The Winnipeg Jets are one of many teams without a head coach at the moment, and for weeks the focus has been on Barry Trotz as the top target. The former New York Islanders coach is a top target for many teams though, and with him taking his time deciding what’s next, the Jets will have to make some contingency plans.
According to Murat Ates of The Athletic, one of those is St. Louis Blues assistant Jim Montgomery. In fact, Ates writes that Montgomery is the “No. 2 choice” behind Trotz at the moment.
The former Dallas Stars head coach–who was fired due to unprofessional conduct in 2020, before checking himself into a treatment facility for alcohol abuse–has rebuilt his career with the Blues and is now a candidate for several jobs around the league. He even has ties to the area, having played a season for the Manitoba Moose in 1999-00, and the organization as Ates details.
In terms of coaching success, Montgomery’s resume is outstanding. He won two USHL championships during his three-year span as head coach of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, and then took home a national championship with the University of Denver in 2017. He was named the NCAA Coach of the Year that season, and was soon being recruited to the NHL ranks.
In Dallas, he posted an overall record of 60-43-10 and took the team to the second round in his only full year behind the bench.