Barry Trotz, perhaps the most-coveted free agent NHL coach out there, had a similar reaction to most about the protracted firing of head coach Bruce Boudreau by the Vancouver Canucks.
"I just thought it was unfair to him, the way it was done," Trotz, 60, told The Athletic. "It’s unfortunate. I don’t know the dynamics of that organization and how it came about, but it was tough to watch. And I think everybody recognized that."
Trotz said he contacted Boudreau in the weeks leading up to the firing to stress he wasn't in line for the job.
"I just watched Bruce go through hell," Trotz said. "I reached out to Bruce. I said, 'I don’t have any interest in your job or anything.' This was probably about six weeks ago. I said, 'Listen, I watch and know what’s going on. Sometimes you need to talk to someone outside the game, just to have another person to vent on. Here’s my number.' And he really appreciated it."
Trotz said he did that partially because he previously had received a message from former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock, making a similar offer to be a shoulder to lean on.
Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin, who were hired after Boudreau, ultimately made the decision to fire Boudreau on Sunday, replacing him with former Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet.
"But it really is the manager’s team," Trotz told The Athletic. "You can put your stamp on it in terms of style, but management puts the players in place. If the manager is creating an offensive juggernaut-type of team, and they’re filling a roster with that in mind, and then you put in a real strong defensive coach who wants to 'put it in deep' every time, you need balance. I’ve always tried to coach the roster."
Trotz also had some things to say about the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team it was once rumoured he would take over.
"No one gives Toronto any credit for how good defensively they’ve been," he said. "I think we’re starting to recognize it, but I saw it last year.
"The thing I saw with them last year is the commitment level in the playoffs. Their stars were blocking shots. They got their noses dirty a little more often. They made the simple play when they had to. They didn’t try to force things."
But he wasn't willing to crown them Stanley Cup champions just yet — at least not this year.
"I’m signing off on them learning to win," said the Winnipeg native. "I’m not signing off on the Leafs because there’s a team like Boston there, and Tampa. But I’m saying great competition — great teams like Tampa and Boston — Toronto’s learning from that. I know if you’re a Toronto fan, it’s been death by 1,000 cuts over the years, but you’ll break through. They’ll break through. It’ll happen. I don’t know if it’ll happen this year, but it’ll happen. It just will."
Trotz was fired by the Islanders after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs last season, their first miss in his four seasons on Long Island. Before that, he won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018, his final of four seasons in D.C. He started his NHL coaching career as the inaugural coach of the Nashville Predators, where he spent 15 seasons.
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