Bruins detail upcoming ‘coaching search’ and what they want

For the second time in four offseasons, Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins will conduct a head coaching search.

And it's possible that, after the 2025-26 campaign, the Bruins will finish with their fourth head coach in five seasons. That reality led to one of the more testy exchanges in an often-uncomfortable press conference with Sweeney, team president Cam Neely, and CEO Charlie Jacobs on Wednesday at TD Garden.

If there's a perception that a prospective head coach would hesitate to join the Bruins, for fear of a short leash, Sweeney isn't sensing it.

"I'll call you up and let you know if somebody turns down an invitation to interview for one of the most historic jobs in the National Hockey League," Sweeney retorted. The Bruins general manager noted the organization's "hundred-year history" and "incredible amount of success" as the factors that will "drive the bus" in their search for a head coach, as opposed to Sweeney himself. In other words, there will be no shortage of candidates, regardless of the GM.

The Bruins are not necessarily moving on from interim head coach Joe Sacco. Sweeney acknowledged that Sacco will be part of the group to be considered. But after the team went 25-30-7 in 62 games with Sacco leading the way, and continued to struggle both on defense and in goal, his grasp on the job has to be tenuous.

The NHL continues to evolve toward a game dependent on speed and skill, especially among young forwards entering the league, and that's not lost on the Bruins. But Sweeney said in no uncertain terms that he still expects the next head coach to be defensive-minded, or at least prioritize excelling at that end of the ice.

"If you don't defend in the National Hockey League, you don't have sustained success," Sweeney said. "However you want to do it, whether that's zone, man-to-man, whether that's a hybrid, whether that's neutral zone … that's part of winning hockey. It just has to be, and it's going to be part of our fabric. We're going to get back to that."

Sweeney also said the B's need to "continue to evolve offensively," which would hopefully mean they get faster and more skilled. But he still wants the team's next crop of young forwards to respect their system, and for the head coach to instill that.

"I do understand that the players coming into the league are offensively-driven, and they need to understand that it's OK to play with that offensive creativity, but it has to be within the confines of what your team and structure is going to dictate in order to be successful," Sweeney said.

The next Bruins head coach doesn't have to have head coaching experience, or even be in the NHL right now. But he likely does need to have worked in the league.

Sweeney isn't ruling out that an impressive candidate could emerge from the college ranks ("If somebody blows you away they blow you away"). But ostensibly, coaches with time at the highest level will have an advantage.

"[Their experience] should include some form of NHL exposure," Sweeney said. "They don't have to be currently an NHL coach, but exposure to the league is important."

That would all-but rule out a guy like David Carle, who has been the head coach at the University of Denver for the past seven seasons and for the U.S. National Junior Team since 2024. Multiple reports have indicated that Carle is a popular NHL head coaching candidate among teams with vacancies around the league.

interestingly, Sweeney also noted that the Bruins may want to interview coaches who are currently working for teams that are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He said he'll be "respectful of their situations and what they're trying to accomplish" in seeking permission to talk to candidates. While he would ideally hire a new coach in time for free agency on July 1, he can't be definitive about it and is hoping to be "far along" by that point.

Regardless of who the Bruins end up hiring as their next head coach, what's notable is that they don't intend to overhaul their identity as a strong defensive team with good goaltending. They expect their netminders to improve upon a bad season, and for the defensemen in front of them to be better as well. They want the head coach to prioritize that.

That may restore the Bruins to the level of playoff contention fans have been used to seeing in recent years. It remains to be seen whether that will elevate them back to a Stanley Cup-caliber level.