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Joel Quenneville rumors: 5 ideal landing spots

By Dave Stevenson

On March 8, 2018, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville stands near the bench before the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center in Chicago. Quenneville's Blackhawks carded a 4-1 win against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images)
On March 8, 2018, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville stands near the bench before the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center in Chicago. Quenneville's Blackhawks carded a 4-1 win against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images
Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images /

Where will Joel Quenneville wind up next? Though he just got canned by the Chicago Blackhawks, he’ll have a ton of teams interested in him. Here are the five most ideal fits. 

The Chicago Blackhawks shocked everyone by firing long-time head coach Joel Quenneville. Until his firing, he was one of the two coaches in the league with multiple Stanley Cup titles (Mike Sullivan being the other). Quenneville and his trademark mustache led the Blackhawks from the dark ages to a dynasty, winning three Stanley Cups in a six-year period.

Needless to say, with teams firing two coaches in two days, Quenneville’s phone is going to be blowing up with interest. Who wouldn’t want to hire the coach with the second-most wins in NHL history? What team wouldn’t love to have a three-time Stanley Cup winner?

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Quenneville is in a coveted position right now. If he wants a job right now, he could go up to just about any team, ask them for a job, and he’d get it. For most of those teams, it would be a head coaching job. However, it sounds like Quenneville will wait. And why not? The Blackhawks are paying him for until the end of the 2019-20 season.

With Quenneville getting a ton of interest, perhaps more than any other coach in history, let’s take a look at the five most ideal fits for the hottest coaching free agent since at least Mike Babcock (and likely longer).

Honorable Mentions

  • Columbus Blue Jackets. There’s the Artemi Panarin connection, which is intriguing. However, they seem content with John Tortorella, who’s the only coach in franchise history to lead the team to consecutive postseasons. They also just gave him an extension earlier this year. Combine that with Quenneville’s likely high asking price and the Blue Jackets are a pipe dream at best.
  • Arizona Coyotes. If the Coyotes really wanted to make a splash, they’d pursue Quenneville. They’re in the dark ages right now, much like the Blackhawks were before he came around. Hiring Quenneville would do a lot to help keep the Coyotes in Arizona.
  • Los Angeles Kings. For narrative purposes, this would be amazing. Quenneville and the Kings have fought numerous times over the years, especially in the postseason. Though they did just hire Willie Desjardins (who deserves another shot in the NHL), he’s only an interim head coach.
  • Edmonton Oilers. All seems well with them – for now anyway. Maybe something opens up if the Oilers fail to make the postseason with the best player in the world. But I’d be surprised, barring a huge meltdown, head coach Todd McLellan is fired during the season.
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