When Mike Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins agreed to part ways last week, it was thought that the Boston Bruins would have some serious interest in the Massachusetts native. Once Sullivan hit the open market, it didn't take the New York Rangers long to sweep him to be their next coach.
It has been three weeks since the Bruins' 2024-25 season ended, and it seems like general manager Don Sweeney and the front office will take their time hiring their next head coach, something Chris Drury and the Rangers didn't do. They acted quickly and hired him.
With Sullivan off the market, who should the Black and Gold target as their next head coach for the 2025-26 season? You would think that they would have that person in place before the NHL Entry Draft, where the Bruins will learn their draft fate on Monday night, and free agency that begins on July 1. Here are five coaches they should pursue after losing out on Sullivan.
Ryan Mougenel
In the overall big picture of things, this is a move that wouldn't move the needle with a lot of people if they hired their American Hockey League (AHL) coach with the Providence Bruins, Ryan Mougenel. However, he has had success with the P-Bruins and meshed well with the younger players.
Matthew Poitras and Fabian Lysell have seen some growth and development under Mougenel, and it wouldn't be the first time that an organization has tabbed their AHL coach to run the bench in the NHL. Again, this would not be a move that moves the needle with the Bruins fanbase, but it is one that they will certainly consider.
Greg Cronin
Fired after the season by the Anaheim Ducks, Greg Cronin has been on the record with Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe as being interested in returning to Boston, where he was the head coach down the street from the TD Garden at Northeastern University. He didn't get the job done in Southern California with an organization that just doesn't seem to get over the top, but he would have a different-looking roster in Boston.
Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak are nice players to start with in your first season with the Bruins and youn know that Sweeney is going to be aggressive in making moves to the roster whether that is through a trade for free agency. There are a lot of choices out there that could be worse than Cronin, who developed young talent at Northeastern.
Dan Bylsma
It was just one year in Seattle with the Kraken for Dan Bylsma as they underachieved and missed the playoffs, which led to his firing. Giving a coach just one season behind a bench before cutting ties speaks more about the organization than it does the coach.
Bylsma has developed younger talent at the AHL level and he was part of the Pittsburgh Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup run with Sindey Crosby. Are the Bruins ready to contend in 2025-26? The front office seems to think so and Bylsma is someone who has success at each level of pro hockey.
Rick Tocchet
One year after winning the Jack Adams Award with the Vancouver Canucks, Rick Tocchet was fired after they missed the Western Conference postseason. Coming to Boston would reunite him with Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.
He is fiery behind the bench, and I know that didn't end well with former Boston coach Bruce Cassidy, but Tocchet would be inheriting a different roster of players than Cassidy was tough on. Bringing in Tocchet just might be what the team needs in terms of a new voice behind the bench and someone not afraid to get on his players.
David Carle
I know this is a vey long shot, but University of Denver coach David Carle took his name out of consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks job, but the Bruins are a different animal in terms of the roster than what he would have in the Windy City. This is someone whom Sweeney needs to pursue.
In the end, Carle may not want to leave what he has built with Denver, and you wouldn't blame him, but coming into Boston with Pastrnak and a front office with a high draft pick and money to spend isn't the worst situation in the NHL. A rising young coach, his time in the NHL is only a matter of time, and Boston should make it his first stop.
