Fantasy spin: NHL coaching changes

NHL.com examines how coaching changes for the San Jose Sharks, Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights and New York Islanders could impact their team fantasy value for the 2022-23 season. 

FANTASY COVERAGE:
Top 250 rankings
Offseason cheat sheet
SHARKS HIRE QUINN
David Quinn was hired as coach of the San Jose Sharks on
July 26
, replacing Bob Boughner. Quinn previously coached the New York Rangers for three seasons (2018-19 to 2020-21) and was 96-87-25 with one postseason appearance.
Quinn joins the Sharks after they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past three seasons and has an elite wing to build around in Timo Meier, who had NHL career highs in goals (35), assists (41), points (76 in 77 games), power-play points (18) and shots on goal (326) last season. Quinn, who struggled to integrate young players like forwards Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko during his time with the Rangers, is tasked with developing Sharks rookie forwards William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau into top-six forwards on a roster with proven fantasy talent in Meier, along with centers Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture..
If either Eklund or Bordeleau sticks in the NHL this season and also lands on the first power play, he would also bring exposure to valuable defenseman Erik Karlsson, who's a fantasy bounce-back candidate after Brent Burns was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.
SJS players in fantasy top 250: Timo Meier; Erik Karlsson; Tomas Hertl; Logan Couture; James Reimer; William Eklund
JETS HIRE BOWNESS
Rick Bowness was hired as coach of the Winnipeg Jets on
July 3
, replacing Dave Lowry. Bowness is back in Winnipeg after getting his first NHL coaching job there in 1988-89.
Bowness coached the Dallas Stars from 2019-22, going 89-62-25 with two postseason appearances in three seasons, highlighted by their trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. The Jets, who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season after qualifying in each of the prior four, have an elite core of forwards Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Blake Wheeler and goalie Connor Hellebuyck. But Winnipeg dealt with multiple injuries last season and, with the exception of Connor and Dubois, fell way short of fantasy expectations.
Bowness, who helped maximize young talent in forwards Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and goalie Jake Oettinger in Dallas, could accelerate the development of 20-year-old forward Cole Perfetti (seven points in 18 NHL games last season). Bowness can also help Ehlers (55 points in 62 games last season) reach his fantasy ceiling if he sees more time on the first power play.
WPG players in fantasy top 250: Kyle Connor; Mark Scheifele; Nikolaj Ehlers; Connor Hellebuyck; Pierre-Luc Dubois; Blake Wheeler; Cole Perfetti
BRUINS HIRE MONTGOMERY
Jim Montgomery was hired as coach of the Boston Bruins on
July 1
, replacing Bruce Cassidy. Montgomery was an assistant for the St. Louis Blues over the past two seasons, helping them qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each. Montgomery was previously the coach of the Dallas Stars from 2018-19 (61-43-10 in two seasons) and helped them qualify for the postseason in 2019 after they had missed in each of the prior two seasons.
The Bruins' Stanley Cup window remains open after they re-signed top center Patrice Bergeron and also brought back veteran center David Krejci on one-year contracts. That said, elite left wing Brad Marchand (hip surgeries) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (shoulder surgery) are likely to be out for the first month of the season, and it's also worth noting elite right wing David Pastrnak is a potential 2023 unrestricted free agent.
BOS players in fantasy top 250: David Pastrnak; Patrice Bergeron; Brad Marchand (INJ.); Charlie McAvoy (INJ.); Jeremy Swayman; Taylor Hall; David Krejci; Hampus Lindholm; Linus Ullmark; Jake DeBrusk
RED WINGS HIRE LALONDE
Derek Lalonde was named coach of the Detroit Red Wings on
June 30
, replacing Jeff Blashill. Lalonde was an assistant under John Cooper with the Tampa Bay Lightning for four seasons from (2018-2022).
The Lightning made the playoffs in all four of Lalonde's seasons, including the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past three, and won back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021. Lalonde joins Detroit during its full-fledged rebuild but has a promising opportunity under general manager Steve Yzerman, who helped build the current core of the Lightning when he was their GM from 2010-2018.
Lalonde's experience with the Lightning's elite talent should help the development of young defenseman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie last season, and wing Lucas Raymond. Raymond had the third-most points (57) among NHL rookies last season, and Seider was fourth in points (50) and led rookies in blocks (161). The Red Wings also signed defenseman prospect Simon Edvinsson (No. 6 pick in 2021 NHL Draft) to an entry-level contract April 24 and could see him debut as early as this season.
It's worth noting center Dylan Larkin, who had an NHL career high in points per game (0.97; 69 in 71 games) last season, is a potential 2023 unrestricted free agent. But Larkin could have an even higher fantasy ceiling if Lalonde plays him more often on a line with valuable wing Jakub Vrana, who missed most of last season because of injury but has 30 points (including 21 goals) in 37 games over two seasons with Detroit.
Detroit also acquired goalie Ville Husso to be a part of a tandem with Alex Nedeljkovic and signed forwards David Perron and Andrew Copp, significantly boosting its depth and accelerating its rebuild. Perron led the St. Louis Blues in points (13 in 12 games) and goals (nine) during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Copp helped the New York Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 20 playoff games.
DET players in fantasy top 250: Moritz Seider; Dylan Larkin; Lucas Raymond; Jakub Vrana; David Perron; Andrew Copp; Tyler Bertuzzi; Ville Husso; Simon Edvinsson; Alex Nedeljkovic
BLACKHAWKS HIRE RICHARDSON
Luke Richardson was hired as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks on
June 27
, replacing Derek King. Richardson was previously an assistant with the Montreal Canadiens over the past four seasons and filled in as coach for six games (3-3 record) during their run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
CHI players in fantasy top 250: Patrick Kane; Seth Jones
PANTHERS HIRE MAURICE
Paul Maurice was named coach of the Florida Panthers on
June 22
, replacing Andrew Brunette. Maurice was 315-223-62 with the Winnipeg Jets from 2014-2021 and led them to the Western Conference Final in 2018.
The Panthers won the Presidents' Trophy with 122 points (58-18-5) this regular season but were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Maurice, who has the seventh-most coaching wins in NHL history (775) and also led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final in 2002, could help the Panthers unlock a new level of play next postseason.
The Panthers acquired elite wing Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames for elite wing Jonathan Huberdeau and valuable defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. Tkachuk, who was tied for ninth in the NHL in goals (42) and fifth in even-strength points (75), is likely to be productive on Florida's top line with elite center Aleksander Barkov.
One obvious area of improvement for the Panthers under Maurice is their goaltending, especially considering Maurice helped workhorse Connor Hellebuyck thrive during his time with the Jets and win the Vezina Trophy in 2020. Sergei Bobrovsky was tied with Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the NHL lead in regular-season wins (39) last season with Florida but has struggled in the playoffs (.901 save percentage in 51 postseason games). Knight is 23-9-3 in 36 NHL games, but his peripherals (.909 SV%) have fallen short of high fantasy expectations.
FLA players in fantasy top 250: Aleksander Barkov; Matthew Tkachuk; Aaron Ekblad; Sam Reinhart; Sergei Bobrovsky; Spencer Knight; Sam Bennett; Anton Lundell; Carter Verhaeghe; Gustav Forsling, D
STARS HIRE DEBOER
Peter DeBoer was named coach of the Dallas Stars on
June 21
, replacing Rick Bowness. DeBoer joins Dallas after going 98-50-12 in three seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights with two postseason appearances and trips to the final four. DeBoer reached the Stanley Cup Final with the New Jersey Devils in 2012 and San Jose Sharks in 2016.
DeBoer will reunite with forward Joe Pavelski, who played four seasons with him in San Jose. Pavelski led the Stars with an NHL career-high 81 points (27 goals, 54 assists) in 82 games last season playing on the top line with valuable young forwards Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. Pavelski never scored under 64 points in a season under DeBoer, with Pavelski's best season under the coach coming in 2015-16 (78 points in 82 games).
Goalie Jake Oettinger could also gain fantasy appeal from this move after his strong performance in the 2022 postseason. Oettinger led the NHL with a .954 save percentage in seven playoff games against the Calgary Flames before being eliminated in the first round. Oettinger, who's a 23-year-old and among the top 10 fantasy goalie rankings for this season, could benefit from playing under DeBoer, who helped Marc-Andre Fleury win the Vezina Trophy with Vegas in 2021. The Golden Knights were tied for the sixth-fewest goals allowed per game (2.65) over the past two regular seasons under DeBoer.
Defenseman Miro Heiskanen could also see a boost from DeBoer's hiring and take on an elevated offensive role with John Klingberg being a potential 2022 unrestricted free agent. Heiskanen has hovered around the 30-point mark for the first four seasons of his career but had a breakout postseason in 2020 (26 points in 27 games).
DAL players in fantasy top 250: Jason Robertson; Jake Oettinger; Joe Pavelski; Roope Hintz; Miro Heiskanen; John Klingberg; Tyler Seguin; Mason Marchment
FLYERS HIRE TORTORELLA
John Tortorella was named coach of the Philadelphia Flyers on
June 17
, replacing Mike Yeo. Tortorella last coached in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2015-21. During his time with the Blue Jackets, they qualified for the postseason in four of six seasons, including a 2019 sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning (who won Presidents' Trophy that season). Tortorella won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004 and Jack Adams Award (best NHL coach) twice (2004, 2017).
The biggest fantasy beneficiary of the Tortorella hiring should be goalie Carter Hart, who has yet to reach his potential in the NHL but could benefit from better defensive structure in this new system. Hart was efficient over his first two NHL seasons (40-26-4, .915 save percentage in first 74 games) but has declined in the two seasons since (22-35-12, .895 SV% in 72 games). Considering Hart's track record for Canada in the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship (won gold medal; .930 SV%, one shutout in six games) and Everett in the Western Hockey League (.947 SV%, seven shutouts in final junior season), he has a high fantasy ceiling and bounce-back potential as a third goalie option in the later rounds.
It's also worth noting wing Cam Atkinson played under Tortorella with the Blue Jackets and had his best season in 2018-19 (NHL career-high 41 goals, 69 points in 80 games). Excluding Claude Giroux (acquired by Florida Panthers from Flyers before 2022 NHL Trade Deadline), Atkinson had the Flyers' highest points per game (0.68; 50 points in 73 games) among their players who played at least five games last season.
Two other players with renewed appeal under Tortorella are center Sean Couturier (17 points in 29 games) and defenseman Ryan Ellis (five points in four games), who are proven fantasy commodities when healthy but missed significant time because of injuries last season. Couturier has exceeded 30 goals and had exactly 76 points twice in his NHL career for Philadelphia, and Ellis' highest points-per-game average in a full NHL season came with the Nashville Predators in 2019-20 (0.78; 38 points in 49 games).
PHI players in fantasy top 250: Tony DeAngelo; Sean Couturier; Carter Hart; Cam Atkinson; Travis Konecny; Ivan Provorov
GOLDEN KNIGHTS HIRE CASSIDY
Bruce Cassidy was named coach of the Vegas Golden Knights on
June 14
, replacing Peter DeBoer. Cassidy led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all six of his seasons as coach, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and Presidents' Trophy in 2020.
Cassidy should boost the power play in Vegas; Boston was tied for the second-best power play over his five full seasons there (23.7 percent since 2017-18) behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning (24.5) and had the best power play in the playoffs (29.9) over that span. The Golden Knights, who missed the postseason for the first time in five seasons, ranked 25th in power-play efficiency (18.4 percent) last season and are 20th with the man advantage (19.2) in the regular season since entering the NHL in 2017-18.
Wing Mark Stone, who had 30 points in 37 games last season, had back surgery May 19 and is expected to be ready for this season. Having elite center and bounce-back candidate Jack Eichel healthy for a full season, likely on the top line with Stone, would increase Vegas' chances of not only returning to the playoffs but also competing for the Stanley Cup this season.
Eichel, who was productive (25 points in 34 games) last season despite playing with a broken thumb down the stretch after recovering from neck surgery, has an even higher fantasy ceiling in Vegas than he did with the Buffalo Sabres. Eichel had his best season with the Sabres in 2018-19 (82 points in 77 games) and, despite Buffalo not making the playoffs during his tenure, ranks 21st in NHL points per game (0.93; minimum 400 games) since entering the League in 2015-16.
Cassidy also has a chance to revitalize Vegas' fantasy goalie outlook after having success with veteran Tuukka Rask and rookie Jeremy Swayman in Boston; the Golden Knights have three goalie options this season in Logan Thompson, Adin Hill (acquired from Sharks) and Laurent Brossoit; Robin Lehner (hip surgery) is expected to be out for the season. Thompson was a fantasy-relevant rookie last season (10-5-3, .914 save percentage, one shutout in 19 games) and has sneaky appeal in keeper and dynasty leagues at 25 years old.
VGK players in fantasy top 250: Jack Eichel; Mark Stone; Shea Theodore; Alex Pietrangelo; Jonathan Marchessault; Logan Thompson; Chandler Stephenson; Phil Kessel; Alec Martinez; Reilly Smith
---
ISLANDERS PROMOTE LAMBERT
Lane Lambert was named coach of the New York Islanders on
May 16
, replacing Barry Trotz. Lambert had been an assistant coach under Trotz with the Islanders (reached semifinals in 2020, 2021), Washington Capitals (won Stanley Cup in 2018) and Nashville Predators.
Center Mathew Barzal, who had his highest point total (85) as a rookie in 2017-18 but then 62 or fewer in each of his four seasons under Trotz, has the most fantasy bounce-back appeal among Islanders skaters after the coaching change. Wing Oliver Wahlstrom, who ranks fourth on New York in goals per 60 minutes (0.80) over past two seasons combined (minimum 100 games) and led the Islanders in shots on goal per 60 last season (10.7; minimum 41 games), has breakout potential with a chance to play higher in the lineup under Lambert after mostly a third-line role under Trotz.
Goalie Ilya Sorokin, who was second in the NHL in save percentage (.925) and shutouts (seven) despite the Islanders missing the playoffs last season, should remain a top 5-10 fantasy option at the position. With a similar defensive system and potentially more goal support under Lambert, Sorokin and veteran Semyon Varlamov (potential 2023 unrestricted free agent) are still one of the NHL's top goalie tandems and could have the Islanders right back in contention. New York's top skaters should also make a smooth transition to Lambert's system given the familiarity of working with him while he was on Trotz's staff.
NYI players in fantasy top 250: Ilya Sorokin; Noah Dobson; Brock Nelson; Mathew Barzal; Semyon Varlamov; Oliver Wahlstrom; Anders Lee
---
NHL.com's Pete Jensen, Anna Dua and Remy Mastey contributed to this analysis.
---
Listen: "NHL Fantasy on Ice" podcast 🎧
Watch: Podcast episodes on YouTube 📺**