Updating the NHL Coaching Carousel

The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t alone in their search for the next head coach, but the list of teams still in need is shrinking.

Here’s an updated list of coaching hires thus far in the NHL:

Florida Panthers — Paul Maurice

After resigning in the middle of his ninth season in Winnipeg this past December, Maurice is headed to south Florida to take on the roster that won the Presidents Trophy. He inherits big expectations.

Dallas Stars — Pete DeBoer

Dallas hired DeBoer after he was let go by the Golden Knights. He’s bounced around a fair amount in his NHL coaching career and gets a roster with a lot of big financial decisions coming this summer.

Philadelphia Flyers — John Tortorella

Torts in Philly feels like a fan dream come true. He leaves his studio job at ESPN to jump back behind the bench with a Flyers team that has more issues than Sports Illustrated.

Vegas Golden Knights — Bruce Cassidy

Cassidy was let go by the Boston Bruins and didn’t last long on the open market. Vegas was reportedly in on Barry Trotz, but jumped at the opportunity to get Cassidy quickly.

Edmonton Oilers — Jay Woodcroft*

Woodcroft was the interim coach to end this past season and guided the Oilers to the Western Conference Final. He signed a three-year deal to take the interim tag off.

New York Islanders — Lane Lambert

The Isles wanted a fresh voice in the room, so they fired Trotz and replaced him with… his long-time right-hand man. After back-to-back Eastern Conference Final appearances, the Islanders were awful this past season.

And here’s the list of teams still searching for a head coach:

  • Chicago Blackhawks
  • Boston Bruins
  • Detroit Red Wings
  • Winnipeg Jets
  • written by

    Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is the author of two books about the Blackhawks: "100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab

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