Montreal Canadiens: Kirk Muller Prepared for Role as Interim Head Coach
By Emmanuel D
The Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Kirk Muller spoke on how the team will approach the remainder of the series against the Philadelphia Flyers.
As Kirk Muller prepares for his first game as interim head coach for the Montreal Canadiens, he fielded questions from members of the media regarding how the team will approach Game 2 of the series against the Philadelphia Flyers and if any changes were to be made.
Kirk Muller made it clear in his opening statement that they have Claude Julien‘s health in their thoughts while also mentioning the need to stay focused for Game 2 and the series going forward. Per the Athletic’s Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu), Muller also spoke to Claude Julien the previous night and mentioned that their entire conversation was centred around the sport, going as far to say that the Montreal Canadiens head coach was “fired up” about Game 2.
Kirk Muller says he won't be surprised if he gets a text or phone call from Claude Julien between periods during this afternoon's game. pic.twitter.com/OBSouWENQ0
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) August 14, 2020
Given the news surrounding Claude Julien’s health in the past 48 hours, it is good to see him so involved early long while also having faith in Kirk Muller, the former Carolina Hurricanes head coach from 2011-14), to do what is best for the team.
Regarding how Kirk Muller and the Montreal Canadiens will approach the remainder of their series, Muller went on to say that no changes would be made to the team from a tactical standpoint as they would like to continue to play the way they know best.
Muller said nothing will change for the Canadiens from a tactical standpoint; they will continue to try to do what they do well. It is his job, he said, to identify the guys who are doing it well and get those guys on the ice more often.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) August 14, 2020
However, as mentioned in the above tweet, like any coach, Kirk Muller will identify the players who are performing well and to utilize them more in order to maximize the team’s chance of victory. Therefore, the same can be said for the players who are not up to par as their ice time may be limited if they are not contributing to the level that is expected of them or if they are not suited for their current role.
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It remains to be seen if any lineup changes will be made, and we will only know more when the team announces their lineups prior to their game at 3:00pm ET.