“Very disappointing day, and also very frustrating is this [is] a reflection of our play,” then-Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand said after they parted ways with coach Jim Montgomery in November 2024. Little did he know it would be the beginning of a collapse of epic proportions. Well, now that we all know how the Bruins’ once-promising 2024-25 season ultimately ended, they’re now in a desperate search for a new coach.

While interim head coach Joe Sacco continues to be in the mix, he couldn’t lead the Bruins to the postseason after Montgomery parted ways. So the Bruins are still mulling their option from a pool of possible candidates. Now, amidst their search, General Manager Don Sweeney has dropped a significant update that ties the search to the NHL playoffs, as per long-time Boston Herald reporter Steve Conroy.

“Don Sweeney said that the coaching search is ongoing. Both Joe Sacco and Jay Leach remain in the hunt. He also wants to interview someone still in the playoffs,” wrote the hockey writer. However, the Boston Bruins GM didn’t reveal which coach in the 2024-25 NHL playoffs he wishes to interview. While that doesn’t narrow things down, a lot of names have been floating around.

Sweeney himself confirmed Sacco as one of the finalists back in April. “He’s aware that we’re going to have a head coaching search, he’s aware that he’ll be part of the final group of coaches that we get down to, because I think he’s earned and deserved that,” Don Sweeney told the media. The other name on that list is assistant coach Jay Leach. So, who are the rest?

As per the rumor mill, John Tortorella (Philadelphia Flyers), Peter Laviolette (New York Rangers), Greg Cronin (Anaheim Ducks), and others are available for the Bruins’ consideration. Unfortunately, the Boston Bruins lost one of their prime contenders to fill the head coach’s chair with Mike Sullivan. Despite the possibility, the New York Rangers jumped at the opportunity to sign Sullivan after he parted ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, that’s not the only bad news that came the Bruins’ way recently.

Boston Bruins’ tough luck continues

You’d think the Bruins would finally catch a break after posting the 5th-worst NHL season this year. Yet, despite the regular season coming to an end and the team going into full rebuild mode, things are not going their way. On Monday, the Bruins suffered another blow during the NHL Draft lottery, where they fell to 7th place behind teams like the Rangers and Utah.

The New York Rangers once again rained on the Boston Bruins’ prospects, taking the top pick. Meanwhile, the Utah Hockey Club was incredibly fortunate, as they won the second draw and moved up 10 slots to land the fourth pick. So what about the Boston Bruins? Well, they fell all the way to No. 7, putting them in a difficult position in terms of signing the top talents.

The Bruins had bet big on picking up fresh talent, trading away heavy hitters like Brad Marchand for draft picks. Unfortunately, most of the top prospects might already be gone by the time the Bruins get their turn. Although Don Sweeney chose to look at the bright side despite their tough luck.

“We’re still picking in the upper echelon of the draft, which we hadn’t done for a time period, so we feel very comfortable in terms of where the top seven picks are, and we’ll get a good player and an impact player, regardless of the disappointment of moving back a couple of spots. It’s just the nature of the lottery,” the Boston Bruins GM said, as per the Boston Herald. So, who do you think may become the new head coach at Boston? Tell us in the comments.