Failed NHL coach Dallas Eakins resurfaces with a new job

This just in, former Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins has been hired as head coach of Adler Mannheim of the German DEL (Deutsche Eishockey League).

As Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports, Eakins and Mannheim will "reassess" the fit at the end of the season before making any longer term commitments.

The 56 year old Eakins has a pretty spotty history behind the bench, if you ask me.

Despite being given plenty of opportunity with both the Oilers and the Ducks, he's yet to guide any of his NHL teams to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As four seasons as head coach of the Ducks, Eakins never even got close to sniffing the playoffs. His best season came in 2019-20 when he managed a .472 win percentage... not great. In one and a half seasons with the Oilers things were even worse. Ask any Oilers fan about Eakins' stint in Oil Country and you'll either be forced to listen to a 10 minute rant or you'll have to endure a 10 minute blank stare.

The fact is that in five and a half seasons behind an NHL bench as a head coach, Eakins was only once able to muster 30+ wins from any of his teams. The Ducks languished for far too long under Eakins and are now suddenly back in the mix and are competing for a playoff spot with new head coach Greg Cronin.

Now, things could change obviously and I think that some time coaching overseas could be beneficial for Eakins. But, he's going to have to seriously reconsider the systems that he employs. His defensive 'man to man' defensive system simply doesn't work at higher levels of hockey. For years you could just watch the Ducks get picked apart in the defensive zone because of one mis-read or one mistake. When you play man to man and one man loses his check, all Hell breaks loose. It may work in junior hockey, but at the pro level it just simply can't work.

Good luck, Mr. Eakins. Here's hoping that this career 'swerve' serves you well in your quest back to the NHL.