Grading the NHL's recent head-coaching moves: Maple Leafs go off the board

The NHL's head-coaching carousel is spinning this offseason with four teams having already named new bosses for their bench.

The Vancouver Canucks hired Manny Malhotra on June 1, which was followed by the Los Angeles Kings hiring Peter Laviolette a little more than a week later on June 9.

On Wednesday, the Vegas Golden Knights (Ryan Craig) and Toronto Maple Leafs (Jim Hiller) made their new decisions as well.

The Edmonton Oilers job remains the NHL's only head-coaching vacancy at the moment, as they continue to deal with the turmoil that comes from their pursuit of Mike Babcock.

For now, it's report card time for the four new hirings this offseason.

Vancouver Canucks: Manny Malhotra

The Canucks bench has been a revolving door since the start of the 2021-22 season, with Malhotra being the fifth different head coach during that time, following in the footsteps of Travis Green, Bruce Boudreau, Rick Tocchet and Adam Foote. Foote was the latest coach to leave Vancouver, going one-and-done in a season where the Canucks finished with the NHL's worst record.

Malhotra was a player in Vancouver and has spent the past 10 years working his way up the coaching ranks. 

He was most recently the head coach of Vancouver's AHL team and led them to a Calder Cup championship during the 2024-25 season.

Malhotra is praised for his teaching ability, which is exactly what a rebuilding Canucks team is going to need. 

It's a new voice, and it's not a retread who has already failed with multiple other teams. That's intriguing.

Grade: B

Los Angeles Kings: Peter Laviolette

If there is a consistent criticism of the hiring practices of NHL teams, it's that the 32 clubs seem to only have a list of 35 or 36 names they pull from. 

Laviolette is Exhibit A of this criticism.

The Kings are going to be his seventh different head-coaching job and his fourth since the start of the 2019-20 season. 

On one hand, he's had his share of success. He won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06 and took the Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010 and 2017. He is high on the NHL's all-time wins list and can get teams to the playoffs.

But he doesn't typically stay in one place for very long, and he has advanced beyond the first round just one time in his past seven head-coaching seasons.

The Kings are working on a run of five consecutive first-round exits and need somebody to help get them over the hump.

Is Laviolette that guy?

It's not a bad hire. It's just not exciting.

Grade: C+

Toronto Maple Leafs: Jim Hiller

The list of names connected to the Maple Leafs included everybody from experienced coaches like Bruce Cassidy to completely unexperienced candidates like Joe Pavelski. It was an extensive search and ended with them getting Hiller after he was fired this season by the Kings. 

Hiller previously worked with the Maple Leafs as an assistant, running a power play that was consistently one of the league's best.

His analytical background should make him a good match with the new front office led by general manager John Chayka.

The Kings were also a tremendous defensive team under Hiller's watch, which is an area the Maple Leafs dramatically need to improve. 

Little bit of a surprising hire, but a solid one.

Grade: B

Vegas Golden Knights: Ryan Craig

History suggests that Craig should not get comfortable in his current role. 

Despite Vegas' consistent success, Craig is already the fifth different head coach in franchise history. 

Keep in mind: This is a team that has made the playoffs eight times in nine years and played in three Stanley Cup Finals, winning one of them.

John Tortorella took them to this year's Stanley Cup Final after being hired with eight games remaining in the season. While he wanted to continue behind the bench, the Golden Knights decided to go in a different direction. They definitely got the full Torts experience. 

Craig was viewed as the head-coach-in-waiting, but he has AHL head-coaching experience so it's tough to get a feel for him. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Either way, Vegas will probably find a new big name it likes better in a couple of years.

Grade: C+