Former Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo took a step closer to a new job over the weekend. Multiple reports indicate that Yeo met with Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion on Sunday.
It's believed former Minny coach Mike Yeo and Pierre Dorion met Sunday. Yeo headed to world champs with Canada later this month #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) April 19, 2016
Yeo was fired as the Wild’s head coach in mid-February. Minnesota dropped 15 of their first 18 games once the calendar turned to 2016. Earlier in the season Yeo and the Wild were squarely in the playoff picture, with a 20-10-6 record on Dec. 20.
The losing streak dropped the Wild out of the playoffs – temporarily. But the team rebounded to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs under the leadership of interim coach John Torchetti.
Pro Hockey Talk notes that Yeo is believed to be held in high regard by the organization and that Wild GM Chuck Fletcher is extremely close with some members of Ottawa’s front office.
Ottawa has undergone a lot of turnover. The team has had six coaches over the last nine years.
“Whoever that [new head coach] is, I hope they are here for a long time,” Dorion told TSN last week. “I know there’s going to be pressure with every decision I make, but this is going to be a big one.”
https://twitter.com/NicholsOnHockey/status/722520844744822784
Yeo, 42, is still considered relatively young by NHL coaching standards and he has earned a reputation for his strong defense-first system, things that could set him up for a long run as the head coach of an NHL franchise.
