The Penguins' search for their next head coach is well underway, and with Kyle Dubas saying that the Penguins will cast a "wide net" in the search -- candidates from the NHL, minor leagues, junior, college and Europe -- there's no shortage of names to consider.
We've been running a series of looks at potential options, including Mitch Love, Sam Hallam, David Carle, Todd Nelson and David Quinn in the first edition, and Rikard Gronborg, Jay Pandolfo, Jay Leach, Marco Sturm and Neil Graham in the second edition.
As the search continues, we'll take a look at another five options today, still sticking witht the general parameters Dubas laid out: They're valuing candidates having any experience at all in a developmental role, and Dubas noted the success that teams in a similar situation to the Penguins have had hiring first-time head coaches, though the latter isn't necessarily a hard rule.
ALAIN NASREDDINE
Dubas noted at the start of the search that the process may be delayed by some of their top candidates still being active in the NHL and AHL playoffs, and Alain Nasreddine would fall into that category.
Nasreddine, 49, is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Stars, who currently have a 2-1 series lead over the Jets in the second round of the playoffs. Nasreddine manages the Stars' defense and penalty-kill, the latter ranking No. 4 in the NHL this season with an 82% success rate. The penalty-kill is the second-best in this postseason at 88.6%.
Before joining Dallas, Nasreddine spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Devils from 2015-22, serving as interim head coach for 43 games in the 2019-20 season. He got his start in coaching in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, serving as an assistant coach from 2010-15, where he again managed the defense. Wilkes-Barre's defense under Nasreddine was the best in the league in that span, allowing the fewest goals in the league in four of his five seasons.
Nasreddine had a 15-year professional career as a defenseman, playing in the NHL, AHL, IHL and German DEL. He spent five years in the Penguins' organization from 2003-08, serving as Wilkes-Barre's captain for three seasons. He went to the Calder Cup Final twice with Wilkes-Barre in 2004 and 2008 and was part of the team's inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2013-14.
MANNY MALHOTRA
Manny Malholtra is another option who is still coaching in the postseason. He's in his first year as head coach of the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, who are in the third round of the AHL playoffs, preparing for a Pacific Division Final matchup against the Colorado Eagles.
Abbotsford was one of the AHL's top teams this regular season, ranking No. 2 in the Western Conference with a 44-24-2-2 record.
Dubas has a familiarity with the 44-year-old Malhotra, after Malhotra was hired by the Maple Leafs as an assistant coach in 2020 managing the forwards and served in the role for three seasons. Then-Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said Malhotra's "work ethic, character, intelligence and attention to detail that made Manny the ultimate teammate when he played are all assets that have translated to his coaching."
Malhotra got his start in coaching in the Canucks' organization, first as a development coach in 2016-17 and as an assistant coach behind the NHL bench from 2017-20.
Malhotra had an 18-year professional career, including 991 NHL games with the Rangers, Stars, Blue Jackets, Sharks, Canucks and Canadiens.
The Canucks, of course, have their own head coaching vacancy this offseason, and Malhotra already being in the organization would seem to give him an edge in that search. But if the Canucks do go in a different direction, Malhotra still looks to be a frontrunner for the various openings around the league this summer.
DREW BANNISTER
Dubas loves his Soo Greyhounds, and Drew Bannister is that.
Bannister got his start in head coaching in the Soo, serving as head coach for three seasons from 2015-18. He didn't have any overlap there with Dubas, whose last season managing the Greyhounds was in 2013-14. Bannister also played for the Greyhounds from 1990-94.
Beyond that, Bannister does check the boxes the Penguins are looking for. Bannister, 51, has an extensive resume in a development role. After his time in the Soo, he was head coach of the Blues' AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage from 2018-20, then after the Rampage was sold, was associate head coach of the AHL's Utica Comets in the 2020-21 season while the Blues shared the Comets' affiliation with the Canucks for a season. As the Blues resumed having their own affiliate in the Springfield Thunderbirds the following year, Bannister took over as head coach and led for two and a half seasons before being promoted to interim head coach of the Blues midway through the 2023-24 season.
Bannister led the Blues to a 30-19-5 finish after the promotion, and lost the "interim" tag last summer. He coached the Blues to a 9-12-1 start this past season before he was fired.
Bannister had a 18-year professional career as a defenseman in the NHL, IHL, AHL, Finland, Russia, Germany and the English league. His career included 164 NHL games with the Lightning, Oilers, Ducks and Rangers.
ROGER RONNBERG
If Dubas is serious about the possibility of hiring a coach right out of Europe, Roger Ronnberg has a strong resume. He's the winningest head coach in Swedish Hockey League history.
Ronnberg, 53, was the head coach of the SHL's Frolunda HC for the last 12 years, leading the club to two SHL championships and four titles in the Champions Hockey League, the in-season tournament between the top clubs across different European leagues. Players he coached in Frolunda included John Klingberg, Alex Wennberg, Pierre Engvall, Mattias Janmark, Arturri Lehkonen, Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olofsson and Lucas Raymond.
Ronnberg was an assistant coach for the Swedish national team in the World Championship from 2008-12 and the head coach of the World Junior squad from 2011-13, where he coached a young Rickard Rakell, Gabe Landeskog, Jesper Fast, Calle Jarnkrok, Adam Larsson, Jonas Brodin, Filip Forsberg, William Karlsson, Mika Zibanejad and Elias Lindholm.
Ronnberg also was a coach in the Lulea system, coaching the U20 team for three seasons, serving as an assistant coach for the top-league team for two years, and then co-head coach for another three.
Back in May 2024, Ronnberg accepted a position of head coach for Fribourg-Gotteron of the top Swiss League starting in the 2025-26 season. Though he is under contract to move to Switzerland next season, it's not impossible to get out of something like that if the NHL comes calling. He wouldn't be the first coach to ever accept one job and leave for another before even starting the first one (... just ask the Nailers).
JEFF HALPERN
Longtime NHL forward Jeff Halpern is a head-coach-in-waiting, and he might just get his chance this summer.
Halpern, 49, has been an assistant coach managing the forwards and power play for the Lightning for the last seven years, winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning have made the playoffs in all seven years with Halpern behind the bench, and since he was hired in 2018, have the league's second-best power play in that span at 25.5%.
Before joining Tampa at the NHL level he served in the organization in a development role, first as a development coach for one season and then another two years as an assistant coach for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch.
Halpern had a 15-year professional career that included 976 NHL games with the Capitals, Stars, Lightning, Kings, Canadiens, Rangers and Coyotes.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
8:30 pm - 05.13.2025DowntownAnother five options for Penguins' next coach
The Penguins' search for their next head coach is well underway, and with Kyle Dubas saying that the Penguins will cast a "wide net" in the search -- candidates from the NHL, minor leagues, junior, college and Europe -- there's no shortage of names to consider.
We've been running a series of looks at potential options, including Mitch Love, Sam Hallam, David Carle, Todd Nelson and David Quinn in the first edition, and Rikard Gronborg, Jay Pandolfo, Jay Leach, Marco Sturm and Neil Graham in the second edition.
As the search continues, we'll take a look at another five options today, still sticking witht the general parameters Dubas laid out: They're valuing candidates having any experience at all in a developmental role, and Dubas noted the success that teams in a similar situation to the Penguins have had hiring first-time head coaches, though the latter isn't necessarily a hard rule.
ALAIN NASREDDINE
Dubas noted at the start of the search that the process may be delayed by some of their top candidates still being active in the NHL and AHL playoffs, and Alain Nasreddine would fall into that category.
Nasreddine, 49, is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Stars, who currently have a 2-1 series lead over the Jets in the second round of the playoffs. Nasreddine manages the Stars' defense and penalty-kill, the latter ranking No. 4 in the NHL this season with an 82% success rate. The penalty-kill is the second-best in this postseason at 88.6%.
Before joining Dallas, Nasreddine spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Devils from 2015-22, serving as interim head coach for 43 games in the 2019-20 season. He got his start in coaching in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, serving as an assistant coach from 2010-15, where he again managed the defense. Wilkes-Barre's defense under Nasreddine was the best in the league in that span, allowing the fewest goals in the league in four of his five seasons.
Nasreddine had a 15-year professional career as a defenseman, playing in the NHL, AHL, IHL and German DEL. He spent five years in the Penguins' organization from 2003-08, serving as Wilkes-Barre's captain for three seasons. He went to the Calder Cup Final twice with Wilkes-Barre in 2004 and 2008 and was part of the team's inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2013-14.
MANNY MALHOTRA
Manny Malholtra is another option who is still coaching in the postseason. He's in his first year as head coach of the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, who are in the third round of the AHL playoffs, preparing for a Pacific Division Final matchup against the Colorado Eagles.
Abbotsford was one of the AHL's top teams this regular season, ranking No. 2 in the Western Conference with a 44-24-2-2 record.
Dubas has a familiarity with the 44-year-old Malhotra, after Malhotra was hired by the Maple Leafs as an assistant coach in 2020 managing the forwards and served in the role for three seasons. Then-Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said Malhotra's "work ethic, character, intelligence and attention to detail that made Manny the ultimate teammate when he played are all assets that have translated to his coaching."
Malhotra got his start in coaching in the Canucks' organization, first as a development coach in 2016-17 and as an assistant coach behind the NHL bench from 2017-20.
Malhotra had an 18-year professional career, including 991 NHL games with the Rangers, Stars, Blue Jackets, Sharks, Canucks and Canadiens.
The Canucks, of course, have their own head coaching vacancy this offseason, and Malhotra already being in the organization would seem to give him an edge in that search. But if the Canucks do go in a different direction, Malhotra still looks to be a frontrunner for the various openings around the league this summer.
DREW BANNISTER
Dubas loves his Soo Greyhounds, and Drew Bannister is that.
Bannister got his start in head coaching in the Soo, serving as head coach for three seasons from 2015-18. He didn't have any overlap there with Dubas, whose last season managing the Greyhounds was in 2013-14. Bannister also played for the Greyhounds from 1990-94.
Beyond that, Bannister does check the boxes the Penguins are looking for. Bannister, 51, has an extensive resume in a development role. After his time in the Soo, he was head coach of the Blues' AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage from 2018-20, then after the Rampage was sold, was associate head coach of the AHL's Utica Comets in the 2020-21 season while the Blues shared the Comets' affiliation with the Canucks for a season. As the Blues resumed having their own affiliate in the Springfield Thunderbirds the following year, Bannister took over as head coach and led for two and a half seasons before being promoted to interim head coach of the Blues midway through the 2023-24 season.
Bannister led the Blues to a 30-19-5 finish after the promotion, and lost the "interim" tag last summer. He coached the Blues to a 9-12-1 start this past season before he was fired.
Bannister had a 18-year professional career as a defenseman in the NHL, IHL, AHL, Finland, Russia, Germany and the English league. His career included 164 NHL games with the Lightning, Oilers, Ducks and Rangers.
ROGER RONNBERG
If Dubas is serious about the possibility of hiring a coach right out of Europe, Roger Ronnberg has a strong resume. He's the winningest head coach in Swedish Hockey League history.
Ronnberg, 53, was the head coach of the SHL's Frolunda HC for the last 12 years, leading the club to two SHL championships and four titles in the Champions Hockey League, the in-season tournament between the top clubs across different European leagues. Players he coached in Frolunda included John Klingberg, Alex Wennberg, Pierre Engvall, Mattias Janmark, Arturri Lehkonen, Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olofsson and Lucas Raymond.
Ronnberg was an assistant coach for the Swedish national team in the World Championship from 2008-12 and the head coach of the World Junior squad from 2011-13, where he coached a young Rickard Rakell, Gabe Landeskog, Jesper Fast, Calle Jarnkrok, Adam Larsson, Jonas Brodin, Filip Forsberg, William Karlsson, Mika Zibanejad and Elias Lindholm.
Ronnberg also was a coach in the Lulea system, coaching the U20 team for three seasons, serving as an assistant coach for the top-league team for two years, and then co-head coach for another three.
Back in May 2024, Ronnberg accepted a position of head coach for Fribourg-Gotteron of the top Swiss League starting in the 2025-26 season. Though he is under contract to move to Switzerland next season, it's not impossible to get out of something like that if the NHL comes calling. He wouldn't be the first coach to ever accept one job and leave for another before even starting the first one (... just ask the Nailers).
JEFF HALPERN
Longtime NHL forward Jeff Halpern is a head-coach-in-waiting, and he might just get his chance this summer.
Halpern, 49, has been an assistant coach managing the forwards and power play for the Lightning for the last seven years, winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning have made the playoffs in all seven years with Halpern behind the bench, and since he was hired in 2018, have the league's second-best power play in that span at 25.5%.
Before joining Tampa at the NHL level he served in the organization in a development role, first as a development coach for one season and then another two years as an assistant coach for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch.
Halpern had a 15-year professional career that included 976 NHL games with the Capitals, Stars, Lightning, Kings, Canadiens, Rangers and Coyotes.
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