On a recent episode of the Sick Podcast, Tony Marinaro sat down with former NHL defenseman Philippe Boucher to talk shop.
Around the end of the episode, Marinaro asked this two-part question: “Should they [replace Alex Burrows], and, if so, do you have a name?”
Related: Alexandre Burrows won’t return as assistant coach for Montreal
Boucher reflected on his time as a Dallas Star, saying that they had a power play coach come down and join the bench for the fourth period of games, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good idea. The 16-year NHLer said that having four coaches is too much, and that while he was in the front offices on QMJHL teams, having the fourth person stay up top and relay information during games was enough.
This is a fair argument. Too many cooks spoil the broth, or whatever the proverb is. Martin St. Louis already has Trevor Letowski and Stephane Robidas on his staff. The team is under no obligation to bring in a replacement for Burrows. When you have a young team that still has a lot of room to grow, having too many voices steering the conversation may lead to too many thoughts rushing through the players’ heads.
When Montreal announced that they had hired Pascal Vincent to coach in Laval, the strong factor that favored the hire was his familiarity with developing talent. He spoke on how he had spoken with St. Louis’ coaching staff and that it felt like one cohesive unit between the AHL and NHL clubs. This will prepare the prospects who are slated to spend time with the Rocket to transition into the NHL system with more ease.
Speaking of systems, Boucher touched upon the task of who would run the power play scheme next season. This was Burrows’ job last campaign, and the former QMJHL GM said it would likely be up to St Louis to run it how he sees fit.
If the team was to bring in a replacement, Boucher detailed what the qualifications should be. He stated that the new hire would need to have experience and be able to challenge the coaching staff without posing a threat to the job of St. Louis. Guy Boucher was a name brought up—no relation—but only to provide the example of someone knowledgeable, but would most likely be seen as someone who could replace St. Louis and that it’s not a sound idea.
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