RIGHT MEN FOR THE JOB

Bill Peters is pumped about his team.
No, notthatteam.
At least, not exclusively.

Not only the one with Gaudreau and Monahan and Giordano and Hamilton and Smith and Tkachuk cast in starring roles, their names twinkling above the theatre marquee.
The behind-the-team team, too, holed up deep in the coaching bunker, those in charge of strategy, breaking down strength and weaknesses, providing solutions.
The addition of New Jersey assistant Geoff Ward, as associate coach, and promotion of Ryan Huska from AHL Stockton completes the tactical staff Peters will take into his first season in charge down at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
They join holdover assistant Martin Gelinas, goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet and video wizard Jamie Pringle.
Ward spent seven years assisting Claude Julien in Boston - including a Stanley Cup triumph in 2011 and a trip to the finals two years later - and then a quick detour to collect a DEL title skippering Mannheim in Germany before joining John Hynes's staff in Jersey for the past three seasons.
"Real excited about both these hires,'' enthuses Peters. "High-end coaches. Geoff's got 10 years experience in the league. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 on a real good coaching staff.
"Just his reputation around the league is strong. Very good with the powerplay. His eye for in-game corrections but also post-game on video with things your team needs to improve on, he's excellent.
"Career coach, excelled on multiple levels and represented Germany internationally, done a good job there.
"Real good relationship with players. Real good conduit between the coaching staff and the dressing room, in my opinion.
"Very innovative. Creative in his work. He fits what I need on the bench and on the specialty teams."
Ward is noted for his work in pulling powerplay strings, a source of ongoing heartburn for the Flames throughout the 2017-2018 campaign.
Calgary's powerplay ranked 28th, at 17.5% efficiency, the Devils 10th, at 20.8%.
"Really excited when I met with Geoff and we went over our (PP) personnel and what he's going to be able to do with the group,'' says Peters. "When we talked, we were on a lot of the same pages.
"So he's gonna run it but I'm going to have some input, as well."
Huska, of course, has paid his dues, joining the organization in 2014 when the top farm club was based in Adirondack, N.Y., and making the shift to California when the franchise relocated there two years back.
"Husk was going to get an opportunity with somebody this summer,'' says Peters. "I think that was pretty obvious. Popular guy. A guy I've known from his days in the Western Hockey League. I've coached against him there, ton of respect for his development of defencemen.
"It's a Who's Who of D-men that have come through Kelowna for a long time. So he'll help develop our defencemen here and obviously provides a pipeline of information for the guys in Stockton close to making our team. And I believe we have a lot of guys who are going to push."
The type of team Peters envisions is modelled after the two still playing as June beckons.
"What Vegas does in this final, win or lose, will make people step back and think. But the game was getting faster and faster anyway. They're just continuing that.
"We want to play fast. A real up-tempo game. Quick in those 15-to-20-foot foot races.
"In the past, you had two scoring lines, a checking line and your fourth line had your tough guy.
"Today, and both the teams still playing are great examples, you need offence from throughout your lineup and you need to keep up. So you have to play with pace on all four lines because when you go out on the road and your fourth line is playing against somebody else's No. 1, it's not a concern.
"You need guys who can move around, when they deserve an opportunity to move up, can move up.
"The modern player can't be one-dimensional."
On-ice personnel changes between now and the opening of training camp are inevitable. That's the nature of the beast.
Now, at least, the men entrusted with putting the players who remain and those who arrive in the best positions to succeed, are in place. The man in charge likes the mix he's got.
"Lot of phone calls to different coaches,'' Peters says of the process. "Guys see jobs open and express interest, which is understandable.
"But real nice to put this behind us.
"The guys we have, the guys we've added, can complement me, support me, and maybe bring some strengths to the table that I don't have.
"You don't want everybody to be the same guy. Used to be the good-cop, bad-cop routine. I just believe there are diverse skill sets in all of our staff.
"You add the guys already here - Jordan, Gelly and Chips - and I'm very, very happy with what we are able to get accomplished
"As a group, I'm confident we're going to work really well together."