Peter DeBoer looking forward to the 2008/09 season

From George Richards of the Miami Herald:

"Ask my wife. I'm so excited about this job, I'm writing down line combinations in the middle of the night.''

The excitement is understandable. DeBoer, 40, has spent a lifetime working toward a job in the NHL.

He has spent the past seven seasons coaching the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. He led the Rangers to the pinnacle of Canadian junior hockey -- winning the Memorial Cup -- in 2003. Reluctant to bounce his young family from team to team and city to city, he turned down offers to be an NHL assistant coach and waited for a head coaching opportunity.

Read the entire article by Richards here.

DeBoer looks like a good candidate to try and turnaround the young Panthers. However, expectations shouldn't be high for this team, as they lack the necessary talent to make the playoffs this season.

Bouwmeester not on the trade block

From Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

"As far as I know Bouwmeester is not the guy that Jacques Martin is offering up," said a league executive yesterday. "Bouwmeester is the guy they've got to build that team around. I haven't heard his name being offered around in a trade, not even once."

Read the entire article here.

Obviously the Panthers don't want to trade Bouwmeester, so it is no surprise that the Cats have not offered Bouwmeester up in a trade. But as Garrioch points out, the speedy defenseman can opt to sign a one-year deal through arbitration and then become an UFA after next season. Thus, the Panthers' only option may be to trade the defenseman if they cannot come to some sort of long-term agreement.

DeBoer coming to the NHL

From TSN:

It may not be in Ottawa, but it appears Peter DeBoer will be coaching somewhere in the NHL next season.

On the same day Craig Hartsburg was named the head coach of the Senators, the Kitchener Rangers' website says their head coach will be leaving the organization to accept a head coaching position in the National Hockey League, adding that details would not be released until Monday.

Read the entire story here.

We have not yet found out where DeBoer will land. The Kings seem like a good fit.

UPDATE: DeBoer has been hired by the Panthers.

Read the story here.

DeBoer is an interesting choice for the Panthers. By the time the season begins, the Panthers will probably be even younger than they are now. DeBoer is a good hire for a young team that needs to grow. Additionally, he will most likely benefit from working for a man in Jacques Martin who is extremely patient. That should allow DeBoer to see things through.

Second Update:
Here is more information on the hiring from George Richards of the Miami Herald.

Peter DeBoer seems to have become favorite in Ottawa

From Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen:

Around here, people have heard of DeBoer, but only because of his tremendous run in the OHL as head coach of the Rangers and, before that, the Plymouth Whalers, making DeBoer the favourite to coach Team Canada at the world junior tournament in Ottawa after Christmas.

Instead, he has been in talks with Melnyk about a very different gig in Ottawa this fall.

Melnyk, don't forget, is an OHL guy himself, as owner of the Mississauga St Michael's Majors.

Neither he nor Murray would mind the idea of championing the next coaching star to join the NHL.

Read the entire article here.

If DeBoer is making the trip down to Barbados, then things have to be close to done in Ottawa. The other two candidates mentioned as favorites, Craig Hartsburg and Bob Hartley, are also very qualified candidates but it seems Murray might be favoring the coach of the Kitchener Rangers. As I've said before, fresh blood and news faces in the NHL is a good thing.

Read more about Peter DeBoer here.