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Bruins Have Interviewed Jay Leach, Mitch Love, Luke Richardson For Head Coach Job

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The Bruins have had several external candidates linked to their head coaching vacancy for several weeks since the regular season ended. Today, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic confirmed they’ve held initial interviews with most of the names already mentioned. Still, he added that they’d also considered promoting assistant coach Jay Leach to the head job. They’ve also interviewed Capitals assistant Mitch Love and former Blackhawks bench boss Luke Richardson, LeBrun adds.

LeBrun’s report comes after general manager Don Sweeney told Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald earlier this week that they’re entering the final stages of their search and are narrowing their list of candidates to make a hire in the next couple of weeks. Other previously known candidates who haven’t been snapped up elsewhere are former Bruins winger and current AHL Ontario head coach Marco Sturm, ex-Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft, and interim head coach Joe Sacco, LeBrun confirms.

It’s not the first time the Bruins have interviewed Leach to be their head coach. He was a finalist for their vacancy in 2022 before they ended up hiring Jim Montgomery, but they got him anyway last summer as an assistant after he spent three years in the same role with the Kraken.

Boston faces competition from the Penguins on many of the names here. Pittsburgh has also reportedly interviewed Leach, Love, and Woodcroft throughout their process. That’s likely a factor in the Bruins wanting to get their search wrapped up sooner rather than later, so they can ensure the Pens don’t take their first choice.

Leach spent a few years in the Boston organization in the NHL and AHL during his playing days, and is now in his second stint with the club as a coach. He was previously the head coach of AHL Providence from 2017 to 2021.

Love, meanwhile, is now connected to all three remaining head coach openings, including the Kraken, after the Blackhawks concluded their search with the hiring of Jeff Blashill today. After receiving some interest for head coach openings in the 2023 hiring cycle but ending up in an assistant role in Washington, he’s one of the top candidates this time around. The 40-year-old would be a first time head coach in the NHL but has experience in the top coaching role with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades (2018-2021) and the AHL’s Stockton Heat/Calgary Wranglers (2021-2023), where he won Coach of the Year honors in each of his two seasons behind the bench.

They’re not facing any known competition on Richardson, though. It’s the first time he’s been linked to a head coaching job since the Blackhawks fired him in December following an 8-16-2 start to the campaign. The 56-year-old compiled a 57-118-15 (.339) record in parts of three seasons behind the bench for a rebuilding Chicago club.

Penguins Have Interviewed Jay Leach, David Quinn, Jay Woodcroft For Head Coaching Vacancy

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The Penguins have obtained permission to and completed an interview with Bruins assistant Jay Leach for their vacant head coaching job, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s 32 Thoughts podcast. Friedman added that they’ve also considered promoting assistant David Quinn to the head job and talked to former Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft.

Those names get added to a list that includes former Blues bench boss Drew Bannister, Capitals assistant Mitch Love, and Kings assistant D.J. Smith. Out of the six, Bannister is the only one who hasn’t been confirmed to have an interview.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported back in April that the Bruins were receiving calls on Leach for teams interested in interviewing him for head coaching roles, but it’s been quiet since on who’s talked to him. He’s not a complete newcomer to the organization. His first coaching job in North America was as an assistant with the Pens’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the 2015-16 season. The Bruins plucked him the following year for their AHL squad, and he’s remained in the Boston organization since, aside from a two-year stint with the Kraken as an assistant in their first two seasons in the league.

Quinn hasn’t been linked to coaching vacancies outside the Pittsburgh organization in this hiring cycle. Of the six candidates mentioned, he has the most experience as an NHL head coach. The 58-year-old took an assistant role in Pittsburgh last summer after being fired by the Sharks. Also, he served on the United States’ bench at the 4 Nations Face-Off as an assistant under Mike Sullivan, whom he’s now considered a potential replacement for with the Pens. The Rhode Island native has a 137-185-50 (.435) record in 372 regular-season games as a head coach with San Jose and the Rangers since 2018. His only playoff appearance was in the 2020 qualifying round, and the Hurricanes swept his New York club.

This is the first mention of Woodcroft in connection with the Pens’ vacancy. He’s been considered for two other jobs this summer – the Ducks and the Bruins. While the former opted to hire Joel Quenneville instead, he’s still a legitimate possibility in Boston and likely has a better chance of landing that gig with a smaller field of known candidates. The 48-year-old had a 79-41-13 (.643) record over three seasons as bench boss in Edmonton. His Pittsburgh connection is fragile – he helped defeat the Pens in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final as a video coach with the Red Wings.

Don’t expect news on a hiring until later this month, with general manager Kyle Dubas out of the country, Josh Yohe of The Athletic said yesterday. He’s GMing Canada at the World Championship.

Jeff Blashill, Jeff Halpern, Jay Leach Drawing Interest For Head Coach Vacancies

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Bruins assistant coach Jay Leach and Lightning assistant coaches Jeff Blashill and Jeff Halpern are among the names under consideration for the eight active head coaching vacancies across the league, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.

Leach has another year left on his contract in Boston, Pagnotta relays, but the Bruins have evidently granted him permission to speak to other teams as he’s already begun the interview process for a few positions. He landed with the Bruins last summer after being a finalist for the Kraken’s HC job – he was an internal promotion option there, but they opted for the recently-fired Dan Bylsma instead. He was also a candidate for Boston’s head coach vacancy in 2022 after departing the organization for the Kraken.

The 45-year-old Leach now has a decade of coaching experience after retiring as a player in 2013, including four years as head coach of the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence from 2017-18 through 2020-21. The New York native was an assistant coach for Adler Mannheim in 2014-15 when the German club won the DEL championship with a roster featuring former NHLers Jochen Hecht, Glen Metropolit, and Brandon Yip, among others.

Pagnotta also implied Blashill, still active in the playoffs with Tampa, has already completed some interviews. He’s taken a back seat to Jon Cooper with the Bolts since being let go by the Red Wings in 2022 following an unceremonious tenure as head coach there. Blashill only made the playoffs once in his first season with the rebuilding Wings, compiling a 204-261-72 (.447) record. He was a candidate for the Sharks’ vacancy last year and even had a second interview, but was passed over for rookie bench boss Ryan Warsofsky.

As for Halpern, teams are waiting until the Lightning’s postseason comes to an end before being given permission to talk to him. Halpern has been on Cooper’s staff as an assistant since 2018 and has only ever coached within the Lightning organization, serving as a development and assistant coach with AHL Syracuse from 2015-16 through 2017-18. The veteran of nearly 1,000 NHL games as a player was interviewed by the Capitals during their hiring cycle in 2023, but they opted to go with Spencer Carbery instead.

Bruins Name Jay Leach Assistant Coach

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Now taking his third trip through the Boston Bruins organization, Jay Leach will return to the team as an assistant coach for the 2024-25 NHL campaign. The Bruins announced the hiring of Leach this afternoon as well as the promotion of Joe Sacco as an associate coach.

Leach began his tenure in the Original Six organization in the 2003-04 season as he suited up in three games for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Leach would not get his first taste of NHL action until 2005-06, registering two games in Boston without any points.

Over the next five years, Leach played on four additional teams before retiring as the captain of the Albany Devils after the 2013-14 AHL season. Shortly thereafter, Leach began his coaching tenure with Adler Mannheim of the DEL as an assistant coach before a brief stint in the same role with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins the following year. Ahead of the 2016-17 AHL season, Leach returned to the Bruins organization for a second stint as an assistant coach of Providence before being named the team’s head coach ahead of 2017-18.

Leach earned his first opportunity in the NHL after a four-year run in Providence in which the team produced a 136-77-26 record under the then-rookie head coach. Shortly after the inception as the league’s 32nd franchise, Leach was hired as an assistant coach by the Seattle Kraken to join Dave Hakstol’s staff. With the Kraken looking to re-create their coaching staff after a disappointing 2023-24 season, Leach was granted the opportunity to pursue other options.

Sacco, on the other hand, is seeing a well-deserved promotion after spending the last decade as an assistant coach for the Bruins. During his tenure, Boston has made it to one Stanley Cup Final appearance while also winning two Presidents’ Trophies as the top team in the regular season.

Coaching Notes: Evason, Woodcroft, Bylsma, Leach, McFarland, Keefe, Sturm, Colliton

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While he hasn’t interviewed for the position yet, former Wild coach Dean Evason is becoming a candidate to watch for the Kraken’s vacancy behind the bench. Mike Benton of 93.3 KJR reported last night that Evason was becoming a “dark horse” for the job, which was later seconded by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.

Evason was linked to the Senators’ vacancy earlier in the offseason, but that was since filled by Travis Green. Among coaches with NHL experience, he joins ex-Kings coach Todd McLellan among those connected to Seattle.

Pagnotta also confirmed Thursday that the Kraken are discussing a pair of internal promotions: AHL bench boss Dan Bylsma and NHL assistant Jay Leach. In fact, they’re likely the front-runners to replace Dave Hakstol, who was fired shortly after the regular season came to a close. They’ve advanced to the second round of interviews, Pagnotta said, although it doesn’t appear a decision is imminent. Bylsma’s season isn’t over yet as AHL Coachella Valley is still alive in the Calder Cup Playoffs, advancing to the Western Conference Final for the second year in a row. They’re awaiting the winner of the Central Division Final series between Grand Rapids and Milwaukee.

More on the NHL’s coaching carousel over the past 24 hours:

  • The Kraken also let go of assistant coach Paul McFarland when firing Hakstol late last month after he’d served on Hakstol’s staff for the franchise’s first three seasons. He’s landing on his feet, though. He’s expected to become the next head coach of the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, Jeff Marek of Sportsnet said Wednesday. McFarland has a few seasons of head coaching experience at the major junior level, holding the role for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs from 2014-15 to 2016-17 and again in 2020-21, although that season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He replaces longtime WHL coach Steve Hamilton, who won’t be returning after six seasons behind the Hitmen bench.
  • With Sheldon Keefe signing a four-year deal to become the next head coach of the Devils, his previous two-year extension with the Maple Leafs is no longer intact, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports. As part of Toronto granting permission for him to speak with New Jersey, the Devils canceled his extension and are paying him more money annually on his new deal than he would’ve made on his extension with the Leafs. Thus, Toronto no longer owes Keefe the balance of his extension.
  • After receiving permission to speak to him from the Kings, the Sharks are expected to interview Marco Sturm for their vacancy next week, Pagnotta reports. If San Jose doesn’t end up going with their former top-nine fixture on the wing, Sturm is a strong candidate to rejoin the Kings’ NHL staff as an assistant to Jim Hiller. He would replace the outgoing Trent Yawney, who mutually parted ways with the organization last week.
  • San Jose is also one of the teams keeping tabs on Jeremy Colliton, said Pagnotta. The former Blackhawks head coach has been in the Canucks organization for the past two seasons as the head coach of their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. He does not have a contract with them for next season, though. He had an 87-92-26 record in parts of four seasons behind the Chicago bench.

Kraken Linked To Todd McLellan

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Add Todd McLellan’s name to the list of coaching candidates for the Kraken this summer. He and internal promotion options Dan Bylsma and Jay Leach are the current favorites to be named the franchise’s second head coach, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Wednesday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

McLellan is on the market after the Kings fired him midseason. He’s also been linked to the Maple Leafs’ coaching vacancy and is considered one of two finalists alongside ex-Blues coach Craig Berube.

Seattle fired Dave Hakstol late last month after he served behind the bench for the team’s first three NHL seasons. The Kraken signed Hakstol to a two-year extension last summer that was set to kick in for 2024-25 after winning their first-ever playoff series, but they fell back out of the postseason picture this year with a 34-35-15 record.

If he lands the role, McLellan will stay in the Pacific Division as he has for his entire head coaching career. Over three stops with the Sharks, Oilers and Kings, McLellan has accumulated a 598-412-134 record in 1,144 regular-season games, good for a .581 points percentage. He’s won just one playoff series since his days in San Jose, though, a first-round victory with Edmonton over the Sharks in 2017.

The Kraken can offer him a squad similar to what he had in Los Angeles. They don’t have the high-ceiling firepower of an Anže Kopitar, Kevin Fiala or Adrian Kempe, but they do have solid scoring depth spread out across all four lines and a largely stout defense group in front of sometimes dominant but inconsistent goaltending from year to year. Seattle hopes the younger Joey Daccord, who took over as their starter this season with a .916 SV% in 50 appearances, can erase that last statement.

McLellan did good work in L.A. to guide them out of a rebuild after coaching a contender in San Jose and failing to get Edmonton to the playoffs consistently in the early days of the Leon Draisaitl/Connor McDavid era. The Kings have finished third in the Pacific in all three seasons since the pandemic, although this year was aided by interim Jim Hiller taking over past the halfway point. He had L.A. off to a torrid start this season, posting a 16-4-3 record through their first 23 games, but a 4-8-6 skid between Christmas and the All-Star break cost him his job.

Leach, whose name has been bandied about for some other vacancies this summer, has been with the Kraken as an assistant since their inception. Bylsma, who won the Stanley Cup as a head coach with the Penguins in 2009, has been the head coach of AHL Coachella Valley since they began play in 2022-23, leading them to a 94-32-18 record in their first two seasons.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Scott, Potential GMs/Coaches

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The NHL announced its Three Stars of the Week for March 20 through March 26, with Viktor Arvidsson of the Los Angeles Kings earning the top spot. Arvidsson led the league with five goals and two assists, scoring in each of the three games he played. His performance helped the Kings extend their point streak to a franchise-record 12 games as they rocket up the Pacific Division standings.

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki was named the Second Star after tallying eight points in three games. Suzuki’s four-point effort in an 8-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets was his first career four-point outing. The Third Star went to Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who posted a 2-0-0 record, a 0.96 goals-against average, and a .972 save percentage. Gustavsson’s 47-save performance in a 2-1 win of the New Jersey Devils was a career-high. The Wild have earned points in 12 of Gustavsson’s past 13 starts dating back to February 11. His excellence in goal for the Wild has helped them continue to climb the Central Division standings without the services of Kirill Kaprizov.

More from around the league this morning:

  • Dave Scott, the chairman and former CEO of the Philadelphia Flyers’ ownership group, Comcast-Spectacor, will be retiring from his positive effective April 17th. Comcast-Spectacor announced the news Monday, ending Scott’s 30-year time at the helm of Philadelphia’s ownership. Dan Hilferty, who was recently appointed as CEO of the company, will take over as chairman and assume both of Scott’s former roles, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
  • ESPN’s Emily Kaplan compiled a list of the top candidates for potential coaching and general manager vacancies, with a lot of familiar names near the tops of both lists. Former Florida Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery, and Seattle Kraken assistant Jay Leach made Kaplan’s “ready right now” tier for coaching vacancies, while former Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, Flyers interim GM Daniel Briere, and Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche made the “ready right now” tier for GM vacancies.

 

Latest On Boston Bruins Coaching Search

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There could be an answer as soon as today on who will be the next head coach of the Boston Bruins and a new name has entered the ring. Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci has interviewed for the job. In fact, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff believes that Vellucci has been interviewed twice now.

Still, Seravalli notes that the finalists are Vellucci, Jay Leach, and David Quinn, with many believing that the latter is the front-runner for the opening.

Vellucci, 55, may not have a lot of NHL experience but he is a proven winner at basically every level along the way. The former Hartford Whalers defenseman has won championships in the NAHL, OHL, and most recently the AHL, taking home the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019. He has been named Coach of the Year at all three levels and has now been behind the bench with Pittsburgh for the past two seasons.

The Bruins, who fired Bruce Cassidy after a disappointing playoff exit, seem focused on less experienced names for the vacancy. Leach also has experience as a head coach in the minor leagues–with the Providence Bruins, no less–but has just one year behind an NHL bench as an assistant. David Quinn had just one year as an assistant when he landed the New York Rangers head coaching job in 2018, a tenure that lasted just three seasons.

Boston is one of three teams still without a coach, along with the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets.

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