Anaheim Ducks Poll: Bruce Boudreau Extension
With news of former Anaheim Ducks center Saku Koivu announcing his retirement, the two-year extension of head coach Bruce Boudreau has flown under the radar.
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Boudreau’s extension will keep him in Anaheim through the 2016-2017 season.
Since taking over the Ducks midway through the 2011-2012 campaign, Boudreau has guided the Ducks to two consecutive Pacific Division titles as well as nearly taking the President’s Trophy last season, falling just one point shy of the Boston Bruins in the final standings.
His overall record in Anaheim has been solid (111-55-22), but his ultimate downfall has been his under-achievements in the postseason. Boudreau has failed to get his Ducks squad past the second round and both playoff appearances featured debacles in a Game 7 at Honda Center. This issue also plagued him in Washington as his Capitals teams won four straight Southeast Division crowns but never climbed over the second round hump.
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Expectations are high in Orange County for 2014-2015. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are both elite forwards in their primes. Ryan Kesler joins the mix along with former 50-goal scorer Dany Heatley. The future is bright in between the pipes with youngsters John Gibson and Frederik Andersen impressing last season.
All eyes are on Boudreau now as he must produce (postseason) results sooner rather than later. The front office is confident that Boudreau is the right man for the job and the extension confirms that notion.
But was it a smart decision?
No one has ever doubted Boudreau and his regular season success. He was the fastest coach to reach 300 wins in NHL history and has a Jack Adams award under his belt as well. Personal accolades are nice, but Boudreau will be the first to say that he’d prefer hoisting a Stanley Cup come June.
If Boudreau can’t lead the Ducks further into May and to the start of June in 2014-2015, the extension may have been a mistake.
What do you think?
Josh Paulisin is an editor for Pucks of a Feather. You can follow him on Twitter. For more Anaheim Ducks coverage, follow Pucks of a Feather on Twitter or like us on Facebook.