New Bruins head coach candidate emerges amid Joe Sacco uncertainty

The Boston Bruins have seen teams like the New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks hire new coaches since the end of the regular season. The Bruins are still in the process of interviewing candidates, and while they are getting closer, they are still working out the details before they hire their next head coach.

Joe Sacco was their interim coach last season after Jim Montgomery was fired by the Bruins after the team started the season in a sluggish manner. After the team picked up its performance briefly, the Bruins finished the season poorly and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

While the Bruins had significant injury issues and the talent level took a dip from previous seasons, they may need an upgrade at the coaching position. Assistant coach Jay Leach, who had been hired by Montgomery, has emerged as a finalist for the position.

The other candidates for the job include Sacco, former Bruin Marco Sturm and Mitch Love. Sturm finished coaching his third season with the Ottawa Reign, the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL club. He served as a Kings assistant for four years prior to the Ottawa assignment.

Sturm played more than 300 games for the Bruins and he came to the team from the San Jose Sharks in the Joe Thornton trade.

Bruins also considering young voices in Love and Leach

Love has been a part of Spencer Carbery's staff with the Washington Capitals for the past two seasons. Love had been interviewed by the Bruins prior to their decision to hire Montgomery in 2022. He is also in consideration by the Pittsburgh Penguins and and Seattle Kraken

Leach was an assistant with the Seattle Kraken before the Bruins brought him on board as an assistant last season. Prior to his time in Seattle, Leach had been the head coach of the Bruins' affiliate in Providence.

Love was interviewed by the Bruins Wednesday, while Leach met with management Thursday to make his case to serve as the team's head coach. Sturm will meet at the team's practice facility to interview Friday.

The Bruins figure to be active in free agency as they attempt to improve their struggling offense. They should also get significantly stronger on the blue line next season. Top defensemen Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) and Hampus Lindholm (patella) were out for significant portions of the season and both should be healthy this season.

Additionally, goaltender Jeremy Swayman did not meet expectations for the Bruins last season, but he rebounded to lead the United States to the gold medal in the IIHF World Championships. Swayman is likely to be more confident in 2025-26 than he was last season. The goaltender finished the year with a 22-29-7 record along with a 3.11 goals against average and an .892 save percentage.