiring him would show there’s a willingness to grow with him, which may mean weathering a storm or three early. But when the Canucks were making the decision to walk away from Vigneault, there were long meetings spent discussing the elephant in the room. Who can replace him? One of the key points driven home was the experience issue, which is why the team didn’t spend time considering candidates who had never been a head coach in the AHL or the NHL. You can fantasize all day about Dan Bylsma becoming available, but even if the Pittsburgh Penguins are ushered quickly out of the playoffs, it’s hard to believe he’s going to get gonged when you look at the goal-tending situation he’s been dealing with. That’s why L.A. Kings assistant John Stevens continues to be the betting favourite locally, even though the Canucks won’t be able to interview him until his team is out of the playoffs. Here’s the question I keep hearing: How can Stevens be the favourite if he hasn’t interviewed and Eakins will have done two sit-downs with Gillis? The answer is, it’s all about his resumé. Not only has Stevens been a head coach, he’s done it in Philadelphia, one of the more demanding markets in the league. He’s won a Calder Cup as a head coach and a Stanley Cup as an assistant. When the Canucks decided they wanted to interview him, they understood it may not happen until the Stanley Cup final was over, near the end of June. Even when the Kings season ends, the Canucks could be waiting days before they have a chance to talk to him. It’s a plan that wasn’t without risk. What if they lose Eakins, only to find out later Stevens isn’t a fit? But if they really believe Stevens is their guy, what other choice do they have? They have to wait. There’s a chance a great interview could change all of that. But if Eakins leaves Vancouver after his second interview without a job, or a trip to Las Vegas with Gillis, it’s hard to imagine it happening weeks later.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:34:12 +0000
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