The 2023-24 season was one of midseason hirings and firings. The tone was set days before the season began when the Columbus Blue Jackets fired Mike Babcock despite hiring him earlier in the offseason. For those who missed all the midseason coaching changes or lost track, this was the timeline.
- Nov. 12: Edmonton Oilers fire Jay Woodcroft and Kris Knoblauch is hired.
- Nov. 28: Minnesota Wild replace Dean Evason with John Hynes.
- Dec. 14: St. Louis Blues fire Craig Berube and promote Drew Bannister as head coach.
- Dec. 18: Ottawa Senators hire Jacques Martin to replace D.J. Smith behind the bench.
- Jan. 12: New York Islanders fire Lane Lambert and hire Patrick Roy.
- Feb. 2: Los Angeles Kings hire Jim Hiller to replace Todd McLellan.
- March 4: New Jersey Devils fire Lindy Ruff and promote Travis Green as the interim.
Roy was one of the eight coaches who was asked to fill in and it’s safe to say, that the Islanders found the right person to lead this team. He went 20-12-5 which was good enough to secure the third-best record in the Metropolitan Division. Sure, the Islanders were quickly eliminated in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes but the Roy hiring provides optimism for next season and the future in general.
The question is how he stacks up compared to the other coaches who were hired, some of whom are doing remarkable jobs with their current teams.
Kris Knoblauch
There’s no debate between Roy and Knobluach, who might have been the best hire not just this season but in recent seasons. He was hired early on in the season and he turned the Oilers into a contender almost immediately. More importantly, Knoblauch balanced out the Oilers, allowing them to become a sound team on the defensive end of the ice to go along with a high-powered offense.
Related: Islanders Have Decisions Looming on 5 Key Players
Knoblauch wasn’t a finalist for the Jack Adams Award but he finished fifth in the voting and there’s an argument to be made that with a full season, he would’ve taken home the award. The Oilers are in the Western Conference Final and on the doorstep of winning the Cup, largely because of his influence behind the bench and ability to bring out the best in the roster at both ends of the ice.
John Hynes
Hynes improved the Wild but only to an extent. They went 34-24-5 with him behind the bench to finish the season with a 39-34-9 record and in sixth place in the Central Division. The…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…