2025 NHL Coach Carousel: Breaking down the top names available

May 1, 2025, 12:16 EDT

Credit: Jan 18, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote on the bench against the Edmonton Oilers in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

We’ve never seen a coaching carousel quite like this one. The NHL seemingly just changed out a third of its head coaches, yet here we go again. The average tenure of an NHL head coach is an impossibly low 2.3 years – and Peter Laviolette, Dan Bylsma and Drew Bannister all hit the under this season.

So, who’s up next? We’ve got 24 candidates listed below for openings, which seems like an outlandish number, except we’re already at eight confirmed vacancies (Anaheim, Boston, Chicago, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Vancouver) and there is the potential for more depending on what happens in Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Long Island.

Let’s break them down into tiers:

The Shot Callers

Both of these men will be out of work as long as they decide, with multiple teams and terms of employment offered, and they’ll control the pace of the market:

MIKE SULLIVAN
Even the Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to see Sullivan snapped up in short order, potentially even before the end of this week, with the New York Rangers being clear front-runner. The two-time Stanley Cup champion worked in New York under John Tortorella and again with Rangers GM Chris Drury at the recent 4 Nations Face-Off and there is no doubt an affinity there. There is also the gravitational pull of Broadway (even for a Bostonian), where the Rangers are a big-spending Original Six icon – and they also happen to be a prime bounceback candidate as last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winner. If that doesn’t work out, there’s always the Boston Bruins, right?

RICK TOCCHET
The Philadelphia Flyers are likely to ask for permission to speak to the pending free agent after he turned down a long-term extension in Vancouver. The reigning Jack Adams Award winner is a Flyers Hall of Famer and has deep ties to both the city and president of hockey operations Keith Jones. Does that make Tocchet a slam dunk in Philly? Not so fast. One of the key reasons for his departure from Vancouver is vision, plan, freedom to effect change and potential to win. He’ll be granted some of those, but the Flyers are still years and many pieces away. Will one of the other openings check more of those boxes?

Next Up

With their track records, resumes and reputations, these coaches have earned multiple opportunities for a reason:

DAVE HAKSTOL
That run in Seattle looks pretty good in retrospect, doesn’t it? Hakstol, 56, helped the Kraken to a 46-win, 100-point season in 2022-23, their second year of existence. They won their first playoff round in franchise history and took the Dallas Stars to Game 7 in Round 2. Hakstol likely had an opportunity to return to North Dakota as head coach of one of the top NCAA programs, but his focus has been squarely on a return to the NHL. He has presence, experience and an intensity that his players love.

PETER LAVIOLETTE
Laviolette has something very few can claim: He’s been a head coach in at least part of every NHL campaign for 23 consecutive seasons. That’s a jaw-dropping stat. The question is: Will the streak continue? There’s a few things different now. His run in New York was tied for the shortest tenure of his career. He’s 60 now. He’s made a pile of money. He could easily sit on his deck in New Hampshire and enjoy life as the winningest American-born coach of all-time. That isn’t really in his DNA, though. He’s a coach. So where will it be? A return home to Boston, where he’s from and started his NHL coaching career as a Bruins assistant, would bring a long career full circle.

JOEL QUENNEVILLE
Quenneville has already completed his interview for the Anaheim Ducks’ opening. He was teammates with Ducks GM Pat Verbeek during the 1989-90 season in Hartford. There are definitely question marks surrounding Quenneville’s hiring for his role in the Brad Aldrich sexual assault scandal. It will take a strong-willed manager who can bear the brunt of the PR hit that will be attached to the decision. What is unquestioned is Quenneville’s coaching acumen, his resume, and his hunger to get back behind the bench.

JOHN TORTORELLA
Well, that ended spectacularly in Philadelphia. Maybe that’s how a Tortorella exit should be, with fireworks and alleged verbal altercations, and all the passion that has defined his Hall of Fame-worthy career. How bright that pilot light still burns is an interesting question – particularly given the notion that he’s more keen on a front office role than being behind the bench. The next stop would be his sixth in the NHL, and if structure and attention to detail is what your team needs, Torts is your guy.

JAY WOODCROFT
It will be a real shock if Woodcroft doesn’t get another crack during this coaching cycle. He makes the cut in this tier of coaches simply because of his record. If you lop off the 3-9-1 start that got him canned in Edmonton, his .683 points percentage is the third-highest in NHL history of any coach with at least one full year at the helm. He’s won at least one round in both of his playoff appearances and he did it in a red-hot Canadian market. And at 48, Woodcroft is the youngest guy in this tier, someone who can connect with and relate to the younger generation of today’s players.

Looking for a Rebound

Their maiden has been broken, they’ve had at least one crack at the job, but they’re looking for a second chance – the same one that was afforded to Bruce Cassidy, Sullivan and Paul Maurice after lengthy absences:

JEFF BLASHILL
Blashill is the answer to a trivia question: Who is the last coach to lead the Detroit Red Wings to the playoffs? That was in 2015-16, which is amazing because the Wings still played in Joe Louis Arena then. They missed in each of the next six springs under Blashill, ending his tenure at seven years with a 204-261-72 record in Detroit. Blashill, 51, has spent the last three seasons in Tampa Bay under Jon Cooper as an assistant – and it would be fascinating to see how much ‘Coop’ Magic has rubbed off on him.

DOMINIQUE DUCHARME
It’s remarkable how short Ducharme’s tenure was in Montreal: 83 games. He only led the Canadiens on a surprise run to … the Stanley Cup Final. The Canadiens lost Hall of Famers Carey Price and Shea Weber after that run to the Final, never to play again. His boss, Marc Bergevin, was fired five months later and Ducharme didn’t have the support to survive a last place team under a totally new regime. Ducharme, 52, has been an assistant with the Vegas Golden Knights for the past two seasons.

DALLAS EAKINS
Ever wonder what a coach might be able to do if given a competent roster? That’s the curiosity with Eakins. He inherited the Edmonton Oilers amid their decade of darkness. Then was handed the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks, where the purpose was to not win. So, judge him at his ugly record with a .410 winning percentage if you want. But in two AHL head coaching stints, his teams have won rounds in the playoffs every time they qualified, including losing in the Calder Cup Final. Eakins, 58, is current GM and head coach of Adler Mannheim in Germany.

GERARD GALLANT
Gallant has been mostly out of sight, but not out of mind since being fired by the Rangers in 2023. The Blueshirts went to the Conference Final in his first year and enjoyed back-to-back, 100-point seasons before he was fired by GM Chris Drury. Gallant, now 61, is known as a player-friendly coach and his teams have had success – leading the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season.

DEREK LALONDE
Lalonde spent the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs moonlighting on Sportsnet as a television analyst, a role he also enjoyed last year while still employed with the Red Wings, when they didn’t make the playoffs. The next guy, Todd McLellan, wasn’t able to get them over the hump this year, either – which speaks to the flaws in their roster construction. Some see Lalonde, just 52, as more of an assistant coach than a head guy, but he’s incredibly engaging, sharp and personable – and he has more stops on his hockey map than a Greyhound route map.

TODD REIRDEN
Here’s a name that hasn’t popped up on many lists but should. How many coaches go 2-for-2 on playoff appearances in their only two seasons and end up getting gonged? That was Reirden in Washington, where Reirden had a very strong 89-46-16 record (.642) and finished in the top five in goals both years. If that isn’t bad enough, he was scapegoated by Kyle Dubas last spring in Pittsburgh as the assistant that Mike Sullivan must remove – when Reirden obviously isn’t the problem for a roster that hasn’t won a series since 2018. Reirden didn’t coach in the league this season but any team could do so much worse than giving him a second chance.

PASCAL VINCENT
Has anyone had their stock fall and rise as much as Vincent in one year’s time? Last year, Vincent was fired in Columbus after just one year on the job – his only full NHL season as head coach – and it seemed justified. It was an abject disaster of a season. Young guys appeared to be mismanaged. Their approach seemed off. And everyone was miserable. Vincent, 53, jumped right back in with AHL Laval as head coach in his hometown. He was recently named AHL Coach of the Year after a phenomenal season. There have been questions about whether Vincent can command a room, but he can obviously coach.

The New Blood

They’re ready to pounce on an opportunity, just looking for their big break:

PAT FERSCHWEILER
Fresh off leading Western Michigan to the school’s first NCAA national title, Ferschweiler reportedly interviewed for the Flyers’ opening. Ferschwiler, 55, isn’t a courtesy interview – not because of his relationship with Flyers president of hockey ops Keith Jones. He’s a legit candidate with NHL experience, including four seasons as an NHL assistant. The only complication is that like David Carle, Ferschweiler’s got a great thing going at Western Michigan. Likely a job as long as he wants it, a significant raise on the way, and a $515 million (!) arena being built on campus by a deep-pocketed benefactor that no doubt wants to see him stay in Kalamazoo.

ADAM FOOTE
When you heard Quinn Hughes rave about Rick Tocchet in Vancouver, a big part of that was the coaching staff that Tocchet assembled around him, including Foote. Sources indicate that Foote – also a free agent – has already received expressions of interest in head coaching positions and is very likely to interview for multiple openings. He appears poised to make the jump. Foote’s playing career as a decorated defenseman speaks for itself. If Foote somehow doesn’t land a job, expect him to reunite with Tocchet – where he lands – for at least another year.

JEFF HALPERN
Outside of Foote, perhaps no first-time prospective hire will receive as much attention as Halpern, who has trained under Jon Cooper for the last seven seasons as an assistant in Tampa Bay. In fact, if Tampa Bay and Cooper part ways, you’d have to think that Halpern will be a candidate for the Bolts’ opening. Halpern, 48, was a gritty and detailed player who carved out an impressive, 976-game NHL career as an undrafted player. He also holds a degree from Princeton.

IAN LAPERRIERE
Laperriere has spent the last 15 years since his fan-favorite playing career ended honing and refining his skillset, which includes time in both the player development department and experience on the bench. Laperriere, 51, was a Flyers assistant coach for nine seasons before transitioning to head man in AHL Lehigh Valley, where the Phantoms have qualified for the playoffs for each of the last three seasons. Two guarantees with Laperriere: He carries presence and personality. He has been through everything in the game and can literally relate to everyone.

MITCH LOVE
There is zero doubt that Spencer Carbery is one of the finest young coaches in the game, and with the Washington Capitals’ success, other teams are going to look to pluck his assistants. That means that Love will be, well, getting some love this time around during the coaching cycle. He may not be quite ready yet after two seasons under Carbery. Love, 40, was head coach for two AHL seasons in the Calgary organization, but they passed on him in their most recent search to go with Ryan Huska. That’s how he landed in Washington.

TODD NELSON
It’s borderline bizarre that Nelson hasn’t landed a full-time NHL head coaching gig given his nearly unparalleled success at the AHL level. Since a 51-game run as Oilers interim coach in 2015, Nelson has won three Calder Cups – including one in Grand Rapids and two more back-to-back last year in Hershey. Yes, the Bears stock their AHL roster a little bit differently, but he’s also won two UHL titles. Nelson, 55, has also spent seven years as an NHL assistant. Maybe this is the year?

MIKE VELLUCCI
Yet to run into anyone who has a bad thing to say about Vellucci, a hockey lifer who has done just about everything in the game. NHL player? Check. Championship head coach in NAHL, OHL and AHL? Check. NHL assistant coach? Yep, he’s been that for the last five seasons under Mike Sullivan. NHL assistant GM and director of player personnel? Yes. Vellucci is personable, direct and a fascinating guy. He’s always been the bridesmaid and never the bride.

Team-Specific Situations

MANNY MALHOTRA
Canucks president Jim Rutherford confirmed that Malhotra will be on their short list of candidates to replace Rick Tocchet. That makes sense on so many levels, particularly for a team that is likely in transition. The Canucks know Malhotra, a former Canuck, as he’s been both an assistant coach and now an AHL head coach in the organization. He is very detailed and sincere and his .639 record in AHL Abbotsford this season – when so many of his top-end players were plucked by the big club – speaks for itself.

BRAD SHAW
There aren’t many assistant coaches with more games on an NHL bench than Shaw, who has been at it consecutively as an assistant or associate coach since 2006. Shaw, 61, has twice been tapped as an interim coach (taking over for Steve Stirling on Long Island) and more recently John Tortorella in Philadelphia as he was fired with nine games to go. It wasn’t the Flyers’ fight or record that made the front office sit up straight, but the way that they suddenly began to produce goals under Shaw. He will get an interview for the big job, even if it seems unlikely he’ll get it.

ANDERS SORENSEN
You know whose chances of retaining the job rose significantly when David Carle turned down the Blackhawks? That’s right, Sorensen, the interim guy who finished out the year after Luke Richardson was canned. Sorenson’s record was poor and there were questions about whether he was an effective communicator. But he’s a great teacher (just ask the Nylander boys) and has a real passion for the intricacies of the game. For the Blackhawks, since they didn’t get their guy, there’s definitely a little bit of ‘devil-you-know’ here if they decide to keep Sorensen.

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