Two days ago, I wrote about the firing of Bruce Boudreau and Paul Maurice. I said that both men, "now find themselves temporarily jobless in the hockey community." Key word: temporarily. I can't yet speak for Maurice, but before Boudreau even had time to digest his dismissal in Washington, Anaheim called for his services. He replaces Randy Carlyle as the boss behind the bench.
Welp, I guess that answers my question from the blog post mentioned above.
It's no surprise that Bruce Boudreau was sought after so quickly. Throughout his entire career, he's been an extremely successful coach. Whether it was in the IHL, ECHL, AHL or NHL, Boudreau has been synonymous with winning - except in the NHL's playoffs. Zing. With the way Anaheim's playing though, he won't have to worry about that. Double zing. In all seriousness however, Boudreau has proven success in his ability to coach young players. With the exception of a few individuals, Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, etc., the Ducks are just that: a young team. The Anaheim organization appears to have lost its patience with Carlyle, much as Washington did with Boudrea. I'll admit, I'm not Boudreau's biggest fan, especially after HBO's 24/7 special, but the man wins. And although the Ducks are in a tough division and have an awful record right now, the talent is there. I expect improvements under Boudreau.
This swap comes at an interesting time with Bobby Ryan's trade rumors flourishing. Initially I had thought it was one of two options: fire the coach or trade Ryan. Could it be both? If this NHL season, including this summer, has taught me anything, it's that nothing is sacred or safe. Captains can be traded, coaches can be fired, rookies can dominate and teams can surprise (see: Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes).
There is one aspect of this move that I find most intriguing. Randy Carlyle has a Stanley Cup. Bruce Boudreau does not.
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