After Historic Job Stability, NHL Head Coaching Changes Are Starting

After Historic Job Stability, NHL Head Coaching Changes Are Starting

For the first time since 1967, no NHL coach lost his job in the regular season. Now that's changed. Find out who's going where right here on FloHockey.

Apr 23, 2018 by Hunter Sharpless
After Historic Job Stability, NHL Head Coaching Changes Are Starting

By Jacob Messing


After the entire 2017-18 NHL season was played without a single coaching change, several non-playoff teams have newfound openings behind the bench this spring.

It was the first time since the league expanded in 1967 that no coach lost his job during the regular season, but over the past two weeks four teams have coaching vacancies.

One team has already found its new coach, as the Calgary Flames announced on Monday the hiring of Bill Peters to replace Glen Gulutzan.

Gulutzan joined Calgary in 2016-17 and led the team to a 45-33-4 record before being swept by Anaheim in the first round. After bulking up in the offseason by adding a reliable goaltender in Mike Smith and another stable defenseman in Travis Hamonic, the Flames failed to meet expectations as they fizzled down the stretch to a 37-35-10 record.

It was the second NHL stint of Gulutzan’s career after a two-year stop in Dallas from 2011-2013. It was a similar story, as Gulutzan’s second season in Dallas was another step back after some roster improvements.

Gulutzan holds a 146-125-23 overall record in the NHL and likely won’t be a significant candidate for another head coaching job in 2018-19. He has been rumored as a possible assistant to Todd McLellan in Edmonton, where he could be a Plan B should McLellan struggle to get the franchise to bounce back next season.

A midseason ownership change created a strange scenario in Carolina where both Peters and ownership had reportedly wanted him out; the situation eventually ended last week with Peters resigning. He led the Hurricanes for four seasons where they consistently sat among the best possession teams in the league, but shaky goaltending and a lack of offensive firepower saw them miss the playoffs in each of the four seasons.



Peters led the team to a 137-138-53 record and will be taking over a Calgary team deeper at every position. Even with his lack of legitimate success in the NHL, Peters has been heralded as a good coach and will get a real opportunity to show his ability out west.

In Carolina, former Hurricanes forward and current assistant Rod Brind’Amour seems like a good bet to replace Peters. Brind’Amour has said he has made his interest clear to Dundon and is eager to take the next step. He may be a solid starting point for Dundon, but there remain other strong candidates with proven track records.

The New York Rangers fired Alain Vigneault, which was hardly a surprise following the Rangers’ brass penning an open letter to fans that they would undergo a full rebuild. Vigneault took the Vancouver Canucks and Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011 and 2014, respectively.

Vigneault holds a 648-435-35-98 overall record and has the fourth-most wins of all active NHL coaches. He’s a prime candidate to earn another head coaching role ahead of the 2018-19 season. His experience, particularly in the playoffs, will be highly sought after and he’s likely atop the list for the Dallas Stars.

After a single season back in Dallas, Ken Hitchcock announced his retirement. As the third-most winning coach of all time (823-506-88-119), Hitchcock leaves a large hole behind the Stars’ bench. For a team still searching for consistent playoff berths, Vigneault is the logical choice to bring together the high-end talent in Texas.

The Stars will likely wait until the end of Washington’s postseason run, as Barry Trotz may very well be available and is one of the best coaches in the NHL today. He’s third among active coaches with 762 wins, which also rank fifth all-time. He holds a 762-568-60-134 record, owns two President’s Trophies, and has missed the postseason in just three of his past 14 seasons.

Similar to Trotz, Guy Boucher could still be on the hot seat after a lost season in Ottawa. Boucher broke into the league in 2010 with Tampa Bay, where he led the team to a conference finals loss. The following season, it came crashing down after the team fell 19 points. Last year in Ottawa, he once again coached his team to a conference finals loss in his first season. In 2017-18, Ottawa fell 31 points and finished 30th in the league.

Returning to the New York Rangers, a young coach, possibly a first-timer, could be in order given their desire to start fresh and allow the coach to play the best players available without any preconceived notions or favorites. It could pave the way for NCAA college coaches.



Minnesota Duluth’s Scott Sandelin is a two-time national championship winner (2011 and 2018) with an overall record of 333-299-84. Denver’s Jim Montgomery has led the Denver Pioneers to five straight NCAA Tournament berths, won the 2017 national championship, and holds a 125-57-26 record in that time.

A few other coaches that have had varying years off include Dave Tippett (553-413-28-120), Bob Hartley (463-361-61-59; Stanley Cup champion), Darryl Sutter (634-467-101-83; two-time Stanley Cup champion), and Dan Byslma (320-190-55; Stanley Cup Champion).


Have a question or a comment for Jacob? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.