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

#24: Jeff Blashill

This has more to do with the Detroit Red Wings head coach’s lack of experience and small sample size because Jeff Blashill has had the impossible task of filling the huge shoes that Mike Babcock left. Babcock was likely the only guy who could take the roster to the playoffs because the roster was tailor-made for Babcock. Blashill simply isn’t Babcock. And that’s fine.

Blashill’s system calls for more aggressive offense than Babcock’s. Babcock didn’t have an aggressive offense except when he happened to have two elite defensemen in Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom. Even then, the Red Wings were more of a defensive team. Mike Green is the only defenseman who is best suited for Blashill’s pace. Guys like Niklas Kronwall and Brendan Smith’s talents aren’t best utilized in that kind of system.

That falls primarily on Red Wings general manager Ken Holland. It’s not fair to judge Blashill harshly because he’s not Mike Babcock since there are very few coaches better than him and it’s also unfair to judge him based on a roster that is not ideal to what he wants to do. Blashill has to make adjustments, of course, but he’s a first-year head coach so he gets a pass there.

He can still be a very solid NHL head coach. Right now, though, it’s impossible to judge him one way or another.

Next: #23: Jack Capuano