The ranking of the best coaches in the Big Ten starts with an obvious choice at No.1 but there's plenty of difficult decisions to make on the list.
NFL draft proves college football needs Mike Leach’s plan for radical change in NIL era
Before his death in 2022, Mike Leach had some great ideas for the future of college football. It's time to start adopting them.
Source: Kings finalizing contract to make Christie next coach
Source: Kings finalizing contract to make Christie next coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It’s official. The “interim” title no longer is attached to Doug Christie’s job description.
The Kings are finalizing a multiyear contract to make Christie their next coach, a source confirmed to NBC Sports California. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news Tuesday morning, citing sources.
Christie took over for Mike Brown, who was fired in late December following a 13-18 start to the 2024-25 NBA season. Under Christie, the Kings went 27-24 and finished as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.
After Sacramento’s season-ending NBA play-in loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento replaced former general manager Monte McNair with longtime executive Scott Perry. While speaking at his introductory press conference last week, Perry didn’t want to disclose too much information on the coaching search but detailed his relationship with Christie over the years.
“What I can tell you is I spent time with Doug Christie already,” Perry said. “I first met Doug Christie when he was a player at Toronto, so I admired him as a player, his career. I’ve watched him this year from afar in terms of his ability to have a presence on the court. I think he’s made a connection with players. We’ve had a few conversations up to this point. He was one of the first people I met with yesterday when I got into town.”
Perry added that his phone had been “incessantly” ringing with other potential coaching candidates interested in the job, and that he wanted to have a few more conversations before making a final decision.
Amongst the fired coaches who potentially were available for a new coaching gig are: Mike Budenholzer (last with Phoenix Suns), Michael Malone (last with Denver Nuggets) and Taylor Jenkins (last with Memphis Grizzlies).
And depending on how the rest of the NBA playoffs shake out, several other possible candidates could have become available, such as Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who currently is trying to dig his team out of a first-round playoff exit.
But Perry seemingly didn’t want to wait any longer. With a busy offseason ahead, he ticked one box off his long list of to-dos.
Christie, who played with the Kings for five seasons from 2000 to 2005, has a personal love and appreciation for the organization and city of Sacramento. You could see it through his emotions and feel it through his words each and every time he spoke at a pre- or postgame podium.
“This is where I want to be,” Christie said after the Kings’ season-ending loss. “I need to finish what I started, and that’s the only reason I ever stepped onto the sideline from where I was at initially. I had to exorcise some demons for myself.”
He also had support from several of his players.
“He did a good job for us when he came in, he tried to keep it real simple for us,” Kings guard Keon Ellis said during end-of-season exit interviews. “We have some really talented players on our team, so just try not to overdo anything, and let us go out there and be pros. He definitely didn’t want to do too much. … As far as his professionalism and his leadership, I think that’s a big thing when you’re talking about Doug. Former player. He has respect from everyone.
“I think he’s telling us the right things game in, game out, practice, whatever. The messages he’s given us are either the ones you don’t want to hear or the tough ones we need to hear. So just keeping it real with us and if you have that, you’re not going into any game with him telling you something that it’s not going to be. I think he did a good job at that. Those are the things that you need.”
Players during their exit interviews also talked about longing for some organizational stability and consistency, something lacking in Sacramento for several years. Perhaps hiring a man who has been tied to the franchise for more than two decades is the first step in bringing just that.
Source: Kings finalizing contract to make Christie next coach
Source: Kings finalizing contract to make Christie next coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It’s official. The “interim” title no longer is attached to Doug Christie’s job description.
The Kings are finalizing a multiyear contract to make Christie their next coach, a source confirmed to NBC Sports California. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news Tuesday morning, citing sources.
Christie took over for Mike Brown, who was fired in late December following a 13-18 start to the 2024-25 NBA season. Under Christie, the Kings went 27-24 and finished as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.
Sacramento was eliminated in the first NBA play-in game.
This story will be updated.
Podziemski shines in big, little ways in Warriors' Game 4 win
Podziemski shines in big, little ways in Warriors' Game 4 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – As good as Brandin Podziemski was in terms of scoring – he was all that and a bag of chips, pouring in a playoff career-high 26 points – he was equally effective doing all of the other little things that Warriors fans have come to expect from the plucky second-year guard.
With his patented stand-your-ground mindset, Podziemski absorbed yet another charging foul, had five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and made a brilliant defensive gem after Rockets guard Fred VanVleet zipped around him headed for the hoop. Podziemski didn’t flinch and chased Van Vleet down, making a clutch block from behind with 4:22 minutes remaining to preserve Golden State’s slim lead.
When the Rockets got the ball back a few minutes then threw the ball out of bounds, Podziemski flexed and appeared to growl at the frenzied crowd.
Podz gets the block 🚫
Jimmy gets the layup 🤝 pic.twitter.com/QBEe0LRaV1— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 29, 2025
“Obviously, it’s magnified a little bit because it was a key possession,” Podziemski said after Golden State’s 109-106 win. “But just understanding watching film, (Van Vleet) is not the best finisher in the paint. Either he wants to spray it out or shoot 3s a lot of the time.
“I wasn’t too worried when he got past me. Just kind of rode the drive. He went for a floater, I just tried to help (Draymond Green) out a little and get a piece of it.”
Podziemski has been doing the little things ever since he entered the NBA as Golden State’s first-round pick (No. 19 overall) in the 2023 NBA Draft.
That earned him a big spot in coach Steve Kerr’s rotations and has raised his standing in the hearts of many Warriors fans, including some of his own teammates.
“The skill is there but it’s his heart,” Green said. “I like to call it irrational confidence. He puts work in but he has irrational confidence. It’s one of those things I actually wish I had. He just has the ultimate belief in himself and his abilities. He’s been showing it for the last few months.
“Tonight we need it in a major way and he stepped up.”
The 6-foot-5 Podziemski always has played bigger than his size and has had a no-fear mentality to go with that aggressive style. That earned him a spot with the closing five Monday when he was locked up with Van Vleet.
“Brandin’s big-time,” Kerr said. “Second-year player but plays like a 10th-year guy. He’s got so much poise and confidence. He was obviously a key to everything.”
Kerr noted that Podziemski, among several others, has benefited greatly since the team traded for Jimmy Butler.
“Jimmy’s arrival was huge for him,” Kerr said. “Once we got Jimmy, we were running a lot of offense through Jimmy, and that allowed Brandin to play on the other side. He’s at his best when he can do that.”
Podziemski didn’t get that deep and kept it pretty simple when summing up his performance in Game 4.
“Just tried to do my best to help (Stephen Curry) and we ended up getting the win,” he said. “That’s all we wanted tonight.”
Australian doubles ace Max Purcell accepts 18-month ban for anti-doping breach
- US Open doubles champion admits exceeding limit for an IV infusion
- 27-year-old says he has developed a nervous tic because of the case
Grand slam doubles champion Max Purcell has accepted an 18-month ban for breaching anti-doping rules, with the Australian saying he has developed a nervous tic and anxiety because of the case.
The 27-year-old entered a voluntary provisional suspension in December after admitting to breaching Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program “relating to the use of a prohibited method”.
Continue reading...Playoff Jimmy comes through in clutch, leads Warriors past Rockets 106-103, takes 3-1 series lead
Apr 28, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) celebrates with forward Jimmy Butler III (10) after a play against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter of game four of the 2025 NBA Playoffs first round at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
This is why you trade for Jimmy Butler III mid-season.
Butler, returning after missing Game 3 with a pelvic contusion, scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, including hitting five free throws down the stretch and grabbing the game-securing rebound.
Playoff Jimmy came to PLAY in the fourth quarter
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2025
He scored 14 of his 27 PTS in the final frame to lead the Warriors to victory and a 3-1 series lead! pic.twitter.com/txCJqoZDgh
This is why Draymond Green was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.
He was in foul trouble for much of Game 4 on Monday, and when he was off the court, Rockets big man Alperen Sengun thrived, finishing with 31 points and 10 rebounds. Green was back in for the final Rockets play of the game, and Sengun went right at Green.
DRAYMOND GETS THE STOP ❌ pic.twitter.com/teYnj6UjFd
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 29, 2025
Ultimately, those two were what the Warriors needed. Golden State beat Houston 106-103 and with that took a 3-1 lead in the series. Game 5 is back in Houston on Wednesday.
It was an intense, back-and-forth game that included a second-quarter altercation. It was 36-36 midway through the second quarter and Stephen Curry was dribbling down the sideline, Green set a hard screen on Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks soon fouled Curry but took exception to a push and there was a little action. Green did not get a technical foul for this, but did later for a foul on Tari Eason’s where both men ended up on the ground and Green's leg was on Eason's neck.
The Warriors' other stars stepped up on a night Curry looked human, finishing with 17 points and shooting 2-of-8 from 3. Brandin Podziemski stepped up for Golden State and scored 26, shooting 6-of-11 on 3-pointers.
Houston’s halfcourt offense looked better in much of Game 4 than it had this series, with the key reason for that being Fred VanVleet could not seem to miss from beyond the arc. VanVleet hit eight 3-pointers on his way to 25 points.
However, with the game on the line, the Rockets halfcourt offense froze up again. Jalen Green looked like the answer to unsticking that offense a couple of nights ago, but he had just eight points in this one. Amen Thompson scored 17 points but was on the bench in the final seconds. It fell to Sengun to create, and he came up just short.
With that, Golden State is one win away from advancing.
Jofra Archer’s form and swagger is back. Can he bloom for England again? | Jonathan Liew
Fast bowler was unfairly demonised by beige fans but has just turned 30 and is honing his skills for a tough summer
This season, in an attempt to distract everyone from the fact that its main sponsors are one of the world’s largest steel companies and the literal state of Saudi Arabia, the Tata Indian Premier League has been planting trees for every dot ball bowled during the tournament. At the post‑match presentation, the bowler who delivered the most dot balls in the game is awarded a ceremonial sapling. Which means that on four occasions this season – the most of any player – Jofra Archer has been contractually obliged to receive a small tree on live television.
The first time Archer gets his sapling, he eyes it with the kind of narrow-eyed suspicion any of us might exhibit. By the time he gets his fourth sapling – 10 dot balls against Delhi Capitals, 180 trees planted – he’s basically a pro at this. Shake hands. Look straight into the camera. Gaze at the sapling tenderly, as if he’s going to plant it himself, in his own garden, sheltered and watered, and definitely not throwing it straight into the first bin he finds.
Continue reading...Arsenal’s Declan Rice turns sights to winning midfield battle against PSG
Real Madrid could not live with his relentlessness but how will Rice fare against João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha?
Declan Rice went into Arsenal’s Champions League quarter‑final against Real Madrid knowing it was a chance to go to another level. Rise to the occasion against the kings of Europe and people would see the midfielder in a different light. Remember the boy who was kicked out of Chelsea at 14? The tearful one who travelled across London for a trial at West Ham, went on to captain them to their first trophy in 43 years, and left for £105m? Well, the thing you need to know about him is that he has never been afraid to meet a challenge head on and make people think twice about questioning his talent.
So Rice backed himself when he faced Madrid and left Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric and Aurélien Tchouaméni in the shade by producing man-of-the-match displays in both legs. He drove Arsenal on, powering them forward, bending the tie to his will. Madrid, the reigning European champions, could not live with his relentlessness. There was hype around Rice’s duel with Bellingham, but it did not live up to much. There was no debate about who dominated the battle between the two leaders of England’s midfield.
Continue reading...Cavaliers thrash Miami to win play-off series 4-0
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 138-83 to secure a 4-0 first-round play-off series win and book their place in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points for the visiting Cavaliers, who were also helped by De'Andre Hunter adding 19 points, Ty Jerome scoring 18 points and Evan Mobley contributing 17 points as they won by the fourth-largest winning margin in an NBA play-off game.
"We came out here with a goal in mind, to keep our foot on their throat and on their neck and continue to play 48 minutes of basketball," Mitchell told TNT television
The 55-point margin was Miami's biggest play-off defeat and overtook the previous record of 37 points which had been set in the third game of the best-of-seven series.
"We were humbled, but they had so much to do with how we looked," said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.
"None of us would have guessed this series would have gone this way coming out of our two play-ins. They just took it to another level. They left us behind these past two games."
The Cavaliers will play either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Indiana Pacers in the next round, with the latter leading that series 3-1.
In San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors took a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference first-round play-off series against the Houston Rockets with a 109-106 home win.
Jimmy Butler was back for the Warriors after missing game three with a pelvic injury and scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, while team-mate Brandin Podziemski made six three-pointers in his 26 points.
The Warriors had trailed by seven points at half-time before going on an 18-1 run at the start of the third quarter, but the score was tied at 104 with one minute 20 seconds left of the contest.
Fred VanVleet scored 24 of his 25 points from three-point distance for the Rockets but missed a long-range shot in the final second that would have tied the game.
Game five will be in Houston on Wednesday, 30 April at 19:30 local time.
Tommy Edman's walk-off single lifts Dodgers to victory over Marlins in 10th
The ring was flashy.
The victory was anything but.
Before first pitch Monday night, former Dodgers first base coach and first-year Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough received a warm welcome back to Dodger Stadium. He was greeted by a parade of hugs from his old players during batting practice (including a leaping embrace into his arms from Mookie Betts). He was honored with a pregame ceremony on the field to receive his glitzy 2024 World Series ring. He received the highest of compliments from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts during his pregame media address.
"Clayton is a very, very special person, a very special coach,” Roberts said, describing McCullough as “a game changer” for last year’s championship team.
That, however, was as much hospitality as McCullough would get in his return to the Southland.
TOMMY CALLED GAME! pic.twitter.com/jswxa2d7sI
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 29, 2025
In the Dodgers’ 7-6 win over the Marlins, McCullough’s old club outlasted his new one in a game that never should have been that close, the Dodgers blowing an early five-run lead only to walk it off on Tommy Edman’s winning two-run single in the bottom of the 10th.
Monday should have been a much more straightforward win for the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani scored in the first inning on a leadoff single, a steal of second base and an RBI single from Freddie Freeman. Betts doubled the lead in the third with a bases-loaded hit. Former Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas tacked on again in the fourth, roping a double down the left-field line for his first RBI and extra-base hit of the season.
Then, in what felt like a game-sealing sequence, Teoscar Hernández followed Freeman’s leadoff walk in the fifth with a sky-high two-run blast to left — making it 5-0 with his team-leading ninth long ball of the season and fourth in the last five games.
Read more:Dodgers put Tyler Glasnow on injured list unsure on when he'll return
Instead, a half-inning later, the Marlins made it a brand new ball game.
After five scoreless innings, Dodgers right-hander Dustin May was chased with one out in the sixth, giving up a run on two singles and a walk to get the hook after 83 pitches. With two left-handed hitters looming, Roberts summoned southpaw Anthony Banda from the bullpen. A sensible plan in theory, but with a disastrous outcome two batters later.
Lacking any consistent command, Banda walked his first batter on five pitches before falling behind again to pinch-hitting righty Dane Myers. Facing a three-and-one count, Banda tried to climb the ladder with a 96 mph fastball. Myers, however, was all over it, clobbering a no-doubt grand slam to left that stunned Chavez Ravine into silence. Just like that, the score was 5-5.
The Dodgers squandered chances to answer. They put their first two batters aboard in the sixth, had a runner at second with one out in the seventh and got a single to lead off the eighth. They couldn’t cash in on any of those opportunities, though.
The Marlins then took the lead on Jesús Sánchez’s two-out double in the top of the 10th.
In the end, however, the Dodgers survived.
Andy Pages led the bottom of the 10th with a walk. Kiké Hernández advanced Pages and automatic runner Michael Conforto to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Then, after coming off the bench earlier in the game, Edman walked it off with a line drive single to right.
Read more:Dave Roberts adopts Palisades High baseball team coping with fire's destruction
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Cavs win by 55 points to sweep Heat and finish off most lopsided series in NBA playoff history
MIAMI (AP) — Cleveland moved into Round 2 with the most lopsided series win in NBA playoff history.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, De’Andre Hunter added 19 and the Cavaliers led by as many as 60 points before beating the Miami Heat 138-83 on Monday night to sweep their Eastern Conference first-round series in four games.
Ty Jerome had 18 points, Evan Mobley added 17 and Jarrett Allen had 14 points, 12 rebounds and six steals for the Cavaliers. Cleveland won the series by a combined 122 points, one more than the previous record for series margin set by Denver over New Orleans in 2009.
“We came out here with a goal in mind,” Mitchell said.
The 55-point margin in Game 4 was the fourth-biggest playoff win ever. The record is 58 points, done twice: Minneapolis over St. Louis in 1956 and Denver over New Orleans in 2009. The Los Angeles Lakers beat Golden State by 56 points in 1973.
Nikola Jovic led the Heat with 24 points. Ban Adebayo scored 13, while Pelle Larsson and Andrew Wiggins each added 12 for Miami.
“Damn, it was humbling. This series was humbling. These last two games were embarrassing,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But Cleveland’s also a very good team. ... They showed us why we weren’t ready for that.”
Cleveland will play either Indiana or Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pacers lead that series 3-1; regardless of whether the Pacers or Bucks advance, Game 1 of that series would be in Cleveland and not played until Saturday at the earliest.
“I’m always a big fan of rest,” Mitchell said.
This is the third instance of Miami being swept in a best-of-seven series. The others: against Chicago in 2007 and against Milwaukee in 2021, both of those in the first round and both also ending on the Heat home floor.
It was over fast. Cleveland — which used a 33-5 early run to blow Game 3 open — led 43-14 late in the first quarter before Davion Mitchell beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer. The 26-point margin matched the worst quarter in Heat playoff history; it was the second-best margin for any quarter in Cavs playoff history.
And the lead only kept growing.
It looked every bit like a 64-win team that led the East wire-to-wire going up against a 10th-place finisher that needed to win two play-in games just to get into the tournament.
“We came down here with the right mentality and again, our maturity, our leadership, all that stuff we’ve been talking about all year,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We don’t seem to have letdowns. That’s rare.”
Cleveland’s lead was 39 — 72-33 — at the half, the third-largest lead after two quarters in NBA playoff history. The only halftime leads bigger than that: Cleveland by 41 over Boston on May 19, 2017 and Detroit by 40 over Washington on April 26, 1987.
Tyler Glasnow is the latest Dodgers starting pitcher to hit the injured list
LOS ANGELES — Right-hander Tyler Glasnow has been placed on the 15-day injured list by the Los Angeles Dodgers with right shoulder inflammation in the latest setback for the defending World Series champions' perpetually injury-plagued pitching staff.
Glasnow went on the IL one day after leaving his second straight start early due to shoulder discomfort Sunday. He allowed two homers in the first inning against Pittsburgh, but returned to warm up for the second inning before exiting.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Glasnow developed “overall body soreness” in addition to his shoulder woes.
“There's the mechanics piece of it, there's the uncomfortable, not feeling right,” Roberts said. “As Tyler said, very frustrating, and we're all just trying to get to the bottom of it.”
For the second consecutive season, Glasnow has joined an alarmingly long list of Dodgers pitchers with significant injury problems.
Top-line starters Glasnow, Blake Snell (left shoulder inflammation) and Clayton Kershaw (recovery from toe and knee surgery) are on the injured list, along with Blake Treinen (right forearm tightness), Michael Kopech (right shoulder), Brusdar Graterol (right shoulder surgery) and several other relievers.
“Pitching is certainly volatile,” Roberts said. “We experienced it last year - I think every year. I think the thing that's probably most disconcerting is leading Major League Baseball in bullpen innings. I think that that's something the starters are built up to take those innings down, so that's sort of where my head is at, to make sure we don't red-line these guys.”
The 6-foot-8 Glasnow has a lengthy injury history, but the Dodgers still signed him to a five-year, $136.5 million contract after acquiring the LA-area native from Tampa Bay in December 2023. Glasnow was solid to begin his debut season with the Dodgers, going 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP - but he didn't pitch after Aug. 11, developing elbow tendinitis that kept him out of the postseason.
Glasnow altered his delivery and his between-starts routine in an attempt to stay healthier, but he only got through five starts and 18 innings this season before his latest injury woes, going 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA.
Snell, who got a $182 million free-agent deal from deep-pocketed Los Angeles last November, made only two starts for his new team before going on the shelf this month.
The Dodgers used 17 starting pitchers during the 2024 regular season while their rotation was altered almost weekly by major injuries. Los Angeles won the World Series while relying on an October starting rotation of late-season acquisition Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who missed three months of the regular season) and Walker Buehler (who also missed three months) along with multiple bullpen games.
Flaherty and Buehler departed in free agency when the Dodgers declined to re-sign them. Gavin Stone, who led LA with 25 starts last season, is out for the entire 2025 season after right shoulder surgery.
The Dodgers' high-priced starting rotation is thin yet again in 2025: LA will have to throw a bullpen game Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, while former All-Star right-hander Tony Gonsolin will return to the mound Wednesday to make his first start since August 2023 after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Gonsolin's return is part of the good news for the Dodgers' staff.
Dustin May, Monday's starter, is also back in the rotation after missing two years with injuries, while Yamamoto and newcomer Roki Sasaki have remained healthy this month.
And two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is expected to make his Dodgers debut on the mound in the first half of this season, although the team hasn't set a timeline.
Roberts isn't sure how he will fill out his rotation when the Dodgers begin a road trip with 10 games in 10 days on Friday in Atlanta. The Dodgers might stretch out reliever Ben Casparius, a longtime starting pitcher before he reached the majors.
The Dodgers recalled right-handed reliever Noah Davis to fill Glasnow's roster spot.
Rugby Australia set to announce Les Kiss as next Wallabies coach
- Reds coach expected to confirmed as Joe Schmidt’s successor
- Kiss will become fifth Wallabies coach in six years
The protracted process to secure Les Kiss as the next Wallabies coach has been finalised with the Queensland Reds mentor to be the fifth man to fill the seat in six years. Kiss is expected to front the media in Sydney on Wednesday before flying to Suva to join the Reds squad ahead of Saturday’s crucial Super Rugby Pacific encounter with Fiji.
He is contracted until the end of next year at the Reds, who sit fourth and are eyeing a title push this season. But it is understood the Queensland Rugby Union and Rugby Australia have negotiated a release for the former representative rugby league winger, who arrived at Ballymore last year after two decades in Europe.
Continue reading...8 Possible Replacements For Mike Sullivan As Penguins Head Coach
With the shocking news that the Pittsburgh Penguins and longtime coach Mike Sullivan have mutually agreed to part ways, it comes as no surprise that one of the first talking points is who will be the one replace him.
Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas certainly has his work cut out for him. When speaking with the Pittsburgh media on Monday following the announcement of Sullivan's departure, Dubas mapped out the timeline for their coaching search, specifying that the organization expects to name a new head coach in early June.
He also tipped off some ideas about the kind of coach he might be looking for, and the sticking point seemed to be prioritizing the development of their young players as the Penguins navigate a transitional period back to Stanley Cup contention.
With that in mind, here are eight candidates that Dubas should consider for the position.
BREAKING: Penguins And Head Coach Mike Sullivan Mutually Part WaysAfter nearly 10 years, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have a new voice behind the bench for the 2025-26 season.
The "best-case scenario" category
David Carle
After turning down an opportunity with the Chicago Blackhawks, it remains to be seen whether or not Carle - head coach of the University of Denver Pioneers - is interested in coaching at the NHL level altogether right now.
But if he is an option, he's certainly someone Dubas shouldn't hesitate to call.
Carle is only 35 years old - so, yes, he's younger than Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby - but if the Penguins are looking for a head coach with a proven track record of success in development, there's arguably no one more fitting than Carle. In seven seasons coaching the Pioneers, he's won two national championships and has a .694 winning percentage.
He also led Team USA to gold at the World Junior Championship this season, and he will helm the 2025 squad as well. He's great with young players, he knows how to win, and he's the perfect fit for the Penguins if he's open to the position.
Todd Nelson
Although Dubas ruled out first-year Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins head coach Kirk MacDonald as a candidate, that doesn't mean he won't turn to other AHL head coaches as options.
And there's, perhaps, no better such option than Nelson.
A former Penguin as a player, Nelson - head coach of the Hershey Bears, AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals - has shown a proven track record of success at the AHL level. He spent some time with the Chicago Wolves and Grand Rapids Griffins before coaching the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024, with another potentially on the horizon.
He also has some experience at the NHL level. Nelson was an assistant coach for the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers from 2008-10 and for the Dallas Stars from 2018-22. In between, he was named the interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers in the back half of the 2014-15 season before being replaced by Todd McLellan in the season's aftermath.
Nelson has the right mixture of experience, developmental acumen, and success for the Penguins' vacancy, and he should be a top option in their search.
Rick Tocchet
Although his NHL coaching career has had some ups and downs, there's no denying Tocchet's connections to the Penguins.
In addition to winning the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1992 as a player, Tocchet was behind the Penguins' bench as an assistant coach during their back-to-back Cup runs in 2016 and 2017 before taking a head coaching position with the Arizona Coyotes the following season, where he remained until the end of the 2021-22 season.
He was then brought on to coach the Vancouver Canucks in the 2023-24 season, and after leading the team to a Pacific division title, he received the Jack Adams Award for NHL coach of the year. 2024-25 was tumultuous, however, as the Canucks missed the postseason amid a lot of drama surrounding the organization all season long.
Tocchet's contract with the Canucks has expired, and although it's believed that Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford wants to retain the sought-after coach, it's not clear yet what Tocchet's intentions are.
He has a great relationship with the veteran core of the Penguins, and his reputation with young players is a very positive one. Since both things are crucial to Dubas's plan moving forward, if the Penguins are to choose a "re-tread," there is a very high chance that Tocchet would be their guy.
'I Started To Think That It May Just Be Time': Takeaways From Kyle Dubas's Press Conference Regarding Departure Of Mike SullivanOn Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas shook the hockey world when he announced that head coach Mike Sullivan would not be returning to coach the Penguins in 2025-26.
The "inexperienced but intriguing" category
Mike Hastings
Of all the options on this list, Hastings is certainly the most unproven. But "unproven" may not necessarily be a bad thing in this case.
Hastings was bred from the USHL program, where he racked up both USHL Coach of the Year and General Manager of the Year honors with the Omaha City Lancers over the years. He then turned around a near-irrelevant Minnesota State Mavericks collegiate team from 2012-23, leading them to the Frozen Four in 2021 and earning him a nod as an assistant coach for the 2022 U.S. Men's Olympic team that never came to fruition with the NHL backing out of the games.
He has spent the last two seasons coaching the Wisconsin Badgers with a combined 38-31-5 record.
Hastings is a prime example of a coach who has earned everything he's gotten, rising from his humble beginnings in the USHL and elevating himself to a Big-10 coaching role. That organic growth seems synonymous with what Dubas is looking for.
Aaron Schneekloth
Jumping back to AHL candidates, Schneekloth, 46, has been at the helm for the Colorado Eagles - AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche - for the past two seasons, putting up a very respectable 83-46-10-5 record. Prior to that, the Eagles were actually the ECHL affiliate of the Avalanche, and Schneekloth won back-to-back Kelly Cup championships in 2017 and 2018.
The Eagles are known for their high-octane offense - they led the AHL in goals for this season with 250 - which should go over well with the Penguins and the types of high-end offensive players they have at the top of their lineup.
He is held in high regard in the Avalanche's system, and he has grown along with the players in that system. If development is a priority, Schneekloth would certainly qualify.
Inside the Numbers: Mike Sullivan's Decade As Penguins Head CoachOn April 28, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they mutually parted ways with head coach Mike Sullivan. As the winningest coach in franchise history, it's a monumental day for the organization, which will begin its search for a new leader for the first time since 2015.
The "worthwhile re-tread" category
David Quinn
Even though Dubas said that the rest of the Penguins' coaching staff was deemed free to pursue other opportunities - including Andy Chiodo, Ty Hennes, and Mike Vellucci - Quinn's name still remains in the fold because he is still under contract.
It's hard to deny the work that Quinn did with the Penguins' power play this season, and he has some familiarity with the Penguins' players and their system but not enough tenure for any philosophy to be engrained. He's also notorious for his "people skills," which Sullivan himself pointed out multiple times throughout the season.
Since the Penguins are in a transitional period, it might not be the worst idea to have someone around who is somewhat familiar but still relatively fresh. He may not be a long-term option, but he's not necessarily a bad one for the "now."
'He's Very Detailed': Quinn Makes Impression In First Season As Penguins Assistant CoachPenguins assistant coach David Quinn - who oversees the defense, power play, and overtime - has brought an element of authenticity to the room
Jeremy Colliton
Colliton - who is currently an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils - has a bit of a bumpy track record. His first NHL head coaching gig didn't exactly go swimmingly, as he was named the successor to Joel Quenneville with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018 and was fired almost exactly three years later in 2021 after falling short of expectations.
A former NHL player with the New York Islanders from 2005-11 (three goals, six points in 57 games), he's seen AHL stints with the Rockford Icehogs and Abbotsford Canucks in addition to his NHL experience.
The 40-year-old certainly has more to prove, but he may be worth a gamble by the Penguins and could even be a "bridge" option for them if their rebuild turns out to be longer-term than expected.
Jay Woodcroft
Woodcroft's resume may be short, but that doesn't mean it is lacking.
During the 2021-22 season, Woodcroft was promoted from his position with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors in February and managed to revive an Oilers team that was dead in the water at the time of his hiring, leading them to the Western Conference Finals. The Oilers went 50-23-9 with 109 points in the following season, which was good enough for the second-best regular season finish in the Western Conference.
Even though he was fired after Edmonton's abysmal 3-9-1 start to the 2023-24 season, it felt like Woodcroft had a lot left in the tank. Aside from being an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, however, he hasn't had a coaching gig since, and he has been awaiting another opportunity.
Woodcroft is known for his work with young players, and that's something the Penguins and Dubas will need out of their new coach. He may technically be a "re-tread," but of the non-Tocchet re-treads available, he's probably the most intriguing option.
'We Have To Stick To A Very Concise Plan And Then Execute Our Butts Off': Dubas Clarifies Penguins' Summer PlansTo close out the 2024-25 season, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas spoke with the Pittsburgh media on Monday.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!