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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: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

#10: Claude Julien

Another NHL head coach who gets a lot of unwarranted criticism is Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien. Julien has led the Bruins to the playoffs in seven of his first eight seasons. While they did not make the playoffs last season, the Bruins were still a 96 point team and it took a historic run by Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond to keep them out of the playoffs. Julien has not been handed the best roster in 2016 as the Bruins are rebuilding on the fly. However, he still has them in playoff contention.

Julien had his most success when he had Zeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Johnny Boychuk, and Tim Thomas (and Pekka Rinne after him) in their respective primes. Some might view that as a criticism, but Julien’s lineup decisions helped the Bruins win consistently in the playoffs and the regular season from 2007 to 2014, with the Bruins only getting first round exits in two seasons.

It remains to be seen what Julien’s future in Boston is, with Don Sweeney likely needing to find a scapegoat sooner rather than later. Boston would be silly to fire Julien. If he were fired, numerous NHL teams would line up to try to woo him into being their head coach.

Next: #9: Todd McLellan

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