Sportsnet 590 The FAN: Elliotte Friedman on the Kyper and Bourne show on the Ottawa Senators coaching situation and who could be their long-term options.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Friedman: “Really surprised with the timing. I think (Steve) Staios really wanted, really wanted to finish the year. Let this run for a bit but they just got into a situation and both of you guys have lived it as players where you know, the, you can’t stop the bad momentum and you have to find some way to do it.
Like I don’t think Jacque Martin’s the long-term solution here. You know he is 71 years old. I don’t think he’s the long-term guy.
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And I’m, I’m I heard what you guys talking about, guys like Gerard Gallant. I’m gonna throw another name at you and that is the guy who’s coaching the Toronto Marlies right now, Jon Gruden. And there’s a lot of good coaches out there. There’s Gallant. There’s (Dean) Evason. There’s Jay Woodcroft. There’s Craig Berube, who I think is a really good coach.
Jon Gruden won an OHL championship with Mike Andlauer and Steve Staios and in Hamilton in 2018. And I have no idea if the Maple Leafs would allow the Senators to talk to him during the season. And, but I think that’s another name I would put on everybody’s radar because they know him and sometimes if you’re comfortable with somebody that can make a big difference.”
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The belief around the league is that Toronto Marlies (AHL) head coach John Gruden could be the top candidate for the full-time head coaching position with the Ottawa Senators.
Gruden played for the Senators and coached Hamilton (OHL) for two seasons under Andlauer and Staios. He was an assistant coach for the New York Islanders for four years and was with the Boston Bruins last season.
Other potential candidates include Jay Woodcroft (Edmonton), Dean Evason (Minnesota), Craig Berube (St. Louis), Gerard Gallant (Rangers) and Patrick Roy (Colorado). If the Senators wanted to hire any of those coaches, they could have already.
The Leafs may not allow Gruden to talk to the Senators in-season, and it wouldn’t be a surprise.
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“We want to make sure it’s the right fit for our group,” Staios said. “And the right structure for our group moving forward. These things do take time. The last thing we wanted to do was make any rash decisions. Even with the decision we made today on the coaching side, we were patient.”
