Kings front office talk
Dennis Bernstein: Some talk involving the Los Angeles Kings.
Mike Futa is on the Edmonton Oilers list as a potential GM.
Names to keep an eye on with regards to the coaching: Sheldon Keefe (Toronto Marlies head coach), DJ Smith (Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach), and Todd McLellan (former Sharks/Oilers head coach).
Bettman on the Ottawa Senators
TSN: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on any concern about Ottawa Senators moving after the LeBreton Flats proposal is in jeopardy.
“There’s no reason to be,” he continued. “Teams go through ebbs and flows and with their fan bases and Eugene Melnyk is doing what he has to do as an owner in terms of meeting the team’s obligations – and management, ownership for any franchise, at any given point in time, may think it’s time for a rebuild and that’s what has to be done and teams go through cycles.”
Senators want a coach in place by the draft
Joshua Clipperton: Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion said that the GM meetings that he’d like to have a new head coach named by the draft at the very latest.
Head coaching searches
TSN: On potential new names that could become head coaching candidates to go along with the Alain Vigneault and Joel Quenneville.
Darren Dreger said that Sweden’s Rikard Gronborg interviewed with the New York Rangers and is on the radar of some teams. He could be a head coach or assistant candidate. Ralph Krueger could be interested in returning to the NHL if the fit is right.
Bob McKenzie lists current teams that will be looking for coaches include the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues and the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators coaching search won’t get underway until after the season. The Senators could have 30-40 names on their initial list but will get that down by the end of the season. When they hired Guy Boucher they interviewed nine ‘veteran’ coaches. This time around they will likely be looking at younger guys – “AHL head coaches and NHL assistant coaches with some head coaching experience.”