The Boston Bruins are currently searching for their next full-time head coach. Interim head coach Joe Sacco is still in the running, but Bruins management has made it known that they are exploring all of their options before picking their next bench boss.
Now, another significant name is available. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Rick Tocchet will not return as the Vancouver Canucks' head coach next season. Thus, he is the latest big name to hit the coaching market.
There is no question that Tocchet has the potential to grab the attention of the Bruins. The 61-year-old put together a strong three-year tenure with the Canucks and is viewed as one of the top coaches in the sport. In 200 games as Vancouver's head coach, he had a 108-65-27 record. He also notably led the Canucks to a 50-23-9 record during the 2023-24 season and won the Jack Adams Award because of it.
Tocchet also played for the Bruins during his professional career in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. In 67 games as a Bruin, he had 32 goals, 54 points, and 131 penalty minutes.
Given Tocchet's resume, he is someone the Bruins should consider pursuing for their head coaching job. It will be interesting to see if they do just that from here.
Bruins brass on head coaching search
Sweeney said there is no timeframe to find the franchise's 31st head coach, but Boston's search is already underway. He also added that Sacco will remain in the mix after his 24-30-6 stint as the interim head coach.
As for what he's looking for in head-coaching candidates, Sweeney said communication with players -- especially younger players -- is paramount. He also wants a head coach who can adapt on offense.
"I want a coach who's going to evolve a bit offensively. That's part and parcel with being able to communicate with sometimes younger players and their stubbornness and inexperience," Sweeney said Thursday.
While the Bruins need to catch up with the rest of the NHL offensively, Sweeney doesn't want the team to lose its defensive identity.
"The structure has to be there. It has to be part of the fabric of what a coach believes in, but I do understand that the players coming into the league are offensively driven, and they need to understand that it's OK to play with that offensive creativity," he said. "But it has to be within the confines of a team and a structure that dictates in order to be successful."
Sweeney said that "some form of NHL exposure" would be ideal for candidates, but it is not a requirement.
"If somebody blows you away, they blow you away," he said.
Don Sweeney's job security
Sweeney is heading into his 10th year as general manager of the Bruins, but confirmed that he isn't signed after next season. He said his lack of job security will not play into his decision-making this offseason.
"It's not going to have any bearing on the decisions. We had that same question at the deadline. It's irrelevant from the standpoint of the job that I'm going to try to do for the organization," said Sweeney.
Neely backed Sweeney as the man to lead the Bruins back to relevance, but also said no decision has been made on the general manager's long-term future.
"I've given it a lot of thought and I'm still contemplating what the best course of action is, but as I mentioned, I really feel like Don has done a good job here for the most part," he said. "Obviously the year that we had is a huge disappointment, and that falls on all of us, not just Don, that falls on all of us.
"I'll figure that out in the near future whether we're going to re-sign Don or not," Neely said. "But he's got another year."
This summer will be the fourth head-coaching search for Sweeney and Neely. Many fans are wondering why the duo are still making the calls after a disappointing season, but Jacobs gave them both a vote of confidence on Thursday.
"I think the shelf life of a head coach is significantly shorter than one of the general manager or a team president," Jacobs said when asked about Sweeney and Neely's job security. "It's the nature of the beast of the job. You can have players' attention for a select window of time, and then unfortunately, sometimes you lose it. It's Don's job to make sure he's got his hand on the pulse of whether or not the players tune him out, the head coach. And I feel he's done a pretty good job of measuring that."
If the accountability truly is higher than ever on Causeway Street, both Sweeney and Neely should be feeling a lot of heat coming from their respective seats all summer long.
