The Canucks will retain the services of head coach Willie Desjardins despite a rough 2015-2016 season.
The Vancouver Canucks will have a long off-season after finishing 28th in the league with a 31-38-13 record. Some changes will most likely be occurring as they try to improve their team, but there will be no changes occurring from behind the bench. Canucks president Trevor Linden confirmed that head coach Willie Desjardins will be back behind the bench next season.
Linden said coach Desjardins will "definitely be back" next season. #Canucks
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 12, 2016
While the Canucks had a rough season and Desjardins played a role in it, this is the right move. There are a ton of issues with Vancouver’s roster. Desjardins has no say over the roster. His strong 2014-2015 season likely buys him at least one more season.
Patience is key for the Canucks at this point and they have to have consistency, especially after the John Tortorella debacle. Bringing back Willie Desjardins is the right move for the Canucks, who must spent this off-season making difficult decisions as they decide whether or not they are contenders. If they are not contenders, they need to start selling.
Desjardins is a good fit for the Canucks moving forward if they decide to sell. He has years of experience as a head coach in the WHL and the AHL. Desjardins led the Texas Stars (the Dallas Stars AHL affiliate) to a Calder Cup title during the 2013-2014 season and he was well respected within the Stars organization for helping their young players develop.
The Canucks future lies in the hands of young players like Jake Virtanen, Bo Horvat, and Jared McCann. Therefore, Vancouver would be wise to have a head coach who has a history of working well with younger players. Desjardins does that quite well. It might be painful, but down the road, the Canucks will likely be grateful for sticking with Willie Desjardins.
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