After blowing a 3-1 third-period lead and being eliminated in Round 2 at the hands of the Rangers last night, there’s now an immediate focus on what the Hurricanes opt to do with pending free-agent coach Rod Brind’Amour. Among other teams, expect the Maple Leafs to delay their head coaching decision until gaining clarity into whether he’ll hit the market, reports Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.
The Hurricanes had offered Brind’Amour an extension earlier in the season, but a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger before the second round indicated the team rescinded it. His report seemed to spur some momentum between the two sides, as within 24 hours, Dreger issued a follow-up saying talks between Brind’Amour and Carolina ownership had advanced.
However, no deal has been made for either Brind’Amour or his assistants. Losing in such a dramatic fashion could very well influence the Canes to turn elsewhere.
Toronto, meanwhile, is on the hunt for a new head coach on the heels of a similarly familiar playoff disappointment. They fired five-year veteran Sheldon Keefe last week and have already interviewed former Blues coach Craig Berube and ex-Kings bench boss Todd McLellan for the vacancy, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Berube is widely viewed as their preferred candidate, but they’re not the only team heavily considering him – the Jets interviewed him for their vacancy this week. If they wait too long to see if Carolina decides to part ways with Brind’Amour, Berube may not be available as a Plan B.
Outside of Toronto and Winnipeg, the Devils, Kings, Kraken and Sharks still need to fill coaching vacancies. New Jersey (link) and Seattle (link) appear to be in the final stages of their searches, while the Sharks’ cast net is a tad wider. But all three would likely have interest in Brind’Amour if he became available, especially the Devils and Kraken, who have playoff aspirations next season.
Brind’Amour has made the playoffs in all six years behind the Hurricanes bench and won the Jack Adams Award in 2021, overseeing perhaps the best possession team in the NHL over that time. However, the Hurricanes haven’t won a game past the second round in his tenure. They were swept by the Bruins (2019) and Panthers (2023) in their two Eastern Conference Finals appearances under their 2006 Stanley Cup-winning captain to date.
Overall, Brind’Amour has a 278-130-44 (.664) regular season record and a 38-35 (.521) playoff mark as Carolina’s head coach.
Until the Canes find a reliable goaltender, their analytics greatness won’t get them anything more than a CORSI Cup.
Harsh, but fair.
In addition to Ron Francis being in Seattle, John Forslund is also there. He made the move when Dundon decided to go cheap on him to. I’m sure he’ll be able to tell Brind’Amour how great it is working with the Kraken.
Also, Seattle’s No.2 and No.3 candidates are already in the organization. One is coaching in the AHL playoffs and one is already on the bench. They don’t have to worry about missing out by waiting too long.
The Canes are perennial underachievers.
What were they supposed to achieve?
According to Vegas, a Cup, but certainly more than a second round exit. Plus, every season the “billionaire” Tom Dundon is counting the dollars he’s missing out on when his team exits the playoffs.
If Brindamour available Flyers should get rid of Tortorella and pay Brindamour whatever he wants.
He’s not going anywhere, nor are they going to let him go. That’s on the players. They did exactly what the Rangers did in the last period of the previous game after 7 minutes. Bindamour is one of the best coaches out there and I’m sure if the Canes decide to move on, not only is every team with a vacancy going to reach out, but teams that don’t will as well. He’s the type that you hire and say I don’t need to worry about a coach for the next 20 years or so.
The Canes are crazy I’d they let Rod walk. And of they do, half the league should be lining up to hire him. One of my all time favorite players and I’d love to see him come back to Philly and take them to the next level. I’d hate to see him in Toronto or Jersey.