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With a new GM secured, the Lightning head coach search begins

With the introduction of the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s new GM this afternoon, the honeymoon will be ever-so-brief before work must get underway to remake the coaching staff.

That being said, just where does Steve Yzerman go from here?  Does he ultimately go through who and what he knows and rewards a long time friend?  Or does he participate in a search comparable to the epic that was Vinik’s GM search, and ultimately chooses who he figures as the best guy for the job?

While Donny at Litter Box Cats would love nothing more than for Mike Keenan to get another shot, we’re going to add a few names — just casually — to the list of potentials that are out there.  These are just names, not making cases for anyone specifically here…

  • Michel Therrien — ran the Pittsburgh Penguins during their building years of the early Aughts. He’s got extensive experience with young teams but did not get the Penguins to win it all. He was fired in 2008-09… The year the Penguins ultimately won the cup.
  • Guy Carbonneau — former Dallas assistant GM and Montreal Canadiens head coach… You may recall he was canned by Bob Gainey during the 2008-09 campaign. Gainey ultimately blamed the Lightning for distracting the Habs and making things increasingly difficult for the team to concentrate. His record is 123-83-23 during his head coaching tenure with the Canadiens.
  • Uwe Krupp — One of Cassie’s picks, Krupp coached the German National Team admirably during this years World Championships.
  • Larry Robinson — Former LA Kings and New Jersey Devils head coach, Robinson’s name is often invoked for a big-splash head coach possibility. He has a 209-217-64-11 record as a head coach with the Kings and Devils.
  • Kevin Dineen — reported to be tight with Yzerman, Dineen currently coaches the Portland Pirates of the AHL. He has not had a team perform under .500 in his four seasons as head coach.
  • Mike HavilandChicago Blackhawks assistant head coach, this name has been invoked several times on the Bolt Prospects message forum. It’s of note Haviland has extensive minor league coaching experience through the ECHL and AHL. He’s a former head coach of the Norfolk Admirals, Tampa Bay’s current AHL affiliate.

There are plenty of other potential names to invoke, and here’s plenty to muse about here with the names that are offered.  Go ahead and leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

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