Which remaining NHL head coaching vacancy is most appealing?

The NHL coaching carousel is starting the spin.

The New York Rangers already snagged one of the most highly coveted coaches on the market in Mike Sullivan, but there are still six other vacancies - and potentially more coming - across the league. Several high-profile coaches are available, including Rick Tocchet, Peter Laviolette, and John Tortorella.

Below, we'll rank the remaining coaching jobs by appeal. This is not based solely on how good the team is right now, but also on the stability of the organization's ownership and front office, the club's future outlook, and the off-ice living environment.

We initially listed the Anaheim Ducks at No. 1, but they reportedly hired Joel Quenneville to fill their vacancy Thursday morning.

6. Philadelphia Flyers

Pros

• Matvei Michkov
• Wealthy ownership

• Poor roster
• Middling farm system
• Harsh fan base
• Inexperienced front office

This job is going to be a tough sell. The Flyers are coming off a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, and a quick turnaround doesn't seem likely.

Michkov is a great building block, while Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim are among the nice supporting pieces. Otherwise, this roster lacks talent, and the rebuild is still in its infancy.

There's also no guarantee the front office, led by president of hockey operations Keith Jones and general manager Daniel Briere, can turn the ship around. Jones had zero front office experience before taking his current job in 2023, while Briere is in his first stint as an NHL GM.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins

Pros

• Sidney Crosby
• Wealthy ownership

Cons

• Aging roster
• Rebuild just beginning
• Middling farm system

Coaching Crosby would be tough to pass up, but there's not much else to like here. The competitive window with the old guard is firmly shut, and it'll be a while before the next wave is ready to take over.

With the average NHL coaching tenure lasting two to three years, it's hard to imagine the Penguins will return to contention under their next head coach.

4. Seattle Kraken

Pros

• No state income tax
• Strong blue line
• Weak division

Cons

• No elite players
• No direction
• Impatient front office
• Poor contracts

The Kraken are stuck in NHL purgatory: not good enough to contend, but not bad enough to bottom out for high draft picks.

Ron Francis, who was recently promoted from GM to president of hockey operations, tried to make Seattle immediately competitive by overspending in free agency. But the results aren't great: just one playoff appearance in four seasons and several bad contracts. Francis' impatience was on full display this summer when he fired Dan Bylsma after just one year as head coach.

The Kraken could squeak into the playoffs if their new hire can push the right buttons and get some good fortune. But if they fail to meet the front office's unrealistic expectations of a flawed roster, they too could be out of a job after one campaign.

3. Vancouver Canucks

Pros

• Quinn Hughes
• Aggressive front office
• Weak division

Cons

• Forward talent
• Might need to rebuild soon
• High-pressure market

Rick Tocchet was the NHL's coach of the year in 2023-24 after guiding the Canucks to a Pacific Division title. A season later, he chose to leave the team after a tumultuous, drama-filled campaign in which Vancouver missed the playoffs altogether.

The opportunity to coach Hughes, who is in his prime and one of the game's best players, is the biggest sell for this job. But he's eligible for an extension July 1, 2026 and, if the Canucks can't sign him to a long-term deal, they could be forced to trade him. There's already talk that he may want to play with his brothers. Without Hughes, Vancouver would likely have to rebuild. Brock Boeser is a pending free agent this offseason and isn't expected to return, which doesn't help the cause.

The blue line is solid. The goaltending tandem has potential, especially if Thatcher Demko can bounce back. But outside of Elias Pettersson - who's coming off the worst year of his career - there's not a lot of talent up front.

The Canucks will likely be aggressive in free agency, using most of their $16 million in cap space on forward help. If they get a spark, there's a path to the playoffs in 2025-26. But the future is murky beyond that.

2. Boston Bruins

Pros

• Star talent
• Winning culture
• Prestigious franchise
• Wealthy ownership
• Cap space

Cons

• Job security
• Poor farm system
• Forward depth
• Tough division
• High-pressure market

It seemed like everything went wrong for the Bruins in 2024-25. Their top two defensemen, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, missed a combined 97 games. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman put together the worst campaign of his career. It resulted in a 15th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, snapping an eight-year playoff streak.

However, it's easy to envision Boston bouncing back. The core - featuring David Pastrnak, McAvoy, and Swayman - is all signed long term. The Bruins are loaded with $28 million in cap space and, while some of that will go toward retaining restricted free agents Morgan Geekie and Mason Lohrei, the rest can be spent to bolster an uninspiring forward group.

This could be a one-and-done scenario without a return to the playoffs, though, so the pressure is on. GM Don Sweeney is entering the last year of his contract, and president Cam Neely recently said he's still deciding if he wants to extend him. Another year without postseason hockey would likely mean the end of Sweeney, and a new GM would probably want to bring in his own coach.

1. Chicago Blackhawks

Pros

• Talented, young core
• Strong farm system
• No. 3 pick
• Prestigious franchise
• Wealthy ownership
• Cap space

Cons

• NHL's 2nd-worst team
• Far from contending
• High-pressure market

The Blackhawks have a long way to go, but there's a lot to like about a team built around Connor Bedard, Artyom Levshunov, whoever they select with the No. 3 pick this year, and several other young, ascending players.

While this team may be terrible right now, there isn't any immediate pressure to make the playoffs. The front office will likely just seek progress, which shouldn't be hard to generate after a 61-point season. The pressure to make the playoffs - both from ownership and the fan base - likely won't come until 2027 or 2028. So this coach will probably get a runway of at least two seasons, as long as the team progresses.

This job will require patience, but the upside is high.