Where will Jim Montgomery end up after Bruins firing? 4 possible destinations

Jim Montgomery spent roughly two and a half years waiting for his next head coaching job after being fired by the Dallas Stars in 2019. It won’t take nearly that long for him to resurface 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 confluence of events — questionable offseason signings, underperformance across the board, leaky goaltending, poor special teams — prevented Montgomery from chasing a third straight postseason appearance.

It’s just a matter of time before Montgomery secures his next head coaching position. In fact, a team might go so far as to fire its coach to make room for Montgomery.

Here’s an early look at his possible destinations.

The Blues are the clear favorite to become 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 September 16, 2020, Armstrong took a chance on Montgomery, following his firing from the Stars, as an assistant coach to Craig Berube. Montgomery helped the Blues transition from a defense-first team to a go-go offense.

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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 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.

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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 aren’t expected to be a playoff contender for several seasons.

St. Louis has been behind the Montreal bench since 2022. The Canadiens have not reached the playoffs during the St. Louis.

The Red Wings are deeper in 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 haven’t 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 represent promising players such as Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. Montgomery would also be reunited with Vladimir Tarasenko, one of his St. Louis players.

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Mike Sullivan has won two Stanley Cups. He has been with Pittsburgh since December 12, 2015. Sullivan was involved in the organization’s decision to hire GM Kyle Dubas. That way, job security is on Sullivan’s side.

But the 7-10-3 penguins are fluttering. Their minus-25 goal differential is the only one worse than the Bruins’ minus-21 mark.

It may be time for a change.

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(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)