One of the biggest and most visible responsibilities an NHL coach can make is his decisions on lineup choices and allocation of ice time. To use the old Bill Parcells adage, while in hockey the general manager “shops for the groceries” of the roster moves, it’s the coach who has to “cook the dinner” as far as putting it all together.
Daniel Sprong could be used as a poster boy in the difference of opinion between general manager and coach. GM Jim Rutherford has always been a fan, sometimes to the detriment of the future -- like when he kept Sprong in the NHL for 10+ games in 2015-16, despite Sprong not being used much by the coach or likely staying around forever, thus starting the clock that’s made Sprong (now just 21-years old) already waiver eligible.