I think Tortorella or AV are both highly deserving. If the jets made the playoffs (over the course of a full regular season), I think Paul Maurice would have been a finalist for sure.
I still wish the flames got AV as the head coach. My main experience in observing him as a coach was those Canuck teams, and man, as much as there was to hate, their ability to win the puck in the d zone, and IMMEDIATELY move the puck forward to generate a rush with speed was incredible. (as a contrast, I absolutely HATED how slow our team was in getting organized before moving the puck out of the zone. D to D passes are great at times to slow a forecheck, but the flames entire transition game seemed to need an average of 3 d to d passes before trying to move the puck up the ice).
The flames D in the 2016-17 year had Giordano (in his prime years), Brodie, Hamilton, kulak (aside from guys like wideman, engelland, bartowski). But I still feel a coach like AV, and a dcore with the mobile men the flames possessed, the flames should have been way better than they ever were under gulutzan....
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