Round and round coaches names go, and where they stop, nobody knows.
But that could change quickly.
Bruce Cassidy's arrival in the marketplace and his quick decision to take the Vegas job seems to have gotten the party started in the coach search community. Now, we are hearing John Tortorella is working on a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Also, there are reports that Windsor Spitfires coach Marc Savard is now interviewing with teams. His Ontario Hockey League team was eliminated Wednesday. He will talk to the Dallas Stars.
Events are starting to unfold.
If Tortorella ends up with Philadelphia, we would expect Barry Trotz to get serious with either Winnipeg or Boston. He was from Manitoba, but he's been in the Eastern Conference for the last few seasons.
The Stars are also interested in Pete DeBoer. The Detroit Red Wings are probably waiting to talk to one or more of the Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coaches.
The expectation is that most teams looking for a new coach will name someone right after the Stanley Cup Final is completed.
Here is this week's Notebook: 2. When Colorado’s Andre Burakovsky scored 1:23 into overtime Wednesday, it was the quickest Stanley Cup Final overtime ending in 11 years. It was the 11th fastest overtime ending in NHL Stanley Cup history. The record is a nine-second OT ending by the Canadiens in 1986. 3. Tampa Bay’s Corey Perry could lose his third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, but he’d still be one short of the NHL record. Jimmy Roberts and Jean-Guy Talbot were teammates on four consecutive Stanley Cup Final losing teams. They were on the 1967 Montreal Canadiens and then on the expansion St. Louis Blues from 1968-70. 4. By the way, Talbot shares the NHL record of being a member of five consecutive Stanley Cup trophy-winning teams. He was on the Champion Habs teams from 1956 to 1960. 5. If you are discussing Stanley Cup records, the odds are good that you will be mentioning the Canadiens. That’s impressive given that they haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1993. 6. According to a tweet by Predators broadcaster Willy Daunic, Preds coach John Hynes said he is “optimistic… and “pretty confident… that Filip Forsberg will re-sign. But he still has to plan for other outcomes. 7. Happy Birthday, Derek Sanderson. The flamboyant center is remembered as much for his off-the-ice escapades as his hard-nosed style of play. He enjoyed the night life. Sanderson was a partner with New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath and New England Patriots receiver Jim Colclough in a New York nightclub called Bachelors III. Sanderson was a colorful character in his prime. But make no mistake: he was also a quality player. He was a seven-time 20-goal scorer with a reputation for winning big faceoffs and superb penalty killing. He helped the Boston Bruins win two Stanley Cup championships. He is a beloved former Bruin, although he played for four other NHL teams and one WHA team. He turns 76 today. 8. One of Tampa Bay’s potential unrestricted free agents is Ondrej Palat. He boasts one 20-goal season during his 10-season NHL career. But he is a proven and productive postseason performer. In the Lightning’s last three playoff runs, Palat has 25 goals and 48 points. The Lightning are already over next season's salary cap, but I would guess they will figure out a way to keep Palat.
9. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has played 99 NHL playoff games and Wednesday's Game 1 marked the first time any team scored three goals in the first period against him in a postseason contest.
10. Nikita Kucherov only needs four points to have 21 career points in the Stanley Cup Final games. He would become the NHL's active leader in that category. Sidney Crosby is the current leader with 20 points.
11. Anaheim goalie John Gibson told the Athletic he hasn't asked for a trade. But if the Ducks do trade him, it is going to dramatically alter the goalie market. For example, what would the Maple Leafs be willing to give up to land Gibson? Would guess William Nylander would be discussed. It would also be logical for the Minnesota Wild to make a call. Gibson has five seasons left with a $6.4 million salary cap hit.
12. Speaking of goalies, look for the Red Wings to sign another veteran goalie. Thomas Greiss and Calvin Pickard are both UFAs. Presuming they will move elsewhere, the Red Wings need to replace both players. They have already signed World Championships MVP Jussi Olkinuora to a two-way deal with a $375,000 salary if he plays in the minors. The Red Wings will also likely add another veteran.
13. Saturday is the 30th anniversary of the Tampa Bay Lightning's and Ottawa Senators' expansion draft. That draft was marked by the Senators twice trying to draft a player who was ineligible.
14. The final tally on the playoff gauntlet the Lightning faced this season: four opponents opponents who each recorded 52 or more wins and totaled 110 or more points. Toronto had 115 points. Florida was at 122. The New York Rangers were at 110 and the Colorado Avalanche have 119 points.
15. Are we headed toward the Edmonton Oilers ending up with Jack Campbell as their goalie this offseason?
16. John Tortorella is a good fit for the Flyers. One of his strengths is ans ability to make teams more competitive by demanding accountability. Either you make yourself hard-to-play-against or you don't play. The Flyers need that approach. But they also need more goals. The Flyers ranked second-to-last in scoring last season at 2.56 goals per game. Tortorella will improve this team's overall defensive play, but it is on GM Chuck Fletcher to add some scorers.
17. Wednesday's OT Stanley Cup Final hero Andre Burakovsky is also one of the under-the-radar value players in this summer's UFA pool. He's 6-3 and finished the season with 22 goals and 61 points. Burakovsky is also 27.
18. Forty-five years ago, on June 16, 1977, the late Bobby Kromm was named coach of the Detroit Red Wings. The next season he got the Red Wings into the playoffs for the first time since 1970. He won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year. He was fired during the following season. It's a tough business.
19. The New York Rangers are indeed planning to play Vitaly Kravtsov, not trade him. He played well in his brief stay in the KHL. He had 13 points in 19 games, plus 10 points in 15 playoff games. He's 22.
20. As soon the as the Edmonton Oilers were eliminated, defenseman Tyson Barrie's name started to circulate as a possible trade option. The Oilers need to clear up salary cap space to re-sign Evander Kane and pursue a goalie. Barrie has two seasons left with a $4.5 million cap hit. Expect to hear Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba's name in the marketplace as well.
21. How can the NHL have record revenue and the cap is only increase $1 million? Asking for a friend, actually for several friends.
22. Twenty-four years ago today Steve Yzerman won the Conn Smythe Trophy for leading the Detroit Red Wings to their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Yzerman, 57, is GM of the Red Wings. His best player, defenseman Moritz Seider, wasn't born yet when Yzerman won the Conn Smythe.
23. Claude Giroux's best option for next season is returning to the Florida Panthers. It will be entertaining to see if GM Bill Zito can make that happen.
24. One of the presenters at the 2022 NHL Awards Show will be Seattle Kraken fan Nadia Popovici. She gained notoriety after spotting a cancerous mole on the neck of Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Red Hamilton. Popovici and Hamilton will reunite during the broadcast.
25. Thirty-seven years ago, on June 16, 1985, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Wendel Clark with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft. The draft was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. It was the first time the NHL draft was held outside Montreal. Today, Clark is 55.