The NHL's tendency to recycle a short list of head coaches when vacancies appear is well-documented, and it isn't always necessarily a bad thing.
For one, if you're in the front office making the decision, your job is safer if you go with a tried-and-true option and it doesn't work out, as opposed to swinging for the fences and missing.
Secondly, experience is a plus when filling such an important position, and there are certain things you'll never know about being an NHL head coach until you've been in the position.
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette is having success in his first year with the Blueshirts, and his style has worked pretty well with teams that already have the pieces and need a little more camaraderie or cohesiveness—just ask the 2006 Hurricanes.
After walking away from the Jets, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is having success in Florida. His experience in the league allowed him to understand where his voice would work and where it wouldn't.
But for every Laviolette and Maurice, you've got a failed recycling experiment leaving us to wonder who could be the next, new great NHL coach.
The Islanders' surprising hiring of Patrick Roy, who hasn't coached in the NHL in over a decade, leaves one to reflect on where we're at in terms of the coaching carousel.
While those already riding it may still hold more weight in upcoming coaching searches, who are the up-and-coming names who could hop aboard for the first time in the near future?
