The NHL head coaching carousel has been spinning since the middle of the season.
On Nov. 19, the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery after an 8-9-3 start to the season. There were two more firings made before the end of the regular season, with the Blackhawks letting go of Luke Richardson and the Flyers axing John Tortorella.
There are now five head coach openings in the NHL, and while the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are now underway, some teams out of the competition are looking for a fresh option behind the bench for next fall.
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Which coaches are looking for new employment, and where could they end up? The Sporting News is tracking all of the head coach firings and openings during this NHL coaching carousel.
2025 NHL head coaching changes
| Team | Fired Coach | Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | Jim Montgomery | |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Luke Richardson | |
| Philadelphia Flyers | John Tortorella | |
| Anaheim Ducks | Greg Cronin | |
| New York Rangers | Peter Laviolette |
Jim Montgomery, Bruins
Boston fired Montgomery on Nov. 19 after stumbling to an 8-9-3 start in its first 20 games. He had a 120-41-23 record in three seasons with the Bruins.
Montgomery made the playoffs twice, but both trips ended at the hands of the Panthers. Boston was stunned in the first round in 2023 after having the best regular season in NHL history (135 points), and fell to Florida again in the second round in 2024.
Associate coach Joe Sacco was elevated to interim head coach. Montgomery was hired by the Blues immediately after his dismissal, leading St. Louis to a playoff berth.
Luke Richardson, Blackhawks
Chicago fired Richardson on Dec. 5 after a dreadful start to the season. The Blackhawks were outscored 41-27 while going 3-9-1 in the 13 games before Richardson’s dismissal.
The team was expected to be more competitive in his third season after signing Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Alec Martinez and Craig Smith in free agency. It also had Connor Bedard coming off winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year in 2024.
Anders Sorensen was elevated to interim coach. He had been coaching the team’s top minor league affiliate in Rockford, Illinois.
John Tortorella, Flyers
Philadelphia fired Tortorella on March 27 with nine games left in the regular season, marking what general manager Daniel Briere called “rock bottom” in the team’s rebuilding effort.
The Flyers were 29-36-9 in Tortorella’s third season at the helm and had lost 11 of their last 12 games before he was axed. They were in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Sabres.
Assistant coach Brad Shaw was elevated to interim head coach. He went 18-18-4 in 40 games after replacing Steve Stirling with the New York Islanders in 2005-06.
Greg Cronin, Ducks
Anaheim fired Cronin on April 19 after the team missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.
The Ducks were 35-37-10 (80 points) in Cronin’s second season behind the bench. While that was a 21-point improvement over last season (27-50-5, 59 points), it wasn’t enough to bring him back.
Peter Laviolette, Rangers
The Rangers fired Laviolette on April 19 after the team underachieved in his second year.
The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy and went to the Eastern Conference finals in 2024, but missed the playoffs by six points in 2025. Current assistant coaches Michael Peca and Dan Muse are expected to interview for the new head coaching vacancy.
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