Senators Interested in Mike Yeo for Head Coaching Job

After Senators general manager Pierre Dorion met with Luke Richardson on the weekend, making it clear the AHL coach would not be in the running for the newly open head coaching job in the nation's capital, it was confirmed that Ottawa would be searching for a skipper outside of the organization.

Then it was reported the Senators were interested in former Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo.

The Ottawa Senators have begun interviewing potential head coaching candidates. Sources say Pierre Dorion met with Mike Yeo on the weekend.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 19, 2016

Yeo, a native of North Bay, was the Wild's head coach from 2011-2016 and has one Stanley Cup ring, which he obtained with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 after serving nine years in their organization.

After speaking with someone who covers the Wild very closely, it is to my understanding that Yeo acted as somewhat of a scapegoat this season when he was fired in mid February. Apparently he didn't quite see eye to eye with some of the players and after the Wild lost 13 of 14, it was an easy decision for management to cover up their own wrongdoing with the dismissal of their coach.

Maybe a reason to be skeptical of Yeo, the 42-year-old seemingly had a problem with playing their young guns and stuck with giving the undeserving veterans a great deal of ice time. Nino Niederreiter and Erik Haula weren't able to thrive under him.

This seems like the likeliest of hires for the Senators. Yeo won't cost them what a coach of Boudreau or Hitchcock's reputation would (if they even get fired at the end of the season) and he already has six years of NHL head coaching experience.

A side note: Yeo will be joining former Senators head coach Dave Cameron to be an assistant coach to Bill Peters with Canada in the World Hockey Championships in Moscow, May 6-22.

That might be a tad awkward.

Would you be onboard if the Senators hired Mike Yeo as head coach?