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NHL Power Rankings: Who is the best head coach in the league?

By Dave Stevenson

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; A general view of the NHL shield logo before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; A general view of the NHL shield logo before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images /

#21: Patrick Roy

How one feels about Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy largely depends on your thoughts on analytics in the NHL. Roy is staunchly anti-possession numbers and has gone as far to mock Corsi and Fenwick. It’s understandable that he mocks them because, well, his teams have been putrid by those metrics. Despite that, Roy has his team in position to make the playoffs for the second time in his three-year tenure.

Because Roy’s teams struggle mightily at limiting shot attempts against, his success largely depends on his goalie. He has a very good one in Semyon Varlamov so that fatal flaw of the Avalanche is often masked. Roy likely has very little to do with his forwards having a high shooting percentage, but that’s another reason for his success. In short, the two biggest reasons for Roy’s success are two things that one must admit that he has little to no control over.

He’s growing as an NHL coach but Roy still has a lot to improve upon. The Avalanche have had issues with their puck possession over the past three years and that hasn’t been addressed. At what point does the blame fall on Roy to adapt and try new things to give his team a better chance to win? The blame falls more heavily on Roy because he has a say in front office moves so it’s not like he has zero control over who is on his roster.

All in all, Roy is a decent NHL head coach. But he could be a lot better.

Next: #20: John Hynes

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