The Colorado Avalanche’s search for a head coach has now almost hit the two-week mark.
Former Avalanche head coach and star Patrick Roy abruptly resigned on Aug. 11, forcing Colorado to search for a new skipper with roughly two months to go until the 2016-17 season kicks off.
So where are the Avalanche at?
On Monday, The Denver Post’s hockey writers Terry Frei and Mike Chambers identified San Jose Sharks assistant coach Bob Boughner and Chicago Blackhawks assistant Kevin Dineen as the two “major candidates” to get the job.
Frei and Chambers point out that both men have ties to hockey here in Denver.
Boughner is a former Avalanche defenseman. He played for Colorado from 2003 to 2006 — two seasons that sandwiched the lockout at the tail end of his career.
Dineen starred in college at the University of Denver from 1981 to 1983. He played 12 NHL seasons as a right winger, and he served as the Florida Panthers head coach for two seasons before latching on with Chicago in 2014.
The Post also reported that AHL head coaches Jared Bednar, of the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, Travis Green, of the Utica Comets, Washington Capitals assistant Lane Lambert and New York Rangers associate head coach Scott Arniel are also in the mix.
Whoever Colorado hires must be a "teacher" who's capable of working with the team's core of young but experienced players, according to Frei. Last season, the Avalanche finished a disappointing 39-39-4, racking up just 82 points as they finished sixth in their division.
Training camp starts Sept. 12.
