Mike Yeo a top candidate for Senators’ post on Travis Green’s staff

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Travis Green is poised to bring in experience for his coaching staff.

Preparing to be a head coach for the second time in his career after being named to the Ottawa Senators’ post on May 7, Green, 53, has spent countless hours in the last three weeks interviewing candidates for his staff and is closing on making some final decisions.

As Postmedia reported Wednesday night, Green has interviewed former National Hockey League head coach Mike Yeo for one of the positions on his coaching staff with the Senators and he’s also met with Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager.

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League sources say Yeo is a frontrunner for a position on Green’s staff. Yeo has no shortage of head coaching experience during stops with the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and a short stint with the Philadelphia Flyers.

In 542 games as a head coach, Yeo has posted a 263-217-62 record.

The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday “the club has mutually parted ways” with the 50-year-old Yeo. He decided to look at other options after the organization only offered him a one-year extension because Tocchet only has next season left on his deal.

Signed to a four-year contract by the Senators when he was introduced as the club’s head coach on May 7, Green would certainly be able to offer Yeo more security than the Canucks were willing to give and that would make Ottawa an attractive option.

A source told the Vancouver Province Tuesday that Yeo left the Canucks for “an opportunity closer to home.” Yeo was in charge of the Vancouver penalty killing units last season.

There has been speculation he’s also on the radar screen to be part of coach Craig Berube’s staff with the Maple Leafs because Yeo is from Toronto, but it’s not known if the Leafs have spoken with him.

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Berube was Yeo’s associate coach in St. Louis for 18 months and then took over after the latter was fired.

Yeo was hired by former Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau in 2021 before Tocchet was brought in by the Canucks midway through last season. Yeo also served as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers for three years.

Green and Staios have been busy going through the process of trying to build out the club’s staff.

All this is taking place while Staios, senior vice-president Dave Poulin and associate general manager Ryan Bowness are sitting down with the club’s professional scouting staff to discuss possible off-season roster moves at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The belief is Green and Staios have also spoken with Manitoba Moose assistant Nolan Baumgartner because they have a long working relationship together.

Baumgartner, a former NHL player, served as assistant on Green’s staff with the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets and then followed him to Vancouver when he took over the coaching role there in 2017.

The Senators likely considered former Anaheim assistant Newell Brown, but he was hired by the Los Angeles Kings Thursday to join Jim Hiller’s staff with former Ottawa coach D.J. Smith.

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We’re led to believe the club also had discussions with John Gruden, the head coach of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, but he’s opted to stay put and run his own program.

A former Senators defenceman, Gruden, 53, worked for Ottawa owner Michael Andlauer and Staios for two seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs. The club won the J. Ross Robertson Cup (league playoff champions) in 2017-18 after going 43-18-7 in the regular season.

Green and Staios need to determine what happens to the current staff.

Barring a change of heart, it would appear associate coach Jack Capuano, who’s contract expires on July 1 after five years with the organization, will be allowed to move on.

Naturally, people will want to know if Daniel Alfredsson will be part of the club’s staff.

The former Senators captain stepped behind the bench with Jacques Martin as an assistant and the club would like to have Alfredsson back in that role.

What Alfredsson wants to do will be up to him and he appeared to enjoy his role as an assistant so the expectation is he’ll play a role on the staff.

Green left the door open for the Hockey Hall of Famer to return as an assistant when he spoke with reporters the day he was hired. Alfredsson was in Sweden when the announcement was made that Green had been hired but it’s believed the two have had a chance to chat.

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It wouldn’t be a surprise Ben Sexton, goalie coach Justin Peters and video coach Mike King are all retained. Staios stated on the day he hired Green that he would recommend all of the coaching staff.

Once the Ottawa situation is settled then the attention will turn to the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville.

After leading the club to the Calder Cup playoffs, a decision has to be made on head coach David Bell and his staff.

Their contracts are up July 1 and they either have to be signed to extensions or allowed to speak with other organizations.

Brantford coach Jay McKee, the Ontario Hockey League franchise owned by Andlauer, has been linked with the Senators, but his club was knocked out in the first round by the 67’s.

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