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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
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.
The big boss
Craig Berube
There are only a handful of coaches available who have a Stanley Cup ring and can be trusted to understand both the modern game and the modern player. Berube is at the top of that list.
The impact of any coach’s message is going to diminish over six seasons, so it was no surprise that Berube paid for the St. Louis Blues‘ inconsistent start with his job. He has spoken openly about trying to get the players to play to his identity; after a long run with the Blues, perhaps that ask was rejected this season.
Berube’s greatest asset as a coach is his ability to keep a team focused when adversity hits. He’s not someone whose emotions are going to rattle a team. You could see that kind of psychological skill fitting well in New Jersey or Toronto, places that could use a steadying presence. But the other thing Berube excels at is coaching physical teams that forecheck tenaciously. He would be set up best with a roster that can offer that.
According to Cap Friendly, his salary with the Blues was $3.5 million, on a contract signed following their 2019 Stanley Cup win. As the most desirable candidate on the market, expect that salary to rise significantly.
Could become available
Rod Brind’Amour
Until Brind’Amour puts pen to paper on a new contract, there’s going to be speculation about his status with the Carolina Hurricanes and potential availability elsewhere. Needless to say, he’s one of the most well-respected coaches in the NHL. Teams are constantly searching for a sense of identity and consistent effort. You know what a Brind’Amour team looks like — speed and copious shot attempts — and players run through a wall for the guy.
(Although, frankly, for all of his adulation around the league, he has still never won a conference final game in his six-season tenure.)
The team is optimistic it’ll get done. “I feel really good that we’ll figure it out quickly. Yeah, I’m not concerned,” Brind’Amour said last week, before his team faced the New York Rangers.
Big names, fresh firings
Dean Evason
Don Granato
Dave Hakstol
Sheldon Keefe
Lane Lambert
Todd McLellan
David Quinn
D.J. Smith
Jay Woodcroft
The coaches listed here all lost their gigs during this season, for various reasons.
Keefe joined the list on Thursday morning, as the Maple Leafs “relieved him of his coaching duties” after five seasons. Toronto lost in Game 7 against Boston in the first round. They made the playoffs in every season of Keefe’s tenure but have won only one playoff round. While some still consider his status as an NHL coach as a “hockey nepotism” hire by former GM Kyle Dubas — as Keefe was his coach in Canadian juniors, too — he also earned some accolades for tactical changes the Leafs made in their series loss to Boston.
Woodcroft and Evason were victims of slow starts. Lambert and McLellan were fired because a “different voice” could get the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings into the playoffs (which worked, in the end). Smith was fired because the Ottawa Senators believed Jacques Martin could get them back to simply average after a disastrous season. The Sabres fired Granato because their teaching phase was over, and then hired Lindy Ruff, whom the Devils fired because their teaching phase was over. Hakstol paid for the Kraken’s regression. Quinn was fired for … making the Sharks even worse than they needed to be in order to secure the first overall pick in the draft?
Some of these coaches will have to wait a bit or potentially return to the bench in an associate capacity before landing their next head-coaching opportunities — something Smith has already done with the Kings. But a few of them could land an opening this offseason.
McLellan is seeking his fourth coaching job in the NHL after the Sharks (seven years), Oilers (four years) and Kings (five years). He has spoken with several teams that are believed to include the Kraken and the Devils. He’s a coach who strives for defensive structure and is known for pushing his players. But that push has produced only one playoff series win since 2014.
Evason didn’t win a playoff series in Minnesota during his five seasons with the Wild, but he left with a .639 career points percentage as a head coach. The Wild were a defensive analytics darling during his time behind the bench.
Woodcroft might be the most interesting candidate here. He’s 47 years old and won two playoff rounds in his first two seasons with the Oilers. But with expectations sky high this season, he was fired after just 13 games, a decision the players lamented even if it ultimately fell on their play for having happened. His speed-oriented offensive system and experience coaching elite talent would seem like a fit for a team like New Jersey.
Well-traveled veterans
Bruce Boudreau
Dallas Eakins
Gerard Gallant
Claude Julien
Mike Yeo
These are coaches who have had multiple NHL stops and weren’t head coaches last season.
Gallant probably has the most appeal here, especially for a team looking for instant impact: He took Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final and the Rangers to the conference finals in his first seasons in both places. But please note that the Golden Knights dismissed him during Year 3, and he lasted only two seasons in New York.
Boudreau, 69, has an unmatched track record of regular-season success among these candidates; among coaches with at least 10 years of experience, he’s fifth all time in points percentage (.626). He’s also an instant vibe change for any organization as one of the most charismatic individuals you’ll meet at the rink.
Yeo is an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks, having worked under Boudreau and now Rick Tocchet. Eakins is currently head coach and general manager of Mannheim in the German league.
Julien hasn’t coached since he was replaced by Dominique Ducharme behind Montreal’s bench just 18 games into the 2020-21 COVID-19-impacted season. A Stanley Cup winner with the Boston Bruins in 2011, the 64-year-old Julien has 1,274 games of head-coaching experience. He showed interest in the Ottawa opening that was filled by Green.
Looking for that second chance
Scott Arniel
Jeff Blashill
Jeremy Colliton
Kevin Dineen
Phil Housley
Kirk Muller
Davis Payne
Todd Reirden
Joe Sacco
Brad Shaw
Geoff Ward
Trent Yawney
Bruce Cassidy famously went 12 seasons between his first NHL head-coaching job with the Washington Capitals and his second gig with the Bruins, where he spent six seasons, won a conference title and a Jack Adams, before moving over to Vegas and winning his first Stanley Cup.
While none of these coaches have Cassidy-level gaps in their work histories, some have been waiting for a second chance for quite a while. Sacco, a Boston assistant since 2014, interviewed for the Bruins’ head-coaching job that Jim Montgomery landed. He adds a ton of value to their staff, as he searches for his first head-coaching gig since his four-year stint with Colorado ended in 2013.
Sacco is not the only current assistant here. Blashill has worked with Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay since Detroit parted ways with him in 2022 after seven seasons. Housley, a Hall of Fame defenseman, is an assistant coach with the Rangers after the Sabres moved on from him after two seasons in 2019. Muller, who coached Carolina for three seasons until 2014, is an assistant coach in Washington. Reirden coached the Capitals for two seasons (2018-20) and was just fired as an assistant by the Penguins.
Shaw has worked with John Tortorella in Columbus and Philadelphia. He actually coached the Flyers for two games this season after Tortorella was suspended for refusing to leave the bench, which is a thing that actually happened this season. Shaw was an interim coach for the New York Islanders for 40 games in 2005-06.
But the former head coach-turned-assistant that might be closest to landing a job is Scott Arniel, who coached the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2010-12. He’s an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets and seen as a likely successor to the retiring Rick Bowness.
One intriguing name here is Colliton. He was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks at 33 to replace Joel Quenneville, arriving at a time when the team was falling apart on and off the ice. He has coached the past two years in the AHL, leading the Abbotsford Canucks. He’s someone many believe could flourish with a second chance in a different situation.
Key assistants seeking first shots
Jay Leach, Seattle Kraken
Marc Savard, Calgary Flames
Ryan Warsofsky, San Jose Sharks
Warsofsky, 36, could be the Spencer Carbery of the 2024 coaching hiring cycle: a young, experienced assistant ready to take over an NHL bench. He spent the past two seasons coaching the penalty kill and defense under Quinn with the Sharks. Prior to that, he was an AHL head coach in Charlotte and Chicago, where he won a championship in 2021-22.
“He’s been interviewing places and it’s going well,” one NHL source said.
Leach, 44, has been in the conversation for head-coaching jobs for the past few seasons. He was the head coach of the Bruins’ AHL affiliate for four seasons before joining Hakstol’s inaugural staff in Seattle, where he’s spent the past three seasons. Whether it’s with the Kraken or elsewhere, Leach seems ready to make the leap.
Savard, 46, is considered by many to be a head coach-in-waiting. He was an assistant with the Blues in 2019-20 before two successful seasons as head coach of the OHL Windsor Spitfires. He spent last season gaining more experience as an assistant coach in Calgary.
AHL coaches
Seth Appert
Dan Bylsma
John Gruden
Marco Sturm
Todd Nelson
Karl Taylor
It’s hard to imagine there won’t be one NHL opening filled by one of these names. Not only would it be on trend — see Kris Knoblauch crushing it in Edmonton after coming from AHL Hartford — but because this is a deeply talented group.
Bylsma is the most prominent name, having won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009. He coached in Pittsburgh for six seasons, Buffalo for two and then was an assistant in Detroit for three seasons. He’s been a successful head coach for the Kraken’s affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, for two seasons. Some expect he’ll ascend to the Seattle job, but they’re expected to cast a net wider than just “Disco Dan” for their next coach.
Sturm’s name is coming up a lot in conversations about the coaching pool. He played 938 games as a forward in the NHL. He was an assistant coach for the Kings before becoming a head coach for their AHL affiliate in Ontario. Sturm could be a candidate to become head coach for Los Angeles or San Jose, where he spent eight years of his career.
Appert may have the option to return to the Rochester Americans for a fifth season as their head coach or join new Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff’s staff with the Sabres — a job for which he was overlooked.
Gruden coached the AHL Toronto Marlies this season after serving as an assistant coach for the Islanders and Bruins. He was previously the head coach of the OHL Hamilton Bulldogs.
Nelson, 54, coached the Oilers for 46 games in 2014-15, but otherwise has been an assistant NHL coach in Atlanta (!) and Dallas while being a successful AHL head coach. That includes the last two outstanding seasons with the Hershey Bears.
Taylor, 53, has put in his time in the minor leagues, including five seasons as a successful head coach with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Familiar names still available
Guy Boucher, Toronto Maple Leafs
Bob Boughner, Detroit Red Wings
Jack Capuano, Ottawa Senators
Scott Gordon, San Jose Sharks
Glen Gulutzan, Edmonton Oilers
Todd Richards, Nashville Predators
John Stevens, Vegas Golden Knights
These familiar names all have NHL head-coaching experience and are current assistant or associate coaches. Perhaps the most interesting name here is Boucher, who was previously head coach for the Lightning (2010-13) and Senators (2016-19). He was an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs this season, but his calling card as a power-play specialist probably took a hit after Toronto converted at a 4.8% clip against Boston in the playoffs.
In need of assistants?
Jeff Halpern, Tampa Bay Lightning
John Madden, San Jose Sharks
Manny Malhotra, Toronto Maple Leafs
Steve McCarthy, Columbus Blue Jackets
Steve Ott, St. Louis Blues
Cory Stillman, ex-Arizona Coyotes
Mike van Ryan, Toronto Maple Leafs
Mike Vellucci, Pittsburgh Penguins
Joel Ward, Vegas Golden Knights
Jon Cooper already saw one assistant coach get hired from his bench when Derek Lalonde went to the Red Wings. Halpern was in the mix for the Capitals’ job that went to Carbery last season.
One name of interest here is Stillman, who played 1,025 games in the NHL. He was the head coach of OHL Sudbury for three seasons and then an assistant in Arizona for two seasons before stepping away for personal reasons. He’s looking to get back behind an NHL bench and coach help as part of a staff.
The college ranks
David Carle, Denver
Jay Pandolfo, Boston University
There are always options at the NCAA hockey level, including some coaches who have been waiting for an NHL team to call for a while. But these are the only two names that have come up in conversations about current openings.
Carle led the U.S. to world junior gold in 2024 and has been named the team’s coach for the 2025 tournament. He has led Denver to NCAA national championships in 2022 and 2024. The 34-year-old Alaska native has everything an NHL team would want in a young head coach … except it’s basically gospel around hockey circles that he’s not leaving Denver, at least yet.
Pandolfo has been the head coach at Boston University for just two seasons after one season as associate coach, but he spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Bruins.
“To his credit, I think he knows he’s not ready,” an NHL source said. “But he’s one of those college guys that’ll be considered because he had NHL experience.”
Shatter the mold
Jessica Campbell
Kori Cheverie
Julie Chu/Caroline Ouellette
Sergei Fedorov
Rikard Gronborg
Joel Martin
Jason Payne
The NHL has never had a woman head coach. It doesn’t currently have a Black head coach nor a coach born outside of North America.
There are options to change that.
Campbell, 31, is currently an assistant coach with the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds, the first woman to be employed on a full-time basis as a behind-the-bench coach in the AHL. After retiring from the Canadian national team, she became a successful power skating coach for NHL players.
Chevrie, 36, was the first woman behind the bench in Canadian men’s college hockey with Ryerson in 2016. She’s now the head coach of PWHL Montreal, which finished second in the standings for the new women’s hockey league.
Chu and Ouellette were rivals for the U.S. and Canadian women’s national teams. Now married, they coach the Concordia Stingers women’s team at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Chu’s the head coach, Ouellette’s the associate coach. We’d say a package deal in the NHL would shatter the mold.
Martin (Kalamazoo Wings) and Payne (Cincinnati Cyclones) made history in March when they faced off against each other in an ECHL game. It’s the first time in the history of the ECHL, and what many believed was the first time in North American men’s pro hockey, that two Black head coaches opposed each other in a game.
Payne is in his third season as coach and director of hockey operations for Cincinnati, the Buffalo Sabres‘ AHL farm team. Martin, a Texas native, finished his second season as head coach in the ECHL after three seasons as an assistant.
Finally, two intentional coaches. Gronborg, 55, has been the “outside-the-box hire” du jour in the NHL for several years running. He’s in the midst of a three-year contract with Tappara of SM-liiga in Finland, which won its third straight league championship this year. Fedorov, a Hockey Hall of Fame forward, coached CSKA Moscow in the KHL since 2021 until his contract wasn’t renewed this year.