With four vacancies around the National Hockey League – Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and Washington Capitals – there could be a number of coaching hires over the next few weeks.
We know Randy Carlyle and Todd McLellan aren’t going to be available for these four teams, so here’s a list of coaching candidates who could be considered for the available jobs:
THE RETREADS
Barry Trotz: Before Peter Laviolette was hired earlier this week, Trotz was the lone head coach in the history of the Nashville Predators. In 1,196 regular-season games, Trotz posted a record of 557-479-60-100 while leading Nashville to the playoffs in seven of the last 10 seasons. Trotz built an elite defensive unit with Ryan Suter and Shea Weber headlining the blue line, but the team fell off in recent seasons after Suter left for Minnesota. In 2013-14, Nashville failed to quality for the post-season for the second year in a row, leading to Trotz being fired at the end of the season. In his time in Nashville, he only won two playoff rounds, posting a total post-season record of 19-31.
Kevin Dineen: Dineen is looking to bounce back after a tough stint with the Florida Panthers. He spent parts of three seasons in Florida, where he finished with a total record of 56-62-28. In his first year with the club, Dineen led Florida to a playoff appearance (falling to the New Jersey Devils in Round 1), but he was unable to match that success the following two seasons. After he was let go in 2013-14, Dineen led the Canadian women’s team to gold medal at the Sochi Olympics and coached the men’s under-18 team for Canada at the world championships in April. Before joining Florida, Dineen spent six years with the AHL’s Portland Pirates.
Kirk Muller: Before he was hired in Carolina, Muller was considered a rising star around the industry. The Hurricanes gave him his first NHL head-coaching gig, where he was with the club for parts of three seasons. In 187 games with the Canes, Muller had a record of 80-80-27 and did not make a playoff appearance. Once Ron Francis took over for longtime GM Jim Rutherford after the 2013-14 regular season, Muller was fired by Carolina and might need to spend a few more years as an assistant to rebuild his value.
Adam Oates: The Washington Capitals recently fired Oates after two full seasons with the club. In his first NHL coaching job, Oates posted a 65-48-17 record but was unable to lead the Caps to the playoffs in 2013-14. Owner Ted Leonsis was unhappy with the team’s direction and fired both Oates and longtime GM George McPhee. Before joining Washington, Oates spent two seasons as an assistant with the New Jersey Devils (who made Stanley Cup Final in 2011-12) and one season with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009-10.
John Tortorella: The one-time Jack Adams winner seems to has lost his way. Tortorella has been fired at the conclusion of each of the last two seasons and has become more known for his off-ice antics than his product on the ice. He spent seven seasons in Tampa Bay (239-222-36-38 record), where he won the 2004 Stanley Cup, but he was let go in the 2007-08 season. He took some time off before joining the New York Rangers. He spent parts of five seasons in New York before the team grew tired of his demanding coaching style and strong personality. Tortorella was let go after the 2012-13 season and was then hired by the Vancouver Canucks to replace Alain Vigneault. That didn’t quite work out, as the Canucks posted their lowest point total in six seasons and Tortorella was canned after his lone year with the club by new team president Trevor Linden.
Claude Noel: Noel won’t be the hottest candidate after a rather mediocre tenure with the Winnipeg Jets. There, Noel led the club for parts of three seasons (177 games) before he was replaced by Paul Maurice midway through the 2013-14 season. In his time in Winnipeg, Noel had a 80-79-18 record and failed to lead the Jets to a playoff appearance.
Ron Wilson: Wilson hadn’t been heard from for months before a recent report surfaced that Wilson wanted to return to coaching. He has not appeared behind an NHL bench since the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him late in the 2011-12 campaign. In Toronto, Wilson had a record of 130-135-45 but was replaced by Randy Carlyle during an ugly losing streak. Wilson has been coaching the NHL since the mid-1990s, posting a career record of 648-561-101-91 with the Anaheim Ducks, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and Leafs.
Guy Boucher: Boucher became a prominent coaching candidate during his successful run with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. His minor-league success led him to getting a NHL gig with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Boucher spent parts of three seasons in Tampa, where he led the Lightning to the Eastern Conference final in his first year with the club. He was never able to recapture that success, and the club struggled in his final two seasons. Lightning GM Steve Yzerman fired Boucher late in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and replaced him with current head coach Jon Cooper.
John Stevens: Stevens is one of the hottest assistant coaches around the NHL. He currently works on Darryl Sutter’s staff with the Los Angeles Kings but has some experience as an NHL coach. Before joining the Kings, Steve worked with the Philadelphia Flyers for parts of four seasons. He coached 263 games and had a regular-season record of 120-109-34 while going 11-12 in 23 playoff games.
UP AND COMERS
Jeff Blashill: It could be just a matter of time before Blashill lands an NHL job. Mike Babcock has made that clear in recent interviews, as the Grand Rapids Griffins bench boss is one of the most respected AHL coaches in the league. He’s done an excellent job developing Detroit’s prospects in Grand Rapids and helped lead the team to a Calder Cup last season.
THE LONG SHOTS
Mike Keenan: It has been a long time since Keenan led an NHL club (2008-09), but he could garner attention after winning a title in the KHL. It’s still a long shot, but Keenan is well respected in hockey circles for his extensive coaching career. Keenan has coached 1,386 career regular-season NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers (1984-88), Chicago Blackhawks (1988-92), New York Rangers (1993-94), St. Louis Blues (1994-97), Vancouver Canucks (1997-99), Boston Bruins (2000-01), Florida Panthers (2001-03) and Calgary Flames (2007-09). He won the 1994 Stanley Cup with the Rangers.
Marc Crawford: As the subtitle suggests, Crawford isn’t likely to land a heading coaching gig, but with his vast experience he could be in consideration. The 53-year-old Crawford hasn’t coached in the NHL since 2010-11, but he’s coached more than 1,150 games with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars. He won the Jack Adams in 1994-95 before winning a Stanley Cup with Colorado the following season. Crawford has a career record of 549-421-103-78 with a post-season mark of 43-40. After he was let go by Dallas, Crawford spent time coaching in Switzerland.
