Bruins last team standing in coach search after Penguins make hire
The Boston Bruins now stand along as the final team to fill their coaching vacancy after the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they hired Dan Muse on Wednesday.
Boston has been busy conducting interviews and narrowing down its list, but still has yet to make a decision.
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While it's unclear who will be the next coach, a recent report from SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman indicated it won't be Joe Sacco — who took over for Jim Montgomery after the Bruins fired him in November.
'Joe Sacco was told he will not stay as the head coach of the Boston Bruins,' Friedman said on '32 Thoughts.'
The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa reported that Jay Leach is among the finalists for the position after his in-person interview at Warrior Ice Arena last week. Leach was an assistant coach for the Bruins last season and was in charge of defense. Before that, he spent three years with the Seattle Kraken after he was coach of the Providence Bruins for four seasons.
Ontario Reign coach and former Bruins forwardMarco Sturm and Washington Capitals assistant Mitch Loveare also finalists.The Fourth Period's David Pagnottaadded that former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft is also among those still in contention.
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General manager Don Sweeney told the Boston Herald's Steve Conroy that he expects to have a coach in place 'well before' the NHL Entry Draft, which begins on June 27.
While it's unclear when a decision will be made, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported he expects a decision to be made this week.
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New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Penguins' Kyle Dubas eyes trade market over free agency this offseason
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kyle Dubas entertained one draft prospect after another on Friday, speaking with the likes of Porter Martone, Kashawn Aitcheson and Jackson Smith in the restaurant at the NHL Draft Combine. The draft is June 27-28. A few days later, the unrestricted free agency signing period opens on July 1. Advertisement Dubas, who now has a head coach in Dan Muse, has something else on his mind. Trade season is fast approaching, too. Dubas spoke on Friday afternoon about the potential of being aggressive sooner rather than later. 'I would say that, probably with the UFA stuff (the July 1 signing period), we're probably not (going to be aggressive) unless there's someone young enough who maybe deserves a little bit more term,' he said. That doesn't mean Dubas is going to stand pat. Dubas said the Penguins have been contacted about potential trades. 'It's similar to the trade deadline,' Dubas started. 'The usual suspects are receiving all of the calls and interests.' It's no secret that teams covet some of the Penguins' veterans, and Dubas shed some light on his plans in that regard. 'There are teams that have been rebuilding for a while that are looking to take steps,' he said. 'They are interested. That's potentially a good fit with us.' Dubas and the Penguins have a bushel of draft picks and several veterans they're willing to trade. In return, they hope to acquire young, talented players who, for whatever reason, are no longer proper fits on their current teams. If the Penguins are aggressive in the next month, it's likely to be on the trade market more than in free agency. 'Yeah,' Dubas said, confirming that he'll potentially be busy on the trade market. 'Trade, (then) sign guys for longer range (after they've been acquired). UFA isn't a good place to find good value.' Not only is Dubas interested in talented, young players, but he's keeping an eye on teams in salary cap hell. He took advantage of that last season, when he made a couple of deals with Barry Trotz and the Nashville Predators. 'I think what is more likely is teams in cap difficulty looking for someone older,' he said. 'If they have younger guys available, those younger guys can fit with what we're trying to do.' Advertisement Penguins fans are eager for Dubas to hit the restricted free agent market, which the St. Louis Blues notably and impressively utilized against the Edmonton Oilers last season. 'Especially after last season with the success that Doug (Armstrong) had,' Dubas said. 'It was a perfect storm, a flat cap.' The salary cap is rising significantly this summer. 'I don't think you're going to see as much of it this year,' said Dubas, who strongly implied the Penguins won't be going after any restricted free agents. The Penguins have five restricted free agents on their roster, including Conor Timmins, P.O Joseph, Connor Dewar, Philip Tomasino and Vasiliy Ponomarev. 'We've had some discussions with some agents,' Dubas said. 'We have pro meetings coming up Monday in Pittsburgh. We'll sort through where we're at. You also get great insights from agents and other teams about how things are going to shake loose (while being at the combine). It better informs your decisions, how far you want to go with certain guys, arbitration cases. Are players at the same ability available for less money?' One player apparently won't be available. Ponomarev, who played briefly for the Penguins and for much of the season in AHL Wilkes-Barre during the 2024-25 campaign, likely will play next season in the KHL. 'That's my understanding, yes,' Dubas said. 'He switched agents once or twice. Negotiated his own deal over there. He's young. We'll watch him. We weren't going to promise him anything. He got a lot of opportunities with us. We'll just keep watching him. It is what it is. It's business.' The Penguins, who still own his NHL rights, weren't blown away by him in his brief stint in Pittsburgh. 'When he came up last year, before the trade with Carolina, he played with a lot more pace there,' Dubas said in reference to Ponomarev's NHL debut with the Hurricanes before he was traded to Pittsburgh in the Jake Guentzel deal. 'Obviously, it's a different environment. Carolina was at a different point in its evolution. It's the way it goes sometimes.' Advertisement Dubas said the combine doesn't really have any influence on which players the Penguins will ultimately pick in the draft. Rather, he simply likes getting to know the players who might someday become Penguins. 'I think, more than anything, if you end up drafting some of these guys, you get a feel for who they are,' he said. 'There's some familiarity when they come to your building for development camp July 3. It helps you develop relationships.'
New York Times
9 hours ago
- New York Times
Penguins coach Dan Muse has the job. Now he has to take control
PITTSBURGH — In August 2017, I stood in Mike Sullivan's backyard about an hour southeast of Boston and asked him a simple question. How did you win the Stanley Cup again? In 2016, the Penguins had the best team. It would have been something if that team didn't win the Cup. By 2017, they were exhausted, and Kris Letang was out for the postseason with an injury. So, how did they do it? Advertisement Sullivan took the cigar out of his mouth. 'Because we had nothing but alpha males,' he responded. 'That's how you win Cups.' I always found his response amusing, and not because he was wrong. Sullivan himself is the ultimate alpha male, and the coaches who have gotten the most out of the Penguins in modern times have had that personality. Michel Therrien largely made the Penguins great. His personality eventually rubbed the Penguins the wrong way, but, though he didn't get his name on the Stanley Cup, he expedited a young core into a championship-caliber team. He was so tough that he publicly called his team soft. Sullivan propelled the Penguins to their greatest heights, turning them into back-to-back champions. He didn't get them to the top of the mountain by being gentle. Dan Bylsma won the Cup, so I'm taking nothing away from him. But he didn't get the most out of the Penguins while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Letang were in their prime because he was too nice. He ultimately didn't challenge them enough. Mike Johnston? He had the Penguins doing yoga. You know how that went. Enter Dan Muse, largely an unknown in Pittsburgh. I don't know much about his personality. I've not met the man. I've spoken with a few people who know him. The consensus is that he's a kind, good coach. But what kind of backbone does he have? I'm not asking because I'm skeptical. He'll need one. You might say that he doesn't necessarily need to be an alpha male because he was brought in to prioritize young players, not aging stars. It's a fair point. But the Big Three are still here. Erik Karlsson is still here. The Penguins, in the short term, have a real problem. It's easy to say they should tank for Gavin McKenna. But that's a loser's mindset, and, even if you tank for him, you probably won't get him. Plus, if you start drifting toward the bottom of the standings, there's a real chance you'll just become stuck like the Detroit Red Wings, or the San Jose Sharks, or the Chicago Blackhawks, or the Anaheim Ducks over the past five or six years. Advertisement Ideally, the Penguins will continue collecting future assets and develop them quickly over the next couple of years. Crosby will stay great. Malkin will have a successful farewell tour next season. Letang will successfully and happily transition into a lesser role. A coach will finally get through to Karlsson, and those incomparable offensive instincts will finally exceed all of the mistakes he's made with the Penguins. Rutger McGroarty will keep getting better. Ville Koivunen, too. None of these things will happen with a soft coach behind the bench. Crosby loves to be coached. He loves it. He doesn't like being told how great he is, nor does he like having a coach who will bow to him because he's Sidney Crosby. Sullivan used to call Crosby into his office and break down facets of his game that could be better. Crosby relished it. The two used to have healthy arguments about which linemates were best for Crosby. Is Muse going to handle Crosby similarly? He should. No one loves being challenged more than Malkin. During a slump in his second season, Malkin was called into Therrien's office. Therrien pulled out a newspaper, highlighted the league's top scorers, and asked Malkin why he wasn't at the top of the list. Malkin went on a tear. When he goes on one of his infamous drive-by defensive-zone coverages, swooping through the defensive zone without making any hard stops, will Malkin hear about it from Muse? It's a tough call. He's probably retiring after next season. He's a franchise icon. He's one of Crosby's best friends. If you're a new coach and you lose Malkin's trust, you risk losing Crosby, too. Then again, if you don't stand up to Malkin, you won't get the most out of him. It's a delicate line. If you were to give Sullivan truth serum, he'd tell you he loves Letang. I bet he wouldn't tell you he loved coaching him. Advertisement Karlsson? Oh boy. I imagine he's one of hockey's most frustrating players to coach. Coaching young players is said to be Muse's strength, so I'll assume he has a pretty good feel for getting the most out of the Penguins' prospects. Then again, he's never been an NHL head coach while doing so. Every personality is different, but being soft on young players isn't necessarily the way to go. The young guys are what matter, and this hire proves it. But what about the short term? What about this coming season? It's easy to assume the Penguins won't be good, but why settle for that? You don't hire a new coach for the explicit reason of stinking for the next couple of years. There is no competitive spirit in that — no nobility. The Penguins would love to surprise everyone next season while marinating all of those first- and second-round draft picks who are on the way. They don't have to stink forever. They don't have to tank for McKenna. They're allowed to organically get better immediately. There's no law against it. It should be their goal. Maybe it's a long shot, but it's worth trying. They won't get there with a pushover behind the bench. If the Big Three are to go out with anything other than a whimper, they need to play better next season. (Crosby was great, but Malkin and Letang decidedly were not.) The young guys need to exceed expectations. There needs to be a harmonious fusion of excellence between old and young. Muse might well be a wonderful teacher. That's important. But the same things were once said about Johnston. Muse better coach Crosby, not admire him. And he better hold Malkin, Letang and Karlsson accountable. They'll walk all over him if he doesn't. Young players will be watching. Muse will earn everybody's respect by putting the veterans in their place. The ultimate goal here is for the new generation of Penguins coming to the NHL to learn from Crosby — to merge with him and create something special before he skates away from the game. Teaching them how to tank won't do that. They need to come together, absorb a fresh message and be on the same page. That only happens with this collection of players if a no-nonsense coach sets the standard from the start.
CBS News
10 hours ago
- CBS News
What challenges will Marco Sturm face in first season as Bruins head coach?
The Boston Bruins brought in a fresh -- but familiar -- face to be the team's new head coach, hiring former player Marco Sturm on Thursday. This will be Sturm's first gig as an NHL head coach, as Boston looks to take the franchise in a new direction after a disappointing 2024-25 season. While Sturm has never been a bench leader at the NHL level, he did have success as a head coach in the AHL and internationally for Germany. He led the German Men's National Team to a silver medal in the 2018 Olympics, and most recently the Ontario Reign (the AHL affiliate of the L.A. Kings) to three straight playoff appearances. Sturm will be officially introduced by the Bruins next Tuesday, though we already have a pretty good idea of what kind of system and program he'll run in Boston. Bruins radio analyst Bob Beers joined WBZ-TV's Dan Roche to discuss the hiring of Sturm, and said the new head coach has a lot of work to do -- and will need a lot of help from the front office -- to turn the Boston defense around. Will Bruins defense improve under Marco Sturm? The Boston defense was abhorrent for large stretches last season, ranking 26th in the NHL in goals allowed and 17th in scoring chances allowed. It led to the team's worst season in two decades, as the Bruins finished with the fifth-worst record in the NHL. The team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16. The Kings have had a fantastic defensive foundation for a while now, and the Bruins are counting on Sturm to establish something similar in Boston. "We thought [the defense was going to be the team's strength] going into the season last year and it wasn't the case. It cost Jim Montgomery his job; they just weren't good defensively," Beers said of the 2024-25 Boston Bruins. "They had a lot of holes and Jeremey Swayman would admit he wants to have a better season." The Reign were 11th in the AHL last season with 207 goals allowed for the year. Ontario also had the 10th-best penalty kill last season at 83.5 percent. Beers said a big challenge for Sturm will be getting the Bruins to play defense as an entire unit, which was missing last season. "We were talking about team defense, so we're talking about everyone playing as a unit. That wasn't the case for too many parts of last season. There were times when they played well and played connected as a five-man group, but too many times -- way too many times -- they weren't connected as a group defensively," he said. "That has to change." While Sturm's approach from the bench should help, Beers added that it's up to GM Don Sweeney to make some key additions to the Boston defensive corps this offseason. "Defensively as a whole, they still need to add on that back end," said Beers. "They were missing [Hampus] Lindholm and [Charlie] McAcvoy for the later part of the season. Those are two big boosts, but I think there are a couple of holes to fill. We'll see how they do that, whether it's free agency, trades, or a callup." Marco Sturm's biggest challenge Before Sturm can set any system in place, Beers said he needs to begin connecting with his new players. He'll then have to figure out who will become the team's new leader after a lot of veteran leadership, including team captain Brad Marchand, was traded away at last season's deadline. "[His challenge is] getting to know his players and getting on the same page with some of the leaders; leadership took a big hit with Brad Marchand going out the door," said Beers. "They've had some good leadership here for years now -- who is going to be that leader, the guy who steps up? Establishing that leadership group and a good report with your leadership group and getting on the same page quickly [is key]. "I didn't like training camp last year; I felt it was disjointed and they talk about that as well," added Beers. "Now they're moving forward, can learn from some of those mistakes, and I think Sturm getting to work right away is important." McAvoy is a favorite to take over as team captain, though David Pastrnak is also a candidate after wearing an "A" on his sweater the four years. What are Cam Neely, Don Sweeney hoping for in Marco Sturm? In the release announcing Sturm's hiring, Sweeney mentioned the team was looking for a coach "who could uphold our strong defensive foundation while helping us evolve offensively." Defense is at the top of everyone's mind with this move. But Beers said there's something else Sturm can bring that was missing from the dressing room last season: Accountability. "That has to be high up on their list, making sure players are held accountable for how they play. You talk about the Bruins way of wanting to play, and a lot of teams are playing with pace or playing physical. But if you go back to what we talked about earlier, the strength has to be team defense and then you build your goal-scoring from that," said Beers. "I think that would be No. 1 on the list." Ultimately though, it will be up to Sweeney to give Sturm a roster that can fit his vision and succeed on the ice. "Can you do it with the players you finished with last season? No. There has to be massive improvements to a few different areas, whether it's defensemen or forward. And the players in your lineup have to play better. They got rid of some key players, popular players in their lineup," said Beers. "Replacing them isn't easy, and they have the challenge to make sure they get good people and good players in place. The group they had at the end of last season, you can't move forward with that group. It has to be something better."
