Ranking the Open NHL Head Coaching Positions

Six NHL teams will be busy filling their vacant head coaching positions during the offseason.

The San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken will be in the market for new coaches after they recently fired their bench bosses. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues finished their seasons with interim coaches behind their benches.

Those clubs have several noteworthy candidates to choose from, including Craig Berube, Todd McLellan, Gerard Gallant, Jay Woodcroft, Dean Evason, D.J. Smith, David Quinn, Dave Hakstol and Lane Lambert. All but Gallant were relieved of their coaching duties for various reasons during this season.

Which of the available positions would be the most enticing to those candidates? We will attempt to find out as we rank the respective teams.

Another team or two could join their ranks before the end of the postseason. For now, we will focus on the clubs with open coaching positions to fill.

Do you agree or disagree with our rankings? Let us know in the app comments below.

This season was rock-bottom for the San Jose Sharks. In their second season of a roster rebuild under general manager Mike Grier, they finished last in the overall standings with 19 wins and 47 points. It was their third-worst record in a full NHL season in franchise history.

That performance led to head coach David Quinn's firing after just two seasons behind the Sharks' bench. However, there's little anyone could've done to improve their record in 2023-24.

This roster was weakened by injuries to stars Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl and the latter's departure at the trade deadline. San Jose's ranks were depleted last offseason as Grier jettisoned veterans in favor of promising young players.

Couture's future remains uncertain as he battles a hip/groin injury. Meanwhile, veterans like Mike Hoffman, Kevin Labanc and Alexander Barabanov are expected to depart on July 1 as unrestricted free agents.

Grier said he wants the Sharks to be faster and harder to play against next season, adding he'll look for players via trades and free agency who fit the bill. As for a head coach, he prefers someone with professional experience but didn't rule out any candidates.

There are a few promising lights on the Sharks. Young forwards William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund had career-best performances of over 40 points each. Rugged defenseman Mario Ferraro still patrols the blue line while goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood enjoyed a bounce-back performance in his first season in San Jose after several injury-riddled years.

The Sharks also possess promising prospects such as forwards Will Smith and Quentin Musty along with defensemen Henry Thrun and Shakir Mukhamadullin. They also have the best odds of winning this year's draft lottery and the right to select top prospect Macklin Celebrini.

Whoever becomes the next coach of the Sharks will play a key role in this club's rebuild. However, it will be a daunting challenge that could take years to bear fruit.

This season began with so much promise for the Ottawa Senators. Michael Andlauer brought much-needed stability to the owner's office following the tumultuous years of former owner Eugene Melnyk. After years of rebuilding, their young roster core was expected to lead this team to its first playoff berth since 2017.

However, it was another disappointing season for the Senators and their fans. They never seemed to find their footing following their Global Series in Sweden last November, missing the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

Steve Staios replaced general manager Pierre Dorion after the Senators were docked a first-round pick over a botched trade two years ago. Head coach D.J. Smith was relieved of his duties in December as Jacques Martin was brought back on an interim basis. Center Shane Pinto received a half-season suspension for violating the NHL's sports wagering rules.

Goaltending was a problem as Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg struggled during the season. They continue to lack depth on the right side of their defense corps. Center Josh Norris was once again plagued by shoulder injuries limiting him to 50 games.

Nevertheless, the Senators possess a young roster core that could carry this club back to playoff contention under the right coaching. Forwards like Pinto, Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle and Ridly Greig and defenseman Jake Sanderson are under 25 with their best seasons ahead of them.

Martin won't be returning behind the Senators bench. He's taking on the role of senior adviser to the coaching staff.

Whatever roster moves are made by Staios this summer could help to address the Senators' weaknesses. A coach coming into this role could burnish their reputation by guiding this club into a postseason contender.

The Seattle Kraken surprised the hockey world in 2022-23 by qualifying for the playoffs with 100 points only one year after their inaugural campaign. They upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2023 playoffs and then pushed the Dallas Stars to the limit before falling in seven games in the second round.

Expectations were understandably high, drawing comparisons to the Vegas Golden Knights' quick rise from expansion team to Stanley Cup champion. However, they slipped to 81 points this season and failed to qualify, resulting in Dave Hakstol being fired as head coach.

Defensively, the Kraken were among the league's best, finishing with the ninth-lowest goals-against per game (2.83), giving up the eighth-fewest shots (28.6). The offense was their undoing, plummeting to 29th in goals per game (2.61) after finishing fourth overall last season (3.52).

One reason for that decline was the offseason departures of forwards Daniel Sprong, Ryan Donato and Morgan Geekie. Another was center Matty Beniers' sophomore slump after winning Rookie of the Year last season. Injuries to forwards Andre Burakovsky and Jaden Schwartz and puck-moving defenseman Vince Dunn didn't help.

Still, Hakstol had difficulty adjusting to those issues and finding a way to rally his players. General manager Ron Francis will undoubtedly attempt to boost his scoring depth this summer through trades and free agency. He'll also seek a coach capable of helping his players rediscover last season's scoring touch.

In just three seasons, the Kraken have shown the potential to establish themselves as a serious playoff contender. That could be enticing for any bench bosses disinterested in joining a rebuilding team.

Jim Hiller was promoted from assistant coach to interim head coach on Feb. 2, replacing Todd McLellan. The Kings were in danger of falling out of playoff contention at the time but Hiller steadied the ship, guiding them to a record of 44-27-11 (99 points) and a third-place finish in the Pacific Division.

Under McLellan and Hiller, the Kings were sound defensively during the regular season. They had the league's second-best penalty-killing percentage (84.6), their goals against per game (2.56) was third-best and their 28.0 shots against per game was the fourth-lowest.

Offensively, they were 17th in goals-per-game average (3.10) while their power-play percentage (22.6) was 12th overall.

However, the Kings were eliminated from the opening round in five games by the Edmonton Oilers. Their defense collapsed against the Oilers' powerhouse offense, giving up the second-most goals against per game (4.40), while their penalty-killing percentage (55.0) was among the worst in the opening round.

It remains to be seen if Hiller will have the interim label removed and take over as full-time head coach. General manager Rob Blake could opt for someone with more NHL head coaching experience and have Hiller return to his assistant coach role.

The Kings possess reliable veteran leadership in captain Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala are consistent scoring wingers while Trevor Moore had a career-best 31-goal season. Young center Quinton Byfield is blossoming into an NHL star while Jordan Spence shows potential as a future top-four defenseman.

Goaltending will be an issue. Current starter Cam Talbot is 36 and backup David Rittich is 31 and both are eligible to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Center Pierre-Luc Dubois' first season as a King was disappointing as he managed 40 points in 82 games.

The Kings were expected to make strides toward Stanley Cup contention this season after their 104-point performance in 2022-23. Whoever becomes head coach must find a way to get this team back on track.

That includes managing the workload of aging stars Kopitar and Doughty, maintaining Byfield's development, helping Dubois find his game and working with perhaps two new goaltenders next season.

In December, the St. Louis Blues fired Craig Berube after nearly six seasons as their head coach. Drew Bannister, the head coach of their AHL affiliate in Springfield, was promoted as Berube's replacement on an interim basis.

Under Bannister, the Blues went 30-19-5, narrowly missing the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference. He indicated his willingness to take over the job full-time, but general manager Doug Armstrong is considering his options before making his decision.

Bannister or his replacement would take over a roster in transition as Armstrong retools with young talent. He's attempting to avoid a full rebuild in favor of a swift turnaround that keeps the Blues competitive while building it back into a contender again.

The Blues still possess several skilled veterans. They include starting goaltender Jordan Binnington, defensemen Colton Parayako, Justin Faulk and Torey Krug and forwards Brandon Saad, Pavel Buchnevich and captain Brayden Schenn.

However, several young players such as forwards Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou are taking on larger roles. This season also saw the development of winger Jake Neighbours as a scoring forward and netminder Joel Hofer, who formed a solid goalie tandem with Binnington. Promising winger Zachery Bolduc made his NHL debut this season.

The Blues also have several bright prospects within their system who could become future NHL stars. They include Bolduc, winger Jimmy Snuggerud and center Dalibor Dvorský.

Whoever gets this head coaching gig will have a team capable of being a playoff contender next season. Bannister's winning record this season could give him the inside track on the job.

The New Jersey Devils entered this season with heightened expectations after a franchise-best 112-point performance and a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2022-23. However, shaky goaltending and an injury-depleted roster saw them miss the playoffs with 81 points.

Head coach Lindy Ruff was relieved of his duties in March as Travis Green took over on an interim basis. Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reports Green was recently interviewed by the Ottawa Senators, which suggests the Devils could find someone else as their full-time bench boss.

Whoever gets the job faces helping this promising club regain its footing following this dispiriting campaign.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald began improving his goaltending by acquiring Jake Allen at the trade deadline. He's made no secret of his intent to pursue a reliable starter and was reportedly interested in the Calgary Flames' Jacob Markström and the Nashville Predators' Juuse Saros. He could attempt to acquire one of them during the offseason.

Better goaltending will make the coach's job easier. So will a healthier roster.

Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat were notable core players sidelined for long periods this season. The defense could also use a little more experience but also possesses promising youngsters Luke Hughes and Šimon Nemec.

The Devils proved last season they can be among the league's best teams when healthy and with reliable goaltending. This could be a golden opportunity to coach a club with the potential to become a Stanley Cup contender with the right roster additions.

Stats and standings via NHL.com.