REPORT: Joel Quenneville Will Meet with Commissioner Gary Bettman About a Return to the NHL

A few weeks ago, reports came out that some teams could be interested in Joel Quenneville filling their vacant head coaching positions next season. But before Quenneville can make his return to the NHL, he’ll need to meet with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and get his approval to return. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Quenneville’s meeting with Bettman will take place after the Stanley Cup Final.

The Stanley Cup Final begins on June 3, and the NHL Draft takes place on June 28 & 29. If Quenneville is reinstated after the season, things would likely move quickly in terms of a team hiring him. It’s more likely than not a team would want to have their head coach in place prior to the draft.

Initial reports suggested that the Rangers would be a team interested in Joel Quenneville’s services. However, in recent weeks, those reports have been refuted and the Rangers coaching search has gone in another direction.

As a reminder, Quenneville resigned in October 2021 from his job as Florida Panthers head coach after the Blackhawks released their report on the Kyle Beach sexual assault case. After the report, Quenneville met with Gary Bettman and both parties agreed he would resign. Bettman also stated that in order to re-enter the league in the future, Quenneville would need his approval. It now appears the wheels are in motion for Quenneville to gain that approval with this meeting scheduled.

Whether or not teams will be interested in the 3x-Stanley Cup-winning coach is yet to be determined. While the Rangers appear to be uninterested in Joel Quenneville, there are several teams with openings. The Ducks, Flames, Capitals, and Blue Jackets are all looking for new head coaches. So while we don’t know now which, if any of those teams will be interested, we’ll likely find out in the near future.