[the_ad id=”534″]Darryl Sutter got relieved of his coaching duties from the LA Kings on Monday. With 2 Stanley Cups and a 425-147 record in 6 seasons with the Kings, Sutter will be the most sought after coach in the offseason. Sutter is very defensive-minded and simply just lost the room as to why the Kings gave up towards the end of the season. He could fit in pretty smoothly for any team. He is considered one of the best coaches out there. Mostly by inspiring his players to 2 cups. The Kings have a couple of stars in Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Jonathan Quick, but really not much else. He’d be an upgrade for a lot of teams out there. Gerard Gallant, Lindy Ruff, and Dallas Eakins are also available but, unless something crazy happens, the top prize for this season’s coaching carousel will be Darryl Sutter. Pretty much every team will look for him, even if they are fine with the current coach. Here are teams that could use his services the most.
Florida Panthers
[the_ad id=”384″]Panthers are a tire fire at the moment in the front office. Their coach and GM have changed positions like the seasons of the year. Darryl Sutter could give the Panthers some stability. Like the Stars, they made the playoffs last season but fell flat this year due to injuries. The Panthers three best players, Alexander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Aaron Ekblad all spent time on the IR. With Nick Bjugstad, Vincent Trocheck, Jaromir Jagr (Pending UFA), Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Petrovic, the Panthers have a lot of potential to be a great team. Sutter could be that guy to get them in gear.
Vancouver Canucks
After a couple years of the Canucks declining, Vancouver is finally undergoing a rebuild. With the main piece being Bo Horvat. Sutter may not be a great choice if he wants to win now. But with 2 cups under his belt and getting a chance to beat his former team as division foes, he might take that incentive. When the Maple Leafs were rebuilding they hired Mike Babcock. The Canucks could go the same route by hiring Sutter
Colorado Avalanche
[the_ad id=”693″]We are now in the territory of teams that currently have a coach but should look for better options. Like their name suggests, Colorado had an avalanche of epic proportions this season. The coach Patrick Roy resigned, 2 weeks before the season. He wasn’t a great coach but he would have done better than Jared Bednar, the current coach. Every player on the team, especially Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan McKinnon, all underperformed. Their defense and goalie were even more of a mess. Colorado ended the year with 48 points, which was the worst season for any franchise in the shootout era. If Darryl Sutter wants a challenge, this would be the place he would go.
Philadelphia Flyers
In David Hakstol’s first two seasons, the Flyers have gone 80-60-24 with one playoff birth. Of course, that isn’t terrible but they finished 5th in their division last season and 6th in their division this season. With the Capitals, Penguins, Rangers, and now emerging Blue Jackets, the Metropolitan is one of the toughest divisions in hockey. Even the Hurricanes and Islanders are looking good. With Crosby, Malkin, Tavares, Ovechkin and Backstrom in their division, the Flyers could use a defensive-minded coach like Sutter to compete in this division.
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo is a young team and should have been competing this season. With Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Rasmus Ristolainen, the future is very bright in Buffalo. Buffalo even brought in Kyle Okposo and Ryan O’Reilly, that helps their core. Instead, the Sabres finished last in their division. To be fair, Eichel and O’Reilly missed a chunk of games to start the season and Okposo missed a lot to end the season. Although all three of those players have been really good, when healthy, it just wasn’t enough. Dan Bylsma might be on the chopping block this offseason. Sutter might be Mike Babcock or Todd McLellan in this franchise.Buffalo Sabres
Nothing
It took a lot to get Sutter to coach the Kings in the first place. He was old friends with ex-GM Dean Lombardi when they were on the working for the Sharks. He has already won 2 cups, as I’ve mentioned countless times and a family man. With nothing else to prove, he might just relax from the grind that is coaching in the NHL and enjoy some family time. However, every team will want him. So, he’d have to be strong-willed to do this.
The Stars would have been the perfect team for Sutter to go to. But on Wednesday morning, the Stars hired Ken Hitchcock as their new head coach. I think Sutter will go to the Panthers. It could work out just as well for both Sutter and the Panthers, in terms of stability.