The Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets and Philadelphia Flyers are all looking for a head coach. The Vegas Golden Knights are expected to talk to Pete DeBoer about his future sometime this week.
Even if DeBoer stays in Vegas, we may not be done with coach firings.
Teams looking for new coaches have plenty of options, including big names, fresh faces and guys with championship rings. It’s challenging to draw up a list of the top candidates because it takes one general manager to give any of them a job.
For example, some people around the NHL say Mike Babcock’s time has passed as an NHL general manager. But others say they wouldn’t rule out Babcock ending up behind a bench. All Babcock needs is just one guy to give him another team.
But here is my list of most viable candidates, given the teams looking for coaches and the teams that might be looking for coaches.
John Tortorella: His aggressive personality will scare off some teams. But the truth is plenty of players enjoy playing for Torts. They prefer his blunt honesty to coaches who play mind games. Tortorella demands players be hard to play against. He’s all about accountability. If you look at his history, Tortorella gets a lot out of his players. He wants to coach again. He’s 63, but he’s an energetic 63. We’ve heard his name mentioned as a possibility in Philadelphia and Detroit.
Rick Tocchet: Doesn’t he seem like a logical choice for the Flyers? He was popular with Philadelphia fans when he played in the city. It’s difficult to understand why he hasn’t landed another job. He did a good job keeping the Coyotes competitive.
Lane Lambert: Barry Trotz’s right-hand man with the New York Islanders could be a very viable candidate in Detroit. GM Steve Yzerman came up to the Red Wings as a player with Lambert. I've heard Winnipeg also mentioned for Lambert
Paul Maurice: Some say he’s not ready to return to coaching, but don’t you think he would return the call if the Red Wings or Flyers called? He might be particularly interested in Detroit because his wife is from Amherstburg, Ontario. across the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit.
Derek Lalonde: The Tampa Bay assistant coach seems to have a strong reputation. Yzerman hired him in Tampa. His name has been mentioned in Detroit.
Benoit Groulx: He’s been head coach of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch and his name has been circulating for a couple of years. He has interviewed for other NHL jobs.
Pascal Vincent: Associate coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets has been mentioned as a possible candidate in Winnipeg. He has paid his dues. Has a collection of people who sing his praises.
Dave Tippett: Good man, quality coach. Although it didn’t work out for him in Edmonton, he still looks like a safe choice to some hockey people.
Claude Julien: Maybe not right for the rebuilding Red Wings, but could help the Jets get over the hump. What we know about Julien is that he will make the team better defensively.