Available coaches and potential coaching vacancies
Dan Rosen of NHL.com: (mailbag) Available coaches include Peter Laviolette, Bruce Boudreau, Gerard Gallant, Guy Boucher and Mike Babcock. The New Jersey Devils have interviewed Gallant already.
The Devils, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks currently have interim coaches.
Coaches that could be let go at the end of the season include Todd Reirden (if another Capitals first-round exit) and Jeremy Colliton (Blackhawks).
Seattle is looking for an experienced coach. Would Babcock be a fit?
If Bowness is not hired full time by the Stars, Gallant makes sense. Maybe GM Jim Nill looks at Rikard Gronborg who is coaching the ZSC Lions in Switzerland. Nill is familiar with Gallant and is guess.
Puljujarvi’s trade value increased?
David Staples of the Edmonton Journal: Bob Stauffer and Mark Spector on Oilers Now talking about the 2020 NHL Draft, trades and Jesse Puljujarvi.
If the draft is in June, teams won’t be able to move roster players but can trade draft picks, prospects and players not in the NHL.
This could increase the trade value of Edmonton Oilers Jesse Puljujarvi. If traded, he wouldn’t be eligible for the playoffs this year.
“If you can’t move existing players, I would actually think you might get a greater return for a Puljujarvi in this situation.”
The Oilers are short on draft picks this year, the Montreal Canadiens have 14 picks and were likely looking to move some of them for players at the draft – which was to be held in Montreal.
“I suppose you could say the rules of supply and demand should have an effect on that trade. Let’s say the Montreal Canadiens, just for fun, they’ve got all these draft picks, depending on what Ken Holland is willing to take for Puljujarvi, their market to spend those draft picks, it’s a thin market. All the roster players that teams need in the playoffs, they’re not trading to the Habs. If Ken Holland has what we call one of the very few NHL ready players who is not in the NHL, you know, a team like Montreal would say, ‘Well, gosh, we can’t trade for anyone else, let’s see if we can make a deal for Puljujarvi and get rid of a couple of these draft picks.'”