Latest news with #EntryDraft
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bruins coaching rumors: Another finalist named in search
The Boston Bruins are narrowing down candidates to be their next coach, and another finalist has entered the mix. Jay Leach had an in-person interview at Warrior Ice Arena and is finalist for the position, a league source told The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa on Thursday. Advertisement 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. Boston's defense allowed 3.30 goals per game in 2024-25 — which was 26th in the NHL. The Bruins were without Hampus Lindholm for much of the season due to a knee injury, and Charlie McAvoy missed the second half with an AC joint injury. Both players are expected to be healthy for training camp. Ontario Reign coach and former Bruins forward Marco Sturm and Washington Capitals assistant Mitch Love are also finalists. The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta added that former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft is also among those still in contention. Joe Sacco, who took over as interim coach after Jim Montgomery was fired, was originally in the mix, but it's unclear where things stand with him. Advertisement 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. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston Bruins general manager provides coaching search update
The Bruins' search for a new coach is underway and it appears they've narrowed down their list. In a phone conversation with the Boston Herald's Steve Conroy, general manager Don Sweeney confirmed he was no longer waiting on candidates who are still coaching in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Advertisement That seemingly would eliminate Dallas Stars assistant Misha Donskov, who was a popular name in rumors. Sweeney added that the Bruins expect to have a coach 'well before' the NHL Entry Draft in June. While the GM didn't name who was in Boston's search, he confirmed the team spoke to Rick Tocchet — who signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. In April, Sweeney said that waiting for permission to speak with potential candidates in the playoffs could present challenges. Joe Sacco was named interim coach in November after the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery. He went 25-30-7 and while Boston missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Sacco was put in a tough position that only got tougher after the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and the trade deadline. Advertisement The Bruins struggled to find consistency and los Charlie McAvoy to an AC joint injury and infection he suffered in the February tournament. This was in addition to dealing with Hampus Lindholm's knee injury that sidelined him for most of last season. Then Boston traded Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo and Charlie Coyle. Sacco's effort with the roster he had in front of him didn't go unnoticed by president Cam Neely. He's among the candidates, as is Bruins assistant Jay Woodcroft. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Latest mock draft has Bruins taking center Boston ‘desperately craves'
The Bruins have a busy summer ahead of them that includes naming a new coach, re-tooling their roster and deciding who to select with the No. 7 pick in the NHL Entry Draft later this month. Boston could address its need for center depth — a position the team has struggled with since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired in 2023. And in The Athletic's latest mock draft, NHL prospects analyst Corey Pronman has the Bruins doing just that and taking Brady Martin. Advertisement 'Martin brings an intense, physical two-way game while also having an excellent skill level,' Pronman wrote. 'He is a potential top-two-line center that Boston desperately craves and plays the way the Bruins like.' Martin, 6-foot center, showed off his skills for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds during the 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League season when he amassed 33 goals and 39 assists for 72 points. The 18-year-old isn't afraid to be physical and throw his weight around near the boards and in puck battles — something the Bruins have been missing. But Martin's skating could use some work. However, he could develop into a Swiss Army Knife-type player the Bruins need, and many scouts believe he's the type of player teams need if they want to make a lengthy Stanley Cup Playoffs run. Pronman recently wrote that Martin 'has a true hardness in his game' and while his stride 'isn't the most technically sound,' his natural quickness helps him get around at higher levels. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
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. Advertisement 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 Fourth Period's David Pagnottaadded that former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft is also among those still in contention. Advertisement 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. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Ottawa Citizen
5 days ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Cowan: Future is hazy for Canadiens centre Kirby Dach
Kent Hughes knew the Canadiens had a lack of depth at the centre position when he took over as GM three years ago. Article content That's why at his first NHL Entry Draft as GM in 2022, Hughes traded a first-round pick and a third-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Kirby Dach. Article content 'We were looking to improve, get a little bigger, faster in the middle of the ice if we could,' Hughes said after making the trade. 'There's also, in a perfect world, an age component to it so that (Dach) can grow with our young core, and certainly he fit that description for us. We knew he was available potentially, so we spent a good amount of time trying to understand who Kirby Dach was. He went third pick overall (at the 2019 NHL Draft). What's happened with Kirby Dach? Why is Chicago willing to move him? Article content Article content 'I've said it all along, we're going to invest money in developing hockey players and trying to get the most out of their potential, and we believe Kirby has significant potential,' Hughes added. 'We think with the Montreal Canadiens, in this environment, can bring him along and get him to a point where he can be a pretty special centreman.' Article content Three years later, there are more questions than answers when it comes to the 24-year-old Dach. As a result, Hughes will head into this off-season once again looking for a second-line centre who can play behind captain Nick Suzuki, either through free agency or a trade. Article content Article content Dach had 10-12-22 totals and was a team-worst minus-29 before suffering a season-ending injury to his right knee that required surgery for the second straight year. He won only 40.3 per cent of his faceoffs. Article content The top centres eligible to become free agents on July 1 are Florida's Sam Bennett, 29, Toronto's John Tavares, 34, Colorado's Brock Nelson, 33, and Dallas's Matt Duchene, 34. Their salary demands will probably be too high for the Canadiens, even if those players had any interest in coming to Montreal. A trade for a younger centreman with NHL experience seems a more likely scenario. Article content Article content Jeff Gorton, the Canadiens' executive vice-president of hockey operations, didn't rule out the possibility of making offer sheets to restricted free agents during a season-ending news conference last month and added he and Hughes weren't limited to looking only at centres to improve their top-six forward situation, which is a priority. Article content The Canadiens had interest in right-winger Jonathan Marchessault as a free agent last summer, but weren't willing to offer the 34-year-old more than a three-year contract. Instead, Marchessault signed a five-year, US$27.5-million deal with Nashville that has an annual salary-cap hit of US$5.5 million and then the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder posted 21-35-56 totals with the Predators. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported last week that Marchessault is open to being traded after the Predators finished 30th in the overall NHL standings, with Montreal a favourable landing spot. But the length of Marchessault's contract must still be a concern for Hughes.
