Bruins Coaching Search Enters Final Round

The Bruins expressed interest in veteran head coach Rick Tocchet, but the 61-year-old opted to join the Philadelphia Flyers instead. Another coaching candidate who seemed ideal for the Bruins was Mike Sullivan, but the former Bruins coach instead chose to take the job with the New York Rangers this offseason. Some of the names still involved in the Bruins’ search, per LeBrun, include Marco Sturm, Jay Woodcroft, Mitch Love, Luke Richardson, Jay Leach, and Sacco.

Breaking Down the Bruins’ Coaching Shortlist

While Sacco didn’t spark a turnaround down the stretch, it’s hard to put all of the blame on the coaching staff. In general, there wasn’t a lot of inspired hockey being played in Boston this season, which, in fairness, can also be attributed to coaching to some degree as well. Still, a coach can only do so much from behind the bench—at some point, the players need to be held accountable.

Sturm is currently the coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign, spending the past three seasons in this role after having spent four years as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings. In the AHL, Sturm compiled a 119-80-17 record as a head coach. The 46-year-old also led Germany to a silver medal during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games. He’s been successful as a coach in every capacity and he deserves the attention he’s gotten this offseason. Sturm also notably played for the Bruins from 2005 to 2010 and was a fan favorite during his time wearing the Spoked-B.

The 40-year-old Love has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals following a two-year stint as a head coach in the AHL with the Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers. Notably, Love won consecutive Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Awards, given to the AHL’s most outstanding coach; this made him one of just three coaches to ever win the award in consecutive seasons, joining Bill Dineen in 1984-85 and 1985-86, as well as Robbie Ftorek in 1994-95 and 1995-96. Love compiled a 96-33-11 record in the AHL. There has been no shortage of suitors for Love’s services this offseason and he should earn a job with an NHL team before the start of the 2025-26 season.

Woodcroft most recently spent three seasons as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, posting a 79-41-13 record over parts of three seasons, earning a Western Conference Final bid in 2022. He was fired from the role following a 3-9-1 start to the 2023-24 season. Given that he brought a team to the Western Conference Final, it’s not surprising that his name is back in the mix for a head coaching opportunity.

Leach was an assistant coach with the Bruins this past season after spending the previous three seasons with the Seattle Kraken as an assistant. The 45-year-old Leach previously served as the head coach of the Providence Bruins from 2017 to 2021 and went 136-77-26 over four seasons. His familiarity with the organization and management in place should bode well for him during these interviews and, even if he doesn’t get hired as a head coach during this hiring cycle, it would be surprising if he didn’t garner interest from other teams again in the near future.

Richardson played in over 1,400 NHL games in his career and has gone on to have a fairly long coaching career already. Richardson immediately joined the Ottawa Senators as an assistant coach following his playing career before eventually becoming the head coach of their AHL affiliate. In four seasons as the team’s head coach, he put together a 153-120-31 record. After then-general manager Pierre Dorion turned down Richardson’s bid to become the new head coach of the Senators’ NHL club, Richardson left in search of other opportunities. This eventually led to him joining the New York Islanders as an assistant coach in 2017 and then joining the Montreal Canadiens in the same role the following offseason. Finally, Richardson earned his first opportunity as an NHL head coach when he was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks. He coached in parts of three seasons with the team, going 57-118-15 during some rebuilding years for the Blackhawks. Though the results weren’t pretty, Richardson was lauded for his abilities despite the roster he was tasked with coaching.

There are likely a few other names that haven’t been linked as candidates for the Bruins coaching job, but right now these are the ones that have been publicly reported. With the Bruins recently signing general manager Don Sweeney to a new two-year extension, any potential coach looking to join the Bruins can rest assured that there is no uncertainty regarding Sweeney’s future with the organization. The Bruins aren’t interested in a long rebuild. Instead, they’re aiming for a quick turnaround and whoever takes the reins behind the bench will be expected to play a major role in this process, not just serve as a stopgap.