Over the last few hours, we've talked about some of the potential head coaches that could take over the Dallas Stars next season. We discussed an internal hire who has proven to be a strong candidate to take over the team next season. We've also talked about another Otter joining the locker room next season. While those two are great potential head coaches for the Stars, there's one name the Stars should consider, even though they mentioned they aren't looking at head coaches who have been fired recently.
Peter Laviolette is a name that comes to mind. He was the coach who took the Nashville Predators to the Stanley Cup Finals back in the 2016-17 season. While the Predators didn't win the Stanley Cup, he's one of the most successful coaches in the postseason. That's something the Stars could consider when looking at their coaching candidates. While I'm not certain the Stars will believe him, it's a veteran coach who is available and could potentially lead the Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The one downside to Laviolette is that he does not care for younger players. With the Stars undergoing a massive youth movement at the moment, it wouldn't be a good fit, given the criteria Nill is using to find the next coach. Just imagine if Emil Hemming is ready for the big leagues next season and Laviolette sent him to the AHL just because of his age? I'm not sure if that would sit well with Nill, knowing a player who's ready for the big leagues is in the AHL.
The Stars are looking for someone a bit new to the coaching scene who is a bit different from the norm. That's why names like Steve Ott and Neil Graham make more sense when the Stars are looking for a new head coach. Nothing against the success of Laviolette and what he's done as a head coach in the NHL. It's just that Dallas is looking at it from a different angle when hiring the next coach of the franchise. You never know if Laviolette could end up coaching another team next year when the coaching searches begin again.
Jim Nill will take his time interviewing coaches from Europe and those in the United States. I'm sure the Stars will announce a new coach before the NHL Draft, which will take place shortly after the Stanley Cup Finals conclude. However, Nill shouldn't rule out an experienced postseason coach like Laviolette. It might just be what the Dallas Stars need to get to the Stanley Cup Finals next season. Let's just let Nill do his thing and pick out the best person to take over the Stars next season.