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Report: Ex-Oilers coach Eakins interviewed for WHL Vancouver gig

DallasEakins2

The Vancouver Giants are talking to some pretty high-profile candidates for their bench boss job.

Having already interviewed former Buffalo head coach Ted Nolan, the Giants have also reportedly (per News 1130) spoken with Dallas Eakins, who was fired from Edmonton midway through last season.

Eakins, 48, has never coached at the junior level before, moving directly to the American League following the end of his playing career. He spent seven seasons in the Toronto organization -- as both an assistant with the Leafs and a head coach of the Marlies -- before taking the Oilers gig in 2013.

To call Eakins’ tenure in Edmonton a disappointment would be a major understatement. The club went 36-63-14 on his watch, missing the playoffs in ’14 while winning just seven times in 31 games this year before Eakins was (somewhat mercifully) dismissed in December.

As far as WHL gigs go, Vancouver is one of the more prominent franchises. The team plays in one of the largest cities on the circuit and has employed two former NHL head coaches, Don Hay and Claude Noel.