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It’s an age-old conundrum: try a retread and hope that he’s a match or overlook inexperience and see if you’re hiring the next smart bench boss. Only time will tell.

For now, here is a look at the four teams with their new head coaches and what to expect from them next season.

Calgary Flames: Bob Hartley

Bob Hartley is the new head coach of the Calgary Flames and his No. 1 goal with the team is to make them more entertaining. If anyone recalls the Colorado Avalanche squads that Hartley coached, they were free flowing, free skating and skill-oriented. That’s what he’d like to do in Calgary.

Unfortunately, Hartley also had that plan in Atlanta and it never worked for the Thrashers. They were doomed by the same probably that hampers the Flames: they don’t have enough skill.

In free agency, the Flames signed Dennis Wideman and Jiri Hudler, which should help, but the Flames forwards unit still seem to lack. Mike Cammalleri, Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla are past their primes. Hartley has some good ideas but the Flames can’t win with the roster they have and need to rebuild. Patchwork won’t help.

Unless Hartley can guide the Flames through rebuilding mode, don’t expect this team to change much. At best, they are a first-round playoff team.

Washington Capitals: Adam Oates

The Capitals coaching position had been a mess as Bruce Boudreau was canned last season and interim coach Dale Hunter, who got the team playing better, didn’t return.

We don’t know a whole lot about Oates other than he was an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils last season. He had held that position for three years and worked in Tampa Bay before that.

There will be plenty of questions about the hiring. He’s never been a head coach and is handed the keys to a veteran team who – on paper – should be competing for the Eastern Conference title.

He was one heck of a hockey player and will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this year, but he’s still a question mark as a head coach. We’ll see if he’s the one that can finally milk the Capitals talent for all it’s worth.

Edmonton Oilers: Ralph Krueger

The Oilers job was one of the sexiest out there as they have a roster full of young talent that could be ready to compete for a playoff spot next and maybe a Stanley Cup within year. They’re like the Tampa Bay Rays of the 2000’s: they’ve had so many high draft picks that it’s only a matter of time before they get good.

Tom Renney brought over the long-time Swiss national team coach to be his right-hand man originally and now he takes over the team. He definitely looks the part of someone who can inspire as he regularly runs in the mountains and works as a motivational speaker when he’s not coaching.

The Swiss national team tended to overachieve on the international stage (given their talent) so that’s a good sign. He wants an attacking team and he’s definitely got the parts for it. We’ll just have to see what he’s capable of.

Montreal Canadiens: Michel Therrien

The Montreal Canadiens love their French-speaking head coaches, which means they’re picking from a smaller pool than the other 29 teams. Hence, it’s no surprise that the Habs opted for a blast from the past with Therrien, who coached the team 2000-03.

The Habs have been one of the softest teams in the league over the last couple of seasons and that came to a head last year. With as much talent as they had, they lacked character and toughness, and sunk to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

If there is one signature of a Therrien-coached team, it’s toughness and the Habs are going to have it. We can already see a shift in team ideology as the Habs signed Colby Armstrong, Brandon Prust and Francois Boullion in free agency. All of those players are going to beef up the roster.

The Habs are still quite talented and if Therrien can add a backbone, they should be back in the playoffs in 2012-13.