Jim Montgomery spent approximately two-and-a-half years waiting for his next head coaching assignment after being dismissed by the Dallas Stars in 2019. It will not take nearly as long for him to reappear after the Boston Bruins let him go on Tuesday.
Montgomery is a good coach. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2023 after leading Boston to an NHL-record 65 wins. He took the Bruins to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
A compounding of events — questionable offseason signings, roster-wide underperformance, leaky goaltending, bad special teams — kept Montgomery from chasing a third straight postseason appearance.
It is just a matter of time until Montgomery secures his next head coaching position. In fact, a team might go so far as to dismiss its coach to make room for Montgomery.
Here is an early look at his possible destinations.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues are the clear-cut favorite to be Montgomery’s next employer.
Montgomery broke into the NHL as a player with the Blues in 1993-94. He also has a relationship with Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. On Sept. 16, 2020, Armstrong took a chance on Montgomery, following his sacking from the Stars, as an assistant coach to Craig Berube. Montgomery helped the Blues transition from a defense-first team to a go-go attack.
Montgomery gets along well with Pavel Buchnevich, who is struggling for traction (11 points in 19 games). He also helped Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou become go-to offensive players.
His wife, Emily Montgomery, is from St. Louis. The family still has a home in the area.
The Blues are 8-10-1. Coach Drew Bannister, who replaced Berube in 2023, is in his first NHL head coaching gig. Bannister is in the first season of a two-year contract.
Montreal Canadiens
Montgomery is a Montreal native. He speaks French, although he is not a Francophone like Martin St. Louis.
The 7-10-2 Canadiens are last in the Atlantic Division. They are deep into a rebuild under executive vice president Jeff Gorton, formerly the Bruins’ interim GM, and GM Kent Hughes. The Canadiens are not expected to be a playoff contender for several seasons.
St. Louis has been behind the Montreal bench since 2022. The Canadiens have not made the playoffs under St. Louis.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are deeper into their rebuild than the Canadiens. Deep enough, in fact, that coach Derek Lalonde is under pressure for results.
Lalonde, who had never been an NHL head coach before, is in his third season with Detroit. The Red Wings have not made the playoffs since 2016. They are 7-9-2, ahead of only Montreal in the Atlantic.
As such, GM Steve Yzerman may be considering a shakeup. Montgomery would be in charge of promising players such as Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. Montgomery would also be reunited with Vladimir Tarasenko, one of his St. Louis players.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Mike Sullivan has won two Stanley Cups. He’s been in Pittsburgh since Dec. 12, 2015. Sullivan was involved in the organization’s decision to hire GM Kyle Dubas. In that way, job security is on Sullivan’s side.
However, the 7-10-3 Penguins are flailing. Their minus-25 goal differential is the only one worse than the Bruins’ minus-21 mark.
It may be time for a change.
(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
