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The Boston Bruins fired coach Jim Montgomery late Tuesday afternoon, and another NHL team should take advantage of that.
Just one day after the Bruins fell meekly to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 to fall to an 8-9-3 record this season, the Bruins replaced Montgomery with interim coach Joe Sacco.
The B’s dropped three straight games and four of their five games leading up to Tuesday’s firing, and they’ve been outscored 15-5 in their current three-game losing skid. Something had to change in Beantown, and Montgomery paid the price for it with his job only two years after he won the 2022-23 Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best bench boss.
Related: Reaction: Bruins Can Jim Montgomery. How Unimaginative And Predictable Can You Get?
That said, it will be interesting to see where Montgomery will wind up getting his next NHL coaching gig. There are a handful of teams below Boston in the standings that wanted to be competitive this season.
The Bruins firing Montgomery could be the first of a handful of coaching changes. After the Oilers fired Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, 2023, the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators changed coaches before the end of 2023.
Here are this writer’s picks for three NHL teams that could hire Montgomery to be their next coach. In alphabetical order:
Detroit Red Wings
Like the Bruins, the Red Wings are off to a distressing start to the season at 7-9-2.
Detroit GM Steve Yzerman may have no choice but to fire Derek Lalonde, who is only in his third year running things in Motown. There’s still time for the Wings to salvage their season, and if Montgomery were to step in, he’s got the acumen and pedigree to get Detroit back on the right track.
The Red Wings need help on offense, but their defense is something Montgomery could address. In Montgomery’s first two seasons with Boston, the Bruins had far and away the NHL’s best defense, allowing an average of just 2.41 goals-against per game in that span. The next-best team was Carolina, at 2.57.
Boston also had the NHL’s second-best penalty kill in those two years at 84.9 percent efficiency. So Montgomery has the systems to effect positive change for Detroit in its own zone. Now, the offense, defense, penalty kill and power play have looked rough in Boston this season, but that shouldn’t entirely discount what Montgomery accomplished in the years beforehand.
Related: NHL Coaches On The Hot Seat: Penguins’ Sullivan, Red Wings’ Lalonde Top List
Yzerman could also make a few roster changes to alter the Wings’ chemistry, but Montgomery’s presence would be a calming one and something the Wings can benefit from.
Nashville Predators
If the Bruins can fire Montgomery this early in the season, the Predators can replace coach Andrew Brunette, who has a brutal 6-10-3 record to start the year. They’re 31st in the league.
Nashville GM Barry Trotz still wants his team to vie for a Stanley Cup playoff berth, and the way to send a message to Preds players that the year isn’t a total lost cause is to bring in a win-now coach like Montgomery.
Trotz did give Brunette a vote of confidence earlier in November and said he could begin his rebuilding plan instead if the team doesn’t improve. But they didn’t add Steven Stamkos, Brady Skjei and Jonathan Marchessault last summer just to sell veterans this season.
Related: Opinion: Predators GM’s Comments About A Rebuild Raise Doubts
The Predators’ offense has been the pits this season – they’re currently third-worst in the NHL with a goals-for average of just 2.42 – but in the past two seasons under Montgomery, the Bruins had the NHL’s sixth-best offense at 3.44 goals-for per game. Despite Boston’s current skid, Montgomery proved he could instill confidence on offense in his charges for the past two seasons.
After being in the white-hot glare of the Boston market, Montgomery might do well to be in a relatively quieter media market, such as Nashville. The Preds need to turn their year around quickly to have a shot at a playoff spot, and Montgomery could be the person to get them back into a positive place.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Montgomery was the first coach fired this season, but one of the popular prediction in that regard – Penguins coach Mike Sullivan – is on the hot seat. He’s another effective coach who guided the team to two Stanley Cup wins, but if they haven’t improved for at least the last two seasons, a switch might spark the club.
Pittsburgh’s abysmal 7-10-3 record ranks the team 25th in the league. The Pens also have just four wins in their last 15 games, and they needed a shootout to beat San Jose on Saturday.
It’s been ugly for the Penguins for some time now, and the writing feels like it’s on the wall for Sullivan and the Penguins. After he dismisses Sullivan, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas might look to Montgomery to come in, push Pittsburgh’s veteran-laden lineup into playoff contention and sneak up on opponents the rest of the way this season.
Related: The Hockey News Big Show: Will The Bruins Or Penguins Shake Things Up First?
Montgomery can’t be expected to singlehandedly steer the Penguins back to glory when they just don’t have the goaltending and depth to keep them in games night in and night out. But Montgomery can be a tonic for the rest of the roster and provide Pens skaters with enough confidence to leave the recent past behind them and turn the corner competitively.
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