After getting his contract extension, Don Sweeney has interviewed at least six candidates for Bruins head coach, including Jay Woodcroft.
The Boston Bruins had a miserable 2024-25 season. Coming in with massive expectations, they fired coach Jim Montgomery in November and finished last in the Atlantic Division. Now, they are looking for a full-time head coach as the pool narrows. The Bruins already gave general manager Don Sweeney an extension, and he has narrowed down his head coach search. Pierre LeBrun reported on six names that are in consideration, which include former Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft.
“On Bruins' coaching search, my understanding is final interviews will be conducted next week, and then a decision to come after that,” LeBrun reported on social media. “Not sure who made the cut. Boston has talked to a lot of people. Marco Sturm, Jay Woodcroft, Mitch Love, Luke Richardson, Joe Sacco, [and] Jay Leach among those believed to have interviewed.”
Of the six finalists that LeBrun has reported, three have NHL head coaching experience and three do not. Woodcroft, Joe Sacco, and Luke Richardson have all held head coaching positions before. Marco Sturm, Mitch Love, and Jay Leach have not. Sacco was the Bruins' interim coach for the home stretch this year, carrying a 25-30-7 record. He also led the Avalanche from 2009-2013, making the playoffs once.
Who will the Bruins hire as their next head coach?
Woodcroft can say he led the McDavid Oilers to their best regular season of the era in 2022-23, when they had 109 points. But once Kris Knoblauch took over, Edmonton became a better playoff team. Richardson led a rebuilding Blackhawks team for two seasons before getting fired 26 games into 2024-25.
Of the would-be rookies, Sturm is the most familiar name to Bruins fans. He played 302 games over five seasons with Boston from 2005-10. He has been a coach in the Kings organization for the past six years, including the last three as their AHL head coach. Jay Leach was the Providence Bruins head coach for four years before a brief stint in Seattle. He was Boston's assistant last year. Love led Team Canada at the World Juniors twice and has spent the last two years as a Capitals assistant coach.
While this season was rough, some fans are already regretting the firing of Jim Montgomery. He turned the St Louis Blues around quickly, pulling them out of a spiral and getting them into the playoffs. Whomever the Bruins pick will have big shoes to fill after Montgomery helped set the single-season points record in 2022-23.
