NHL rumblings: Where the Islanders, Ducks, Flyers and Kings stand on coach/GM searches and more

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Talk about good timing for the New York Islanders, winning the draft lottery just as they’re in the midst of a general manager search.

More precisely, they’re in the market for a GM and a president of hockey operations. There seems to be some flexibility as to whether the Islanders bring in just one person for those positions or two. The first choice, according to league sources, is to get someone who can fill both portfolios.

Where I’m told things are: Free-agent Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Holland has already interviewed with the Isles and is a serious candidate, as he should be. The team would also like to speak with Los Angeles Kings executive Marc Bergevin but hadn’t yet as of Tuesday, as the Kings’ season just ended — and now Rob Blake’s departure as GM might have complicated things, depending on whether Bergevin is in the mix for Blake’s old job.

Colleague Arthur Staple, who’s been on top of all of this, reported Tuesday that the Isles had reached out to the Montreal Canadiens wanting to speak with executive vice president Jeff Gorton. The response from Montreal, according to league sources, is that Gorton is there to stay. So not available.

The Islanders also intend to interview Mathieu Darche. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s assistant GM has been a hot candidate the past few years, as I’ve reported before. He would be the Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM had Kyle Dubas not surfaced as a candidate when he got fired by the Leafs. He also has had strong interviews with the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks and Canadiens over the past few years.

The Islanders also want to speak to candidates who are currently not available because their teams are still in the playoffs. Whether that delays things or the Isles move ahead with a candidate soon remains to be seen.

Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello, who was let go after the season, was on an expiring contract as president and GM. My understanding is that he signed a four-year deal when he first got to the Islanders, then kept signing one-year extensions with ownership. The current one-year extension expires June 30.

Whoever ends up in charge will have to decide whether to keep Patrick Roy on as coach, as well. The Hall of Famer has three more years on his contract, which is not a small detail in whatever decision is reached.

Ken Holland is a serious candidate to take over the Islanders. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

Ducks’ coaching search

Joel Quenneville has had his second interview with the Anaheim Ducks.

The team has also interviewed the likes of Jay Woodcroft and David Carle. The latter signed a new contract with the University of Denver this week, which would appear to take him off the NHL market for now, though according to league sources there’s an “out” in that contract. My impression is that the interview between Carle and the Ducks went rather well, so perhaps something to file away for a rainy day down the road.

My understanding is the Ducks have also had some communication with Rick Tocchet, so we’ll see whether that leads to an interview.

Flyers’ coaching search

The Philadelphia Flyers have taken their time, but things should heat up next week, from what I’m hearing.

They have already spoken to some candidates and interim coach Brad Shaw has a legitimate chance to get the full-time gig, as well.

As of Tuesday, my understanding is that the Flyers had not reached out on Rick Tocchet, but I expect that will happen before the end of the week. The Canucks last weekend told his camp that they can speak directly to teams without clubs needing to reach out to Vancouver for permission. That should help smooth out the process. Tocchet’s contract with the Canucks expires June 30.

More than a few teams have shown interest, unsurprisingly. But if Tocchet doesn’t find a fit he likes, a return to TV with TNT next season is also on the table.

Kings’ GM search

Kings president Luc Robitaille met the media in L.A. on Tuesday and said he’s already compiled a list of names for his GM search. What’s not clear exactly is where Bergevin fits into all that. Robitaille said in his news conference that he would have a discussion with Bergevin, a special adviser to the Kings GM under Blake. But does that mean Robitaille views Bergevin as a true candidate or not? That’s not clear. And again, the Islanders would like to speak with Bergevin.

Kings assistant GM Nelson Emerson is also potentially an in-house candidate.

I think it’s important to note that Blake’s exit, meanwhile, was legitimately mutual and not a firing. He was on an expiring contract and decided to put the brakes on potential extension talks last summer because he wanted to see how the season went first. Blake rebuilt the Kings in impressive fashion, but he would be the first one to point out that the job requires winning when it matters most.

From what I understand, after the Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers for a fourth straight time in the opening round, and after some self-reflecting, Blake felt that if he was going to hold players and coaches to a certain standard of performance, he too should be held to it. So he felt it was time for a new person to run things and discussed that with Robitaille over the weekend.

Blake leaves without any hard feelings and a sense that he’s left a good group of players that will push forward. It’s certainly a good job for whoever the next GM is.

Kirk Muller?

Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery is a slam dunk for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year, and it is only natural for teams to look at his bench and for potential candidates among his assistants.

Assistant coach Mitch Love, a two-time AHL coach of the year, is generating interest. We’ll see where that goes once the Caps’ season is over.

And what of veteran assistant Kirk Muller? My sense is the 59-year-old would be open to another crack at head coach if the right fit came along.

Muller was head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes from 2011 to ’14 and has since been an assistant/associate on benches with the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames before joining the Caps two years ago. He was an associate coach in Calgary when Darryl Sutter won the Jack Adams Award in 2021-22.

Muller has been an big part of the Caps’ surprising first-place finish in the East this season. He’s done a great job running the power play. In talking to people who have worked with Muller over the years, what jumps out is his positive energy around the rink every day, which translates well with the modern players. He’s a strong communicator, and those who have worked with him say he has been impactful on the development of young players.

It’s interesting how some coaches get a second shot and others stay in the assistant lane forever. Rick Bowness went a long time between head coaching gigs. I remember talking to him when he was an associate coach in Tampa Bay under Jon Cooper, and we wondered if he would ever get another shot. It turns out he did, with both the Dallas Stars and the Winnipeg Jets.

Will the same happen with Muller? I’m not sure. But it feels like he’s earned another look.

Bednar-Avs

Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland met with local media in Denver on Tuesday and confirmed that Jared Bednar will return behind the bench.

“One hundred percent confident Jared is our head coach,” MacFarland told reporters.

Bednar has two more years on his contract. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m surprised it was even in question whether he was safe. He’s regarded by his peers as one of the top coaches in the league. And he’s a Cup champion.

I totally get that expectations haven’t been met in winning only one playoff series since that Cup in ’22. And this season was probably the Avs’ deepest roster in that time, as Bednar said after the crushing Game 7 loss. But getting Dallas in a first-round series that was conference-final level was always going to send one team home too early based on talent and expectations. Bednar was half a period away from it being him advancing and the Stars going home. Razor-thin margins in that title-belt series. But I never saw it as ammunition for either head coach to be in question if they lost that series.

(Top photo of Marc Bergevin: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

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