Twelve years after being fired by the Dallas Stars, Glen Gulutzan will get his shot at redemption as the team announced he will be the replacement for former coach Pete DeBoer.
This will be Gulutzan's third stint as an NHL head coach and his first gig since leaving the Calgary Flames in 2018, in addition to his 10 seasons as an assistant.
He was first brought on by the Stars after a successful run as behind the bench for the AHL affiliate Texas Stars in the team's first two seasons. Gulutzan brought that club to two playoff appearances, including a run that went all the way to the Calder Cup Final.
"His extensive NHL experience, both as a head coach and assistant coach, speaks to his ability to innovate and adapt to the modern game, as well as build relationships with his players."Stars GM Jim Nill
What do we know about Glen Gulutzan?
Second chances are rare among NHL coaches, but Gulutzan has earned this opportunity. He has spent the last seven seasons as an assistant for the Edmonton Oilers and earned a lot of respect in that time.
Gulutzan developed a close relationship with Connor McDavid and other top Oilers skaters like Leon Draisaitl. Those guys have spoken highly of the impact he has made on their offensive gameplan.
"I've got a great relationship with Gully. He's been the coach I've worked with the longest throughout my time in the NHL. ... He's great at what he does. He's a great coach and we're lucky to have him here."Connor McDavid, via The Athletic
The veteran behind the bench also served as the Oilers power play coach and did so with a great deal of success -- Edmonton had the best power play percentage in the NHL with Gulutzan's help at 26.8% over the last seven years.
Gulutzan also served as an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks from 2013 to 2016, which inlcuded a trip to the playoffs in 2015. He has a 146-125-23 record as a head coach with one playoff appearance in four seasons split between the Stars and Flames.
The future of the Dallas Stars
Gulutzan is somewhat of a player's coach, something that could be alluring to top skaters like Jason Robertson who was rumored to be on the trading block since the Stars were elimminated in the Western Conference Finals.
He walks on to a squad that is frontloaded with talent including Robertson, recent addition Mikko Rantanen, and Tyler Seguin. Gulutzan's track record for bringing out the best in his offensive skaters might be the factor that tips the scale as far as playoff success goes.
Gulutzan was also handed a stacked roster when joining the Oilers, so his experience coaching a juggernaut goal-scoring team will be extremely helpful in Dallas. The Stars scored the third-most goals of any team this season, recording 3.35 goals per game -- more than the Oilers, in fact.
However, the Stars power play was quite average considering the team's offensive prowess, ranking 17th in the league at 22.0%. Gulutzan's proven ability to elevate the man advantage could take the Stars past the Conference Final, where they've been eliminated in three straight postseasons.
This offseason, the Stars have placed a clear emphasis on retaining the core up front by re-signing Matt Duchene to a four-year deal. With just over $200,000 in cap space, the team will likely be holding steady this summer and headed into 2025-26 with a very similar roster to the club that was two wins away from reaching the Cup Final.
"It’s almost like Dallas is treating the slate as clean because Gulutzan has learned so much working as an assistant since then, and I think that’s fair."Journalist Matt Larkin via Daily Faceoff