Unlike the NFL or MLB, it’s kind of hard to gauge the real impact of an NHL coach.
Some make it very obvious that the team is going to do things his way or the highway. Others try to let the players try and figure it out. Even yet more try to find a way to thread the needle between these two styles, often to disastrous results. There are even some who believe that a coach is mostly just there as a cheerleader, and the real x-factor of a team is the General Manager. So what can a new coach bring to a sport like this one?