Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Pascal Vincent

Canadiens Hire Pascal Vincent As AHL Head Coach

at CDT | by 4 Comments

According to a club announcement, the Canadiens have named Pascal Vincent as the next head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Vincent’s appointment comes nearly a month after he was fired as head coach of the Blue Jackets.

Vincent, 52, returns to a minor-league head coaching role after spending the last three seasons behind the Columbus bench. After being brought on as an associate coach ahead of the 2021-22 season, he was promoted to head coach shortly before the 2023-24 season due to Mike Babcock’s abrupt resignation following an NHLPA investigation. Under Vincent, the Blue Jackets remained rather hapless, limping to a 27-43-12 record and their second straight season with fewer than 30 wins.

But Vincent has a more comfortable track record of success in the AHL, where he served as head coach of the Jets’ affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, from 2016-17 to 2020-21. With the Moose, Vincent took home the AHL’s Coach of the Year Award in 2017-18 after guiding them to a 42-26-8 record, their third-best in franchise history.

Vincent is no stranger to the Montreal/Laval market. He was born in Laval and served as the general manager and head coach of the QMJHL’s Montreal Juniors from 2008-09 to 2010-11. The Canadiens were on the hunt for a new head coach for the Rocket after Jean-François Houle, who they signed to a multi-year extension in May, left the club to take over as head coach of Clarkson University.

Blue Jackets Fire Pascal Vincent

at CDT | by 15 Comments

The Blue Jackets have fired head coach Pascal Vincent, according to a team announcement.

“As I spent time with Pascal over the past few weeks, I found him to be an outstanding person and smart hockey coach who worked very hard last year under trying circumstances, but I believe a change behind the bench is in our team’s best interest,” reads a statement from general manager Don Waddell. “On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Pascal for his work ethic, professionalism and contributions during his three seasons with the Blue Jackets.”

Vincent’s firing comes after one season at the helm for Columbus, his first as an NHL head coach. During his short tenure, the team went 27-43-12 (.402), although he was never put in a position to succeed. The team had initially tabbed Mike Babcock as their next head coach entering the season after firing Brad Larsen last summer, but Babcock resigned at the beginning of training camp after he was the subject of a joint NHL/NHLPA investigation spurred by allegations that Babcock asked to view phones and/or photographs of several Blue Jackets players.

The Blue Jackets weren’t expected to make the playoffs this season, but they were supposed to take a step forward from 2022-23’s 59-point showing. While they technically improved on that total by seven points, they still finished within the bottom five of the league. A new-look defense featuring offseason acquisitions Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson failed to demonstrate much improvement, allowing 298 goals. Only the Sharks allowed more with 326.

Vincent, 52, joined the Blue Jackets as an associate coach on Larsen’s staff ahead of the 2021-22 season. The move came after spending a decade in the Jets organization, first as an NHL assistant before becoming the head coach of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

The search for a new coach begins immediately, the team said. For now, assistants Jared Boll, Josef Boumedienne, Steve McCarthy, Mark Recchi and goaltending coach Niklas Bäckström remain in their posts, but the team said “further decisions regarding the club’s coaching staff” haven’t yet been made.

At times this season, Vincent drew public criticism for his handling of the development of some of the Blue Jackets’ many young prospects. Chief among most complaints was the lack of playing time for 2022 sixth-overall pick David Jiříček, who suited up in 43 games for Columbus this season but averaged a paltry 14:36 per game with no special team usage. The young blue-liner did well in his limited minutes, posting 10 points, recording 38 shots on goal and posting positive relative possession metrics. Others did have good seasons, namely Kirill Marchenko and his team-leading 23 goals, but overall, their young core didn’t mesh as hoped. A calf laceration that ended 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli’s season in January didn’t help matters.

Under Vincent, the Blue Jackets’ team play improved slightly from last season. They controlled 48.3% of shot attempts, 45.8% of expected goals and 46.9% of scoring chances at 5-on-5. These numbers were better than 2022-23’s by at least a full percentage point, but they were still far away from anything resembling a playoff team.

The Blue Jackets now arrive very late to the coaching search party. All of the vacancies created over the last few months have already been filled, wrapping up with the Sharks promoting Ryan Warsofsky late last week. Accordingly, barring any extremely unforeseen circumstances, Vincent won’t be behind an NHL to begin next season as a head coach. There are still a number of assistant and associate coach vacancies that he should draw interest for, however.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Vincent had been relieved of his duties.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blue Jackets Make Patrik Laine A Healthy Scratch

at CDT | by 6 Comments

After benching star players Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine in several games, the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pascal Vincent, has made Laine a healthy scratch in the team’s game tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers (X Link). In nine games played this year, Laine has two goals and one assist, as well as a -6 rating.

Columbus has certainly struggled to generate offense from their star players at the forward position this year, as Boone Jenner leads the way with 10 points in 18 games. Before tonight’s game against the Flyers, defensemen Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski lead the team in points with 11 each on the year.

Spending a combined $18.45MM on both Gaudreau and Laine (22% of their entire cap space), the two have only combined for 10 points in 27 games played, hardly what the Blue Jackets should be expecting at that dollar value. Although the bad start to the year is not solely on the shoulders of Gaudreau and Laine, this is a decision that has appeared to be brewing for quite some time.

In a report from Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, Vincent was quoted as saying, “It was a hard conversation … but nobody is bigger than the Blue Jackets“. Understandably, Laine is reportedly unhappy with the decision made by his new coach, but Vincent is adamant about sending a message to the entirety of the team about the lack of offense.

After being acquired by Columbus back in the 2020-21 season, even though Laine has scored 60 goals and 72 assists in 165 games as a Blue Jacket, he has historically been known to go through streaks as a player. Notably, from mid-December to mid-February last year, Laine would only score five goals in 22 games, before scoring eight goals in 16 games to end the season.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how Laine’s situation in Columbus continues to play out, as being a healthy scratch for the first time in his career may cause his frustrations to boil over.

Coaching Notes: Gallant, Roy, Blue Jackets

at CDT | by 2 Comments

While four teams remain battling for the Stanley Cup, many teams have turned their attention to the offseason and are working behind the scenes to fill out their managerial and coaching vacancies. One team with a high profile opening behind the bench is the Calgary Flames. Darryl Sutter won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in 2022 but was fired by the team earlier this month.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN on Insider Trading, a prominent name that could end up in Calgary is Gerard Gallant. He was recently let go by the New York Rangers following a 107 point season, and is one of the most experienced coaches available on the open market. Gallant also has experience working with a couple of key players in Calgary, as he was the head coach in Florida when Jonathan Huberdeau and Mac Weegar played there. Both players struggled to play their best hockey in their first season in Calgary and could be reinvigorated with Gallant behind the bench. Dreger mentions the Flames will look at internal candidates, such as Mitch Love who is the head coach of the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, but Gallant remains one of the top candidates for the Flames job.

  • Also on Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports Patrick Roy could be looking to take another swing at an NHL head coaching job. Roy is the head coach of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL and just won a league title on the weekend. He will be behind their bench at the upcoming Memorial Cup which begins Friday, but LeBrun mentions he recently changed agents and NHL teams have already reached out to gauge interest in having Roy return to an NHL bench. LeBrun mentions the openings with the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals as jobs that would interest Roy but we will see how things shake out in the coming weeks.
  • Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports the Columbus Blue Jackets are not searching in the bargain bin for their next head coach. The team fired Brad Larsen after finishing 31st in the league this past season. Hedger reports the team is prepared to spend what it takes to land a new coach. He mentions the team is willing to hand out an annual salary of $4MM for the right bench boss but the number would be dependent on the candidate. One potential candidate can be found in house as Hedger also mentions Pascal Vincent is in the running for one, or more, NHL coaching vacancies suggesting a few teams are looking at the Blue Jackets assistant coach.

Latest On Columbus Blue Jackets Coaching Search

at CDT | by 4 Comments

After firing head coach Brad Larsen last month, the Columbus Blue Jackets have embarked on an intensive search for a new head coach and goaltending coach, also needing to replace Manny Legace, whose contract was not renewed by the team. Things seem to be heating up in said search, as general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said today the interview process will continue throughout the week, with no immediate assumption of finalizing hires before Kekalainen’s departure for the IIHF Men’s World Championship on Sunday. His quote comes after reporting last weekend indicated Kekalainen wanted to have the hire finalized before then.

The Blue Jackets have a meticulous approach in mind, though, and Kekalainen told reporters today the hiring decisions might be delayed until after his return following the conclusion of the medal round on May 28. Yesterday, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun disclosed reporting on who those hires might be.

Per LeBrun, at least three individuals have already been interviewed for the vacant coaching positions, including current associate coach Pascal Vincent, whom Kekalainen said the team was considering last week. The others are the experienced but extremely controversial Mike Babcock, who has previously coached the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Peter Laviolette, whose resume spanning five different clubs needs no introduction, including his most recent stint with the Washington Capitals, has also been interviewed, said LeBrun.

After an internal hire that didn’t pan out as they hoped with Larsen, it makes sense the Blue Jackets are swinging toward the opposite end of the spectrum in this round of coaching searches while still doing their due diligence on people familiar with the organization.

If Babcock is hired, the choice would immediately receive a fair amount of scrutiny from fans and media alike. Since he was fired by the Maple Leafs in late 2019, multiple revelations surrounding current and former NHL players alike have come forward about Babcock creating toxic playing environments, including Red Wings legends Chris Chelios and Johan Franzén and current Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner.

Laviolette, on the other hand, maintains a solid reputation league-wide after decades’ worth of service and also boasts multiple Stanley Cup Final appearances on his résumé (2006, 2010, 2017).

Columbus Blue Jackets Considering Pascal Vincent For Coaching Vacancy

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After firing Brad Larsen as head coach last month, the Columbus Blue Jackets are searching for a new leader behind the bench. According to general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, associate coach Pascal Vincent is one internal candidate being considered for the position.

Kekalainen revealed this to the public during an interview with 97.1 The Fan’s Rothman & Ice show, stating that Vincent’s internal status would not hinder his chances in the search process. Kekalainen also acknowledged that Larsen, promoted from within the organization when they named him head coach in June 2021, did not work out as well as hoped but expressed confidence in Vincent’s potential.

Kekalainen also said his list of candidates for the coaching vacancy is short, but have yet to begin the interview process.

Vincent joined the Blue Jackets coaching staff in 2021 after serving as head coach of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for five seasons. Before that, he spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets, making it 10 straight seasons coaching in the Winnipeg organization. He also has extensive head coaching (and general managing) experience in the QMJHL, spending nine seasons with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and three more seasons with the now-relocated Montreal Juniors.

While he may not have head coaching experience in the NHL, Columbus would be hard-pressed to find a candidate with more general coaching experience than Vincent. He’s held a coaching position at various levels every season since the 1994-95 campaign, dating back to his days as an assistant in juniors. The 51-year-old has earned Coach of the Year honors in both the AHL and QMJHL levels, having success with young players. Given the state of Columbus’ rebuild and their on-ice success revolving around a wave of prospects, few would bat an eye at the hire given Vincent’s résumé.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top