Friedman Names Penguins Coaching Finalists; PHN Removes One

Is it Mitch Love, D.J Smith, or a surprise candidate such as David Quinn? The Pittsburgh Penguins coaching search has accelerated, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet even placed a new name in the mix, while Pittsburgh Hockey Now is going to remove one that we heard good things about.

As many fans have hoped, it seems the Washington Capitals assistant Love is in the lead. However, Friedman said Smith, the former coach of the Ottawa Senators, is solidly in the mix.

The Full 32 Thoughts Podcast.

Dan Muse, Jay Woodcroft, and David Quinn are the others named by Friedman.

“I had some people say to me, ‘Don’t underestimate D.J. Smith in this.’ When you look at (Penguins general manager) Kyle Dubas and you look at Ottawa’s young players, a lot of them started under Smith,” Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast. “Obviously, now there is a different coach (in Ottawa), Travis Green, and Pittsburgh is going to be developing a lot of young players. I expect Smith will talk to Dubas about how he developed some of those for Ottawa.”

Read More: Pros & Cons of Top 5 Penguins Coaching Candidates

Love, 40, is the youngest of the candidates and has been an assistant under Spencer Carbery for the last two seasons during the surprising Washington turnaround. Love was the back-to-back AHL coach of the year prior to joining Washington. He has interviewed for multiple jobs, including the still vacant Boston Bruins position.

Woodcroft is also a contender for the Bruins’ job. He coached the Edmonton Oilers for 133 games over parts of three seasons, before being fired 13 games into the 2023-24 season following a humbling Round Two loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, and new president of hockey operations Jeff Jackson’s desire to hire Kris Knoblauch.

One name that seems to be out of the running is Hershey Bears coach Todd Nelson. Pittsburgh Hockey Now has been told that Nelson downplayed his candidacy for the Penguins’ opening. External chatter in the scouting community buzzed last week that the Penguins liked Nelson, but he does not appear to be among the finalists.

Friedman expressed belief that the Penguins’ choice could emerge this weekend or next week.

Quinn was also a candidate for the Seattle Kraken job, which the team filled Thursday with former New York Islanders coach Lane Lambert. The former Boston University coach also led the New York Rangers for three seasons and the San Jose Sharks for two before becoming Mike Sullivan’s assistant with the Penguins this season.

Quinn led the Penguins’ power play to a marked turnaround, from 15.3% in 2023-24 to 25.8% this season. However, his tenure ended prematurely in San Jose.

Muse, 42, is a seldom-mentioned candidate who has head coaching experience at several levels, including the USHL with the U.S. National Team Development Program and Chicago Steel. He has coached Team USA Under-18s, as well as spending three years as an assistant under coach Peter Laviolette, first in Nashville, then the last two seasons with the New York Rangers.