Fresh off of leading the Texas Stars to the Calder Cup Trophy, head coach Willie Desjardins is one of the hottest commodities on the NHL head coaching market.
Desjardins, whose Stars finished off the St. John's Ice Caps in Game 5 of the AHL's championship series in Newfoundland on Tuesday night, will have a busy week of interviews ahead of him, according to multiple reports.
The 57-year-old, who has never been a head coach at the NHL level, is expected to interview with the Pittsburgh Penguins this week according to Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. He's also expected to interview with the Vancouver Canucks this week, reports Sportsnet's Dan Murphy.
Sportsnet's John Shannon has confirmed - through Dallas - that the Canucks have asked for permission to speak with Desjardins. As for the Penguins, Shannon quotes a "Pittsburgh source" telling him that Desjardins isn't a major candidate on their radar for the moment.
A former associate coach with the Dallas Stars and a one time head coach of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers, Desjardins has been widely considered the front runner in Vancouver's head coaching search.
