NHL Rumors: Insider names four Ottawa Senators head coach candidates for next season

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Mar 29, 2024 07:52 GMT

TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun has shared four candidates that the Ottawa Senators might be thinking about as they search for a new head coach to join their team.

The Senators are led by Jacques Martin, who was named Ottawa's interim coach after D.J. Smith was let go in December. Meanwhile, Martin has made it clear that he won't be returning next season.

He's currently working alongside GM Steve Staios to figure out who will take over as the head coach of the Senators next season. Heading into the off-season, the Ottawa Senators face a crucial task in picking a new head coach to lead them forward.

Pierre LeBrun has shared details about the timing of this decision and the top candidates being considered (quotes from NHL Trade Rumors):

"They are in no rush and so far (team president) Steve Staios has a list that he's working on, a list of candidates that he keeps building on. John Gruden, the Toronto Marlies coach who coached for Staios at OHL Hamilton, is obviously on that list, but other bigger names such as Todd McLellan, Dean Evason, and Craig Berube I believe among others are on this working list."

LeBrun also mentioned that the Senators might consider adding more candidates to their list at two specific times: the start of the off-season, when other coaches might become available due to firings, or after the first round of the playoffs, when some coaches may be let go.

LeBrun noted that these possibilities are why Ottawa is taking its time with the decision and not rushing into it. Among the aforementioned names, Dean Evason and Craig Berube are reported to be among the top candidates for the position of head coach in Ottawa.

Ottawa Senators shut out the Chicago Blackhawks

The Senators beat the Blackhawks (21-47-5) 2-0 at home at Canadien Tire Center on Thursday. This was the fourth straight win for Ottawa.

Claude Giroux and Parker Kelly were the scorers for the Sens in the win. Meanwhile, Anton Forsberg put up a solid show between the pipes and made 19 saves for the Sens on the night.

Ottawa's coach, Jacques Martin, said following the game (via NHL.com):

"We got saves when we needed it,” Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. “And got a short-handed goal to start it, and then again some production from different people. I thought we had a pretty good game, competed well and a good result.”

The Ottawa Senators (32-36-4) next face the Winnipeg Jets (44-23-6) on Saturday.