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Bruce Boudreau has been a head coach in the NHL since 2007 and teams could still covet him to coach their team.
Boudreau coached the Washington Capitals from 2007-2012 and then coached the Anaheim Ducks from 2012-2016 and the Minnesota Wild from 2016-2020. He then was named the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 but was fired this past January.
Now, with the NHL playoffs nearly over, teams will begin hiring their new coaches, and there are teams that could look to Boudreau to be their next head coach.
#1. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets fired Brad Larsen after a disappointing season. He lasted just two seasons with the team.
Although the Blue Jackets were near the bottom of the standings, on paper, Columbus has a solid team that should push for a playoff spot. The Blue Jackets signed Johnny Gaudreau this past offseason and have the likes of Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic and Kent Johnson among others as the core players.
Boudreau is a solid coach for a few years to get a team back into contention which is exactly what the Blue Jackets are looking to do.
#2. Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals dismissed Peter Laviolette and are looking for a new head coach and there are some rumblings the team may look toward Bruce Boudreau who spent five seasons with the Capitals.
Some of the Capitals core in Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have been coached by Boudreau, and although at times they butted heads, there is some respect there.
Last year as Boudreau was coaching the Canucks, he spoke glowingly about Ovechkin and said the Russian would set the goal record.
“He’s going to play until he does break it, I can tell you that much,” Boudreau said. “What puts him in the category with Orr (Bobby), Howe (Gordie) and Gretzky and the greats of the game is his will and the want to do it. He can be stopped on an individual night, but he’s as good as anybody I’ve been around. And that’s what tells me he’s going to break records.”
It would be nice to see Boudreau back in Washington, but whether that will be the case is uncertain.
#3. Toronto Maple Leafs
Here is the lone wildcard out of the three teams as Sheldon Keefe is still the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
However, the Maple Leafs fired GM Kyle Dubas on Friday so a new general manager will be hired and there is a chance they want to hire their own head coach. If that's the case, it's likely Toronto will look to hire an experienced head coach and Bruce Boudreau fits the bill.
Boudreau is loved by players and gets them to play hard as we saw in Vancouver. He also isn't afraid to yell at his players, which perhaps is what Toronto needs in the playoffs when they seem to fail.
