Jim McBride’s Ideal Bruins Coaching Candidate!

Jim McBride’s Ideal Bruins Coaching Candidate!

Um, that just brings me to a key question. What are some key characteristics we need to see out of the next head coach? Because you’re going to have an interesting blend in this locker room of younger players still kind of curtailing their game. Um, some guys finding their leadership vocality, but you’re going to need somebody who knows who they are so that they can really establish the identity moving forward. Yeah, I think the biggest thing at the NHL level coaching now is communication with the players. like, you know, you can’t come in and just lay down the law and walk out um and and not, you know, not take the players feedback. Um I think communication is is so important, especially with this era of players, that you they need to know you’re the boss, but they also need to know they can go to you and and lean on you when they need to. And I think that’s that’s probably the biggest thing that um coaches, you know, need. And that’s why I think, you know, former players have been, you know, very successful because they they see it from both sides. they’ve been a player. Um, now they’re a coach, so they they know they know they know how to walk that line, and that’s a fine line. Okay. Wait, you mentioned former players, uh, and so we kind of want to take it there in terms of candidates or who would you like to see? There were obviously a lot of rumors ever since the Bruins were eliminated from the postseason. A couple coaches got scooped up pretty quickly, but what do you think about a Marco Sturm or a Mark Sevard uh, in that before we get to some of the other possible candidates in that role? Yeah, I I think Marco Sturm has done, you know, a really good job uh at the AHL level. He was assistant with the Kings. Uh I think Bruins fans will remember him as a very emotional player, you know, and he came over to Boston in kind of a tough situation cuz he was part of that Joe Thornton trade, which was not a popular trade uh among this fan base. Um but he was uh he kind of endeared himself to the fans because he was very emotional, scored some big goals for them. Um I think the biggest feather in his coaching cap is is leading Germany to a silver medal in the Olympics. I mean, um, that’s not a a country you normally think of as a hockey power. So, for him to do that, um, is is pretty good. And I think he’s, you know, he’s proven that he can, uh, he can win at the AHL level. Is he ready to make the big step forward? That’s that’s going to be the u the big question that has to be answered. I think some of the things that I found cool about the conversations around Maros Sturm’s name is the fact that he does harness a competitiveness, but he’s very big on relationship. He’s very big on connectivity. And you mentioned that communication is probably going to be a key factor moving forward. But um you know Sophia also mentioned Seard and that’s something else that I’ve seen in the comments a lot about fans being like I’m all here for Seard. Any thoughts on him in the fit? Yeah, another emotional guy too. Like he played here unfortunately his career was cut short by concussions but um you know another guy that’s that’s can be relatable to players because he he played and he knows this market really well. um you know he was a big signing uh for at the same time that that Zado came in, Peter Sharelli brought, you know, two big big guns in and there and they they had a lot of big wins. So um I know um Nikita Zerdorf has talked about Mark Zavar. He had he coached him in Vancouver um and he’s really liked him. Uh so I think he’s another guy that can be very relatable to the um to to the to the modern day player. Uh what about internally? We have Ryan Mujinell, obviously, Joe Sacko, uh Jay Leachched. Do you think the Bruins or how highly do you think they’re considering internal or are they looking for uh a fresher, I guess, voice? And and if you were Don Sweeney, would you consider those candidates? Yeah, I definitely would consider them. I think the fact that they haven’t moved forward with them at this point, uh, and they’re all available, like there’s not, you know, there’s not a playoff series or something waiting, um, is probably not good news for the internal candidates like Joe Sacko and and and Jay Leech and and and Ryan, as you mentioned. Um, I think if they were, you know, kind of hellbent on on having one of those guys get promoted, um, it might have happened by now. So, I I I get the feeling that they’re looking for someone from outside the organization to come in and kind of put his stamp on this team. It feels like the fresh face is kind of starting to drive the conversation. Uh Elliot Friedman said over the weekend that the Bruins have interviewed 15, roughly 15 guys from what he was hearing. Uh two of the guys on that list are from the Tampa Bay Lightning, which was my former coverage team. You got Jeff Blahill as well as um Halpern in the mix. I liked Halpern because I feel like everyone loves little connectivities between uh Don Sweeney as well as the potential next head coach. Both of these guys, previous Ivy Leaguers, went to the same prep school out in New Hampshire. Um both played for the Dallas Stars different times. They’re a decade apart, but is there any new name or fresh face that might be jumping around a little bit more to your brain? Yeah, I think Misha Donskoff, who’s the assistant coach with the Dallas Stars right now, is kind of uh if I was a betting man, he would be the guy I I think that the Bruins really like. And um you know, talking about drawing parallels, you know, he was an assistant coach for the team candidate in the four nations faceoff, which Sweeney was a general manager of. Um and and Don had mentioned uh when we talked to him on lottery night that um there was definitely guys that were still in the playoffs that he was looking to talk to. Um this guy has a has a really strong reputation as a as a one-on-one teacher. Um he’s high on analytics, which I think he started the analytics departments with the Vegas Knights when he was with them. Uh they were very successful. Uh the Stars are obviously very successful this year. Now they’re in the Western Conference Finals. um he’s kind of a name that’s under the radar, but I I think that that the drawing those parallels with Sweeney uh he would be my guess is as the guy that they’re kind of targeting because, you know, it’s it’s been quiet and it’s been quiet because he’s still in the playoffs and they really haven’t been able to make any announcements or or have a lot of rumors kind of circulate because I think Dallas the Dallas staff has probably, you know, stayed buttoned down because they’ve got a task at hand. Yeah. Actually, I was going to ask you, not to put you on the spot, but the technicality, can you be talking to an assistant coach while they’re in the postseason for a future job? Is that allowed? Yeah, I think it is. Uh, I know in the NFL, which I covered for a long time, there are certain dates when teams are still in the playoffs, like the the Monday after, you know, uh, the season and like the Monday after the first round of the playoffs, there’s that window. I would imagine there’s that window for the NHL. I I don’t know for certain, but um I think there’s got to be a gentleman’s agreement that, you know, if you have a a highly coveted assistant on your staff, you know, he’s going to be, you know, talking to other teams. So, there’s probably that window. I’m not sure what it is, but um as you mentioned, Elliot Friedman had said there’s 15 candidates, and it’s hard to believe that, um of those 15, there’s not at least a handful that are still in the playoffs that um you know, that are trying to trying to win or were in the playoffs at some point. No, exactly. And sorry Casey, uh, if I could just jump in really quick. I don’t know Misha myself, but from even people in the office who’ve worked for him, we have, uh, someone on our staff who, um, worked for the Golden Knights and and, uh, people who just who know of him, um, really really say that in terms of personalities, you mentioned one of your first things is they’ve got to be communicative with the players that he’s like a very approachable, very uh, person forward and like communication forward guy. So that that adds to the the green the green flags that that we’re looking for. Oh yeah. Well, and continuing on the green flags, as you mentioned with the conversation and the connection, is there anyone that stands out to you? Like if you were able to wear the GM hat, who would be the the top coach that that kind of fits the bill for you from all the 15 potentially considered? Yeah, I think I think Donskoy is Donskovv is is kind of the guy that that I uh would want to take a chance on. Uh reading reading a lot about him during the four nations. Um he he connected with a lot of those players quickly. Um he talked about in in one story I read that um he knows he sto players say he knows how to break things down in a short window. Like here’s here’s our opponent tonight. This is what we need to do. um here’s a few clips, let’s go execute. Um so I think he’s he’s got that kind of mix between um relatable uh but also like kind of data driven. So, he’s kind of the jock geek combination.

Who is the most ideal candidate for the Boston Bruins’ empty coaching seat? In the peak of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride joined Kasey Hudson and Sophia Jurksztowicz to discuss the perfect coach for the Bruins.

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