Boudreau Hired in Minny

Ian Gooding

2016-05-07

Bruce Boudreau is the new head coach of the Minnesota Wild.

Just like when he lost his first coaching job in Washington, it didn’t take long for Bruce Boudreau to find another team to coach. After being fired by the Ducks a little over a week ago, Boudreau has found work again.

Thought to be at the top of the Ottawa Senators’ list, Boudreau has decided to instead take an offer from the Minnesota Wild, a team that is in a slightly better position to win now than the Senators.

It should come as no surprise that Boudreau has been hired again so quickly, as he has posted an amazing 409-192-80 record to go with eight division titles split between the Capitals and Ducks. Of course, his inability to win in the playoffs (1-7 lifetime in Game 7s) did him in with both his previous teams.

Fantasy owners should be more concerned about Boudreau’s ability to rack up wins in the regular season. That should help the Wild’s chances, given their status as a bubble playoff team in what might be the toughest division in the NHL. But he should be able to get the most out of his new group of players. So this should be a good move all-around that helps everyone on the team and hurts no one.

Boudreau as coach could reverse the fortunes (or at least slow the decline) of some veteran forwards. Thomas Vanek is on the downside of his career and is even a buyout possibility. Zach Parise has battled injuries the past few seasons and may even be on the downside of his career as well. But having a solid coach could be worth a few more points for any Wild scorers on your fantasy team.

Boudreau is known for flip-flopping on his goalies without sticking to one guy. Think Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth in Washington, or more recently Frederik Andersen and John Gibson in Anaheim. Hopefully this isn’t a problem in Minnesota, where Devan Dubnyk carries the load. With that in mind, there should be less indecisiveness on Boudreau’s part for which goalie to start (you would think).

On a side note, why did the Wild’s announcement welcome Boudreau back to the State of Hockey? He once played for the WHA’s Minnesota Fighting Saints.

Fantasy owners are discussing the Boudreau hiring – give your take right here!

One Comment

  1. finminer 2016-05-08 at 16:16

    I was hoping they would extend the offer to Torchetti, who I thought did a great job getting the Wild back in a competitive state of mind after Yeo was fired. He deserves an opportunity somewhere, but he’s probably better with a younger team. The Wild need to cycle some of the older players out and go with more youth, but they’ll play it out for the next couple seasons.

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