The search for a new Canucks head coach has felt perfunctory: there’s an assumption that the job is Travis Green’s to lose. The general feeling is that he’s next in line for an NHL head coaching job, whether that’s with the Canucks or not, and since the Canucks have an opening and he’s already in the organization, the fit seems obvious.
There’s an argument to be made about whether he is the right choice or not — the Utica Comets haven’t exactly been stellar with their development of prospects — but there are a couple things to keep in mind when you consider other potential coaches: established NHL head coaches might avoid the Canucks, who appear to be several seasons from competing, and other up-and-coming coaches don’t have the experience and inside track like Green.
But then Elliotte Friedman threw a wrench into the proceedings, mentioning on Hockey Night in Canada that the Canucks are interested in Ralph Krueger. Suddenly there’s some uncertainty: Krueger is arguably the best coach outside of the NHL and he has the experience despite never establishing himself as an NHL coach.
Krueger comes with an impressive resume, albeit almost entirely apart from the NHL. He has an impressive track record as a head coach in Europe and was one of the main architects of the Swiss hockey program that surprised at international tournaments during his tenure.
His most recent success was with Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey, guiding a disparate group of athletes from multiple countries to a second-place finish, giving Team Canada a serious scare in the final two games. Suddenly, Ralph Krueger’s name was back at the top of everyone’s lists as a potential NHL head coach.
That’s surprising for two reasons: first, his one previous stint in the NHL did not go particularly well and second, he’s now firmly ensconced in soccer.
Thanks to his Swiss hockey connection, Krueger got hired by the Swiss owner of Southampton FC as chairman of the club. Working in the Premier League has to be an unusual position for a lifelong hockey man, but it’s one that he’s embraced and thrived in. As long as he still has that job, he won’t be coaching in the NHL.
Southampton FC has been seeking outside investment in the club from China and there was some thought that with that investment would come a shakeup in the organization, but that investment fell through. So Krueger is still gainfully employed in a position with significant authority and it’s hard to imagine him leaving that kind of job simply to be a head coach again. Perhaps if the job was more than just head coach and included some say in management decisions, but even then it’s hard to imagine him being tempted while he’s still working for Southampton.
If he were available, however, should the Canucks pursue him? It’s an interesting question. His performance at the World Cup had everyone talking, he’s well-loved by his players, and he’s very smart. He’s an expert in leadership and known for his ability to motivate and put people in a position to succeed.
Paul Maurice, one of his assistants with Team Europe, talked about his approach with players: “Ralph had two themes. He said, ‘Do less. And when you get things back to simple and basic, do those things much harder.’”
Frans Nielsen, who played for him at the World Cup, said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone called him. I think they should. He showed how smart he is. He sees what kind of players and potential he has on his team and he builds his system around that.”
After a couple years of Willie Desjardins attempting to fit players into roles for which they were ill-suited, that sounds positive and the team’s cadre of youth would likely benefit from a back-to-basics approach.
But then there’s that one year in the NHL.
Krueger was head coach of the Edmonton Oilers during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. It was one of many years where people were expecting the Oilers to finally take a step forward. They had a shiny new Nail Yakupov and had just signed Justin Schultz. But instead of taking a step forward, they faltered and missed the playoffs yet again.
More than that, their underlying statistics took a serious hit, as the Oilers were somehow even worse than the previous season.
The Oilers struggles after he left, however, have made that lousy season look a little better in retrospect. It’s easy to dismiss their issues as having little to do with the coach when multiple coaching changes did nothing to solve them.
As for putting young players in a position to succeed, Yakupov put up 17 goals and 31 points in 48 games in his rookie year and he hasn’t come close to that kind of performance since. Could Krueger do similar things for Nikolay Goldobin, Brock Boeser, Jonathan Dahlen, or, dare I say it, Jake Virtanen?
At this moment, however, it’s a moot point. Hoping for Krueger to sign with the Canucks as head coach is like hoping for the balls to fall in the Canucks favour at the draft lottery: it’s out of the Canucks’ hands.
