For the second time in three years, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney needs to hire another head coach. In the summer of 2022, he made the late decision to fire Bruce Cassidy. He hired Jim Montgomery next after leading them to an NHL record for wins and points in a season in 2023-24, but they were upset in the opening round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers.
Last season, they made the playoffs and took out the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round in seven games before being dispatched by the Panthers in the second round in six games. In November, Sweeney fired Montgomery, making it two Jack Adams Award winners he has fired as his last two head coaches. Not a great look.
Joe Sacco was named interim head coach after Montgomery’s firing, and he was put in a bad spot with a roster that had flaws and just wasn’t good enough. That forced Sweeney to be a seller at the trade deadline, moving several pieces.
Finding the next head coach is a priority for Sweeney long before the NHL Draft and free agency begins so they have a voice on what the roster will look like. With that said, here are three options for the front office to consider and two to stay away from.
Three coaches to consider for Bruins job
David Carle
Since taking over at the University of Denver, David Carle has turned the Pioneers into an NCAA powerhouse. They had won the the two previous NCAA titles before falling short this season in the semifinals with an overtime loss to Western Michigan. He has a lot of success at the World Junior Championship (WJC) level and will be a hitly sought-after coach.
Now, there is no guarantee that he even would entertain the jump to the NHL as he has it going very well at Denver, but you can bet a number of teams are going to try and pry him away from the college game. If he entertains the thought of leaving, Sweeney should make a push.
John Tortorella
I know that is less than ideal and highly unlikely, but think of the daily press conferences after both wins and losses? Oh, how great those would be. The problem with John Tortorella is that his tenure has a shelf life that doesn’t always last long. He was fired this season by the Philadelphia Flyers after reportedly clashing with some players.
Tortorella is tough on his players, and we saw how that worked with Cassidy, although the case could be made that some of the players who had an issue with that are no longer in the organization. Tough love is what this needs going forward, and Tortorella would certainly provide that.
Greg Cronin
Three years ago, when the Bruins hired Montgomery, one coach who was in the running for the job was Greg Cronin. He was hired to coach the Anaheim Ducks, and he was relieved of his duties a couple of days ago and won't be back in Southern California.
You would have to think that Sweeney will at least kick the tires again with Cronin was did not have a great roster to deal with in Anaheim. A Massachusetts native and former coach at Northeastern, Cronin will be sought-after this offseason in the coaching carousel and it wouldn't be surprising to see Sweeney talk to him again.
Two coaches to stay away from
Peter Laviolette
Another Massachusetts native like Cronin, Peter Laviolette, was fired this past weekend by the New York Rangers after leading them to the Eastern Conference Final last season and then missing the playoffs this season. The Rangers were talented enough to get into the postseason, but they just never jelled.
The problem with Laviolette is that every stop he has been to, he has had some success, but not too long after that, his shelf life isn't as long as other coaches. He will only get so much out of his talent and this feels like it wouldn't be a good match in Boston.
Jay Woodcroft
Things weren't going well early in the 2023-24 season for the Edmonton Oilers, and Jay Woodcroft took the fall for a talented roster underachieving. One of the reasons why he was let go was that he failed to correct players' bad habits. That would be reason enough not to bring him into Boston. He was not able to get a roster with star power over the top, but later that year, Kris Knoblauch got them to the Stanley Cup final before falling to the Panthers.