In other UNH related news ... former UNH defenseman Kevin Dean was let go by the Vancouver Canucks, as he was an assistant under HC Adam Foote, who was shown the door after one disappointing season. Dean was a key contributor during the UNH turnaround in the late '80's/early '90's and enjoyed a big breakout season as a senior with 10 goals from the blueline at Lively Snively. He played under Coaches O'Connor, Kullen and Umile, and after being a 5th round selection by the Devils before he arrived at Durham, he eventually went on to a 7-year NHL career, mostly with the Devils, where he was a fringe player during the strike shortened 1994/1995 season, his first year in The Show. He spent most of that season captaining the Devils' AHL affiliate in Albany, where he achieved a very rare feat in the annals of NA pro hockey. Dean is one of only four players in history to win both the Calder Cup and the Stanley Cup in the exact same season.
Dean has been working in coaching for the last 20 seasons, mostly as an assistant, but with short stints as HC in his only ECHL season, and his final season at Providence, where he succeeded his former AHL boss Bruce Cassidy, and joined him the following season in Boston for the duration of Cassidy's Boston run.
My sources tell me Dean maintains a residence in North Andover MA (a/k/a home of the defending HEA champs Merrimack), and as he is now in his late 50's, there's a possibility he could be one to receive a lot of consideration for the UNH head coaching job IF he decides to step away from the NHL game for a more sane travel schedule with his alma mater's program looking a lot like the one he started out with back in the late '80's.
As to the financial implications for Dean ... on the average, NHL assistants usually make something in the range of $250,000-$400,000, so a (mostly untaxed) $250,000-$350,000 salary as UNH HC would not be a shock to the financial system for Dean. Something to keep an eye on, for sure ...
