Canadiens: Early Candidates To Replace Luke Richardson
The Montreal Canadiens lost a big piece of their coaching staff as Luke Richardson has been poached and will now be at the helm of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Although it is way too early to predict who will be taking over the hazardous task of coaching the Canadiens’ defensive squad, for weeks now, there has been speculation as to who can be joining the coaching staff.
Let us look at a few candidates who might fit the bill.
Mark Recchi
This candidate will already send fans of a certain age howling in disbelief and disagreement, but Mark Recchi has already been linked to the Canadiens as of recent in regards to a coaching job.
For @MTLhockeynow:
— MurphysLaw74 (@MurphysLaw74) May 21, 2022
Could #GoHabsGo call on former Canadiens winger and coaching free agent Mark Recchi to help their struggling powerplay? https://t.co/xlLn6TKwC0
While Recchi might not be the ideal candidate to replace Luke Richardson, it is said he would be in consideration to take Alex Burrows’ spot as special teams coach or as an Associate Coach to Martin St. Louis.
As to why certain fans wouldn’t want the hiring of “Dr. Recchi”, some might remember the comments he made during the 2011 playoffs when Max Pacioretty suffered an injury at the hands of Zdeno Chara when he was sent flying to the stanchion and suffered a concussion. Recchi mentioned that Pacioretty embellished the injury after the Canadiens’ forward was seen Tweeting at the movies a few days after the event.
History aside, Recchi, who has 5 seasons as an assistant coach under his belt with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils, would bring a wealth of hockey experience to the team.
While Francis Bouillon doesn’t have actual experience coaching behind the bench, the current developmental coach is no stranger to coaching at the NHL level.
Bouillon has been developmental coach since 2017 and has garnered the favor of many including former Canadiens Maxim Lapierre. While again, he doesn’t have any formal in-game coaching experience, his hockey experience and one-on-one experience with players can make him a more than capable mentor for many.
Si Richardson devient entraîneur chef à Chicago , je crois qu’il est temps de donner une chance à Francis Bouillon sur le banc du CH . Sinon un vétéran comme Rick Bowness ancien entraîneur chef des Stars qui était entraîneur des défenseurs à Vancouver avec Alain Vigneault .
— Maxim Lapierre (@Lappy14) June 24, 2022
Mentioned in Lapierre’s tweet was going the route of experience in someone like Rick Bowness. The 67 year veteran would be no stranger to Quebec as he has played his junior playing career in the QMJHL as a member of the Quebec Remparts and Montreal Red White And Blue. His career also ended in the AHL as a member of the Sherbrooke Jets.
Bowness comes with a great resume as a defensive coach and would be a perfect candidate to aid Martin St. Louis not just to handle defence, but in all aspects of the game.
The issue with the candidacy of Bowness, is to convince him to come back to the game at all.
In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Bowness was open about his future as a coach in the NHL.
“(…)Am I going to pursue anything? No, I’m not. If somebody calls with something of interest, I suppose I would listen. But Judy and I are well-prepared to move on in life. We have a grandson in Phoenix that we want to spend more time with. So, life has changed a little bit. … Am I interested in going to a team rebuilding? Absolutely not. If I had a shot at a Stanley Cup — then I might have to listen to that. But that would be the only draw for me, if I had a really good chance on a team that would be really close to winning a Stanley Cup. I am not interested in any part of a rebuilding team. I’m too old for that.”
Montreal is a long way from Phoenix for sure, but maybe this is just fatigue talking. Maybe Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton and Martin St. Louis can talk him into coming to Montreal after all.
Dan Boyle is another interesting candidate, albeit a rookie coaching one. Little is known of Boyle since he stepped away from the game in 2016 aside from an interview he gave to NHL.com in 2017, where he stated he loved spending time with his family full time. That was five years ago, so who knows if he would be willing to travel again.
The reason for the Boyle candidacy stems from the obvious relationship between himself, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. On top of St. Louis and Lecavalier, many of Boyle’s teammates and coaches have praised the former defenceman’s hockey IQ. Many have put him on the same pedestal as Martin St. Louis as being a natural leader and future coach.
The Canadiens can also be looking at a former player but this time with coaching experience.
Alain Nasreddine, a Montreal native who once donned the Canadiens sweater for 8 games during the 1998-99 season, has seven seasons of experience as an NHL coach, all with the New Jersey Devils, including a short stint as interim coach during the 2019-20 season after the firing of John Hynes.
He would be replaced as head coach the following season by Lindy Ruff and resume his assistant coaching duties. Nasreddine was also assistant coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL for five seasons prior to being hired by the Devils.
Nasreddine would be an interesting candidate in the sense that he brings different views of the game. His baggage includes stints in the NHL, AHL, IHL, as well as the DEL German league. He is someone who is constantly studying the game and trying to find ways to not only improve his team but himself as well.
Honorable Mentions: Marc Savard, Guy Boucher, Joel Bouchard, Rick Tocchet, Benoit Groulx
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