It's not a sin to change your mind. 

What if Jon Cooper decides that he's done all he can do in Tampa Bay and would like to exit the last year of his pact?

Nothing is impossible. 

Successful NHL Coaches The Rangers Should StudyThe most successful coaches in the NHL right now are do not belong to the Rangers

And what if Coop – arguably the best NHL coach of the past decade – decides that he'd love the Rangers challenge. 

Well, that tells The Maven that two and two make Cooper.

That, however, is pure conjecture. But – as of this minute – the Rangers still have not announced that Mike Sullivan or any other Sullivan has replaced Pistol Pete Laviolette.

A guy can change his mind, right?

That especially goes for Rangers owner Jim Dolan and his second in Blueshirt command, Chris Drury.

Sure, it's possible. that they've decided that – perhaps – Sullivan ISN'T the best choice to coach their hockey club. Could happen. Right?

Maybe – just maybe – Sully looked at all the coach-job openings and decided to

chuck the crazy Rangers scene and go somewhere more sane. Boston maybe?

And, let's say for the sake of argument that it does happen -- or even happened already. That Sully decided to avoid Manhattan mania.Then what?

The Maven will tell you what: That would mean that there are several non-Sullivan possibilities.

Try these NHL assistants on for size: Dean Chynoweth in Winnipeg or Dominique Duchare in Vegas.

My "Special Advisor On Coach Hirings," Jess Rubenste adds these worthies:

Marco Sturm, Head Coach of the AHL Ontario Reign; David Carle at  Denver U; Jay Pandolfo at Boston U and Pat Ferschweller who directed the Western Michigan sextet to the NCAA title. 

All have excellent credentials, but none can beat Jon Cooper.

Can you just imagine his name on the Blueshirts directory: JON COOPER, HEAD COACH, RANGERS.

As we used to say in Al & Shirley's candy store in Brooklyn, "They should be so lucky!"

With their 5-4 double overtime win over the New Jersey Devils on April 29, the Carolina Hurricanes have officially moved on to the second round. The Hurricanes are now set to face off against the Washington Capitals in the next round, which should be a great series between the two Metropolitan Division rivals.

With the Hurricanes advancing to the second round, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour has made some NHL history. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, Brind'Amour became the first coach in the history of the league to win at least one playoff round in each of his first seven seasons as a bench boss. 

This is certainly an impressive accomplishment for Brind'Amour, but his goal from here will be to lead the Hurricanes on a long playoff run. The Hurricanes have the talent to make a push for the Stanley Cup, and it will be interesting to see if they can get past the Capitals in the second round from here. 

In 534 games as the Hurricanes' bench boss over seven seasons, Brind'Amour has put together a 325-160-49 record. He also memorably won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach during the 2020-21 season. 

Recent Hurricanes News 

Carolina Hurricanes Recall 3 Players From AHLThe Carolina Hurricanes officially advanced to the second round with their 5-4 double overtime win over the New Jersey Devils in Game 5. Now, they have made some roster moves in preparation for the second round.  Hurricanes Hit Home Run With Taylor Hall ExtensionThe Carolina Hurricanes made a major move on April 30, signing forward Taylor Hall to a three-year, $9.5 million contract extension. This news was announced shortly after the Hurricanes knocked out the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the post-season.  Exciting Hurricanes Rookie Is Thriving In PlayoffsIt has been a strong start to the post-season for the Carolina Hurricanes. They currently have a commanding 3-1 series lead over the New Jersey Devils and need to win only one more game to advance to the second round. 

Adam Gaudette has quietly been one of the best stories of the Ottawa Senators’ season – a tale of a player struggling to get back to the NHL, joining forces with a team struggling to get back to the NHL playoffs.

And the story already has a happy ending, no matter what happens next in the Battle of Ontario. 

Gaudette had been all but out of the league for the past two years, but found a perfect fit in Ottawa, where he last held full-time NHL work in 2022. The Senators had just hired Travis Green, his former coach from the Vancouver Canucks, where Gaudette had played some of his best hockey.

With a familiar coach he trusted and a team that had just overhauled its bottom-six forwards, Gaud's Plan to sign in Ottawa made perfect sense. Sure, it was a two-way deal, but if he was ever going to make it back to the NHL, this was as good a path as any. 

Scouts around the league were intrigued by Gaudette’s 44-goal performance with the Springfield Thunderbirds last season, which led the entire AHL. No one expected that output to carry over directly to the NHL, but the Senators were in the market for more offense from their bottom six. They were in the process of turning the page on players like Parker Kelly, Mark Kastelic, Dominik Kubalik, Boris Katchouk, Rourke Chartier, and Jiri Smejkal.

The Senators believed (hoped) Gaudette could boost their secondary scoring, but could he also be trusted to play the kind of responsible defence expected of a bottom-six forward, the lack of which had kept him out of the NHL for two years?

So far, the answer has been: absolutely.

In fact, in Game 5 in Toronto, as the Senators fought to keep their season alive, Gaudette made an excellent defensive play and immediately followed it up with a strong offensive effort, setting up one of the biggest goals of the season. It was a perfect ten-second window into everything Gaudette has brought to Ottawa this year.

With the Senators leading 1–0 in the third period and killing a penalty, Gaudette intercepted an Auston Matthews centering pass in the defensive zone and burst up ice on a two-on-one with Dylan Cozens.

Now, it’s easy to picture a fourth-liner from the Senators’ recent past making that sort of defensive play and getting that chance, but too often, those players lacked the skill or poise to capitalize.

But not Gaudette. That's exactly what he brings to the table.

The 2018 Hobey Baker winner waited for Cozens to catch up, then delivered a perfect pass for a crucial shorthanded goal that drained all the Toronto energy out of the rink, which was nearly empty by game's end.

Despite not getting the big minutes (or money) some of his teammates do, Gaudette played 81 games and finished sixth on the team in goals with 19, both career highs. He’s also tied for fourth in team playoff scoring, with three points in five games.

He’s delivered exactly the kind of secondary scoring Ottawa needed from its bottom six—and his defensive commitment was also on full display in Tuesday night’s elimination game. With a one-goal lead in the third period against one of the NHL’s best power plays, his coach trusted him to be on the ice.

"I think there's obviously been a bit of learning experience and growing pains and stuff throughout my career and figuring out where I kind of fit in," Gaudette told the media. "I think here, under Greener, and with this team, we kind of found the way I'll have success in contributing on the score sheet or in other ways on a good playoff hockey team.

"And doing that, I think it gives me more confidence in going out there playing my game, being physical and playing a heavier game. And a game that I didn't really play back when I was younger. I wasn't as big, I wasn't as strong and I wasn't playing as physical. And now in the series and throughout this year, I just have the confidence to play that way."

Brady Tkachuk On Thursday's Game 6 Atmosphere in Ottawa: 'I Expect Pure Insanity'In the moments after being announced as one of the game's three stars on Saturday night in Ottawa, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk gestured to centre ice, telling fans the team would be coming back for Game 6.

Two years ago, the Leafs didn't see it.

Gaudette didn't play a single minute with Toronto, where he toiled in the minors with the Marlies, scoring 20 goals and 34 points in 40 games. The organization dealt him to St. Louis near the 2023 deadline, and the Blues didn't really use him either and eventually let him walk as a free agent.

Green has had a bird's eye view of Gaudette's career and he's thrilled to see the growth since 2017–18, when they both debuted with the Vancouver Canucks.

"He's had a fantastic season," Green said. "I think maturity is a big part of why he's in the NHL again. Players, when they first come in – compared to years, four or five, six – it's a big difference. We talked about that the other day. And I think he's just really learned the game itself, the important areas of the game. And he's applying it."

Much of the media dialogue on Wednesday centred on the Senators' improved diamond setup on the penalty kill — something Gaudette was a key part of in Game 5. Somewhere between now and July 1, Steve Staios would be wise to make sure this diamond in the rough is taken care of.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

Ullmark Steps Up In Game 5 As Ottawa Senators Stave Off Elimination AgainAfter a Game 4 overtime victory on Saturday night, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk skated off the ice, confidently yelling at the fans, "We'll be back!"

There are currently five head coaching vacancies in the NHL: Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, Seattle Kraken, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks. Three teams currently employ interim head coaches: the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Philadelphia Flyers.

The Ducks were the first team to part ways with their head coach after the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season, when they announced Greg Cronin would not return in 2025-26 despite a 21-point increase in the standings from the year prior.

“I started to look at things when we probably went out of the playoff picture,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek stated during his media availability following his decision to not bring Cronin back. “I started to really look at things closer and, obviously, there were some concerns.

Verbeek declined to state the exact concerns but implied they weren’t about the team’s record or the culture within the organization.

“I can’t,” Verbeek said when asked of said concerns. “Those are private conversations that I had with the coach, and I’d like them to remain private and confidential.”

There are five to eight openings behind NHL benches this offseason, and there may even be more if teams like the New York Islanders decide to make a change after hiring a new GM or the Nashville Predators after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.

Report: Anaheim Ducks Interview Joel Quenneville for Head Coaching Vacancy (Updated)

Speculation: When to Expect an Anaheim Ducks Coaching Hire

As is the case every offseason, there’s a long list of deserving candidates from freshly on-the-market coaches like Mike Sullivan and Rick Tocchet to those who’ve had success at lower levels like David Carle and Pat Ferschweiler to those looking to return to the position after some time away like Jay Woodcroft and Don Granato, plus countless more.

A sizable list of quality candidates exists for Verbeek and the Ducks, who are said to be casting a “wide net” with their search for the team’s next head coach and are well into their interview process.

However, the Ducks face fierce competition from teams looking for a new direction behind their benches. Six of the eight teams looking for new coaches are flagship, tentpole, standard-bearing organizations in the NHL.

The Rangers, Penguins, Canucks, Bruins, Blackhawks, and Flyers are all teams in sizable, influential NHL media markets and are often seen as some of the most lucrative jobs in the field.

The Rangers, Bruins, Penguins, and Canucks are all one or two years removed from the playoffs, could be looking to return to that level, and maximize their respective windows around their current superstar players like Artemi Panarin, David Pastrnak, Sidney Crosby, Quinn Hughes, etc.

The Blackhawks and Flyers are looking to take their next steps toward contention around budding superstar talents like Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov while adding more at the top of the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft.

The Kraken are a team seemingly desperate to make an impact in a young market and willing to make a splash.

For the Ducks, the questions become, How does the Anaheim job compare, and What do they have to offer that separates them?

Despite the potential fool’s gold that the relative success of the 2024-25 season was, the Ducks saw much of their young core take strides in their development while contributing in significant roles on the team.

They have one of, if not the actual, best goaltending tandems in the NHL, highlighted by sprouting 24-year-old star Lukas Dostal. They have enticing young blueline talents like Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, and Pavel Mintyukov oozing with potential. Up front, they have four promising offensive dynamos who all ended the season on a high note in Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, and Trevor Zegras.

Off the ice, the coach will be living in the warmest (objective) and most beautiful (subjective) climate of all the available positions. They also won’t be under the intense microscopes that they’d be under in one of the larger markets, where media and fans heavily scrutinize minutia. It will still occur in Anaheim, as it’s unavoidable and comes with the job description, but it won’t be nearly as impassioned.

From a unique vantage point, the Ducks’ job can be seen as the most stable of the bunch. They have taken the step in their rebuild that the Flyers and Blackhawks haven’t, their window isn’t closing like it could potentially be with the Rangers, Canucks, Bruins, and Penguins, and while there’s urgency, it seems less prominent urgency than in Seattle, where Dan Bylsma recently lost his job after just one season.

The result will come down to how much those aspects of the Ducks' job matter to the individuals in contention versus what the other teams bring in their respective situations. Whoever is ultimately hired in Anaheim will seemingly have an exceptional opportunity to do something special with what the team has to offer.

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