Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco will be given the opportunity to interview for the full-time position as the organization casts a wider net over the offseason, general manager Don Sweeney said Wednesday during his end-of-season media availability (via Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe).
Boston has already begun the interview process, Sweeney said, although it is not clear who else they have considered or spoken to. One thing is clear: the Bruins’ top offseason priority is bolstering their offense (via Ryan), and they will name a head coach who they believe can lead a system capable of generating more scoring from their group. Boston’s abysmally poor overall offense (2.71 goals per game, 28th in the league) and power play (15.2%, 29th) were the primary reasons they missed the postseason for the first time since 2016. Those results weren’t due to poor finishing luck; Boston still finished 29th in the league in shots per game with 26.5.
Sacco, 56, had been with the team since the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach before being elevated to interim head coach in the wake of Jim Montgomery’s firing in November. Boston finished the season with a worse points percentage (.460) under Sacco than they did in their first few weeks under Montgomery (.475) and even fell behind the Sabres for last place in the Atlantic Division. Their overall points percentage of .463 was their worst season since the 2006-07 campaign, also the last time they finished last in their division. The flip side – Boston’s lottery odds give them a 41.9% chance at a top-five pick in this year’s draft, something they haven’t held since selecting Tyler Seguin No. 2 overall in 2010.
Previous NHL head coaching experience won’t be a prerequisite, but they will limit their search to names who have served on an NHL bench before, Sweeney said (via Greg Wyshynski of ESPN). They have a quartet of recently-fired names to consider in John Tortorella, Peter Laviolette, Greg Cronin, and Dan Bylsma. However, only the last name on that list jumps out as a team looking to jumpstart their scoring. While the Kraken were not close to the postseason picture, Bylsma managed to take their offense from 29th in the 2023-24 season under Dave Hakstol to 16th in the league this past year.
Bruins Begin Search for New HC
The Boston Bruins are looking to get back on track quickly following their first missed postseason since the 2015-16 campaign. That process begins with finding their next head coach. They dismissed Jim Montgomery midseason and elevated assistant Joe Sacco to interim head coach.
At the Bruins' end of season press conference, the team's general manager, Don Sweeney, made it clear that their search for a permanent coach has already begun. Sacco is amongst the candidates, but Sweeney has already reached out to available candidates.
"I spoke to Joe (Sacco) at length," he said. "He's aware that we're going to have a coaching search. He's aware that he'll part of the final group of coaches that we get down to because I think he's deserved that. Joe did a really, really good job."
The initial list of potential head coaches for the Bruins is a long one at this point. Including Sacco, there are plenty of free agent coaches with NHL experience, like Drew Bannister, Jay Woodcroft, John Tortorella, and Peter Laviolette, to name a few. There are a few prominent AHL coaches who are likely to be in the mix as well, including Pascal Vincent with the Laval Rocket and Todd Nelson of the Hershey Bears.
Then there is the great wild card in the NHL coaching carousel, David Carle. The head coach of the University of Denver has gone from a good coach to a highly sought NHL coaching candidate. His work in Denver, as well as with the United States at the World Junior Championships, has elevated his prospects. He has shown an ability to develop players into well-rounded NHL players and can quickly build chemistry in a locker room. He's a sleeper candidate for the Bruins as their search continues.
The list keeps going, with multiple assistant coaches in the NHL also making strong candidates. The Bruins have a difficult task ahead of them to narrow the list and identify the right one. It's the first step in getting this organization back in Stanley Cup contention.
