Where Could Bruce Boudreau, Gerard Gallant and Jay Woodcroft Coach Again in the NHL?

Following Patrick Roy joining the New York Islanders, there are other former NHL coaches who Adam Proteau says could fit in with underperforming teams.

With Patrick Roy rejoining the NHL’s coaching fraternity this past week, attention turns to what other coaching situations could lead to a change behind the bench. 

Here are three coaches currently without employment and who they potentially fit with for teams that could be next to dismiss their current bench boss. In no particular order:

Fit: Buffalo Sabres

The Lowdown: Boudreau has been out of work as an NHL coach since the Vancouver Canucks parted ways with him last season. He was behind the bench for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, where they were knocked out in the semifinal. At age 69, he’s getting up there in years, but considering that Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello is 81 and interim Senators coach Jacques Martin is 71, it’s not out of the question that Boudreau will get another shot.

Unless something drastic happens, Boudreau won't get to coach his beloved Maple Leafs – if Toronto does fire Sheldon Keefe, we’ve got a hunch they're going to go with current Leafs assistant coach Guy Boucher as his replacement. But as a Toronto native with a hockey school in St. Catharines, Ont., Boudreau would have the next best fit with the Sabres. He’s the epitome of a player’s coach. If Buffalo decides current coach Don Granato is no longer a fit, Boudreau could come in, hand over more responsibility to Sabres veterans and make for a calmer, more confident dressing room.

When Boudreau is at his best, he’s a confidence-instiller, and that’s what Buffalo needs more than anything at the moment. If they’re going to claw their way back into the playoff race, the Sabres need a guy like Boudreau to make them believe in themselves again.

Fit: Pittsburgh Penguins

The Lowdown: Proven winner Mike Sullivan just marked his eighth year running the Penguins, and only Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper has more tenure than he does. But all good things come to an end, and given Pittsburgh’s struggles, Pens GM Kyle Dubas may decide to cut ties with Sullivan before this season is through. Should that happen, it’s likely Dubas goes with a known commodity rather than a person who’d be getting their first NHL coaching job.

That’s what makes Gallant so appealing for Pittsburgh. We know he can succeed – before the New York Rangers fired him at the end of this past season, Gallant had led the Blueshirts to two seasons in which the team averaged 108.5 standings points – and we know the Penguins are in win-now mode. Gallant can step in for the rest of this season, and if Pittsburgh wins at least a playoff round this spring, a contract extension for Gallant would be easy and straightforward.

Like Boudreau, Gallant is a player’s coach, and the leadership that’s already in Pittsburgh’s dressing room would get more responsibility handed to them by Gallant. Roster depth is still an issue for the Penguins, but with Gallant on board – a bench boss of an expansion franchise that made the Stanley Cup in its first season – coaching would not be an issue.

Fit: Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild or New Jersey Devils

The Lowdown: The Oilers have been playing extremely well since firing Woodcroft in November. But he arguably wasn’t the problem in Edmonton, and his exit from the Oilers hasn’t irreparably damaged his stock as an NHL coach. At only 47 years old, Woodcroft will get another opportunity to run his own team. Whether that opportunity comes now or in the next off-season, he’s going to face immediate expectations to deliver above-average results.

Maybe the Blue Jackets will hire Woodcroft once a full house cleaning has taken place at the season’s end. Maybe Minnesota GM Bill Guerin wants Woodcroft’s enthusiasm and desire for his team to dominate puck control to improve the Wild’s otherwise mediocre year. Maybe the Devils fire Lindy Ruff if they miss the playoffs, and New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald hires Woodcroft to improve his team’s impact on defense. There are many possibilities for him, and now it’s a matter of which team steps up and offers him a new gig.

It’s not true to say Woodcroft has his pick for his next coaching job, but he’s someone who should be on the radar of many veteran observers, and he may well be the right solution for a team in need of a young voice.