The Four Latest Coaching Hires To Watch This Season

There were nine head coaching hires in the offseason, if you can believe that (it was the topic of the latest episode of Ice Time). Some of them were splashes, while others went under the radar. The nine hire were…

• Glen Gulutzen (Dallas Stars)
• Joel Quenneville (Anaheim Ducks)
• Dan Muse (Pittsburgh Penguins)
• Marco Sturm (Boston Bruins)
• Jeff Blashill (Chicago Blackhawks)
• Mike Sullivan (New York Rangers)
• Lane Lambert (Seattle Kraken)
• Adam Foote (Vancouver Canucks)
• Rick Tocchet (Philadelphia Flyers)

Some of these hires will most likely go unnoticed. The Dallas Stars, for example, should be a great team and in the contention conversation regardless of their coach (It happens to be Gulutzen). However, there are a few, four that come to mind, who can make or break their team’s seasons. 

Adam Foote

When this hire was first announced, it raised many red flags. It was an early hiring and an internal one as well. The suggestion when this happens is that the destination wasn’t so attractive and that the Canucks weren’t going to make a splash with their new coach. 

Once the dust settled, it became clear that this was a better hire and one of the more fascinating ones. Adam Foote comes from a defense-first background (reflective of his playing days) and will get the most out of Quinn Hughes and the rest of the defense. He knows the team well, and with that comes continuity. 

The Canucks haven’t had stability behind the bench in years, and they are on their fourth head coach in the Jim Rutherford era. Foote can provide stability for a team that needs it and help weather the storm surrounding the Canucks. 

Joel Quenneville

The Ducks are the rebuilding team that is looking to take the next step. Their young core is starting to enter its prime, and they are improving in the standings. Joel Quenneville, who led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles in the previous decade, is expected to get this team to the playoffs and beyond. 

The question is whether Quenneville’s been out of the league for too long. He last coached in 2021, and it’s 2025, four years during which the NHL has gotten faster and more skilled.  There’s a chance the game has passed the older Quenneville by, and there’s also a chance he doesn’t get the buy-in from the players. However, he’s a winner and his reputation is a player-friendly coach, which makes this hire a fascinating one. 

Mike Sullivan

Mike Sullivan was the best coach on the board, with his reputation as a Cup winner in 2016 and 2017 standing out. Once the Penguins fired him, the Rangers hired him and made sure to pay him handsomely in the process. 

There are two things that come to mind with Sullivan. One, can he get the most out of a Rangers team that isn’t great and needs a reset (but is trying to contend instead)? Two, does he have more of a say in the front office decisions? With Chris Drury on the hot seat despite signing an extension, he needs help on roster decisions, and Sullivan should provide it.  

Rick Tocchet

There’s been plenty of Rick Tocchet talk at this site (and many of the Philly-based outlets) already, and whether he’ll mesh with the rebuild. However, he’s the coach who can get the most out of the Flyers and take them to the next level. 

What’s intriguing about Tocchet is that he doesn’t bring a specific style or brand of hockey to the Flyers. Instead, he’s a coach known for adapting and pivoting with the players he’s given. It’s why the Flyers can potentially make a leap in the standings this season and possibly be a contender soon enough.