Who Will Be Next Bruins Coach? Four Potential Candidates

The Boston Bruins remain in the hunt for their next head coach, who will lead the historical Original Six franchise into a new era.

Three names have already been crossed off the board as Bruins general manager Don Sweeney continues the search in Boston.

The New York Rangers wasted no time landing top candidate Mike Sullivan just days after he parted ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jon Cooper never made it to the open market and the Anaheim Ducks agreed to terms with three-time Stanley Cup champion coach Joel Quenneville.

Here are four interesting candidates that could be the next voice on the Bruins’ bench.

TODD NELSON
Nelson doesn’t have much NHL experience, coaching in just 51 games during the 2014-15 campaign, but he is a proven coach with a ton of success in the AHL, with three Calder Cup championships, including back-to-back titles with the Hershey Bears over the last two campaigns.

What stands out about Nelson is his ability to adapt his coaching style to the team’s ability by encouraging the club to play a defensively responsible game while leaning on its offensive strengths. That should appeal to a Bruins team historically known for its goaltending and defensive depth.

MISHA DONSKOV
Donskov spent seven years in the Vegas Golden Knights organization, ultimately helping Bruce Cassidy capture the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title in 2023. After hoisting the Cup in Vegas, Donskov joined Pete DeBoer for his third season on the bench for the Dallas Stars.

He joined Cooper and DeBoer on the bench for Team Canada in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where Sweeney served as GM.

Donskov was rumored to be linked to the Bruins before Boston hired Jim Montgomery before the 2022-23 season, so it’s easy to believe he would be a top candidate this time around.

MARCO STURM
Sturm’s name should be familiar to Bruins fans. The longtime forward had plenty of memorable moments across his five seasons sporting the Spoked-B, including the game-winning goal in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers in Boston’s first-ever Winter Classic at Fenway Park in 2010.

Like Nelson, Sturm has a ton of experience in the AHL, serving as the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings’ affiliate, the Ontario Reign. He has a 119-80-17 record. Sturm was a finalist for the San Jose job that ultimately went to Ryan Warsofsky last year.

Knowing what it means to be a Boston Bruin could give Sturm an edge over the competition.

RICK TOCCHET
Tocchet has the most NHL experience of all the coaches on this list. He became a free agent two weeks ago when his tenure ended with the Vancouver Canucks.

The one-time Bruins forward gets credit for fueling the Canucks’ turnaround, as they were one of the best regular-season teams in 2023-24 who defeated the Nashville Predators in the first round of the playoffs before being sent home by the Edmonton Oilers after a grueling seven-game series in the second round.

He closed out his three-year tenure in Vancouver with a record of 108-65-27 and won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year for the 2023-24 campaign, leading the Canucks to a Pacific Division title.

As an assistant under Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh, Tocchet won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017 with the Penguins.