Vegas Golden Knights: Can Peter DeBoer save their season?

Not even 12 months ago, Peter DeBoer was public enemy number one in Vegas as the San Jose Sharks head coach. Now he’s tasked with turning the Vegas Golden Knights around.

In case you missed it, the Vegas Golden Knights have shocked the hockey world for the second time in their existence. The first time they did so, it was in a good way. They did it by making the Stanley Cup Final as an expansion team, though they ultimately lost to the Washington Capitals. The second time is in a far less good way – they fired head coach Gerard Gallant. Not only that, but the Knights are replacing him with former San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer.

As recently as a month ago, DeBoer was one of the most hated men in Vegas. His Sharks eliminated the Knights in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs in controversial fashion. Now, the same fans who booed him relentlessly must root for him to turn the Golden Knights season around.

Is that something DeBoer is capable of? It’s something he has done before, though these circumstances are a bit different. DeBoer has a pretty interesting history. Short-term, the teams who have hired him saw immediate improvements. He has coached three teams. Let’s see how those teams did in his first season with them.

• 2008-09 Florida Panthers: 93 points (8 point increase from the previous season)
• 2011-12 New Jersey Devils: 102 points (21 point increase from the previous season)
• 2015-16 San Jose Sharks: 98 points (9 point increase from the previous season)

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Those last two teams each won their conference championship before eventually losing in the Stanley Cup Final. DeBoer is basically a better version of Guy Boucher, who has also famously taken his teams to the Conference Final in each of his first seasons with them.

How Can He Save The Golden Knights?

Whether or not firing Gerard Gallant was the right move is a question it’s going to take a few years to figure out. But why the Golden Knights fired Gerard Gallant is a far more simple question. It’s a heck of a lot easier to fire your coach than it is to fire your roster.

Though I’d argue Gallant wasn’t to blame for the Knights struggles, the fact of the matter is the team wasn’t executing. They had a bottom 10 5v5 shooting percentage and 5v5 save percentage. As I’ve said in previous articles, nothing kills coaching like bad goaltending and bad shooting.

The Golden Knights had to do something. Their cap space situation significantly limited what they could do to change the roster. So the Knights changed the next best thing  – the guy behind the bench.

I’m not a fan of the firing of Gallant, but I’d be far less of a fan of it if it wasn’t DeBoer who was replacing him. He’s a smart coach who has dealt with a lot of situations. DeBoer is someone who can handle pretty much anything hockey throws at him except for really bad goaltending.

He will probably change a few things systemically. Maybe DeBoer will get the Golden Knights to attack more like his Sharks did. But it’s worth pointing out he doesn’t have a Brent Burns in Vegas. As much as I love Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore, they can’t bring the same kind of offense and puck skills to the table. But to be fair, very few, if any, defensemen can.

Can He Save The Golden Knights?

While I think the Golden Knights can turn things around, DeBoer might have very little to do with it.  As long as they remain an elite possession team, their shooting percentage and save percentage should rebound. That’s certainly not a guarantee, but if they do, the Knights are going to be in terrific shape. Even if it doesn’t, the changes DeBoer makes might be enough to help them sneak into the postseason.

Gallant has an impressive resume, but DeBoer’s is even better. DeBoer’s crowning achievement is probably taking the 2015-16 Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final. That shows what he can be if he gets good goaltending. Even if he doesn’t get good goaltending, he’s not screwed. Just look at last season’s Sharks.

DeBoer will have a heck of a roster to play with in Vegas. Mark Stone is in the best player in the world conversation. Seriously, the Knights are light years better when he’s on the ice. So were the Ottawa Senators when he played for them. William Karlsson is slumping, but he should bounce back quickly now that Jon Marchessault is healthy.

Verdict

DeBoer is a darn good coach and I think he’s a very capable replacement for Gallant. He’s the only reason I didn’t completely hate the firing of Gallant. That said, this is a significant risk by the Golden Knights.

Everyone should have known they were pushing in all their chips to win a Stanley Cup before Gallant got fired. But now it’s even more obvious. And if the Golden Knights don’t win a Stanley Cup, the seats that George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon sit on will be hotter than seven inches from the midday sun.