Photo: NHL.com
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Dallas Stars will name Pete DeBoer head coach after Rick Bowness resigned and the team announced that they will not bring their coaching staff back for the 2022-23 NHL season on May 20.
DeBoer was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights on May 16 after team finished three points behind the Nashville Predators for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and five back of the Los Angeles Kings for the final postseason spot in the Pacific Division this past season. It marked the first time in their five-year franchise history that the Golden Knights failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In 160 regular-season games behind the Golden Knights’ bench, DeBoer led the team to a 98-50-12 record (.650 points percentage). He is 513-379-123 (.566) in 1,015 career games as an NHL head coach with the Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils, and Florida Panthers.
DeBoer led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 (where they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Kings) and the Sharks there four years later (fell in six to the Pittsburgh Penguins). He also led the Golden Knights to the third round in each of his first two seasons in Vegas, including a five-game loss to the Stars in 2020.
The Stars are coming off of a seven-game first-round loss to the Calgary Flames in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs after finishing as the first wild-card in the Western Conference with a 46-30-6 record. The team earned averages of 2.84 goals-per-game (21st in the NHL), 2.98 goals-against per game (tied for 14th), a 22.4% power-play efficiency (11th), and a 79% penalty-killing rate (19th) during the regular season.
The Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers are the only other teams currently without a head coach for next season. Though, it has been reported that the Oilers are nearing a three-year agreement to take the interim tag off of Jay Woodcroft.
The Golden Knights replaced DeBoer with former Bruins and Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Cassidy on a reported contract that will pay him $4.5 million for five seasons. The Philadelphia Flyers hired John Tortorella, who signed a four-year contract that will pay him $4 million per season, on Friday.
Hearing that Peter DeBoer will be the next head coach of the Dallas Stars.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 20, 2022
By Harrison Brown
