People don't accept head coaching jobs in the NHL for tenure or stability.
The NHL currently has six coaching vacancies, with the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken. The hockey world is keeping an eye on places such as Vancouver and Pittsburgh for more potential openings.
"The shelf life of a head coach is significantly shorter than one of a general manager or a team president," Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs said. "It's the nature of the job. You can have players' attention for a select window of time, and then sometimes you lose it."
The salary cap and contract restrictions prevent teams from "firing the players" when they struggle. Obviously, general managers aren't going to fire themselves. So the coach pays for a team not meeting expectations or when it's time for a franchise to go in a new direction -- and they pay more frequently than their peers in other sports.
According to hockey data analyst Shayna Goldman, the average tenure of an NHL coach through this season's changes is 2.3 years. That's well shorter than in the MLB (4.3), NBA (4.1) and NFL (4.0).
Last season saw 11 coaching changes made in-season or after teams were eliminated from playoff contention.
Neil Glasberg, who represents coaches as president & CEO of PBI Sports & Entertainment, said this is yet another season of "voluminous change in an industry that is so based on performance" in the standings.
"It's hard for players to continually have to dissect or decipher messages from multiple head coaches in a short period of time," Glasberg said. "Every time they make a head coaching change, the players need to go back to the beginning. It's a reset, and I get that it's a new message. But the message can't change as often as it's changing."
There will be more resets in the coming weeks, but the field has never been more open for who might fill those vacancies. Yes, there will be the usual big-name retreads that always seem to find another bench to boss. But agent Ian Greengross of PowerPlay Management believes there are clear entryways for new talent in the coaching ranks.
"You really see kind of two paths," he said. "You see guys who spend some time in the AHL, mostly as head coaches, and then get their opportunity; and then in terms of new coaches, and you see guys who spend time as head coaches in juniors and then move up and make it to the NHL as well.
"I don't think there's as much bias now towards getting just someone who's already been there. Every coach in the NHL at one point was a first-time head coach."
Here's a look at head coaching options this offseason from inside and outside the NHL, from the new stars to the veteran options to the real outside-the-box choices.
The big bosses
Rick Tocchet, Vancouver Canucks
Jay Woodcroft
Tocchet, 61, won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year last season before overseeing a soap-operatic 2024-25 for the Canucks that ended with them missing the playoffs.
Throughout the season, there was speculation that Tocchet would opt not to return to Vancouver. Canucks president Jim Rutherford acknowledged that his coach "may have his mind somewhere else" in announcing that the team wouldn't use its team option to prevent him from leaving. Negotiations between the coach and team are ongoing but should be resolved in the near term.
An NHL source said Tocchet could be seeking as much as $5 million annually over a five-year term on his next contract.
"It's not 100% locked that he's leaving Vancouver," another NHL source said. "This is a confusing one because there's a strong push to keep him. But I've also heard that in a week he'll be with the Flyers."
Indeed, most of the sources we spoke with expected that Philadelphia would be Tocchet's next stop if he and the Canucks part ways. He played in Philly for 11 seasons, bookending his career with stints with the organization. Tocchet was a candidate for the job in 2022 before the Flyers opted for John Tortorella.
"I don't see how he doesn't end up back in Philly, barring something unforeseen," another NHL source said.
"He loves Philly," another source said. "But he's going to have to be able to sign off on their plan and their timeline."
Is signing Tocchet one ex-Flyer too many in Philadelphia? President Keith Jones, GM Daniel Briere, and special advisers John LeClair and Patrick Sharp all played in Philly.
"How many former Flyers do you need around the organization? And at what point do you go, 'This is now looking like an alumni group that's running this team,'" one source pondered.
But there are other opportunities for Tocchet. If we're talking about personal connections as a pathway to Tocchet's next job, what about the Kraken, who curiously fired head coach Dan Bylsma after just one season.
Newly promoted GM Jason Botterill worked with the coach when Tocchet was on the Pittsburgh bench 2014-17 and won two Stanley Cups. He was a teammate of team president Ron Francis with the Penguins in the 1990s, winning a Stanley Cup together. His son, Trevor, also lives in Seattle. Keep in mind that Tocchet interviewed with Seattle when the expansion Kraken were looking for their first coach.
The Rangers seem like an ideal fit if Tocchet wants a roster that's a bit closer to championship contention. The team interviewed Tocchet four years ago before hiring Gerard Gallant. Like in Vancouver, he'd have a defenseman and a goalie as his foundation, in Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox and Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. And because the Hockey Gods have a sense of humor, he'd also be reunited with forward J.T. Miller, whom Vancouver traded away to end the locker room drama between Miller and star center Elias Pettersson that subverted Tocchet's team this season.
The other former head coach getting a lot of attention is Woodcroft, 48, who was fired 13 games into the season by the Edmonton Oilers in 2023-24. (And then watched them come within one win of the Stanley Cup under his replacement.) "Woody" had a .643 winning percentage in 133 games with the Oilers, having the advantage of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and the drawback of mostly everything else with those teams.
Woodcroft was a finalist for openings with the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets last offseason. In the past year, he has traveled extensively to hone his coaching skills, from Flyers training camp to visiting teams in Europe. He's an intelligent, well-spoken coach who has a successful track record. Many expect he'll land one of these open jobs.
The great unknowns
Joel Quenneville
Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
Either of these multiple Stanley Cup-winning coaches could dramatically shift the landscape this offseason.
Sullivan is under contract with the Penguins through 2026-27. Despite the team having missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, Sullivan has been consistent in saying he's not looking to leave. "My intentions are to be the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins," he said April 18.
GM Kyle Dubas said the expectation is that Sullivan will be the Penguins' coach next season. "I think he was very clear with his intentions last week and what he's expressed in our conversations," he said.
Many sources assume that it's Sullivan's call when to leave Pittsburgh. Ownership group Fenway Sports remains a fan, having rewarded the coach with his current extension.
"I just don't think that he's going to get fired," an NHL source said. "I think it's up to Sully to walk away, maybe after sitting down with Kyle and hearing what the plans are. Sully can change his mind."
If Sullivan were to become available, the Rangers would pounce on him.
Whether they would be in the Joel Quenneville business remains a mystery.
Quenneville, 66, is second in career wins for NHL coaches (969) and won the Stanley Cup three times. He's been out of the NHL since October 2021, when he resigned as Florida Panthers coach. His resignation came after an independent investigation into how Chicago handled a sexual assault allegation in 2010 that implicated Quenneville and other then-Blackhawks leaders for their inaction in the case.
The NHL never formally suspended Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman, director of hockey administration Al MacIsaac and Quenneville but said they were "ineligible to work for any NHL team." The trio was reinstated last June to seek employment in the league, ahead of Bowman becoming general manager of the Oilers.
"While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership," the league said in a statement.
At the time of Quenneville's reinstatement, only one team was seeking a coach: the Blue Jackets. Now there are plenty of options for his potential return.
"Quenneville should be back next season," one NHL source said.
One NHL executive linked Quenneville to the opening with the Bruins.
Quenneville's name was linked with the Rangers two years ago before they hired Peter Laviolette, and when his eligibility to coach again was in question. Although he's now cleared to coach, the timing might not be right. As Rangers beat writer Arthur Staple of The Athletic noted, that publication's story about star winger Artemi Panarin and MSG settling a sexual assault allegation last summer might further complicate an already complicated situation if New York wanted to hire Quenneville, given his past.
"It's going to take a team that can afford to take the heat and be like, 'He's done his time, but he's the right guy for this team," another NHL source said.
Not everyone believes the door is that open for Quenneville. "It's way too much of a PR nightmare for any team. They're going to spend the whole year defending him on something that he created," opined one NHL source who didn't believe Quenneville would be hired this summer.
The collegiate valedictorian
David Carle, University of Denver
Carle, 35, has been head coach at the University of Denver for the past seven seasons, winning two NCAA national championships and reaching the Frozen Four in two other seasons.
It's hard to remember another college hockey coach who was coveted by NHL teams to the extent Carle is. He is young, bright, successful and seen as an absolute rising star in the coaching ranks thanks to his NCAA championships and back-to-back golds at the IIHF world junior championships.
Carle had a brief exploratory call with the Devils last summer but hasn't been in a formal interview process with an NHL team yet.
"At the end of the day, I think he's waiting for the perfect moment and he's perfectly content at Denver," an NHL source said. "He's only 35. He's in no hurry to just jump. He has lifetime status [at Denver]."
But many believe the moment is now for Carle, given potential suitors such as the Blackhawks and the Rangers.
"If he's going to leave, it's going to be for something big," said one source, pointing to the prestige of the job and the compensation. Multiple sources believe Carle could ask for a contract term as long as five seasons to make the jump to the NHL.
"Carle doesn't want to be on the NHL coaching treadmill, where he's getting fired and rehired every three seasons. He's looking for stability because he has that now," an NHL source noted.
Chicago has been most prominently linked to Carle in this hiring cycle. A source said GM Kyle Davidson has worked on establishing a relationship and comfort with Carle in recent years, visiting with the coach on multiple occasions.
Obviously, Carle is a young coach who could grow with the rebuilding team. But he'd also potentially extend Davidson's managerial tenure with the franchise. Davidson was promoted to GM in March 2022. The pressure is on, internally and externally, to have the Blackhawks start being contenders again. If Davidson is the guy who gets Carle on a long-term deal, that probably means more job security for him as Carle attempts to turn Chicago into one.
Carle has indicated, according to one source, that he's not looking to take over a team that's in the declining stages of a rebuild. The Blackhawks played better than expected in the last 15 games of the season. The Ducks were flirting with a wild-card berth and had a 21-point improvement year over year. Is that enough in either case?
Anaheim has a deeper collection of talent on the NHL roster than Chicago at the moment. The Ducks have strong ownership and upper management, boast great facilities and would be much less of a pressure cooker than Chicago. Don't count them out for Carle.
But in the end, the leader for Carle's services in 2025-26 might be his current place of employment.
"All they have to do is turn on the lights at Denver and the best players show up," an NHL source quipped.
The fresh firings
Drew Bannister
Dan Bylsma
Greg Cronin
Derek Lalonde
Peter Laviolette
Luke Richardson
John Tortorella
As usual, a "surprise" firing becomes less surprising when information comes out about its motivations. Multiple sources indicated they had heard things weren't great between Bylsma and Kraken management during a struggling season for the team. There were personality conflicts and a general displeasure with the style and structure of the team on the ice from then-GM Francis, now the team's president. So Bylsma was one-and-done after earning his way back to the NHL through AHL success.
They don't get more well-traveled than Laviolette and Tortorella. Laviolette, 60, will be seeking his seventh NHL head coaching job after the Rangers fired him last week. To put his work history into perspective: He has coached 1,594 regular-season games and has managed to coach five of the eight teams in the Metro Division since 2001. He led the Rangers to the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24.
Tortorella will be seeking his sixth head coaching job, having been fired by the Flyers. He has gone four straight seasons without a playoff appearance, but he managed to get a deeply flawed Philadelphia team to a .530 points percentage in 2023-24. There are no surprises with the 66-year-old coach. Hire Torts and you'll get gritty efforts and a defense-first philosophy ... along with some "tough love" for young offensive talents that doesn't always land well.
The well-traveled
Guy Boucher, Omsk (KHL)
Bruce Boudreau
Dallas Eakins, Adler Mannheim (German Deutsche Eishockey Liga)
Gerard Gallant
Dave Hakstol
Claude Julien, St. Louis Blues
David Quinn, Pittsburgh Penguins
Todd Richards, Minnesota Wild
John Stevens, Vegas Golden Knights
Mike Yeo, Ottawa Senators
Some of these coaches are current assistant coaches in the NHL. The most prominent name is probably Julien, who came on board as a mentor to a young coaching staff in St. Louis last summer and then stuck around when Jim Montgomery was hired earlier this season. He was a Jack Adams and Stanley Cup winner for the Bruins, but he hasn't been a head coach since parting ways with Montreal in 2020. He said last year that he'd be open to another run as a head coach.
One name to watch in his hiring cycle is Gallant, 61, the Jack Adams-winning coach who was fired by the Rangers in 2023. He's seeking his fifth head coaching stint in the NHL and has earned his reputation as a "players' coach."
Looking for a second chance
Jeff Blashill, Tampa Bay Lightning
Jack Capuano, Ottawa Senators
Jeremy Colliton, New Jersey Devils
Kevin Dineen
Dominique Ducharme, Vegas Golden Knights
Don Granato
Phil Housley
Lane Lambert, Toronto Maple Leafs
Kirk Muller, Washington Capitals
Davis Payne, Winnipeg Jets
Todd Reirden, Pittsburgh Penguins
D.J. Smith, Los Angeles Kings
Geoff Ward, Lausanne Hockey Club (Swiss Hockey League)
Trent Yawney, Detroit Red Wings
Lambert, Muller and Reirden are among the high-profile assistant coaches who failed to find success in their first head coaching stints. Lambert, who earned respect as Barry Trotz's right-hand man, lasted 127 games over two seasons with the Islanders but has been great as associate coach to Craig Berube. Muller went from star assistant with the Canadiens to head coach in Carolina (2011-14), missing the playoffs in three seasons. Reirden is considered one of the league's top coaches of defensemen, but was out in Washington after failing to advance past the first round of the playoffs following their Stanley Cup win.
Blashill is an ideal second-stint candidate. He took over for Mike Babcock in Detroit at 42 years old, made the playoffs in 2015-16 and then didn't qualify again for the next six seasons as Detroit slipped into a rebuild post-Lidstrom/Datsyuk/Zetterberg. Blashill has served as an assistant in Tampa Bay since then, learning under Jon Cooper. A few sources told us Anaheim would seem a likely fit, given its needs and the fact he worked under GM Pat Verbeek when both were in Detroit.
One to watch: Granato, 57, a popular coach who was behind the bench for the Buffalo Sabres for parts of four seasons. He guided them to their best points percentage (.555) of their 14-season playoff drought. He could do for another kick at the can.
Notable assistants seeking a first chance
Jessica Campbell, Seattle Kraken
Blaine Forsythe, Utah Hockey Club
Jeff Halpern, Tampa Bay Lightning
Jay Leach, Boston Bruins
Mitch Love, Washington Capitals
John Madden, Utah Hockey Club
Dan Muse, New York Rangers
Steve Ott, St. Louis Blues
Michael Peca, New York Rangers
Marc Savard, Toronto Maple Leafs
Chris Taylor, New Jersey Devils
Mike Van Ryn, Toronto Maple Leafs
Mike Vellucci, Pittsburgh Penguins
Joel Ward, Vegas Golden Knights
Campbell, the first woman ever behind an NHL bench, signed a two-year deal with the Kraken when Bylsma, whom she coached with at AHL Coachella, was elevated to the NHL bench. Some eyebrows were raised around the league when reports singled out Campbell as having been retained after Bylsma's firing. But all three of the Krakens' assistants -- Campbell, Bob Woods and Dave Lowry -- were retained.
New GM Jason Botterill said at his introductory news conference that "Jess Campbell will certainly be back with our group," praising her work with young players. But multiple sources believe Campbell could be transitioned to a different role under a new head coach rather than returning as a bench coach -- perhaps as an "eye in the sky" coach during games.
Leach was passed over in favor of Joe Sacco for the Bruins' interim job, but the expectation is that the longtime assistant will get an interview for the opening.
Vellucci, who has been an assistant under Sullivan in Pittsburgh for five seasons and won the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019, got a boost recently when he was named to Ryan Warsofsky's Team USA staff for the IIHF world championships. Vellucci was a candidate for the Ducks' job before Cronin was hired.
Finally, are NHL teams in the mood for Love? The Capitals assistant coach has been a head coach with the WHL Saskatoon Blades (quite successfully) and with Calgary's AHL team. He joined Spencer Carbery and the Capitals in 2023, focusing on their defense. He has interviewed with the Flames and Sharks for coaching jobs in the past. Does Carbery's success give Love a bump by proxy?
AHL coaches
Cam Abbott, Chicago Wolves
John Gruden, Toronto Marlies
Ian Laperriere, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Manny Malhotra, Abbotsford Canucks
Matt McIlvane, San Diego Gulls
Todd Nelson, Hershey Bears
Marco Sturm, Ontario Reign
Karl Taylor, Milwaukee Admirals
Pascal Vincent, Laval Rocket
Two names to really watch here: Nelson and Sturm.
Nelson coached 51 games for the Oilers in 2014-15 as a midseason replacement but hasn't gotten back behind an NHL bench. His accomplishments since then might warrant another opportunity: three Calder Cup championships in his past four AHL seasons, with the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Hershey Bears. Nelson's Bears, the Capitals' affiliate, are seeking a third straight Cup win after finishing second in the regular season. Will teams wait for him?
Sturm 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. He didn't get the Kings job or the Sharks job last summer. Could Anaheim be a possibility, or will the Ducks complete the California hat trick?
Vincent was named AHL coach of the year with Laval in what was a redemption arc for the talented coach. He lasted only one season as Blue Jackets head coach, stepping in quickly after Babcock's resignation and then not coming back under a new management team.
Finally, it might be a little early for Malhotra, who was an assistant for Toronto and Vancouver but is in his first season as a head coach in the AHL. However, he was outstanding with Abbotsford this season. If Tocchet leaves, it's not out of the question Malhotra would rise.
Shatter the mold
Kori Cheverie, Montreal Victoire (PWHL)
Julie Chu/Caroline Ouellette, Concordia University
Pat Ferschweiler, Western Michigan
Rikard Grönborg, Tappara (SM-liiga)
Olli Jokinen, Timrå IK (SHL)
Joel Martin, Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL)
Jay Pandolfo, Boston University
Jason Payne, formerly Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)
Ferschweiler's Western Michigan team defeated Pandolfo's Boston University team in the NCAA men's Division I hockey championship game, and both coaches could get a look. Ferschweiler was an assistant coach for four seasons with the Red Wings. Pandolfo spent five seasons as an assistant with the Bruins.
Cheverie, 37, was the first woman behind the bench in Canadian men's college hockey, with Ryerson in 2016. She coached the Victoire to first place in the PWHL in her second season with the pro team.
Martin and Payne were trailblazers in the ECHL. Their game against each other in 2024 was the first time in the history of the ECHL -- and believed to be the first time in North American men's pro hockey -- that two Black coaches opposed each other, according to NHL.com. Martin is in his third season with Kalamazoo, while Payne was recently let go by the Cyclones.
While Grönborg has been on the international coaching radar for some time, Jokinen is now on it too. How could he not be after his locker speech featuring 40 expletives went viral?
Finally, 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, a squad that has won multiple championships. A package deal like this would very much shatter the mold. (Now, can we finally get the Hockey Hall of Fame to elect Chu to join Ouellette in immortality?)