Sports

Six openings, many candidates: Who’s in line to land an NHL head-coaching job?

June 10, 2022
7:00 AM ET

There was this coach I heard about. He hadn’t yet served as an NHL head coach. His qualifications indicated he was ready to do so.

So like a fan of a new indie band double-checking its coolness with a music snob, I reached out to an NHL team executive to ask how they felt about the guy.

“I don’t know why he’s on the ‘Wow, why doesn’t he have a head-coaching job yet?’ tier,” they said. “If we count NHL assistants and AHL head coaches, there are about 100 guys in the candidate pool. What makes him stand out to you as being among the top of that group?”

I didn’t really have an answer. To quote the movie “Major League”: Well, cross him off then …

If last offseason was the NHL’s Summer of the Netminder, this one is the Summer of the Bench Boss. As that team executive noted, the number of potential candidates for open jobs could reach triple digits when one factors in former head coaches, current assistant and associate coaches, minor league coaches, junior and NCAA coaches, international coaches and some of those out-of-the-box options, like when Martin St. Louis went from coaching his kids to coaching the Montreal Canadiens this season.

The Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets all have official vacancies; the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers all currently have interim coaches.

Here is what I’m hearing on some of the top candidates, some other coaches who are being discussed by teams (but probably won’t make the cut this year) and some rising coaching candidates to tuck away for the future.

The top candidates

Barry Trotz

The third-winningest coach in NHL history (he has 914 victories) was fired by the New York Islanders after two trips to the third round of the playoffs and one disastrous non-playoff season. What makes the 59-year-old an exemplary candidate isn’t just his coaching acumen, but the culture he instills around the teams that hire him.

Trotz would be a top candidate for any opening; and when one has the pick of the litter, might as well play with the pups a little bit, right?

The notion that Trotz and the Golden Knights have something in place has already bounced around the NHL echo chamber and was reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. But I’ve heard he’s taking his time on making a decision. I’ve also been told by an NHL source that “taking his time” can be read as “stoking a bidding war” among teams for his services.

Getting a market-setting offer from Golden Knights owner Bill Foley wouldn’t be a bad starting point to that end, were we Barry Trotz.

Bruce Cassidy

Reading between the lines of Bruins team president Can Neely’s postseason comments, it was clear that Cassidy’s job wasn’t completely safe. But it was still shocking to see Cassidy dismissed after a run in which the Bruins advanced past the first round in four of six postseasons, played for the Stanley Cup in 2019 and had the best regular-season record of any team not named the Tampa Bay Lightning during his tenure.

Cassidy said on Thursday that teams were already reaching out for his services. “I wanna get back to work,” he said. “Hopefully it’s a really good fit for both sides.”

His availability changes things, potentially even for Trotz. “I wonder if Cassidy goes to Vegas because he works well with veterans,” one NHL source pondered.

Keep in mind that Vegas president of hockey operations George McPhee hired Cassidy when both were with the Washington Capitals. Cassidy clearly wasn’t ready for that job from 2002-03 to 2003-04. He is ready for the one in Vegas.

As far as other options, the thing to remember is that Cassidy has a record of success and a point of view. “He’s got a big personality and whatever GM hires him will understand that,” one NHL insider said.

Pete DeBoer

DeBoer was the fall guy for Vegas missing the playoffs, though the team’s problems were mostly injury- or cap-related in 2021-22.

His superpower is arriving with a new team and immediately making it a championship contender in Year 1 — he took New Jersey and San Jose to the Stanley Cup Final, and then the Golden Knights to the bubble conference final in 2020. Maybe he should just take a bunch of players on one-year contracts like Joe Thornton, and make it easier on everyone.

DeBoer was set to make $3.25 million for the 2022-23 season. But he’s got a hunger to coach. I think Dallas would be a solid fit, given his track record and the Stars’ needs as a veteran team … as well as GM Jim Nill’s need to find success late in his tenure in Dallas.

Rick Tocchet and John Tortorella

We’ll group our new broadcast rights partner TV stars together. After all, NHL fans are going to miss ESPN’s John Tortorella and TNT’s Rick Tocchet if and when they return to the coaching ranks.

I think both of these guys have the itch for the right situation. I know the Stars have been interested in Tocchet in the past. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that Torts has spoken with the Flyers, which could be the greatest match of coaching style and franchise aesthetic since Pat Riley and the Lakers. Or maybe Buddy Ryan and the Eagles.

Either way, they’ve had a season-long infomercial to advertise their expertise to NHL teams.

Jim Montgomery

Montgomery was fired in December 2019 by the Stars for “unprofessional conduct,” and later entered rehab for alcohol addiction, which was followed by individual and family therapy.

The St. Louis Blues assistant coach is undeniably talented. A lot of what the Stars were under Rick Bowness was built on what they were under Jim Montgomery. The Athletic reported that the Jets have targeted him in their search, and that he “has a strong relationship with Jets assistant GM Craig Heisinger, who was Manitoba’s assistant GM while Montgomery played for the Moose in 1999-2000.”

Not everyone believes he’ll get a second chance: “The Dallas thing was so bad. He was terminated with cause and didn’t fight it. What does that say?” said one NHL source.

Travis Green

Teams love to keep coaching searches close to the vest. So it was kind of wild when Stars owner Tom Gaglardi told a Vancouver radio station that Green “had proven he deserves to be considered” and “I expect we will be talking to him.”

While Dallas might not ultimately be a fit, it underscores how much attention Green’s five-year run in Vancouver earned him — even if it resulted in only a single playoff berth during the 2020 bubble postseason. He’s relatively young (51) and clearly one of those head coaches who could be better in his second go ’round.

David Quinn

I remember talking with Anaheim Ducks coach Dallas Eakins about what he learned from his first gig in Edmonton, and him telling me that he misjudged the approach. “I went in there hard. The line was drawn in the sand. And it was on. And that was not a good way to build a culture,” he said.

If Quinn gets a second NHL gig after his three years with the New York Rangers, I’m going to assume it’s because he learned how he misjudged the approach, too. He micromanaged too much. He couldn’t get on the same page as his elite players. As one source noted, he coached the Rangers like they were an NCAA team. Again, you live and learn, and one assumes Quinn has, including from his gig as head coach of the U.S. Olympic team.

Todd Reirden and Mike Vellucci

General managers love coaches who “learned from the best,” and both Reirden and Vellucci serve in the bench of widely respected two-time Stanley Cup champion Mike Sullivan with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Reirden, 50, is looking for his second head-coaching gig. He made the playoffs both seasons with the Capitals but lost in the first round, before heading back to Pittsburgh as an assistant again. Vellucci, 55, was the head coach and general manager of the OHL Plymouth Whalers for 14 seasons before eventually becoming head coach of the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, where he won coach of the year and won the Calder Cup. After coaching the Penguins’ top affiliate, he has spent two seasons coaching with Sullivan in Pittsburgh.

“Vellucci deserves a chance based on his track record,” one NHL source said. It’s hard to disagree.

In the conversation

Paul Maurice

Maurice smartly walked away from the Winnipeg Jets last season. One, because it was clear he could use a refresh after a couple of taxing seasons to end a nine-year run with the franchise. But also because, in his words, he’d gotten everything he could out of that roster. I’ve had a couple of sources tell me there’s a stubbornness on the part of management to adapt from the veteran core of that team, so he likely got out when the getting was good. I’d expect Maurice, 55, to sit out this round of coaching vacancies, but I’m sure his phone has been ringing on a few of them.

Benoit Groulx

There was a lot of talk last week that Groulx, the successful head coach of the Lightning’s top affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, could join his old GM Steve Yzerman as the new head coach in Detroit. I checked with multiple sources and couldn’t confirm that anything was in the works, although one source close to Groulx said he and the Red Wings “had talked a couple times.” That said, the same source cautioned: “If it is out there in the rumor world, it might not be true, just because it is Steve Yzerman, and he keeps it close to the vest.” I feel like if there’s a move for Groulx, it could be to an NHL bench, but not as a head coach.

Nate Leaman

The moment Cassidy was fired, Nate Leaman’s name came up. The Bruins wanted him for a minor league job some years ago. But he just signed a lucrative new contract with Providence College a few months ago. “Leaman just signed a massive extension. I doubt he’s going anywhere,” said one source. The 49-year-old will get his shot in the NHL, but the timing just doesn’t seem to jibe.

Also in the conversation — but longer shots

Jeff Blashill

I was pleasantly surprised when Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported that Blashill interviewed with the Flyers. He coached the Red Wings for seven seasons, missing the playoffs six straight times. His last couple of seasons it felt like he was keeping the seat warm for the next guy as they rebuilt. But he kept Detroit competitive and did solid work in player development.

I think Blashill is a good coach whose ascension to the big job came at the wrong part of the franchise’s timeline. He’s a classic “second gig” guy, and I bet he thrives in the next stop.

Rikard Gronborg

It wouldn’t be a coaching candidates list if it didn’t include Rikard Gronborg, the 54-year-old Swede who is the head coach of ZSC Lions and the “outside-the-box candidate” du jour in the NHL for several years running.

Conventional wisdom remains that he’ll need to be an assistant or associate coach before someone hands him an NHL bench. But I was told that Gronborg’s tutelage of Dave Hakstol was cited by the Kraken when they hired Hakstol as the franchise’s first coach.

Joe Sacco

Cassidy’s first coaching gig with the Capitals was a disaster, and he was fired after 110 regular-season games. It took around 13 years before he was given another chance to be an NHL head coach, having paid his dues and worked his way back, becoming a better coach along the way.

All of this makes Sacco an intriguing option. He was the head coach of the Avalanche from 2009-10 to 2012-13, and a Jack Adams finalist. He was most recently an assistant coach under — who else? — Bruce Cassidy. The 53-year-old is ready for his second stanza.

“Joe Sacco is legit,” said one NHL source. “He’s had a lot to do with Boston’s performance. He was there even before Cassidy got there. Great with players.”

Future watch: Rising head-coach candidates

Spencer Carbery

Carbery, 40, just completed his first season on an NHL bench. He was a standout coach for the AHL Hershey Bears, then ran the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ awesome power play. He is this offseason’s “rising star” whose name manifests itself onto these kinds of lists, although one NHL insider wondered, “Who is pumping Spencer Carbery’s tires right now?”

David Carle

Carle, 32, just won the national championship with Denver and is seen as a rising star in the NCAA ranks. “He’s one of the guys that will get the most buzz over time,” said an NCAA source. He’s got an inspiring backstory too: His playing days ended after he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but he managed to create a different career in hockey. He’s an NHL coach-in-waiting, if he wants it.

Kori Cheverie

Cheverie was an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning Canadian women’s team and was behind the Canadian bench at the IIHF under-18 men’s world championship in Germany. She’s 34 and has all the tools necessary to break through the NHL’s glass ceiling for women on the bench.

Meghan Duggan

The clearest path to breaking through these barriers might be by working through the hockey operation and coaching ranks. Duggan is director of player development for the New Jersey Devils. “She’s just doing so well climbing in the Devils org and has coaching tenure from Clarkson,” one women’s hockey source said.

Paul McFarland

McFarland, 36, is a young’un but has assistant coaching experience with the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, and head-coaching experience with the OHL Kingston Frontenacs. “He’s an interesting name because he’s on his third NHL team and he’s in his mid-30s,” said one NHL source.

Marie-Philip Poulin

Poulin just signed on as a player development consultant for the Montreal Canadiens, but her playing days aren’t over yet. “Poulin would be a no-brainer whenever she retires and if she was interested,” said one women’s hockey source. (As a USWNT fan, I hope she gets into coaching ASAP.)

Marco Sturm

Sturm, 43, is the pride of Dingolfing, Germany. He’s been an assistant to Todd McLellan for the past three seasons. Kings insider John Hoven believes he could be in line to be the head coach of their AHL affiliate. “Sturm should get some experience as an AHL head coach before getting an NHL bench,” said one NHL source.

Ryan Warsofsky

A lot of teams are looking for “the next Jon Cooper.” No, not “coaches who are former lawyers,” although Cooper was famously that as well. But rather an AHL coach who successfully makes the leap to the NHL. Of this group, Warsofsky has the most buzz. He’s just 34 but had instant success in both the ECHL and AHL as a head coach. His Chicago Wolves are seeking the Calder Cup at the moment out of the Western Conference. “I would put Ryan Warsofsky at the top of this list,” one NHL source said.

As you can see from these names, there are safe choices and then there are bold ones. Known commodities can keep a general manager in a job. But fortune, in the end, might favor the bold.

Happy hiring …

Jersey Foul of the week

From … IKEA?

This is a branch of the Swedish furniture store in Centennial, Colorado. They apparently believe that the number goes on the front of the jersey like in football, and that the NHL uses numbers like “01.” Aren’t they required, by both local and Swedish law, to have a Peter Forsberg or Gabriel Landeskog jersey hanging in a Colorado IKEA display?

Meme of the week

The funniest hockey-related Twitter feed right now is @animalsofhockey, and it’s not particularly close.

Its official name is “Hockey Players With Animals (And Other Chaos),” which summarizes things succinctly. There are photos of players snuggling with puppies and squatting on horses, aka “animals.” The “other chaos” comes in the form of an incredibly funny ongoing bit called “my sister (who doesn’t watch hockey) guesses player names.” There are four photos. The sister guesses the players’ names based on their appearance and overall vibes.

Like believing Jack Eichel is named “Doc Brown” and Mark Stone is “Ford.”

Or that Mitch Marner‘s name is “Sterling.”

The bit has grown so popular that teams are requesting that their players get christened by the non-hockey-following sister. The AHL Bridgeport Islanders went as far as to change the graphics on their player pages in honor of the new monikers. The Washington Capitals turned it into a TikTok.

Winners and losers of the week

Winner: Bruce Cassidy

Better to not delay the inevitable. The Bruins could have run it back with Cassidy for two months in the regular season before firing him, as a roster gutted by post-operation absences (and perhaps without pending free agent Patrice Bergeron) struggles. Now, he gets a chance to fill one of the plum openings this offseason.

Loser: Don Sweeney

From having fans claiming the coach paid for the general manager’s sins, to the “bad look” of delivering the news to Cassidy in the coach’s home, the Bruins GM did not come out ahead in the PR war — even if his rationale about the development and ice time for younger players was reasonable cover.

Winner: Leon Draisaitl

What else can be said about his fighting through a high ankle sprain to produce as he did in the Western Conference finals? It’s a shame, because the only prayer the Edmonton Oilers had in the series was Draisaitl and Connor McDavid dragging them to a few wins. I feel like we were deprived of what that series should have been.

Loser: Short-selling Jesse Puljujarvi

GM Ken Holland said he has to “sort out” whether Puljujarvi, a 24-year-old restricted free agent, is part of the solution in Edmonton. The answer will probably be “no,” and then he’ll end up having a Valeri Nichushkin-like renaissance with an analytically driven team that doesn’t play in Edmonton.

Winner: Nikita Kucherov

I wrote about Kucherov recently and it reminded me that he’s come a long way as a dominant, MVP-level performer from taking an unfathomable suspension in the Lightning’s still-famous sweep defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019. What an absolute star and a joy to watch in these playoffs.

Loser: Goalie controversies

Things are so rosy for the Avalanche that even a debate between Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz basically boils down to “a good problem to have.”

Winner: Fans when Simu Liu is in attendance

… as he was clearly at Game 5 at the Garden.

Puck headlines

From your friends at ESPN

Enjoyed this piece by Kristen Shilton on under-the-radar stars of the Stanley Cup playoffs.