Friedman:
It’s hard to say how long everyone is willing to wait, but several coaching sources said things are gummed up while Barry Trotz’s future unfolds. Trotz has informed interested teams he won’t rush, making sure his next NHL stop is best for him and his family. It’s difficult to predict a timeline. What’s also difficult to predict is how long some of his pursuers wait before asking another date to prom. Some teams aren’t in a huge hurry, as there are a lot of good candidates and not all are available as of yet. Several of them have begun interviewing other potential hires, but I’m not sure anyone is close. I do believe Winnipeg is very, very serious about Trotz, to the point I’m not convinced they’ve done detailed interviews with anyone else. He’s also believed to have communicated with Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia and Vegas.
8. Newly-free assistants who will be on the radar: Calgary’s Kirk Muller and possibly all three of Craig Berube’s staff (Jim Montgomery, Steve Ott, Mike Van Ryn). I’d heard Muller’s name in a couple of places, including Philadelphia; he’s now been an assistant for three Cup-winning coaches (Ken Hitchcock, Claude Julien, Darryl Sutter). As mentioned on Monday’s podcast, there’ve been rumblings Scott Arniel could end up in Winnipeg in one role or another, but I wouldn’t go as far to say it’s a guarantee, yet. It’s possible he’s interviewed or gets interviewed elsewhere, too. Another name I heard recently was Ryan McGill, who was on the Vegas bench from franchise inception in 2017. The Golden Knights’ young defenders — Nic Hague, Shea Theodore, Zach Whitecloud — got better under his tutelage.
9. Another European-based coach who may be getting North American attention is Serge Aubin, with Eisbaren Berlin in Germany. Born in Val D’Or, Quebec, Aubin played 374 NHL games for Colorado, Columbus and Atlanta before heading overseas. It could be for an AHL coaching role.
