Which NHL coach opening can sell a shot at the Stanley Cup soonest? Examining the 7 jobs

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By Scott Powers, Arthur Staple and Fluto Shinzawa

As soon as Mike Sullivan hit the open market on Monday, there was a lot of buzz among the six other NHL teams looking for coaches.

Of course, not everyone will be able to hire Sullivan. David Carle, the University of Denver’s coach, is the other hot name on the market, but it’s unknown whether he’ll leave the college ranks. Just as teams are evaluating their options, the most-coveted coaches will be analyzing theirs, too.

Which of the seven openings has the best chance of winning a Stanley Cup soonest? Which teams have the biggest short- and long-term upside? What are the downsides? What’s the prospect pool look like? We dug into all of that and included the best potential coaching fit.

Anaheim Ducks

This season’s record: 35-37-10, 80 points

How far from the Stanley Cup: Far but not as far as some. The Ducks’ 21-point improvement from 2023-24 to this season was second only to Columbus’ 23-point rise. The Western Conference is a beast, but Anaheim looks poised to at least contend for a playoff spot next season.

Upside: Lots of very talented youth, including Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger and Lukáš Dostál. Seven regulars are under 25, and the Ducks have a mountain of cap space this offseason.

Downside: The Ducks still don’t score enough, their special teams are atrocious and they give up way too much. Other than that, all good.

Prospect pool: The Ducks were ranked 12th by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in January, largely on the strength of Beckett Sennecke, last year’s No. 3 pick, who looks like a future top-six forward. It’s still a pretty deep bench considering so many of their kids already are NHL veterans.

Best fit: With all of their young players and a solid veteran background group, the Ducks could use a coach who can grow with them. Carle is in high demand, but he’d work best in Anaheim.

Boston Bruins

This season’s record: 33-39-10, 76 points

How far from the Stanley Cup: Several years away. The bosses say the playoffs are absolutely possible in 2025-26, which currently looks like a stretch. Yes, they have a foundation in David Pastrňák, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman. They missed Hampus Lindholm, who played only 17 games in 2024-25. But their prospect pool is depleted, their leadership group is in transition and they have multiple holes to fill at wing and defense in free agency.

Upside: Pastrňák can produce in his sleep. He helped Morgan Geekie score a career-best 33 times. A healthy McAvoy, paired with a consistent partner, should be an all-situations defenseman. The Bruins are hoping Swayman’s down season is an aberration after he missed all of training camp and adjusted to life without Linus Ullmark.

Downside: Pastrňák and Geekie are their only top-six wings. A center rotation of Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, Casey Mittelstadt and Mark Kastelic isn’t scaring anyone. They need to replace Brandon Carlo on the No. 2 pairing. And what if Swayman’s .892 save percentage is an indication of what’s to come?

Prospect pool: GM Don Sweeney deepened the 30th-ranked pool before the trade deadline, but not to the depth it needs to be. Fraser Minten, acquired in the Carlo trade, could be a future No. 3 center. Will Zellers, part of the Charlie Coyle deal, will be a freshman at North Dakota this fall. The 2027 conditional second-round pick the Bruins acquired for Brad Marchand is not helping anytime soon. As for other prospects, neither Matt Poitras nor Fabian Lysell is a lock to make next year’s roster.

Best fit: Sullivan would check multiple boxes. The interest would seemingly be mutual. The Marshfield, Mass., native and Boston University graduate would be coaching son-in-law McAvoy and be close to daughter Kylie and grandson Rhys. But Sullivan might consider the New York Rangers closer to the Cup. If Sullivan looks elsewhere, Carle and Jay Pandolfo would be in the mix as successful NCAA coaches who could grow with the rebuilding Bruins.

Connor Bedard is one thing the Blackhawks have going for them in their search. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

Chicago Blackhawks

This season’s record: 25-46-11, 61 points

How far from the Stanley Cup: The Blackhawks are probably still at least a few years from making the playoffs again. The Stanley Cup would be even further down the line. The Blackhawks are hopeful that once that window opens, they will keep it open for some time. Time will tell.

Upside: The Blackhawks are going to give their next coach plenty of runway and probably plenty of money to turn things around. Coaches do love job security. The Blackhawks’ biggest selling point is their promising youth. The Blackhawks have drafted eight first-round picks, highlighted by 2023 No. 1 pick Conor Bedard, in the last three years. Six of those players have already played in the NHL. The Blackhawks have two more first-round picks, including a top-four pick, in this year’s draft.

Downside: There is no guarantee that how the Blackhawks have gone about their rebuild is going to work. Not many general managers have torn a team down as far as Kyle Davidson has, and attempted to build so much back up through the draft. This is could all work brilliantly or not.

Prospect pool: The Blackhawks were ranked fourth by Wheeler. Center Frank Nazar may have been the Blackhawks’ most dangerous player at the end of the season. Defenseman Sam Rinzel joined the team after finishing his college season at Minnesota and played No. 1 defenseman minutes in his final games.

Best fit: The Blackhawks were also hoping for Carle, but he’s already removed himself from their search. They’ll undoubtedly target Sullivan next. He fits what they’re looking for, but it’s unknown whether they fit him. Jay Woodcroft might be the Blackhawks’ best bet if they don’t bring back interim coach Anders Sörensen.

New York Rangers

This season’s record: 39-36-7, 85 points

How far from the Stanley Cup: Depends which year you ask. Less than 12 months ago, you’d have said pretty close — the Rangers were up 2-1 on the Panthers in the Eastern Conference final. Now … not so much. This disastrous season saw a few regulars leave via trade and Peter Laviolette get fired a year after coaching the team to the Presidents’ Trophy. With the right coach, maybe they get back closer to what they were last spring.

Upside: Igor Shesterkin is the best goalie on any of the teams looking for a coach, which instantly makes this job more attractive. There’s still plenty of high-end skill, too. And it’s New York, which can be a blessing and a curse, occasionally at the same time.

Downside: Their fall was so swift and messy that this might not be a quick turnaround — and, if the Rangers are bad again in 2025-26, a new coach might get swept out the door with GM Chris Drury. Plus, these Rangers were allergic to preventing scoring chances last season, giving up the second-most high-danger chances all year.

Prospect pool: Even though the Rangers are several years removed from their declared rebuild, there are still some pockets of promise in the 19th-ranked pool, according to Wheeler. Gabe Perreault played his first NHL games this month and should compete for a job next season, plus there are a couple of depth forwards who could be intriguing. Hard roster to crack, though.

Best fit: Sullivan has relationships with a few Rangers from his long-ago time as John Tortorella’s assistant and as 4 Nations coach. He’d bring stability to a chaotic situation, which is probably Drury’s No. 1 motivator in this search.

Philadelphia Flyers

This season’s record: 33-39-10, 76 points

How far from the Stanley Cup: Pretty darn far. This is the Flyers’ fifth straight season in the lottery, and they’re going to get a decent pick here. But they’re still just floating around with bad goaltending and a roster that could use some freshening up.

Upside: Matvei Michkov has the goods, and the Flyers do have some youth in key spots, as well as some promising players coming.

Downside: Still locked in on too many contracts, especially for a dizzying array of fourth-line guys plus a defense that still feels patchwork.

Prospect pool: Jett Luchanko, Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk should help this team, but beyond that, this 18th-ranked pool doesn’t offer much.

Best fit: They seem to want to bring old friend Rick Tocchet back into the fold, but this is a longer-term project than a veteran coach would want. Capitals assistant Mitch Love should be the call here to bring some long-term vision to this team.

Can a new coach provide Sidney Crosby another chance at a Cup? (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

Pittsburgh Penguins

This season’s record: 34-36-12, 80 points

How far from the Stanley Cup: Very far. Sidney Crosby refuses to age, but the 37-year-old is unlikely to be part of the franchise’s next parade. Fellow graybeards Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, both 38, have played their best hockey. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are proven scorers, but are they front-of-the-line leaders?

Upside: Crosby remains outstanding. He can drag the Penguins further along than they deserve to advance. Everybody wants to play with No. 87, which puts the Penguins in the free-agent conversation. Malkin has one year left on his deal. After that, GM Kyle Dubas will have Malkin’s $6.1 million to spend.

Downside: The next generation after Crosby, Malkin and Letang is nowhere in sight. Letang is under contract through 2028 at $6.1 million annually. Erik Karlsson ($10 million) is signed through 2027.

Prospect pool: The 20th-ranked Penguins are getting deeper. Rutger McGroarty is on pace to be a good all-around forward. Ville Koivunen got some NHL reps late in the year. But the Penguins do not have a go-to, slam-dunk, high-impact player in their system.

Best fit: Would Rick Tocchet consider returning to Pittsburgh, given how long the turnaround is expected to take? This may be an opportunity for either Mike Vellucci or David Quinn, Sullivan’s assistants, to get a promotion and oversee a new chapter in the Penguins’ rebuild.

Seattle Kraken

This season’s record: 35-41-6, 76 points

How far from the Stanley Cup: The Kraken feel like one of the furthest teams from the Stanley Cup on this list. There just isn’t a clear direction at this point. Maybe that will change over the offseason.

Upside: The Kraken have shaken up their front office and promoted Jason Botterill to general manager. Aside from hiring a new head coach, you would think other changes throughout the organization will come with that. The Kraken have some young, promising players in Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, and players such as Kaapo Kakko and Eeli Tolvanen were producing closer to the rates they were once expected to. Their prospect pool is full, and they also have five first-round picks over the next three years. Overall, the team did seem like it was on a better trajectory just two seasons ago.

Downside: The Kraken could be a good job in a few years. Things don’t feel stable now. This will be their third coach in three years. The Kraken’s roster also doesn’t have a lot of roster flexibility. If they re-sign Kakko and Tye Kartye, both restricted free agents, that probably gives them 10 forwards. They also likely have five defensemen and two goalies returning. Can the same team run it back and finish better? Maybe the right coach has a different effect. Botterill does have some cap space to play with, so maybe that can impact things, too.

Prospect pool: The Kraken were ranked 10th by Wheeler. He mentioned the quantity of prospects he considered for their individual rankings. The list is headlined by Berkly Catton, who doesn’t turn 20 until January and would have to start next season in the NHL.

Best fit: Don Granato might be an ideal candidate for the Kraken. While he didn’t turn the Buffalo Sabres around as much as he would have liked and they ultimately parted ways with him, they still finished better under him than any coach in the last decade. He did relatively well with a group of young and old players.

(Top photo of Mike Sullivan: Frederick Breedon / Getty Images)

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