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Montreal Canadiens: Five Potential Head Coach Replacements For Claude Julien

By Ken MacMillan

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 09: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens Claude Julien looks on from behind the bench against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at the Bell Centre on January 9, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 09: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens Claude Julien looks on from behind the bench against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at the Bell Centre on January 9, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 01: Head coach Gerard Gallant of the Vegas Golden Knights takes questions during a news conference following the team’s 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at T-Mobile Arena on April 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 01: Head coach Gerard Gallant of the Vegas Golden Knights takes questions during a news conference following the team’s 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at T-Mobile Arena on April 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

4. Does language really matter?

Every July 1st there is a free agent frenzy around the National Hockey League. It usually refers to players changing teams when their contracts are up and they are free to sign wherever they please. This summer, the frenzy may be around the coaches who are no longer behind a bench.

Already this season, we have seen Mike Babcock, Peter Laviolette, Gerard Gallant and Bruce Boudreau lose their jobs. Normally, a team that has missed the playoffs for three straight years would be interested in these guys who have terrific track records in the NHL.

Babcock is still getting paid big dollars by the Toronto Maple Leafs and though his voice grew tired in the Leafs locker room, he helped expedite the rebuild in Leafs land and turned them into a perennial playoff team. He won a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings, went to the Finals with them again the following year and guided an underdog Anaheim Mighty Ducks team to a Stanley Cup Final as well. He has 700 career wins which is 8th all-time.

Laviolette has had success at every stop along the way in the NHL. He won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. He lost in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Philadelphia Flyers. He lost in the Finals again when he was behind the bench of the Nashville Predators. His 637 career wins ranks 16th all-time.

Boudreau has been one of the most successful regular season coaches of all time. He had long successful runs with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild. He was recently let go in Minnesota but had helped guide a team that  could hardly win a game early in the year back to respectability. He has 567 career wins which ranks 22nd all-time.

Even with all of those coaches available, Gerard Gallant might be the perfect candidate to be head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. He was an assistant in Montreal for two years and left to become head coach in Florida. He had one decent season there before really taking off and leading the Panthers to a 103 point regular season.

After being fired under questionable circumstances early the following year, Gallant was hired to be head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights. He steered the expansion team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season. He brought them back to the postseason last season, only to lose in Game 7 of the opening round after a very questionable five minute major was charged to his team against the San Jose Sharks.

However, he is from Prince Edward Island, not Quebec so there is very little chance he gets hired to be the head coach in Montreal, even though he is by far the best candidate for the job.

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