While big-name Wolverines ponder returning, so too does Red Berenson

 

By @MichaelCaples –

ANN ARBOR – Few coaches get to decide their fate.

There’s a good chance that Red Berenson has, however.

While the legendary head coach of the Michigan Wolverines says he needs to sit down and talk with new athletic director Warde Manuel, the main person deciding on whether Berenson returns next season or not, it’s Berenson.

“I’m going to talk to [Manuel]…I don’t want to make an emotional decision because I’m mad at somebody or something, I want to make a decision that’s good for the program,” Berenson said.

Michigan’s season came to a close this past weekend when the Wolverines fell to North Dakota 5-2 in the Midwest Regional Final. Berenson’s decision is one of many involving the Michigan program to watch, as the famed ‘CCM Line’ of Kyle Connor, JT Compher and Tyler Motte are all speaking with the NHL teams that drafted them. Defensemen Zach Werenski and Michael Downing have already announced their signings with their respective NHL clubs, and Berenson reminded the media Tuesday afternoon that there are always surprises this time of year, too.

“I want to let the smoke clear a little bit from the season,” Berenson said when he was asked about a timeframe. “Here we are, we’re still talking about the season and our team. Who knows what’s going to happen with JT and Tyler or Kyle, so…”

While few would be surprised if Connor left – posting 71 points in a freshman season draws fair comparisons to the likes of Dylan Larkin and Jack Eichel in terms of leaving early – the decisions of Compher and Motte will likely have an impact on Berenson’s path.

If they stay, he has the opportunity to coach a squad with two seniors who ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in NCAA scoring this season (Connor was No. 1). If they leave, the losses of Werenski, Downing and possibly Connor seem even larger for the Wolverines’ program.

“It could,” Berenson said when asked about the Motte and Compher decisions impacting to his own. “It definitely could. I can’t tell you it will or it won’t, but I can tell you it could.”

He certainly hopes both come back for the 2016-17 season. Berenson had the following to say when asked if he knows what they will do:

“I’d like to answer that question, I really hope they come back. I think there’s a good chance they’ll come back, but I can’t speak for them. I’ve talked to both of them. They’re really good kids and their heads are in the right place. They’re going to get a lot of pressure from the outside, and they just have to be able to handle that and know why they’re coming back.”

Like any other postseason media availability session, Berenson discussed the players leaving, the players returning, who seems poised for a breakout season next fall, etc. He said that he and his staff are already hard at work for the upcoming season.

“That’s what I do. This week is a week of losing players and trying to fit together our group for next year. We’re talking about spring term and that’s what I have to do. I have to help plan what’s going on, and then at some point I’ll have meetings with my administration and we’ll talk about whether I’m going to be here or not. We definitely have a plan, we’re not going to just walk away and take the keys with us.”

As first reported by George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press, the 2015-16 campaign – and the success the Wolverines had during – has made the decision much more difficult for Berenson. The Wolverines’ bench boss retiring seemed to be a done deal for most of the season, but now, not so much.

The message for his team at their final meeting of the season seemed to imply that Berenson is hungry for continued success – perhaps with him still behind the bench?

“The message was that they worked hard to get back to the tournament and to win a game and then to play a team that maybe played harder and stronger and better than we were ready for,” Berenson said. “I was proud of our team, how far we came this year, but now the challenge is let’s get Michigan back where it belongs, and let’s be able to play in that game. That’s the challenge. It took us a few years to get into the Frozen Four in the 90s, and finally we realized what it took to get all the way. Our team got a taste of that. That’s a challenge.”