Dallas Stars Were Right To Pass On Bill Peters For Head Coaching Job

Bill Peters was hired by the Calgary Flames on Monday morning to serve as their new head coach. Though the Dallas Stars talked to Peters, it was best for them to keep their options open instead of further pursuing him.

The Dallas Stars are now one of only three NHL teams without a head coach.

On Monday morning, news broke around the league that the Calgary Flames, who fired head coach Glen Gulutzan last Tuesday, had hired Bill Peters as their next coach. Peters, who parted ways with the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, spent the weekend talking to a few teams before deciding on Calgary.

One of those teams was the Dallas Stars. Reports surfaced that Dallas requested to speak with Peters a few days back about their own coaching vacancy. All signs pointed to Peters going to Calgary, though, but the Stars did their due diligence.

Ever since Ken Hitchcock retired from coaching on Friday, April 13, Dallas has been searching for his replacement. Hitchcock spent just one season with the Stars in his second tour. While he did some good things in improving the structure and mentality of the team, the Stars missed the playoffs for the second straight season. Considering Hitchcock’s prior inclination to retire and the Stars’ critical need for success, it was the best decision for the franchise.

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But now they need to find a replacement, and Peters looked to be a viable option. He has four years of NHL experience but isn’t so much of a “legacy” in the league that he is inclined to old coaching tactics. He did well with what he was given in Carolina and helped build them into a competitive franchise.

Now he is headed for Calgary and the Dallas Stars still need a coach. But that’s okay, because they were right in passing on Peters.

In an uncertain offseason where there are no guarantees on head coaches looking for work, the Stars are taking it slow. That seems risky, considering they hired Hitchcock and had him locked in as their new head coach by the first week of the offseason last year.

This time is different, however. While Peters might have brought some new tactics with him to Dallas, they are playing it smart by waiting.

There are likely a wide variety of coaches on the Stars’ radar. GM Jim Nill expressed his desire to “look at all options” while searching for a new coach, and that will require taking it slow. There are a few different options (primarily at the AHL level) that are either still coaching their teams in the playoffs or have yet to make a decision on their future.

As a result, the Dallas Stars organization cannot begin talks with some candidates just yet. It will require some waiting time, which will also give Nill more time to sift through his list and refine it further.

This next hire will be critical for Nill and his job as general manager could very well depend on it. The success of the next head coach needs to be immediate and continuous. That could end up being hard to find, so it’s best for the Stars to take their time in the hiring process.

Peters could have been a good hire, but considering it would have required a quick and impulsive decision, it was best for the Stars to stand aside and let him pass to another team.

Next: Hitch Retiring Opens The Door For Stars Hockey

This decision needs to be a perfect fit for the Dallas Stars, and Jim Nill knows that.

And with that, the search rages on.

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