Three reasons why Randy Carlyle is a bad fit for the Ducks

2. Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

It’s hard to overlook how bad Randy Carlyle’s tenure with the Ducks ended. In case you don’t remember, fans and players alike desperately wanted him gone. His message had grown old and meaningless. So why go back to what clearly did not work before? Why go back to what only worked because Carlyle happened to have two Hall of Fame defensemen and another very good one in Francois Beauchemin patrolling his blue line? The Ducks don’t have that luxury anymore.

Now, maybe Randy Carlyle’s ways have changed. It took Joel Quenneville a while to finally get it all together and emerge as arguably the best head coach in the NHL. Barry Trotz didn’t prove that he could adapt to having skilled forwards until he was hired by the Washington Capitals. However, keep in mind that when coaches claim that they have changed, they are more often than not telling the whole truth. A great example of this is Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella.

Granted, the Ducks didn’t have much of a choice as far as what kind of coach to hire. They had to go with an experienced head coach because they don’t have the luxury of waiting for a young coach to develop since they are led by Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, both of whom are over 30 years old. But there are definitely better options out there than Randy Carlyle.

Next: 1. Puck Possession