Next Head Coach? New York Offensive State of Mind

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There is a common belief by those around the NHL to hire a coach who has won before; say Quenneville, Babcock, or Laviolette. However, I believe only three coaches have ever won a Stanley Cup with multiple teams:

• Dick Irvin (’32 Leafs, ’44, ’46, ’53 Canadiens)

• Tommy Gorman (’34 Hawks, ’35 Maroons)

• Scotty Bowman (’73, ’76-’79 Canadiens, ’92 Penguins, ’97-’98 Wings, ’02 Wings)

The top priorities of the next coach will include Panarin producing at an elite level in the playoffs, Mika producing consistently throughout the season and playoffs, and properly developing the young players on the roster to their maximum potential.

Andrew Brunette – he is a well respected coach across the league and a fresh option that at least has some experience as a successful coach. Over the last two years, the teams he has coached with have been among the top in scoring; Panthers finished 1st, Devils finished tied for 4th this season, improving from 5th in 2020-2021 and 19th in 2021-2022 respectively. Plus, if he was influential in the Devils’ success, the fans and possibly the Rangers, would love to stick it to the Devils and hire Brunette away from New Jersey. We all assumed he appeared to be their next head coach waiting in the wings. Thus, the Devils may have won the battle (this recent playoff series) but the Rangers could ultimately win the war (having the better Head Coach for the foreseeable future.)

My outside the box suggestion:

Adam Oates – Top 100 player all time. He is considered by many to be among the smartest guys in and around hockey, a student of the game, and meticulous with every detail. Oates has experience as a prior Head Coach over two seasons for Washington (65-48-17). The GM there was fired at the end of the season after missing the playoffs; finished in 9th place, and subsequently Oates was let go. The Capitals’ owner praised Oates and offered his full recommendation in Oates’ expected next coaching job. Prior to Washington, he was an Assistant Coach; Tampa Bay and then New Jersey during their Stanley Cup run.

Since Oates last coached, he started a development program to work with NHL players one on one; Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome are among his clients. Oates emphasizes player safety, the mental aspect of the game, puck possession, spacing, timing, and even the type of stick players use.

[https://www.oatessportsgroup.com/](https://www.oatessportsgroup.com/)

RIGHT WING SOLUTION – ARTEMI PANARIN?

In this episode of DFO Rundown – Ep. 100: “HHOFer Adam Oates on his career, being a skills coach, and The Michigan,” when asked of one player in particular that Oates would like to work with, he specifically mentions his desire to work with Artemi Panarin. at 53:23

[https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/dfo-rundown-ep-100-hhofer-adam-oates-on-his-career-being-a-skills-coach-and-the-michigan](https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/dfo-rundown-ep-100-hhofer-adam-oates-on-his-career-being-a-skills-coach-and-the-michigan)

Perhaps Oates would like to work with Panarin because during his time in Washington, he convinced Ovechkin to switch from Left Wing to Right Wing to improve his overall play. Oates believes players should play on their natural wing. This resulted in Ovechkin winning his 3rd and last MVP.

Would he suggest a similar move for Panarin to transition from Left Wing to Right Wing? That may improve Panarin’s overall game and also opens a spot for Lafreniere to play LW in the Top 6. The Rangers need to get consistent elite play out of Mika and Artemi. They need The Kids and young players to successfully develop. Oates has a proven track record of doing just that.

THE PITCH?

Even though he continues to operate his company, he can be tempted to leave such a role to accept a position of one of 32. In NYC for an Original Six team, with legitimate championship aspirations. He played 20 years in the NHL and then coached, never getting his second stint as a head coach, and coming close to winning it all but ultimately falling short. Why not take one final chance to achieve what has to be a lifelong goal – winning the Stanley Cup?

BACKUP PLAN

Drury may want to consider the worst case scenario, if the Adam Oates coaching tenure (or any new coach for that matter) does not work out, Drury can have Knoblauch in the AHL continuing to develop the Rangers’ prospects and as a backup plan, elevate Knoblauch to the Head Coach position. I think Drury has a longer leash than only this coaching hire being his last should this not ultimately result in winning it all. Dolan was the one who initiated the end of the previous administration then went out of his way to publicly endorse Drury, even comparing him to Brian Cashman.

REFERENCES AND QUOTES (Imagine Gallant being praised like this or saying any of these quotes!)

Some of the Clients who work with Adam Oates:

CAL CLUTTERBUCK ISLANDERS

RASMUS DAHLIN SABRES

MAX DOMI HURRICANES

JACK EICHEL KNIGHTS

NIKITA KUCHEROV LIGHTNING

ANDREW LADD COYOTES

MATT MARTIN ISLANDERS

CONNOR MCDAVID OILERS

JOSH MORRISSEY JETS

RYAN O’REILLY BLUES

ZACH PARISE ISLANDERS

MARK SCHEIFELE JETS

BRAYDEN SCHENN BLUES

LUKE SCHENN CANUCKS

STEVEN STAMKOS LIGHTNING

JONATHAN TOEWS BLACKHAWKS

[32 Thoughts: The Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/qa/podcast/32-thoughts-the-podcast/id1332150124) \- “Adam Oates: Get The Toys Off The Ice” -Oates’ Thoughts on Hockey Practice and Overall Views of the Game ([https://podcasts.apple.com/qa/podcast/adam-oates-get-the-toys-off-the-ice/id1332150124?i=1000495560825](https://podcasts.apple.com/qa/podcast/adam-oates-get-the-toys-off-the-ice/id1332150124?i=1000495560825))

“Variations of Oates’ signature 1-3-1 power play — installed first with the [Tampa Bay Lightning](https://theathletic.com/nhl/team/lightning/) in Steven Stamkos’ first 50-goal season, then with the [New Jersey Devils](https://theathletic.com/nhl/team/devils/) during the productive second act of Ilya Kovalchuk’s career, and most influentially with the [Washington Capitals](https://theathletic.com/nhl/team/capitals/) as [Alex Ovechkin](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/alex-ovechkin-xk3AkpLEFVBdOCBp/) found an unparalleled late-career goal-scoring groove — are now ubiquitous around the NHL.” – [Thomas Drance](https://theathletic.com/author/thomas-drance/) ([https://theathletic.com/3742932/2022/11/16/nhl99-adam-oates/](https://theathletic.com/3742932/2022/11/16/nhl99-adam-oates/))

“I’m an analytical guy. I like math, I like geometry, I’m into that,” Oates says. “And when you’re a guy that played — and it can be hard to explain to people sometimes — but when you’re talking about NHL-caliber players now, do you know how good they are?” “You give these guys a piece of information and they can run with it because they’re that good.” – Oates ([https://theathletic.com/3742932/2022/11/16/nhl99-adam-oates/](https://theathletic.com/3742932/2022/11/16/nhl99-adam-oates/))

“One thing I know personally is how hard I have to pass the puck to beat the goalie,” he says. “I know the speed of my pass matters to the guy shooting it. There’s innate skills that guys of this caliber have developed, that’s why they’ve been able to keep rising through the ranks. And there’s subtleties well beyond skating speed and shooting skill and size and getting strong. That matters, yes, but there’s other stuff that creeps into your brain.” – Oates ([https://theathletic.com/3742932/2022/11/16/nhl99-adam-oates/](https://theathletic.com/3742932/2022/11/16/nhl99-adam-oates/))

“So you talk about chemistry, you talk about timing, and then you talk about how if you’re behind the net and you want to pass the puck to a guy for a shot, there’s a certain speed that if you can pass it, you’re going to set up a goal, because the speed of your pass is what’s beating the goalie.” – Oates ([https://theathletic.com/3742932/2022/11/16/nhl99-adam-oates/](https://theathletic.com/3742932/2022/11/16/nhl99-adam-oates/))

by HarrisonHollers