[News] Ryan Huska named HC. 12:30 PM MT presser

[Major Major]

Originally Posted by AndyM

This is a massive point, and I'm glad you brought it up.

Even during the series versus Abbotsford, something was off with the Wranglers. That bled into the series versus Coachella, and very few adjustments were made besides a depth tweak on the blueline and moving Schwindt up the lineup. Zary was a no-show, minus his end-to-end goal, yet he kept getting big minutes. Jones was a non-factor after a career regular season. The playoffs were a faceplant, including that barnburner loss in Game 5. You have to wonder what the Wranglers were/are without Wolf.

Idunno, maybe they just lost in overtime of game 7 (5) against the other best team in the AHL who are about to win the Calder Cup. That can happen.

As for the idea that this guy was coaching a stacked team or a team overly reliant on Wolf? It's BS. This was not a powerhouse of talent and wasn't perceived as a top team until Love got there. They are not a vet AHL squad like some. It doesn't have top prospects in the same way others do. It's D corp looked weak going into both seasons and went through an almost total overhaul from one to the next, relying on Solovyov, Kuznetzov and Poirier who flourished under Love to become a top level D prospect.

This is a team that went +150 over 2 years and hade the most goals in the ahl over that time period. This is not a hot goalie team, it is a dominant team and it wasn't like that until Love showed up.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

If no other team interviewed Love for the same reasons (Wolf & couldn't follow up in playoffs) and think his success might be misleading, then I'm feeling a little more assured in opting ti go another direction.

Not sure Huska should be that alternative but I'm willing to give him a shot. At the very least I'll give him a month in October to show us signs of a rejuvenated team that can still give attention to defensive detail before I start giving him ####.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

per Steinberg rest of Coaching staff will not be announced today.

Well that absolutely sucks.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Well that absolutely sucks.

I was more interested in who the staff would be to be honest.

With Huska being retained we need new blood and ideas outside the organization.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by mile

https://twitter.com/user/status/1668279011133489152

https://twitter.com/user/status/1668286673766187009

Excellent.

Please deliver on this.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

per Steinberg rest of Coaching staff will not be announced today.

Figured so. Today is all about Ryan Huska.

[Ashes]

Originally Posted by Sec214

He is calling this a cheap excuse to run it back with adjustments.

I'm sure I'll get pitchforked by the "positivity" crowd for this, but it seems like a classic Edwards stop-gap coaching option. A coach who seems like a genuinely good guy, hasn't had his opportunity to coach at the highest level yet.. but also hasn't exactly beaten the door down for the opportunity IMO.

I'll be watching all the games regardless of who the coach is but this just feels very.. vanilla, like its an excuse to kick the can further down the road and hope to god they sneak into the playoffs as per usual.

Lets see how this press conference goes though, hopefully some intriguing changes on the Assistant Coaching front and a few shake-up trades by Conroy this summer and who knows, maybe my opinion changes before the start of the season.

[Toonage]

^^ Especially if, as expected, they announce Iginla. he'd completely overshadow Huska today

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Bubba17

Where is he going as an assistant then? He doesn't seem to be too high on the other teams that have hired head coaches.

I don't know, but if you are a top coaching prospect and got passed over would you take a job as his assistant.

We like but not enough to make you the head coach how about you come be his assistant?

[Otto29]

This is a good hire for the same reasons Conroy was a good hire. They were not going to hire another taskmaster or expensive veteran coach. Anyone making predictions now on the season ahead is a little foolish because no one knows how the players will respond to Huska as head coach. End of the day, that's all that matters.

[Sec214]

Huska has been the good cop to these players since his first day with the big club. Leaving notes of positivity and improvement in the locker room for each guy. Maybe the big dog has some bite but I bet you the room will be lighter.

Huska will need to hire a PP/Offensive/Forwards coach 100%.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

I don't know, but if you are a top coaching prospect and got passed over would you take a job as his assistant.

We like but not enough to make you the head coach how about you come be his assistant?

I think too we have to consider the human element. I was a top candidate for an internal hire recently and lost out to someone outside the department, same company, who had slightly more experience. I get to work with this person now when my work crosses over with their team. It's a little awkward inside knowing this. Therefore, I can see being Love being cool being an Assistant with another club rather than here.

[bax]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

I don't know, but if you are a top coaching prospect and got passed over would you take a job as his assistant.

We like but not enough to make you the head coach how about you come be his assistant?

It’s not really that outlandish. An assistant job in the NHL is still a pretty huge promotion. Huska has double the amount of experience as Love. It actually seems like a pretty logical move.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Maybe not, but Love should be smart here too if he wants to progress in his own career.

If no one else comes knocking and the potentially Wolf-less Wranglers have a let down season next year (giving more credence to the skeptics) then at that point he might be left with no doors in the NHL in any capacity.

Wasn't wrong to be a hard negotiator on the head coaching front given flat his stock is at its highest. But if no other NHL comes sniffing, he might want to reevaluate the assistant idea.

[FlamingHomer]

Originally Posted by Locke

Man oh man, after such a snub Jordan Sigalet might just walk!

Oh God, stop with the Jordan Sigalet!

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I think its a major fail letting Love walk and not having him be apart of anything NHL related, the amount of respect Love had in the AHL room is absurd, the guy knew how to get our farm team fired up and in the game.



How this was not factored in scares me.

I think you are jumping to conclusions. It seems to me that everyone at this point is only speculating about Love's future.

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[Toonage]

As suggested (I think in this thread) if Love finds his way to Toronto with the Marlies, thats a pretty straight line to potentially coaching the Leafs. Or he can stay here and be an assistant. Already passed over once basically.

A move to Toronto wouldn't shock me.

[Reign of Fire]

Does anyone know who is showing the presser, or is there a link to the presser?

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I am not 100% sure, but I think if the job being offered or interviewed for is a higher rank, then they are free to pursue it without needing permission. This is one of the reasons why some teams use associate coach positions to poach an assistant from another team, as it is technically a higher rank.

So why in the hell wouldn't Conroy offer him the associate title? This is turning into a coaching nightmare imo, the worst candidate got the HC job, Tanguay isn't coming to run the offence, our hot coaching prospect is looking elsewhere to be an assistant but won't take being an assistant here, sounds like Savard wants to stay as a HC in Windsor as opposed to an assistant in the NHL. Watch them bring back Muller and MacLean assistants. Hell, bring back Gilbert too just to put the cherry on top. This is beyond underwhelming.

[mrdonkey]

The thing that bothers me about this isn't necessarily the decision itself, per se. Like, I'm not enthusiastic about Huska as a coach, but I don't think even Scotty Bowman could squeeze results out of the mess Treliving left behind, so ultimately the coach won't matter until this team has a better, younger core to build around.

But what concerns me more is the philosophy being put on display here. How focused the local media and even the statements from Conroy himself are on Huska's tenure above his actual results, like this was some kind of loyalty hire for a guy who "paid his dues." That's such a spectacularly stupid way to do business, and completely on brand for this organization. I was really hoping that the off-ice changes would have herladed a change in approach from what we're used to, but it sounds exactly like what we've come to expect from the Edwards regime. Cheap out, take half-measures, hope to sneak in, and see what happens.

The team isn't taking any risks here, so I don't see why we should expect anything but more of the same.