The NHL’s coaching carousel continues to spin, with the Philadelphia Flyers firing coach John Tortorella this week. Tortorella was replaced on an interim basis by associate coach Brad Shaw, increasing the number of interim coaches to three.
Let’s look at each interim coach’s situation and offer a guesstimate of which ones are likely to stay with their current team.
In alphabetical order of teams:
1. Boston Bruins
After replacing the fired Jim Montgomery in mid-November, veteran coach Joe Sacco was given the interim reins of the Bruins. But Sacco was unable to turn Boston’s season around, as he’s posted a 22-25-6 record since taking over, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney dismantled much of the roster at the NHL trade deadline.
For that reason, Sacco probably won’t be the choice to coach the Bruins beyond this season. But despite some rumors, Tortorella isn’t the solution. Tortorella has a very short shelf life behind the bench, and the Bruins don’t require a whip-cracker like him.
Rather, we see current Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan as the likely coach of the Bs. Sullivan is expected in many circles to part ways with the Pens at the end of the year, and picking Sullivan – who has already worked as Boston’s coach in 2003-04 and 2005-06 – makes much more sense for the Bruins.
In any case, don’t expect Sacco to stick around Beantown much longer. He’s a placeholder coach, and Boston hasn't changed for the better under his guidance. Sweeney will almost assuredly want a more proven bench boss, and that isn’t Sacco at this stage.
2. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks moved in a different coaching direction in the first week of December when they fired coach Luke Richardson and made Anders Sorensen their interim bench boss. Since Dec. 7, Sorensen has generated a 13-27-7 record as the Blackhawks have sunk to the bottom of the Central Division and second-last place in the NHL.
But really, what coach could’ve done any better with the dog’s breakfast of a lineup created by Chicago GM Kyle Davidson? This organization is still in the early stages of a full rebuild, and they are going to continue to be a non-playoff team for the foreseeable future. So, our bet is that Sorensen has the interim tag removed from his job title, and he becomes the permanent coach in the Windy City.
Sorensen’s ability to be a teacher is exactly what the Blackhawks need right now, and continuing to change coaches won’t help Chicago in the short or long term.
The Hawks can keep Sorensen around as the roster continues to be tweaked, and maybe a couple of years down the line, they can go with an experienced ...
