Of the 16 head coaches that qualified for the NHL playoffs in 2022-23, nine of them have had prior stints as bench bosses in the league. Gerard Gallant, Todd McLellan, Lindy Ruff, Paul Maurice, Jim Montgomery, Rick Bowness, Peter DeBoer, Bruce Cassidy, and Dave Hakstol have all had success in their current stops, and as the data shows, they received those jobs because of success in previous jobs.
The nine coaches listed above have led their former teams to the playoffs a combined 49 times in 104 seasons, which computes to 47 percent. Gallant, Ruff, Maurice, Bowness, DeBoer, and Cassidy have all coached in the Stanley Cup Final, with Maurice and DeBoer coaching in multiple.
Coaching Profiles
All that is to say that the Blue Jackets could consider hiring a coach with NHL head-coaching experience, such as Bruce Boudreau, Andrew Brunette, Claude Julien, and Peter Laviolette.
Seven of the 16 teams that did not make the playoffs this season were led by first-time head coaches, meaning 18 of the 32 teams in the league did not have first-time bench bosses.
As I mentioned earlier, there's a reason these veteran coaches keep getting jobs. It's because they win. Boudreau, Laviolette, Julien, and Brunette have combined to make the playoffs 34 times in 57 seasons, which, at nearly 60 percent, is much higher than the nine non-first-time head coaches listed that made the playoffs this year. If you combine the two groups, you get 13 coaches who have combined to qualify for the postseason 161 times in 244 seasons, which is nearly 66 percent. The Blue Jackets have made the playoffs just six times in their 22-year history and just witnessed first-hand that first-time head coaches don't always work out, after firing Brad Larsen after two seasons and a 62-85-16 record.
There's no crime in hiring a first-time head coach, but the Jackets need to win soon, and these coaches listed are proven winners who have been there and done that at the NHL level.
You can have your own opinions on whether or not the Jackets should go with an experienced head coach or a first-timer, but just know this, of the last 17 teams to win the Stanley Cup, five were led by first-time head coaches.
Don't just discount a coach because they're a veteran. Maybe that's exactly what this team needs. Maybe it's not. Time will tell.
