The Boston Bruins are closing in on a new Head Coach, and now, it appears as though a former Edmonton Oilers coach has surprisingly become the frontrunner.
While the Stanley Cup Playoffs are still ongoing, teams eliminated from the post-season have been hard at work filling Head Coach vacancies, with New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Anaheim all officially hiring new coaches thus far in the off-season.
That leaves just a few teams remaining with limited candidates to choose from, and according to reports, the Boston Bruins are narrowing down their list of candidates as a new hire is on the way.
While veteran reporter Jimmy Murphy had narrowed it down to Jay Leach and Marco Sturm for the role, it appears as though former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft has now joined the race, with many believing he is now the frontrunner for the role.
The 48-year old spent two and a half years behind the Edmonton Oilers bench, and despite posting a 79-41-13 record in that time, he was fired after the team started off the 2023/24 season slow, and has yet to find another role since that point.
Given that he's still young and highly regarded, it's come as no surprise that he's been linked to several jobs thus far in the off-season, but now, he's firming as the favourite for a Bruins job that is a very intriguing one.
With some top stars on the roster, the Bruins could get back to contending soon, but with a lack of rising stars coming through the organization, many believe they should be looking to add for the future, rather than push for the post-season right now.
Whether it ends up being Woodcroft, Sturm or Leach, there's plenty of work yet to do for this team to get where they want to go, and depending on where that is in 2024/25, they've got a huge decision to make.
