Bellowing Moose

MUSICAL BENCHES - Ah, what a wonderful time of year. The playoffs are down to a terrific final four, with the promise of a star-studded Stanley Cup finals no matter who wins.

Oh, and coaches are about to drop like flies.

Going largely unnoticed away from the glare of the conference finals is that there is going to be some serious coaching movement this off-season, as teams swap out bench bosses like Elisha Cuthbert cashes in NHL players.  (She is currently on the, er…arm of Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf, after having dalliances with the likes of Sean Avery and Montreal’s Mike Komisarek)

So let’s have a look at where the wheels are spinning:

Colorado: Apparently guiding injury-ravaged teams to the playoffs ain’t what it used to be, as the Avs fired coach Joel Quenneville, making him an instant front runner for jobs that are open, and a few that aren’t. Could Patrick Roy be his replacement in Denver?

San Jose:  Coach Ron Wilson is a dead man walking in the Bay Area, the only question being when GM Doug Wilson pushes the button. The GM has never hired a head coach before, so it’s hard to gauge which way he’ll go with a replacement. Quenneville is the odds-on favorite, but a dark horse candidate is Curt Fraser, former head coach in Atlanta, and once a teammate of Doug Wilson’s in Chicago.

Tampa Bay:  We don’t know if Lightning management has had enough of John Tortorella, but the players certainly have. The wrinkle here is that the team is about to be sold, and new owner Oren Koules will be very hands on, which means he’ll likely make a mistake with Tortorella’s replacement.

Atlanta: GM Don Waddell is on the hunt for a coach, and has deep ties to USA Hockey.  That puts Ron Wilson and Tortorella (if he’s available) at the front of the line.

Florida: Jacques Martin is replacing himself as coach (he should do the same as GM, but that’s another story) and is conducting a wide ranging search. Could he be looking at Pat Quinn, for whom Martin was an assistant with Team Canada at two Olympics and the World Cup?

Ottawa: GM Bryan Murray is also looking to replace himself (and might want to do the same as GM, but again, that’s another story) and may be looking to locals for help.  That list would include former Colorado and Atlanta coach Bob Hartley, and maybe even Pat Burns, who has pronounced himself healthy and ready to go back behind the bench.

Toronto: The Maple Leafs don’t have a permanent GM, may not have a captain if they don’t re-sign Mats Sundin and have fired coach Paul Maurice. HELP WANTED.

NEWS FROM THE TRAIL
American Idle:  Grim news for Tampa’s Jeff Halpern, who was playing for Team USA at the World Championships in Canada.  A shredded knee will put him on the shelf for up to 8 months, meaning he could miss all of next season.  Looking on from behind the US bench?  Tampa coach John Tortorella, whose checking line just flashed before his eyes.

Finn Phinished:  The loss of defenseman Kimmo Timmonen on the day before the conference finals is a crucial blow to the Flyers.  Timmonen was excellent in head to head matchups against Alexander Ovechkin and Alexei Kovalev in the first two rounds, and would likely have drawn the assignment against another Russian, Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin.  The Penguins have a good chance to steamroll the Flyers now.

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