There are always those teams that seems to always do well despite not having the same talent as others on their rosters. Sometimes, this is due to having a brilliant coach behind the bench that can get any assortment of players to come together as a team and do what does not seem possible. Remember, players don't win championships; teams do.
Some coaches get enough credit for what they do, some get too much and some do not get enough. Here are the five most underrated coaches in the NHL today. Remember, this list ranks coaches by how underrated they are, not by their overall ability.
5. Claude Julien - Boston Bruins
Julien is still regarded as a great coach, but he still may not get the credit he deserves. He has shaped the Boston Bruins into one of the elite teams in the NHL during his tenure, and he seems to win everywhere he goes. Despite being fired with two games remaining in his only season coaching the New Jersey Devils, he still led them to a 47-29-8 record, good for second seed in the Eastern Conference.
He is a proven winner and is the perfect choice to lead the Boston Bruins. In his six seasons with the team, he has taken them from an eighth seed to a two-time Eastern Conference Champion. He also led them to a Stanley Cup in 2011.
4. Paul MacLean - Ottawa Senators
Everyone knows how good of a coach MacLean is after he won the Jack Adams Award in 2013. Despite arguably the team's three most valuable players (Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson) losing significant time due to injury, MacLean rallied his troops and led an unexpected playoff run.
MacLean learned from one of the best, coaching under Mike Babcock in Detroit for six seasons.
3. Bruce Boudreau - Anaheim Ducks
HBO's 24/7 program on the 2011 Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boudreau's Washington Capitals portrayed him to be a bumbling oaf of a coach who could not get his team to win big games. Soon after, he was fired as head coach of Washington.
Boudreau then took over the reins in Anaheim midway through the 2011-12 season, in which the Ducks were struggling uncharacteristically and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. In 2013, however, he led the Ducks to the second-best record in the Western Conference.
This year, the Ducks have been impressive again. They currently hold the best record in the NHL and look to build on their productive 2013 season.
2. Dave Tippett - Phoenix Coyotes
The Coyotes miss the playoffs in six consecutive seasons. Tippett is hired. They qualify for the playoffs the next three seasons in a row, win a Pacific Division championship and advance all the way to the Western Conference Final.
Coincidence?
Tippett wins wherever he goes. He recently became the winningest coach in Coyotes history in only his fourth season with the team. They stumbled a little bit down the stretch in 2013, but are right back at it so far this season, holding one of the best records in hockey.
With Tippett at the helm, the Coyotes can expect great things.
1. Barry Trotz - Nashville Predators
Barry Trotz may not only be the NHL's most underrated head coach - he may be the NHL's best.
It's no coincidence that Trotz is the longest-tenured coach in hockey and the only man who has ever stood behind the Nashville Predators' bench. The Predators have never had a stunning roster, but they have continued to be a consistently competitive team, missing the playoffs only twice since 2004.
Trotz is a genius behind the bench and is one of the most well-respected coaches in the game. Being from a small, market, however, he does not get the credit he deserves.