With the 2014 NHL draft less than 30 days from now, the list of candidates for the head coaching position for the Florida Panthers has grown slimmer. When this writer posted this article on April 30^th, the list of potential candidates was fairly long, and the choices seemed fairly reasonable. Since that article was posted there were 13 candidates, and that list is now down to 9. And I’m not so sure that I like 50% of the names.

Barry Trotz was just hired by the Washington Capitals, with rumors that Claude Noel (never really a candidate) will come on board as an assistant. Peter Laviolette was hired earlier this month by the Nashville Predators, in hopes to revive their offensive game. Randy Carlyle was thankfully extended by the Toronto Maple Leafs. (We appreciate that very much!). Larry Robinson was named director of player development in San Jose, so he’s not going anywhere either. And finally, Ken Hitchcock was given an extension in St. Louis, which is a good thing since there aren’t nearly enough Shake Shacks in South Florida to keep him happy.

That leaves us with Guy Boucher, John Stephens, Dan Bylsma (pending new GM’s decision), Terry Murray, Ron Wilson, Marc Crawford, Jeff Blashill and Mike Keenan. Keenan just won a championship in his first season behind the bench in Russia, and he’s likely not leaving, so don’t get nervous, fans. Two other names who weren’t on that list who became available are John Tortorella, who was relieved of his duties after just one season with the Vancouver Canucks, and Kirk Muller, who was just hired by the St Louis Blues as an assistant coach.

Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said earlier that he’d like to hire an experienced and offensive minded coach. That almost rules out Guy Boucher, who isn’t necessarily all that experienced, and is a touch defensive minded. However he brings a no-nonsense attitude, which is something I believe this organEYEzation needs.  Hab fans were clamoring for Boucher to take over for Jacques Martin and with good reason.  Boucher does have many good qualities, and deserves another chance after a short-lived run in Tampa Bay with the Lightning.

The Panthers decision on the next coach is more important than what they do with the upcoming first round pick. Rumors are that Tallon is listening to offers, and he should, as long as it gets the team a proven NHL ready player. That said, the next coach should be the coach that is expected to take the team to the next level and not be a bridge till the youngsters grow up.

Tallon has also indicated he’d like to have John Madden stick around as an assistant, and will hopefully be able to influence the coach that he hires to do so. However, that may or may not be a condition of hiring, you’d have to think that a coach is going to want to name his own assistants.  But it’s not entirely out of the question.

The Panthers as we know need help with special teams, as last year’s roster failed miserably in both power play scoring, and penalty killing efficiency. The defense when playing 5 on 5 was below average, and the team struggled to score goals, and was consistently taking the first 20 to 25 minutes of each game to find their legs. All that said, this choice, and the person(s) who comes in will have their work cut out for them. The staff will have to be detailed, be able to motivate, and prepare a youthful roster that is expected to mix in some veteran leadership, and get this team to play a full 60 minutes.

The two names I keep hearing the most are Ron Wilson and Marc Crawford. They are both experienced, tough, and offensive minded. Although in the dressing room, Wilson can be a bit more “offensive” than Crawford, if you get my drift.

For my money, I wouldn’t mind seeing Crawford get the job with John Madden as one of the assistants. If Madden is able to stay on, I think that makes an interesting combination. Crawford has won before, and would be a respected coach. Madden is well liked, intelligent, and can help instill the work ethic needed to build a winning culture.

The answer to whom gets the job should be coming soon, and while it might be a waiting game to see what happens in Pittsburgh with Bylsma, it would be nice to know the fate of the Panthers sooner rather than later. You want your input from your coaching staff on the draft, and how you want to build your roster, and which free agents to go after that fit the coaching style.

There hasn’t been an offseason with this many important decisions that need to be made in quite some time.  Making the right one’s and not the popular one’s will move this team forward.

Thanks for reading and we welcome your thoughts in the comments section below!

Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankRekas

For All Your Florida Panthers’ Updates Follow Panther Parkway on Facebook

Follow Panther Parkway on Instagram @ PantherParkway