The NHL’s Atlantic Division may very well be the best-coached division in the entire league. With only one out of the eight teams in this Eastern Conference division hiring a new bench boss for the 2014-15 season, a sense of familiarity will be had by the vast majority of the players playing out of cities on the East Coast. With teams such as the Detroit Red Wings making an unexpected run to the playoffs ad the Montreal Canadiens only a few goals away from making their first Stanley Cup final since 1993, the Atlantic Division is in great shape in regards to who is at the helm in each locker room. Here’s a look at how each Atlantic Division head coach matches up against each other heading into the upcoming NHL season.
8. Gerard Gallant- Florida Panthers
Although Gallant had a stellar overall career as a crafty forward and great leader with the Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning in the eighties to mid-nineties, it’s tough to see how that will translate to being the head coach of a supposed up and coming hockey club like the Panthers. Like many, Gallant didn’t fair well as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets between the 2003-04 and 2006-07 seasons, going 56-76-4-6 in just three seasons and finding himself getting canned just 15 games into his final season with the then troubled franchise. Don’t expect Gallant to be the guy to all of a sudden put hockey back on the map in South Beach. That would take someone such as LeBron James to make something like that happen. Go figure.
7. Paul MacLean- Ottawa Senators
Perhaps the best thing going for the very much-overrated Paul MacLean is his sweet stache. The Senators have struggled to find their identity since MacLean took over behind the bench in 2011-12. A birth to the second round of the playoffs is his claim to fame in his short time as a coach at the NHL level, and you shouldn’t expect him to improve on that anytime soon. His systems and overall appeal as a leader is reason to believe why the Senators have trouble signing free agents and are inevitably on a slow yet steady downfall as a franchise. Expect MacLean to be potentially let go if the Senators fail to make the playoffs for a second straight season.
6. Randy Carlyle- Toronto Maple Leafs
Carlyle perhaps has the toughest job in all of sports. The Maple Leafs franchise is probably the most scrutinized club in the NHL, and for good reason. No matter what the product is like on the ice, it’s championship or bust for the faithful yet often delusional fan-base. Whether Carlyle’s team loses a game by one goal or slaughters a team by five, you can be sure that Carlyle will have an unruly microphone in his face. Because of this, Carlyle doesn’t rank high on this list in terms of where he stands as a head coach in the Atlantic. He simply doesn’t stand a chance as he is not only competing with other hockey teams night in and night out, he is also dealing with being a head coach in a passionate yet critical city like Toronto.
5. Ted Nolan- Buffalo Sabres
Nolan’s overall head coaching record in the NHL of 164-176-19-30 is not one that impresses at first glance. However, the native of Garden River, ON has seemingly had his coaching career revitalized in Buffalo as well as Latvia of all places. There is something about Nolan’s overall hockey IQ and calm demeanor that makes him a great teacher at both the NHL and Olympic level. For this reason, Nolan ranks in the middle of the pack in regards to coaching in the Atlantic Division, and also why the Sabres may improve drastically in the win column during the 2014-14 season.
4. Jon Cooper- Tampa Bay Lightning
Since taking over in 2012-13, Cooper’s team has done nothing but disappoint down the stretch and into the playoffs. However, when someone such as Steve Yzerman has your back through thick and thin, it’s tough to argue that Cooper doesn’t have what it takes to coach a championship hockey club. With having a healthy Steven Stamkos and a last season trade deadline acquisition in Ryan Callahan for a full a season, Cooper’s team shouldn’t disappoint in 2014-15. However, if they do, Cooper’s name won’t be found anywhere on this list come this time next year.
3. Michel Therrien- Montreal Canadiens
No matter how you feel about the Canadiens as a franchise, it’s tough to argue against the fact that Therrien, with an overall coaching record of 287-224-24-57, is one of the most consistent coaches in the league. He just plain means business. Like Toronto, Montreal isn’t the easiest place to play bench boss. It’s an unforgiving city that rests only when the Habs come out on top. The Canadiens weren’t supposed to be the powerhouse that they ended up being last season. Their birth in the Eastern Conference finals happened solely because of Therrien’s ability to make his players accountable for their play, and his ability to challenge them to play a gritty style of hockey that the Canadiens are very much not known for throughout their franchise history. Therrien alone makes the Canadiens a force to be reckoned with heading into this upcoming season.
2. Claude Julien- Boston Bruins
Julien’s nubers speak for themselves. During his illustrious eleven season career as a head coach, Julien has only missed the playoffs three times. Granted, he has seemingly always been given great rosters to play with, however even if you have a star-studded lineup season after season, it’s not always easy making sure that the stars align. With his noticeable passion for the game from the bench, I’m convinced that Julien himself could strap on a pair of skates and deliver that bone crunching open-ice hit to get his team fired up. Julien’s presence behind the Bruins’ bench is one that we will see for the foreseeable future.
1. Mike Babcock- Detroit Red Wings
Babcock is a champion on a number of levels. Not only is he a Stanley Cup Champion, but also a coach of two Olympic Gold Medalist hockey clubs as well. His passion for hockey and overall IQ for the game is second to none. After losing both Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg for much of last season, Babcock was forced to play with a roster that was made up of mostly Grand Rapids Gryphons from their AHL affiliate. Babcock knows how to make even the worst situations work, and his loyalty to the Red Wings organization says a lot about him as well. For this reason, Babcock tops this list of the coaches in the Atlantic Division, and why the Red Wings will always find a way to win as long as he is the man behind their bench.