Zizing ‘Em Up: DeBoer, Cassidy should draw strong interest to fill NHL openings

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Monday he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts for his weekly notes column, "Zizing 'Em Up."

BUFFALO -- Are you an NHL team that’s going to be in the market for a top-end coach in the coming months, if not weeks?

How’s this for a couple of candidates who could be available?

In their respective NHL coaching careers, Peter DeBoer and Bruce Cassidy have combined for 1,132 regular-season coaching wins and 159 Stanley Cup Playoff victories.

After Cassidy was fired and replaced by John Tortorella by the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, both he and DeBoer are free agents with respective pedigrees of turning teams around.

In the crazy bubble that is the NHL’s coaching carousel, perhaps the only certainty that came out of the news from Vegas is that DeBoer was never going to be Cassidy’s replacement there. After all, it was Cassidy who replaced DeBoer as coach in Vegas in 2022.

Now both are out of work, albeit temporarily, given their impressive accomplishments in the past. As such, don’t be surprised if there are a number of teams vying for their services during the offseason.

Indeed, it's a rare time in the NHL when a pair of such decorated coaches are there for hire.

And while Cassidy works out his future intentions to that end, DeBoer knows exactly what his own are. 

“All I can say is, I’m ready,” DeBoer told NHL.com in a phone interview Sunday evening. “There are only 32 jobs in the NHL and it’s a privilege to have one of them. I’m humble enough to know that.

“Having said that, I have a lot of confidence in my track record of coming in and having success in different places. And I’m especially proud of my ability in the playoffs to have teams move forward.”

DeBoer most recently led the Dallas Stars to three consecutive Western Conference Finals but was fired June 6 after they again failed to reach the Stanley Cup Final. In the ensuing nine months he’s heard from a number of interested NHL parties.

“I had multiple teams, what I would call kicking tires and keeping an eye on us,” he said. “I’ll probably leave it at that. I don’t want to get into specifics but there were multiple teams that reached out in different ways to kick tires.”

Was there ever anything that came close to fruition?

“Listen, you never know how close you are,” he said. “I think there was, you know, at least one situation that was really close that was interesting. 

“But as I’ve told you before, the best way to describe it is that I think this year I was exactly where I was meant to be, for a lot of different reasons.”

Among those reasons: a chance to spend time with his family, whether it be with his aging parents or his three children. And, of course, there was the opportunity to be an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff with Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which he called “the experience of a lifetime.”

Working with Hockey Canada as part of the Olympic team allowed him to forge a friendship with Cassidy dating back to when both were assistants to Cooper for the 2022 Winter Olympics. NHL players eventually did not attend those Games due to concerns involving Covid-19 but the coaches spent time together months earlier preparing for that competition before that decision not to go was made.

In February 2025 both were assistants with Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that Canada won. They served the same roles in Milan when Canada settled for a silver medal after Jack Hughes’ golden goal gave Team USA a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory against them in the Olympic championship game.

“Obviously when you get to work with somebody, you get an appreciation of them as a person, not just as an opposing coach,” DeBoer said of Cassidy. “So, you know what my initial reaction was when I heard about the news from Vegas? It was that I really feel for him. Because we’ve all been there.

“He’s got kids. I know he’s got a daughter in high school. That’s never easy. And that’s always where your first thoughts go as a coach.”

At least DeBoer knew he wouldn’t be a candidate to replace Cassidy with the Golden Knights, given his own history with Vegas.

“In this business, you never know,” he chuckled, half jokingly.

In the volatile unpredictable world of NHL coaching, Sunday was yet another example of that.

THE MCMANN PLAN

While on the subject of free agents, is anyone making a better case to earn a big raise for themselves come the opening of the market on July 1 than Bobby McMann?

For that matter, has there been a more impactful pickup before the NHL Trade Deadline earlier this month than the 29-year-old forward, who was acquired by the Seattle Kraken from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft on March 6?

Consider the numbers.

After his two-point performance (one goal, one assist) in Seattle’s 3-2 shootout loss at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, McMann has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in eight games since the trade. Over an 82-game season, that torrid pace translates into 72 goals, 41 assists and 113 points.

Those types of numbers are associated more with a guy named McDavid than McMann. As such, no one expects him to continue piling up points at this level.

Nevertheless, it’s been impressive.

In his time with the Kraken, he has directly chipped in on 42 percent (11-for-26) of Seattle’s goals. The fact that Seattle is just 3-3-2 in his brief time there as part of the team’s bid to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs, despite his efforts, is more of a reflection of the team’s lack of explosiveness.

“We’re giving him plenty of opportunity,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “He’s deserved it. He’s earned it. 

“I think he’s fit in real nicely with (Kaapo) Kakko and Chandler Stephenson. His speed is key. We see that on a nightly basis.”

McMann’s addition has helped the offensively-challenged Kraken stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. They are two points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card in the Western Conference. They’ve managed to stay in contention despite having just one player not named McMann who has more than 20 goals, that being Jordan Eberle with 23. 

For McMann, who has 26 goals and 43 points this season, it’s been a relatively seamless transition from Toronto to the left coast other than the visa issues that caused him to miss three games after the trade. One of the hardest aspects of the past month, he said, was repeatedly being asked about the possibility of being dealt before the trade actually happened, which he understands goes hand in hand with playing for a struggling team like the Maple Leafs at the time.

“Yeah, that part's definitely difficult, especially when you're on a team where you're not really sure which way it's going to swing depending on how a few games go before the trade deadline,” he said. “But, I mean, honestly, at the time, I was trying to focus on winning games there.

“I looked at it as if it comes, it comes. It did. And I'm excited for this opportunity here.”

Especially since the Kraken have done everything in their power to give him a chance to succeed.

“It's been super helpful with this organization,” he said. “They've thrown everything at me that I've asked for. They've been super helpful getting me in here. Lane has been super great getting me up to speed with systems, with how the guys are playing, where he wants me to fit. 

“But then also there's just a lot of confidence bringing me in. They're like, ‘play your game, play how you want to and how you always do.’ And that gives me a lot of confidence to kind of play how I want to, and play with confidence. Because when you're doing that, you're kind of at your best.”

That confidence was lacking in McMann when he finished the 2024-25 campaign on a 24-game goal drought (11 regular season, then 13 playoff). He certainly has a bit of his swagger back, although it’s not based solely on statistics.

“I think there's times where you're feeling really good about your game and you're maybe not scoring as much,” he said. “So, it's not just necessarily the scoring. It’s all parts of my game that I try and look at, whether I'm competing hard, being physical, playing with speed.

“But yeah, definitely feeling good.”

And that’s a good sign for him come the summer.

McMann is in the final season of the two-year contract ($1.35 million average annual value) he signed with the Maple Leafs on March 13, 2024. In an upcoming free agent market that is thin, especially in terms of offensive players, he’s playing himself into a potentially hefty salary increase.

Whether that translates into a return to the Maple Leafs, Kraken or a new start with another franchise, well, that remains to be seen.

Right now, he says, the only goal is helping the Kraken get into the postseason for the second time in franchise history.

ALL IN THE FAMILY?

At a time when coaching changes are making headlines, there’s this:

When Rick Bowness was contemplating coming out of retirement to coach the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this year, one of the first calls he made was to his son Ryan, assistant general manager and director of player personnel of the New York Islanders.

It was a short chat.

“It was quick. I remember, I was at home, I was on a call, and he called me, he left me like a panic voicemail, like, ‘Call me back right away,’” Ryan recalled to NHL.com this weekend.

Ryan immediately wondered if there were health issues with his 71-year-old dad or, for that matter, his mother Judy, who’d suffered a seizure in October 2023.

“That's why first thing that went in my mind was did something happened to my mom, or some kind of medical emergency,” Ryan said.

Fortunately, the topic was not as dire. The subject at hand: Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell, looking for a boost to a team that was in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 19-19-7 record, wanted to move on from coach Dean Evason and had approached Rick to see if he was interested in the job.

“We talked about it, and I could already tell that in a tone of his voice that his mind was pretty much made up,” Ryan said. 

“We went through it, and the biggest thing is that his health is good. My mom's health is good. That's why he walked away in the first place, retiring from the (Winnipeg Jets) in 2024.  That was all I cared about as a son, is, as long as your health is good, and mom feels good, then obviously he's got my blessing. I want them to be happy, and this is the life that they love and they know and but again, as a son, as long as health and everything's in the right order, which it is now, then for sure, I’m on board.”

At the same time, even Ryan admits he couldn’t foresee the success his dad has enjoyed behind the Blue Jackets bench.

Since Rick was hired on Jan. 12, the Blue Jackets are 19-5-5 and hold the second wild card from the Eastern Conference. It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team that was in the conference basement when he took over.

“No, I didn’t envision this. I don’t think anyone could have,” Ryan said. “I don’t think he could have envisioned this himself.

“Then again, I think nothing in this game can surprise him anymore. And I think that's the biggest thing. He goes in midseason, which he's done before in Dallas and a few other places. So he just goes in and he's himself, he's authentically himself. And I think the players have responded to that, which you’ve seen from the respect level that they've showed and, in turn, the respect level that he treats them with. I think when you go into a new situation like that, you're going in a little bit blind. But if you're authentically yourself, like he always is, I think people just initially respect that, and that’s a key.”

In the end, the entire family is supporting Rick.

Kind of.

Truth be told, there is a hiccup with the Blue Jackets’ run for a postseason spot. The issue: One of the teams battling Columbus to get into the playoffs is the Islanders, Ryan’s team. The Islanders are second in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Blue Jackets.

“My 5-year-old son Brendan gives his grandfather a hard time all the time,” Ryan said with a chuckle. “They’ll be on FaceTime and he’ll say to my dad, ‘What are you doing? You’ve got to slow down.’ He wants the Islanders to get in the playoffs.

“Our whole family was at the game earlier this month when Columbus played us on Long Island. When it comes to who to cheer for, it’s probably hardest for my mom. But it’s weird for me too. In my time in the NHL, we’ve never both had jobs in the same conference before.”

If Ryan thinks that’s weird, imagine if the Islanders and Blue Jackets were to meet in the Eastern Conference First Round, which is a possibility.

That would make for interesting conversations at the dinner table during offseason family gatherings.

WHO’S HOT

F Jason Robertson, F Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars

When it comes to dynamic goal-scoring duos in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl, the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon-Martin Necas and the Minnesota Wild’s Matt Boldy-Kirill Kaprizov are a handful that come to mind. Now you can add Robertson-Johnston to that list. The twosome has become the first Stars teammates to record 40 goals in the same season since the team moved to Dallas for the 1993-94 season. The last duo in franchise history to accomplish the feat: Brian Bellows and Dave Gagner in 1989-90 when they were the Minnesota North Stars.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

“I would be the coach of the year every year if I could figure that out. There’s ups and downs, and ebbs and flows, with the players and the way they feel. The opposition always has a say in the game. Again, I talk about the wonders of sports. That’s how it goes.” -- Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan, when asked to explain the inconsistency of both energy and performance of his up-and-down team.

THE LAST WORD

The impressive run by the Blue Jackets under Rick (Bones) Bowness has fueled a debate in hockey circles. The question is: Should Bowness be in the running for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year if Columbus qualifies for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, even though he didn’t start the season behind the bench of that team?

There is precedence for something like that to happen. Indeed, three previous coaches have been voted the winner of the award after taking over during the season. 

Bill Barber was the first to do it, replacing Craig Ramsey behind the Philadelphia Flyers bench in 2001-02 and leading them to a 31-13-10 record before being eliminated by the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs.

Bruce Boudreau stepped in for Glen Hanlon with the Washington Capitals in 2007-08 and navigated his team to a 37-17-7 mark the rest of the way. Like Barber’s Flyers, his team was knocked out in the first round, in this case by Philadelphia.

The final member of this club is Hall of Fame coach Ken Hitchcock, who took over from Davis Payne early in the 2011-12 season and the St. Louis Blues went 43-15-11 under his watch. At least the Blues got to the second round, where they were ousted by the Kings.

We do know Tortorella won’t be in the mix this time around. Among the reasons: not enough games left in the season to be in contention for the award, even for a two-time Adams winner like him (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2004; Blue Jackets, 2017). 

Cassidy, by the way, was the recipient of the Adams award in 2020 with the Boston Bruins.