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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: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /

#27: Dave Cameron

Dave Cameron of the Ottawa Senators is probably most famous for coaching the Senators during their magical Cinderella run into the playoffs in 2014-2015. However, when one looks past the scoresheet, it’s fairly obvious that the only thing Cameron really did to help his team make the playoffs was keep starting goaltender Andrew Hammond, who went on to have one of the hottest streaks that a goalie has ever had.

Without a hot goaltender, Cameron’s flaws as an NHL head coach have been exposed. He is quite stubborn in his ways and doesn’t utilize his players that well. Mike Hoffman is an excellent example of this. Entering March 24th, Hoffman has the fourth highest even strength goals per sixty minutes rate of any forward since the beginning of last season. Yet Hoffman was buried on the fourth line for extended periods of time last season and has been a bit of a scapegoat for the Senators this season despite leading his team in goals. Good NHL head coaches do not misuse their leading goal scorers.

Cameron’s job is in question after the Senators are expected to make huge changes since they have missed the playoffs in two of their last three years. Hoffman is a restricted free agent and Cameron clearly doesn’t like him. Ottawa will likely have to pick who to keep: Hoffman or Cameron. So Cameron better update his resume.

Next: #26: John Tortorella

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