Speculation: Who should the Bruins hire as their next Head Coach?

[BMC]

I don't recall a single opinion here or elsewhere that had Sweeney clearing out three long-time vets at the TDL even though the club was within sniffing distance of the playoffs at the time. It feels like all bets are off because it's clearly not business as usual right now. Does that mean they won't do the predictable, annoying thing in the next coach hire? No, but I don't think it's a safe assumption any more. Let's see what happens over the summer.

@Dr Hook I sure hope you're right about this.

 

[ODAAT]

my opinion is a coach who allows the younger players some lenience to grow by learning from their mistakes and doesn`t plant their ass on the 9th floor.

I haven`t a clue who that is, I am intrigued by the Misha Donskov dude that Dom endorsed which is usually good enough for me, hell, if Sweeney can choose outside of the box kids at the draft table, be nice if he were to do the same with the coaching choice

What I suspect will happen .............Jay Leach who, at the very least, is well versed in working with kids I suppose

 

[SPLBRUIN]

Quennville is no longer my first choice.

This has less to do with what happened in Chicago than the fact that after the deadline, Boston obviously has a radically different roster & trajectory.

His age and old school mind set are significant factors, especially now.

Todd Nelson is my guy.

But, as noted, it will likely be Leach.

Don Sweeney is many things.

"Visionary" isn't one of them.

Please explain to me how Sweeney will sell Leach to the fanbase, the media, anybody. He didn't survive in Seattle, comes to Boston and the team's D literally implodes from game 1 despite very little personnel change from the previous season and he was in charge of that group. Furthermore if Sweeney really believed in him why wasn't he chosen as the interim coach, everyone knew that Sacco was an underwheming choice, at the point of Monty's dismissal the expectation was that the Bruins were a playoff team and yet he still wasn't named. Any mention of Sacco and Leach is an insult to Bruins fans intelligence, it would be nothing but a lazy, dishonest and frugal coach hiring, I truly don't think Sweeney will take that easy route when his job is on the line if this hire goes south.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

I've always liked Laviolette.

 

[GordonHowe]

Please explain to me how Sweeney will sell Leach to the fanbase, the media, anybody. He didn't survive in Seattle, comes to Boston and the team's D literally implodes from game 1 despite very little personnel change from the previous season and he was in charge of that group. Furthermore if Sweeney really believed in him why wasn't he chosen as the interim coach, everyone knew that Sacco was an underwheming choice, at the point of Monty's dismissal the expectation was that the Bruins were a playoff team and yet he still wasn't named. Any mention of Sacco and Leach is an insult to Bruins fans intelligence, it would be nothing but a lazy, dishonest and frugal coach hiring, I truly don't think Sweeney will take that easy route when his job is on the line if this hire goes south.

Put it this way:

It is possible that Sweeney will select someone from outside the organization who will excite the fan base and intrigue the media.

Hooray for him if he does.

Yet by temperament, Don Sweeney is the cautious, conservative sort. He prefers to go with what he knows, and what he is comfortable with. That would be Jay Leach. Or perhaps Mike Sullivan.

As for Sacco over Leach at the time of Montgomery's dismissal, my sense, and that is all it is, is that they were not going to throw Leach into the frying pan and risk the possibility of failure, and therefore damage to Jay's prospects of coaching the Bruins in future.

Hence, the underwhelming and easy choice of Joe Sacco. If they had turned it around, and made the playoffs, great. If you recall, they improved for a few games using a simpler, defense first style of play. Unfortunately for the interim head coach, this did not last.

Better Sacco the sacrificial lamb than the untried, as yet untarnished Jay Leach.

The selection of either Sullivan or Leach will be greeted with a collective yawn by the Bruins fan base. Doubtless accompanied by mass rolling of the eyes.

Again, it is likely more important to Don Sweeney that he is "comfortable" with his new head coach.

I didn't say I agree, at all, with this approach.

I said the safe choice will likely be the ultimate choice.

I hate SweeNeely.

 

[GordonHowe]

If it is Leach I will be furious. He's part of the present shit show and does not deserve to be promoted to the head coaching position. The defense has actually regressed under his direction ( injuries are no excuse, they didn't have a clue even when Mac & Lindy were healthy). It would send the wrong message.

They are expert at sending the wrong message.

Again, the Stockholm Twins played under Harry Sinden.

It's not nice and perhaps unfair, but to me, they carry with them a losing mentality.

"Harry doesn't play to win," remarked a fellow manager (under cloak of anonymity, naturally) 35 years ago.

*"Harry plays not to lose."*

 

[The don godfather]

You possibly could be right, but do you think it should be.

Better then sacco he must go!

 

[BMC]

They are expert at sending the wrong message.

Again, the Stockholm Twins played under Harry Sinden.

It's not nice and perhaps unfair, but to me, they carry with them a losing mentality.

"Harry doesn't play to win," remarked a fellow manager (under cloak of anonymity, naturally) 35 years ago.

*"Harry plays not to lose."*

I agree 100%. The only time I have known team management to risk it all for a chance to win it all was in 2023. We know how that turned out and you can bet that based on that experience they will be very reluctant to ever try it again.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Conversely, i'm not sure it's fair to tell someone they're wrong for how they feel.

Quenneville is objectively a scumbag. Everyone tries to pass the buck by saying yeah well he's not the GM or he's not the owner when in reality the guy committing the acts in question was on HIS staff, whom he willingly chose to keep after it was brought to his attention due to "team chemistry."

This isn't like people trying to tie Bergevin to it when his role as director of player personnel and what that entails likely means he wasn't even in the same city when shit hit the fan, or Kevin Cheveldayoff having little say in the team's business given where he was in the pecking order. The guy reported to Quenneville, and Quenneville decided to ignore it.

Ergo, he can go f*** himself.

​

 

[GordonHowe]

Conversely, i'm not sure it's fair to tell someone they're wrong for how they feel.

Quenneville is objectively a scumbag. Everyone tries to pass the buck by saying yeah well he's not the GM or he's not the owner when in reality the guy committing the acts in question was on HIS staff, whom he willingly chose to keep after it was brought to his attention due to "team chemistry."

This isn't like people trying to tie Bergevin to it when his role as director of player personnel and what that entails likely means he wasn't even in the same city when shit hit the fan, or Kevin Cheveldayoff having little say in the team's business given where he was in the pecking order. The guy reported to Quenneville, and Quenneville decided to ignore it.

Ergo, he can go f*** himself.

​

Fair enough.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Ted Nolan?

 

[Dr Hook]

Ted Nolan?

I wonder if Reg Dunlop can be bought out from the Nighthawks?

 

[GordonHowe]

Ted Nolan?

I needed that.

 

[Hookslide]

Better then sacco he must go!

I am not saying by any means that you are wrong, but you must admit he was dealt a shitty hand.

 

[Hookslide]

Ted Nolan?

Name from the past.

 

[Gee Wally]

MSN

NHL Rumors: Per – Adam Proteau –​

Poor results and an aging team can bring a head coach’s tenure to a screaming halt. It’s always, “What have you done for me lately?” In Sullivan’s case, it may be time for a change. And, if that occurs, he will not be unemployed for long. His record behind the Pittsburgh bench is impeccable. In 743 games, he has 404 wins, 251 losses, and 88 overtime losses. That amounts to a stellar .603 points percentage. Sullivan’s playoff record is not as impressive with a 44-38 record and a .537 points percentage.

Sullivan came into Pittsburgh in 2015-16 and won two Stanley Cups. It seems those days have passed. If Sullivan were to leave, it could be a reunion for Rick Tocchet if he feels his days are done in Vancouver. It would more than likely be an attractive destination for Tocchet.

A prediction for Sullivan’s future could see him heading to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins have made some changes, and Sullivan can mold that team to his liking. It was where Sullivan started his head coaching career in 2003-04.

Sacco hasn’t led the Bruins back to a winning team with a dismal 22-24-6 record. He’s gone.​

To be fair to Sacco, he took over for Jim Montgomery in November after a slow start for the Beantown boys. Going 8-9-3 was enough to send Montgomery walking. It is strange since he led the Bruins during the 2022-23 season to a record of 65-12-5. He lost to the Florida Panthers in the playoffs in seven games. His plight was written.

Proteau believes that Sullivan would be an excellent replacement for Sacco. There will be some jockeying around for head coaching positions after this season. For now, Sacco has NOT inspired the Bruins players to their tradition of winning. It didn’t help to see all the changes made to the roster at the trade deadline. They traded Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau, and Brandon Carlo. They did acquire Casey Mittelstadt and William Zellers. They planned for the future, adding two 2025 second-round picks and one fourth-rounder. They acquired a 2026 first-round from Toronto in the Carlo trade and a 2027 conditional second-round choice in the Marchand deal.

 

[bobbyorr04]

Conversely, i'm not sure it's fair to tell someone they're wrong for how they feel.

I don't think posters should tell others to STOP just because they don't agree with another poster's point of view

There's always 2 sides to a story or discussion, but when somebody tells the other one to stop, that means they are right and have all the answers

We wouldn't have many discussions in here if posters were told to stop every time they make a point that may be unpopular

The art of debating and/or discussing topics in a civilized manner is getting to be a thing of the past

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

You know who most people want as a coach without ever admitting it?

Themselves.

They want someone who gets emotional at a missed call by the officials. They want someone who will bench the player they see as lazy. A coach who will be candid with the media and fans, but only as candid as they see as acceptable. They want someone who will play the lineups they want to see and the goaltender they want in net. They want a team that will listen when they shout “shoot the f***ing puck!” at their televisions.

And anything else is unacceptable, consistently “outcoached” and needs to be fired.

 

[PlayMakers]

You know who most people want as a coach without ever admitting it?

Themselves.

They want someone who gets emotional at a missed call by the officials. They want someone who will bench the player they see as lazy. A coach who will be candid with the media and fans, but only as candid as they see as acceptable. They want someone who will play the lineups they want to see and the goaltender they want in net. They want a team that will listen when they shout “shoot the f***ing puck!” at their televisions.

And anything else is unacceptable, consistently “outcoached” and needs to be fired.

Post of the Year candidate.

 

[DominicT]

You know who most people want as a coach without ever admitting it?

Themselves.

They want someone who gets emotional at a missed call by the officials. They want someone who will bench the player they see as lazy. A coach who will be candid with the media and fans, but only as candid as they see as acceptable. They want someone who will play the lineups they want to see and the goaltender they want in net. They want a team that will listen when they shout “shoot the f***ing puck!” at their televisions.

And anything else is unacceptable, consistently “outcoached” and needs to be fired.

Well, at least I admitted it way back at the start of the thread.

 

[Gee Wally]

You know who most people want as a coach without ever admitting it?

Themselves.

They want someone who gets emotional at a missed call by the officials. They want someone who will bench the player they see as lazy. A coach who will be candid with the media and fans, but only as candid as they see as acceptable. They want someone who will play the lineups they want to see and the goaltender they want in net. They want a team that will listen when they shout “shoot the f***ing puck!” at their televisions.

And anything else is unacceptable, consistently “outcoached” and needs to be fired.

 

[IveGotToBeMe]

My selection

 

[Zillah]

Rick Tochett please

 

[PaulD]

More important question .....who will be the next Bruins Number one goaltender.

 

[McGarnagle]