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Here’s why the NHL frequently recycles coaches
Félix Forget
Here’s why the NHL frequently recycles coaches
Credit: As you know, it’s firing and hiring season in the NHL right now. We’ve seen several coaches lose their jobs… and some have been hired, like Rick Tocchet in Philadelphia and Adam Foote in Vancouver. In Montreal, Martin St-Louis is back in the saddle… but we’re obviously keeping an eye on Pascal Vincent, who could […]
As you know, it’s firing and hiring season in the NHL right now. We’ve seen several coaches lose their jobs… and some have been hired, like Rick Tocchet in Philadelphia and Adam Foote in Vancouver.

In Montreal, Martin St-Louis is back in the saddle… but we’re obviously keeping an eye on Pascal Vincent, who could leave the Rocket for an NHL club.

Having said that, this is also the season when the famous “recycling of coaches” comes to the fore. It’s a phenomenon we see a lot in the Bettman circuit: often, teams will prefer to turn to a coach who has already had his chance in the NHL rather than look for one outside the box.

We often talk about the famous NHL boys club to explain this phenomenon… but in an interview with Eric Leblanc(RDS), Pierre Dorion offered another element to explain this famous recycling: contractual aspects.

Because if a coach is fired and rehired by another team, the team that fired him will save money.

It’s important to remember that in the NHL, coaches’ contracts are guaranteed. This means that if a coach is fired, he still receives his salary until the end of his contract.

That’s why, for example, Patrick Roy is likely to remain at the helm of the Islanders: the club would still have to pay him even if it had to fire him.

That said, in the event that a coach finds work elsewhere before the end of his contract, the team that fired him saves money: it may have to pay him less, or it may not have to pay him at all if he makes enough money with his new team.

Let’s take a concrete example: if Martin St-Louis were to be fired tomorrow morning, he would be paid by the Habs until 2027 (the year his contract ends)… unless another team decides to hire him by then. If that were to happen, the Habs would pay him a lot less… or not at all, depending on how much he earns with his new team. But obviously, that scenario won’t happen this summer, we agree.

For teams with a lot of money, this isn’t usually a problem. The Rangers, for example, didn’t hesitate to pay Mike Sullivan even though they still have to pay Peter Laviolette… but the reality isn’t the same for all teams.

A team with fewer financial resources is better off hiring a coach who is likely to be recycled, because it will be easier for them to fire him when they want to.

So, according to Dorion, it goes further than the famous boys club. There are financial benefits associated with this recycling phenomenon… and that’s one of the reasons why the same names keep coming up.

So don’t be surprised to see coaches being recycled again this year.


Overtime

– Alex Ovechkin will be back with the Capitals next year. He hopes to be able to break into the lineup, hehe.

– Mark Scheifele’s father has passed away. The Jets forward’s presence for tonight’s game is uncertain.

– Quite a goal from Emil Heineman.

– They’re having a miserable season, and the manager gets the axe.

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