This week, the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins completed their coaching hires, leaving 31 NHL teams set with their coaches for the upcoming season. Eight new coaches are entering the league, and we\u2019ll evaluate their teams\u2019 chances to make the Stanley Cup playoffs using a simple 1-to-4 rating scale:<\/p>\n
1 = No playoff chances
\n2 = Possible playoff appearance
\n3 = Strong playoff contender
\n4 = Very likely to make playoffs <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a team-by-team assessment in alphabetical order:<\/p>\n
Anaheim Ducks<\/strong> Boston Bruins<\/strong> Chicago Blackhawks<\/strong> New York Rangers<\/strong> Philadelphia Flyers<\/strong> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/strong> Seattle Kraken<\/strong> Vancouver Canucks<\/strong> Fan Take:<\/strong> This week, the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins completed their coaching hires, leaving 31 NHL teams set with their coaches for the upcoming season. Eight new coaches are entering the league, and we\u2019ll evaluate their teams\u2019 chances to make the Stanley Cup playoffs using a simple 1-to-4 rating scale: 1 = No playoff chances 2 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[730],"tags":[734],"class_list":{"0":"post-7627","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-nhl"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nNew Coach:<\/strong> Joel Quenneville
\nRating:<\/strong> 2
\nQuenneville takes over a Ducks team that finished sixth in the Pacific Division. Although the franchise is gradually improving with GM Pat Verbeek planning major roster changes, the Ducks face stiff competition from playoff stalwarts like Vegas, Edmonton, and Los Angeles. Despite Quenneville\u2019s winning reputation, Anaheim lacks the experience and depth to make a significant leap next season.<\/p>\n
\nNew Coach:<\/strong> Marco Sturm
\nRating:<\/strong> 3
\nSturm steps into the Bruins\u2019 coaching role with high expectations to bring the team back into the playoffs. He faces the challenge of blending veteran stars such as David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm with emerging talents like Fabian Reisel and Fraser Minten. The Atlantic Division remains competitive, but with Sturm\u2019s fresh approach and experienced players, Boston has a solid chance of securing a playoff berth.<\/p>\n
\nNew Coach:<\/strong> Jeff Blashill
\nRating:<\/strong> 1
\nWhile the Blackhawks boast promising young talent like Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Artyom Levshunov, they are far from playoff-ready. Competing in a tough division with a roster of aging veterans, Chicago needs more elite young players and development time. Blashill\u2019s role will be to build consistent competitiveness, but a playoff run next season is unlikely.<\/p>\n
\nNew Coach:<\/strong> Mike Sullivan
\nRating:<\/strong> 3
\nSullivan brings a championship pedigree to the Rangers and faces pressure to erase last season\u2019s disappointment. Despite roster changes, the team still has the talent to return to postseason contention. Sullivan\u2019s biggest task is tightening the defense to support star goalie Igor Shesterkin. Two seasons without playoffs are a low point for the Rangers, making Sullivan\u2019s leadership crucial for their comeback.<\/p>\n
\nNew Coach:<\/strong> Rick Tocchet
\nRating:<\/strong> 2
\nTocchet is known for boosting player confidence, but the Flyers struggle with goalie quality, limiting their playoff prospects. Although the team shows slight improvement potential, a postseason appearance is still out of reach. Philadelphia\u2019s promising young players like Mattvi Mikkov and Jamie Drysdale offer hope, but the Flyers remain in rebuilding mode.<\/p>\n
\nNew Coach:<\/strong> Mike Sullivan
\nRating:<\/strong> 2
\nAlthough less familiar, the new Penguins coach was chosen by GM Kyle Dubas to improve the team\u2019s competitiveness. The Penguins still rely on aging stars while needing to develop younger talent. Goaltending is a key area requiring improvement before they can challenge for playoffs next year. Roster changes loom, but immediate playoff success seems unlikely.<\/p>\n
\nNew Coach:<\/strong> Lane Lambert
\nRating:<\/strong> 2
\nThe Kraken, still early in their franchise journey, replaced veteran Dan Bylsma with Lambert in hopes of stabilizing the team. While they have some foundational pieces and their first reliable goalie in Joey Daccord, defensive depth is lacking. The Pacific Division is tough, and although Seattle won\u2019t be bottom-tier, they may struggle to break their playoff drought next season.<\/p>\n
\nNew Coach:<\/strong> Bruce Boudreau
\nRating:<\/strong> 4
\nDespite a disappointing 2024-25 season, the Canucks remain optimistic about their playoff chances with star goalie Thatcher Demko and top defender Quinn Hughes healthy. Familiarity with the roster and offseason talent additions could revitalize the team. If the Canucks overcome last year\u2019s lackluster performance, they are poised to return to the postseason confidently.<\/p>\n
\nThis coaching shuffle highlights the evolving dynamics in the NHL, where both established franchises and emerging teams seek to build winning cultures. For hockey fans, these changes signal an exciting season ahead, with fresh leadership potentially reshaping playoff races and sparking new rivalries that will keep the sport thrilling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"