Mike Vellucci, Canes decide to part ways.

Multiple sources reporting that Mike Vellucci and the Hurricanes have mutually decided to part ways. Vellucci is coming off of the Calder Cup win in Charlotte and was also a Hurricanes Assistant GM.

I was honestly shocked that Vellucci stuck around when he didn’t get the coaching job last year. That’s what he wants, BTW ... and NHL bench. The Canes don’t seem to be offering him that path so he’s going to try and find it elsewhere

Best of luck Mike. You’re a good hockey man.

Well if there is one sure thing in this organization its the AHL head coach won't be in that job very long. Vellucci earned the chance to get an NHL job somewhere, no openings here so its time for him to move on. I fully get it.

Well if JWill was planning on hanging them up... here would be a fair start in the vein of coaching

Hmmm, so much for that NHL job... Rutherford poached him for the Baby Pens:

WBS Penguins
@WBSPenguins
Calder Cup Champion Mike Vellucci has been named head coach of the Penguins:

https://t.co/vAfTLhyLQ6

cmaleski2 said:

Well if there is one sure thing in this organization its the AHL head coach won't be in that job very long. Vellucci earned the chance to get an NHL job somewhere, no openings here so its time for him to move on. I fully get it.

Click to expand...

Jeff Daniels was the AHL head coach for 7 straight years... :shrug

It's been the past four years that we've rotated them in and out... Morris in 2015-16, Ulfie in 2016-17, and Vellucci for the past two.

Daniels doesn't need the job back either, IMHO.

StormChaserBH said:

Hmmm, so much for that NHL job... Rutherford poached him for the Baby Pens:

WBS Penguins
@WBSPenguins
Calder Cup Champion Mike Vellucci has been named head coach of the Penguins:

https://t.co/vAfTLhyLQ6

Click to expand...

Sullivan didn’t have the greatest of seasons guiding the Pens last year. Maybe JR wants to groom Vellucci as the coach in waiting in Pittsburgh if things go South for Sullivan. Vellucci and JR go way way back!

Forgot about Jeff Daniels. Recency bias. 4 head coaches in 5 seasons is a lot of turnover.

Like it or not, it doesn't look good when people voluntarily leave. Especially lateral moves.

We likely won't know how much of this was Vellucci looking for a new opportunity and how much was a contract discussion that didn't go well.

CanadaCanes said:

Sullivan didn’t have the greatest of seasons guiding the Pens last year. Maybe JR wants to groom Vellucci as the coach in waiting in Pittsburgh if things go South for Sullivan. Vellucci and JR go way way back!

Click to expand...

I've been told this is exactly what's going on. Pittsburgh has a tendency to pull from their AHL club in terms of coaching, and Vellucci just became their "next man up." That doesn't always work out but he was looking for the same reassurance from the Canes and didn't get it. Which also makes sense given that Dundon is not that kind of owner. If he's making any change he wants a ton of options to analyze. Also, keep in mind that Vellucci is a Rutherford man through and through. He worked for him for 14 years when he was in Plymouth.

Again ... and again, and again ... this is NOT the Canes being "cheap." This is the Canes not offering Vellucci a road to an NHL bench that he's comfortable with.

And BTW ... I'm not juts burying my head in the sand on this one. I thought this season was going to be Vellucci's last in Charlotte regardless of what happened. He only stuck around because by the time he missed on the Canes job last summer he never really got any traction with any of the other openings. AHL coaches either need to rise in their own franchise or win something like a Calder Cup to make anyone else notice them. He did that, and it worked ... juts not here. Which is fine.