The Vatican conclave to elect a new Pope has officially concluded, but there are other conclaves generating buzz around the National Hockey League.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of six teams in search of a new head coach, and with a wide pool of options to choose from, the NHL coaching conclaves should be interesting to follow. 

But as for the Penguins specifically, who should be annointed the new bench boss? Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas wants to put a focus on development, and with highly coveted David Carle out of the picture, there are still some good names out there who aren't exactly NHL re-treads, either.

Here are five Cardinals - erm, candidates - who should top the list during the Penguins' coaching conclaves.

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Todd Nelson

We've discussed Nelson as a possibility before, and without Carle in the running, he should be the name at or near the top of the candidacy.

Nelson is currently the head coach of the AHL's Hershey Bears, which is the affiliate of the Washington Capitals. He was hired prior to the 2022-23 season and immediately led the team to back-to-back Calder Cup championships - with, potentially, a third on the way, as the Bears won the Atlantic Division title and are currently battling Lehigh Valley in a five-game divisional semifinal series. 

At the AHL level, he has also coached the Chicago Wolves and Grand Rapids Griffins. He also has some experience at the NHL level with now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers.

Oh, and Nelson was drafted by the Penguins in 1989, appearing in only one NHL game with the organization. But, hey, that's some prior experience nonetheless.

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Jay Woodcroft

Even if a "re-tread" isn't the most desirable option, experience is important.

And, honestly, Woodcroft is barely a re-tread, anyway. In February 2022, Woodcroft was promoted from the Bakersfield Condors to become the interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, and he led them to the Western Conference Finals. He then led the Oilers to a 50-23-9 finish the following season before getting shown the door - perhaps, prematurely - after a rough start to the 2023-24 season. 

He's been out of the picture since then - at least, aside from some international experience with Team Canada as an assistant coach at Worlds in 2024 - but his work with young players is well-respected, and he was also well-liked in the Edmonton locker room.

He was passed on for the Anaheim Ducks' coaching vacancy despite getting interviewed, so it's entirely possible that he is already in the mix for other teams as well.

Highly Coveted Coach Officially Out Of Running For Penguins' JobAfter the Pittsburgh Penguins parted ways with former head coach Mike Sullivan last week, Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas gave some hints as to the type of coach they might be looking for to replace him.

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Mitch Love

Another Capitals connection, Love, 40, has a great track record in developmental leagues and helped aid Washington to the best regular season finish in the Eastern Conference this season as their defensive coach.

He started coaching as an assistant in 2011 with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and was there until 2018, when he moved on to the Saskatoon Blades as a head coach. He led the Blades to the playoffs in his first season and put together a .665 win percentage in his three seasons there.

After that, he was brought on as head coach of the Stockton Heat, which was the Calgary Flames' AHL affiliate before they relocated and became the Calgary Wranglers. He led the team to the ninth-best finish in AHL history during his first season and won back-to-back coach of the year awards in 2023 and 2024.

Love has the winning track record - and the reputation in developmental leagues and with young players - to be a prime choice for the Penguins' search.

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Jessica Campbell

Campbell, who made history this season as the first woman to be behind the bench of an NHL team, is another candidate who has climbed the ranks of developmental leagues.

After a successful playing career on the collegiate, professional, and international stages, she ran JC Powerskating and worked with NHL player and Olympic clientele. She then moved on to become an assistant coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of Germany's premier ice hockey league, Deutsche Eishockey Liga, and she was also an assistant for the German men's national team.

Campbell was then brought on as an assistant coach for the Coachella Valley Firebirds - AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken - in 2022 before being promoted to an NHL assistant for the Kraken prior to the 2024-25 season.

Campbell's specialization in development, work with young players, and diverse resume should give her some consideration for the Penguins' head coaching position, should she choose to pursue the opportunity despite getting retained as an assistant in Seattle.

Kraken Retaining Jessica Campbell Shows Faith In Early Positive SignsThe Seattle Kraken parted ways with Dan Bylsma after just one season as the head coach, and while many thought Jessica Campbell may have followed, the organization is rewarding her with another season after some early positive returns.

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Mike Hastings

Another name we've already thrown out there, Hastings has all the makings of the kind of developmental track record Dubas and the rest of his staff should be looking for.

No, he doesn't have any NHL coaching experience - unlike everyone else on this list - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. 

Hastings began his coaching and management career in the USHL program, which he helped bolster as a whole significantly during his 14-year tenure as a head coach and general manager there - winning USHL Coach of the Year twice for the Omaha City Lancers and General Manager of the Year five times.

He then went on to coach in the NCAA, helming the Minnesota State Mavericks for more than a decade and leading them to the Frozen Four in 2021. He was also named an assistant coach for the 2022 U.S. Men's Olympic team before the NHL backed out of the games. 

Now - having been with the Wisconsin Badgers for the last two seasons - Hastings has earned a stay at the NHL level, and his "self made-ness" should interest Dubas and the Penguins in their search for the organization's next Po - erm, coach - to oversee the team through their rebuild onward to contention.

8 Possible Replacements For Mike Sullivan As Penguins Head CoachWith 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.

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Matvei Michkov did all he could to become the first player in the Philadelphia Flyers’ history to win the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s rookie of the year.

The 20-year-old right winger had more goals (26) than any rookie in the NHL, and he also topped the Flyers in that category.

In addition, he led rookies in even-strength points, and he played with Bobby Clarke-like passion and drive.

Yet, he was not one of the three Calder finalists in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Instead, the writers made Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (rookie-leading 66 points), San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (63 points) and Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf (2.64 goals-against average, .910 save percentage) the top three rookies.

Wolf, 24, played 17 games the previous season but was still considered a rookie this year based on NHL qualifications.

Michkov, who started this season at 19, came in cold. He spent 48 games in the KHL in 2023-24. The Hockey News contacted three members of the Flyers’ front office. None returned calls or texts about Michkov being overlooked.

Back In The Day

Bill Barber knows all about being snubbed in the rookie of the year voting.

In 1972-73, the left winger finished second to the New York Rangers’ Steve Vickers. Barber lost despite having better stats than Vickers.

All these years later, Barber said it “never felt disappointing” because he was focused on team goals. But he added a kicker.

“If anything, it gave me more incentive to do better,” he said.

Like Barber, Michkov has downplayed the Calder Trophy. Earlier this year, he said he was aware of the Calder race, but his concentration was on winning games.

Overcame Obstacles

The Calder finalists have strong qualities, but it’s difficult to understand how all three were placed ahead of Michkov.

Fact is, Michkov, a Russian, had more obstacles to overcome than the other three — he had to adjust to the bigger NHL rinks while learning a new language. And he played for an ultra-demanding coach (John Tortorella) for most of the season. Tortorella limited Michkov’s ice time and even benched him for two games.

When Tortorella was fired and Brad Shaw was named the interim coach late in the season, he took off the leash. Michkov got lots more playing time (19:36 per game compared to 16:41 under Tortorella). In nine games under Shaw, Michkov had 12 points (six goals, six assists).

Michkov, who was tied for second among rookies with 63 points, answered most of the questions about his ability this season, though his defense was sometimes a challenge. He finished at minus-18. Celebrini finished at minus-31.

How 'Proficient' Are NHL Calder Finalists Hutson, Celebrini And Wolf?The NHL’s Calder Trophy race this season led to a rare scenario.

From here, Michkov deserved to be a finalist. He and Hutson were the two best rookies. It would not have been a disgrace to finish second to Hutson, who tied an NHL record for a rookie defenseman with 60 assists. Hutson helped Montreal reach the playoffs, and he deserves the Calder.

Meanwhile, Michkov can take solace in the fact that legends like Barber and Eric Lindros had great rookie seasons for Philadelphia but didn’t win the Calder, either. Those players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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The Ottawa Senators held their seasonal exit meetings last Saturday, the final assignment for a fine young NHL club that took a huge step forward this season, forcing their way into the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

After seven months of battling, they said their goodbyes, not knowing for sure if they'll ever play together again. Most of them will. Some will not. It's always the way.

For GM State Staios, some major choices lie ahead, and for every roster addition he considers, there's at least one other move required to accommodate it.

So let's begin with the Senators taking care of their own to see how much money they have to go shopping with.

Staios has several NHL players on expiring contracts. They include unrestricted free agents Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins, Adam Gaudette, Matthew Highmore, Travis Hamonic, Dennis Gilbert, and Anton Forsberg.

With Nik Matinpalo now taken care of, the list of NHL-calibre restricted free agents includes defenceman Tyler Kleven, winger Fabian Zetterlund, and goalie Leevi Merilainen.

At the moment, according to Puckpedia, the Senators have $17.57 million in cap space to work with for next season. Conservatively, it’s fair to expect the three RFAs to absorb around $5 million of that, bringing their spending room down to $12.5 million.

In all likelihood, the Senators won’t re-sign Hamonic, Gilbert, or Forsberg. With the emergence of Kleven and Matinpalo, Hamonic and Gilbert watched from the press box in the playoffs. Acquired in the Josh Norris trade from the Buffalo Sabres, Gilbert played just four regular-season games with the Senators.

Forsberg is a solid backup and a great teammate, but with a younger and less expensive option in Leevi Merilainen ready and waiting in the wings, the Sens will likely welcome the cap savings. Mads Sogaard is also in play, armed with a one-way deal for this fall.

But we're banking on Merilainen, so our summer spending money is still at roughly $12.5 million, which brings us to Giroux, Cousins, Gaudette, and Highmore. The Giroux of ten years ago might have take all that remaining cap space.

But you don’t have to dig deeply into Giroux’s stats to see that his decline has begun. Age eventually gets everyone. He missed only one game total in his last three seasons in Ottawa, and his point totals have declined every year:

2022–23: 79

2023–24: 64

2024–25: 50

It should be noted that Giroux got 48 fewer power-play minutes this season than he did the previous one.

But he remains a valuable asset, loaded with intangibles and leadership. Giroux said on Saturday that he hasn’t spoken with the team about a contract yet, but it’s clear to everyone that he wants to stay. The Sens want him to stay. The fans want him to stay. It’s impossible to believe the two sides won’t work something out on a one- or two-year deal.

Expect Giroux to pull roughly another $3.5 million out, leaving the Sens with $9 million in their allowance. If Giroux's ask is much more than that, and we doubt it will be, then that conversation might change.

Gaudette, Cousins, and Highmore were useful players who saw plenty of action this season. None of them cost more than a million dollars, so it wouldn’t take much to lure them away. By the same token, the Sens aren’t so smitten with them that they’d overpay to keep them.

In glass-half-full scenarios, since Gaudette and Highmore have finally found their way back to regular and semi-regular NHL status, they may not want to mess with a good thing. Cousins, who’s on his sixth team in as many years, may be hoping to put some roots down—with a two-year-old in tow and a baby boy on the way this month.

As long as they’re not asking for meaningful raises, it’s easy to see at least a couple of those guys coming back. But even if they all leave, their replacements will probably come in, also hovering near the NHL’s version of minimum wage, or roughly $2.5 million total.

Thanks to the league's $7.5 million hike in the cap, the Sens still have money to play with at $6.5 million. While it’s easy for us to say, we’ll assume that Michael Andlauer is willing to continue spending to the max, now $95.5 million in 2025–26.

Right now, if it goes as outlined above, the roster looks like this:

Tkachuk-Stutzle-Giroux*
Perron-Cozens-Batherson
Greig-Pinto-Amadio
Cousins*-Gaudette*-Zetterlund*
Highmore*

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Matinpalo

Ullmark
Merilainen*

* No contract yet for 2025-26

That’s not a great deal of change from this year’s entry. Granted, the team should be naturally better through playoff experience and being another year older, although the theory that getting older is good doesn't apply to the five veterans who are well north of 30. 

But the Senators can’t just rely on internal maturing because it probably won’t be enough. There also isn’t a single prospect in the system that’s a slam dunk to make the team this fall, let alone be an impactful NHL player.

To be considered a Cup contender, they’ll probably need two more top-nine forwards and another defenceman who can play with a hard edge at playoff time.

It will be hard to find even one of those assets with $6.5 million in cap space, so someone has to go. Fans should expect a body or two (and their contracts) to head out the door, and that's beyond the obvious UFAs who won’t be retained.

It's not dramatically different than last year when, for various reasons, Sens fans bid farewell to useful players like Jakob Chychrun, Mathieu Joseph, and Mark Kastelic. 

But there’s really no other option. Whether you look at things financially or athletically, “Steady Steve” still has some rebalancing to do this summer, and to make it happen, we're betting that his list of untouchables isn't very long.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

The Vegas Golden Knights are attempting to level the series at one win apiece tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, but will once again do so without Pavel Dorofeyev and possibly Alex Pietrangelo.

The first game of the series saw the Golden Knights jump out to a quick 2-0 lead before allowing four unanswered goals to lose Game 1. Tonight, the Golden Knights must be aware that no lead is safe from Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

"There's always some good in there, but we got to get better," said HC Bruce Cassidy of tonight's game.

Cassidy has elected to make several changes to his lineup, reverting to the lines the Golden Knights used frequently throughout the regular season. If Pietrangelo cannot play, Kaedan Korczak will remain in the lineup, skating alongside Nicolas Hague as he did in Game 1. Victor Olofsson will slide in beside Brandon Saad and Tomas Hertl, hoping to fill the vacant role of Dorofeyev.

The Oilers will stick with the lines that have brought them success recently, as they are currently on a five-game win streak.

"This is our home ice, and look to get it all even, squared up. Another big opportunity to go out and play a full 60, play well, and play well in front of our fans," said Zach Whitecloud.

"We want to take it one shift at a time tonight, big game for us. We want to go back to how we want to play," Nicolas Roy said. 

A fast start is needed, but more importantly, a full 60 minutes needs to be played. If the Golden Knights find themselves ahead, taking their foot off the gas and playing passively will not serve them well against the Oilers, a hard lesson they've already learned. 

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