Ottawa Senators hire Guy Boucher as head coach

The Ottawa Senators have announced the hiring of Guy Boucher as the 12th head coach in team history. 

When the Ottawa Senators fired Dave Cameron as their head coach, they were expected to act quickly in hiring his replacement. While they were not able to woo the top head coaching candidate Bruce Boudreau to come to Ottawa, they picked up a mighty fine consolation prize by hiring former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher.

Boucher is returning to the NHL after spending the past three seasons coaching in Switzerland. He got his start in the Montreal Canadiens’ organization as the head coach of their American Hockey League affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs. Boucher is perhaps most famous for making the trap cool again when he ran the scheme in Tampa Bay with mixed results.

“We wanted a great coach and this process yielded our top pick,” said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, via NHL.com. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Overall, this is a very solid hire. Boucher is a head coach who constantly thinks outside the box. His decisions might not be the most popular ones, but if he believes something will help him win games, he’ll do it. At the very least, he’s far more open-minded than Cameron, and if given the proper time and resources, could have the Senators back in the playoff hunt as soon as next season.

Perhaps the most important thing that Boucher will have to do is figure out how to maximize two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson’s potential. Karlsson is an extremely gifted player, but the Senators haven’t always made the best use of his unique skill set. Boucher’s creative schemes could make Karlsson even more deadly than he already is. He’ll also be expected to utilize the players better. Ottawa has a talented roster. Now it’s Boucher’s job to prove that he deserves to stay in the NHL.

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