Ryan Getzlaf finally decides what's next after retiring from the NHL
With the Anaheim Ducks hopefully bottoming out of their several year long rebuild, the team may begin to make moves towards building a team that can compete for the playoffs. That'll include changes to their front office and staff, including adding one highly regarded former player to the coaching staff.
According to Ducks writer Félix Sicard of the Fourth Period, the team could be adding Ryan Getzlaf to their coaching staff in the near future.
Getzlaf was drafted by the Ducks 17th overall in 2003, and went on to play his entire 1,157 game career in Anaheim, winning a Stanley Cup in 2007. It had been previously known, prior to his retirement, that Getzlaf would be interested in moving towards coaching.
We may not have expected Getzlaf to return so quickly and at the NHL level, but reintroducing Getzlaf's leadership qualities to the developing Ducks core could be invaluable to their development.
What will be most interesting to watch is to which authority Getzlaf joins the Ducks coaching staff. It seems unlikely that management could believe Dallas Eakins could eventually lead this team through the playoffs, but equally doubtful that Getzlaf should take on full duties of head coach without prior experience. On the other hand, there's some recent precedent with a similar situation paying dividends, Martin St. Louis in Montreal.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Ryan Getzlaf would be make a good NHL Coach? | ||
| Yes, he's a true leader | 23 | 79.3 % |
| No, I don't think he has it | 6 | 20.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
