Best Pete DeBoer replacements after Stars firing

Through the entire NHL coaching cycle, Jay Woodcroft’s name was out there. He was in consideration for the Penguins and Bruins jobs, at least, but did not land either. In his one NHL head coaching chance so far, he led the Oilers to two playoff appearances but was fired after a dismal start to the 2023-24 season. While in Edmonton, Woodcroft posted a .643 regular-season points percentage and won three playoff rounds.

The Stars have been clipped by the Oilers in each of the last two Western Conference Finals. Woodcroft knows the Oilers inside and out and could help them win that series if it comes around again. His history as an NHL assistant and AHL head coach should help with the developmental aspect of the job. The Stars are likely going to be the last team to fill their head coaching role. Somehow, Woodcroft has made it this far without a job, but Dallas could fix that.

Misha Donskov gets his first head coaching chance

The Stars’ firing their coach this late opens up a bevy of unconventional options. Those retread coaches who were going to get another chance are gone by now, specifically Rick Tocchet and Mike Sullivan. The top assistants have been scooped up, namely Marco Sturm and Dan Muse. So the Stars may look to their own bench and replace DeBoer with assistant Misha Donskov.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski posted on X, reposting a fan-submitted image of Donskov, with this cryptic line. “More than a few people putting this out into the world today.” Donskov was part of the original Golden Knights front office, acting as the Director of Hockey Operations. He became an assistant coach under DeBoer, stayed for one year under Bruce Cassidy, and then jumped to Dallas before 2023-24.

NHL.com’s Mike Heika profiled Donskov when he was an assistant for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. “He just does so many things behind the scenes that help you win,” DeBoer said. He was also an assistant for Team Canada under head coach Jon Cooper. “He’s great at getting your team ready, he’s great at details, he just does a lot of things that help you win.”

That sounds like exactly the guy the Stars need to lead their team moving forward. DeBoer may be gone, but that does not mean his systems were not working.

Hiring a veteran to lead a veteran squad

NHL teams often bring guys in who have had a lot of NHL experience. Even if their results indicate the game has passed them by, a coach with successful seasons on their resume will get a few more chances than normal. That is what could happen with Peter Laviolette, who led the New York Rangers to a dreadful season this year. But he has had some great seasons as well, including a Presidents’ Trophy campaign with the Blueshirts in 2023-24.

Laviolette won the 2006 Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes and made Cup Final appearances with the Flyers and Predators. If the Stars want to get over the Conference Final hump, they could hire Laviolette. But if he flames out and is gone in two years, don’t be surprised. If Laviolette lands a new job, it would be his seventh different coaching job.