Finalists emerging as Bruins enter home stretch of head coaching search

UPDATE (6/5/25, 10:37 a.m.): The Boston Bruins have officially named Marco Sturm as their next head coach. Read more about the hire here.

The Boston Bruins could be less than a week away from officially naming their next head coach.

New reports surfaced on Tuesday, indicating that not only are the Bruins in the final stages of interviews for the job, but a few possible finalists have emerged from the pack. One of the more intriguing reports came from NHL insider Kevin Weekes, who said that Jay Woodcroft, Mitch Love, and Marco Sturm are "are among the favorites as potential hires" for the Bruins, Penguins, and Kraken. It's unclear whether Weekes was linking those three names to those three teams, in that specific order. If that's the case, Weekes is considering Woodcroft the favorite for the Bruins.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, meanwhile, said Sturm and Woodcroft are both "among the remaining contenders for the job." Pagnotta added that Woodcroft recently had a follow-up interview.

Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects is the one who's really sticking his neck out there. He posted on Tuesday: "Hearing Marco Sturm is set to become the next Boston Bruins head coach." Well then.

^{Marco Sturm}

Whoever the Bruins land on as their next head coach, it really feels like it's boiling down to a two-man race between Sturm and Woodcroft. Incumbent Joe Sacco and fellow internal candidate Jay Leach can still be considered dark horses.

Love could still be in the hunt for Boston, but it's feeling more like Pittsburgh could swoop in for his services. If Weekes' report is to be read with the names and teams in order, Sturm could end up in Seattle.

However the dominoes end up falling, be sure to stay in touch with 985TheSportsHub.com. We'll have complete coverage from Bruins insider Ty Anderson, as well as thoughts and reactions on the Sports Hub Underground.