This NHL season might have been the greatest example of, “Well, you can’t fire the players.”
Going back to Sept. 2023, there were 13 coaching changes made in the NHL. Stretch it back to Jan. 2023, and 19 of the league’s 32 teams have changed coaches.
After Travis Green signed on with the Ottawa Senators this week, that left five current coaching vacancies in the NHL: The New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets. The Leafs joined the list on Thursday when they fired Sheldon Keefe.
One wild card this cycle is Joel Quenneville, who resigned in 2021 as Florida Panthers coach. His resignation came after an independent investigation into how the Chicago Blackhawks handled a sexual assault allegation in 2010 against video coach Brad Aldrich that implicated Quenneville and other then-Blackhawks leaders for their inaction in the case. One NHL source tells me they wouldn’t be surprised to see him return next season if a team petitioned the NHL to allow it.
To say there are other options would be an understatement. Here’s a look at the other head-coaching options inside and outside the NHL, from the new stars to the trusty veterans to the out-of-the-box choices.
