NHL Rumours: Holland, Kings, Sabres, Tocchet, Sturm, Bruins

Ken Holland, who was been the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings for 22 seasons, bringing them three championships, and then took the same role with the Oilers, is one of the most well-respected names around the league. He has done excellent work building teams in the past, and while he didn’t leave the Red Wings in an ideal position, and was unable to get the Oilers through their own hurdles, there is plenty of reason to have faith in him with the Kings, if they opt to hire him.

Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts that after listening to Robitaille talk to the media, it didn’t sound like it would be an internal hire. He reports that Holland was in the mix for the open job with the New York Islanders, but he switched gears and is well-connected to the Kings at this point.

Sabres Having A Hard Time Attracting Front Office Stars

Holland and Lamoriello, whether you are against the idea of “recycling” the same 40 guys for each job or not, are incredibly well-deserving of a job in the NHL if they wish to have one. Any team and front office would be lucky to have the brilliance each of them brings with them. While they are both without a job with a team at the moment, they have plenty of options. As the Sabres look to switch things up in the front office, including the hiring of Eric Staal, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that both Holland and Lamoriello declined opportunities to work for the Sabres.

There haven’t been any other reports, but with the ownership of the team looking to stick with Kevyn Adams as general manager, it could be a case of both looking to have bigger roles than advisory jobs, and look more towards general manager and president opportunities.

There is nobody who follows hockey who thinks things are fine in Buffalo. Trending in the right direction, having a lot of quality assets, and a ton of promising players is one thing, but a 14-year playoff drought isn’t acceptable, and changes need to be made. It would make perfect sense for the Sabres to approach both, but it also makes sense to decline the position for a multitude of reasons, including their age, desire for a bigger role, and the way that the organization is run from the top.

Bruins Head Coach Search Narrowing Down to 2 Names

The Bruins fired Jim Montgomery midseason and gave Joe Sacco the interim coaching gig. The Bruins then went on to finish at the bottom of the Atlantic Division and nearly the bottom of the league. While there are plenty of holes in the organization right now, including the prospect pool, roster depth, and a head coach, one of those seemingly has a solution on the horizon.

In the same episode of 32 Thoughts as the Kings talk, Friedman reported that while the Vancouver Canucks could be interested as well, Marco Sturm could be a fit for the Bruins. He played with the Bruins for five seasons, and people in and around the organization still have some strong connections to Sturm. After three seasons with the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League, Friedman believes he is ready to make the jump to the NHL.

On top of Sturm, Rick Tocchet has been heavily linked to the Bruins, with Rick Dhaliwal and Jimmy Murphy both commenting on the fit.