The NHL coaching carousel is spinning around again, and this time it's Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer who will be getting off the ride. DeBoer was fired after the Stars were eliminated in the Western Conference Final for the third straight year under his watch.
More notably, DeBoer drew criticism for his decision to pull starting goaltender Jake Oettinger just seven minutes into the elimination game against the Edmonton Oilers, then staunchly defending his decision after the game. He even towed the line of blaming Oettinger for the loss.
Dallas GM Jim Nill did offer up some praise for DeBoer and expressed that the goalie controversy wasn't the only reason for his firing, though he did not agree with the comments made after the game.
"I think even Pete was remorseful of it a little bit," Nill said in a press conference. "I don’t think he handled that the way he wanted to. But you have to remember you’re under the duress of everything going on in that... What I do at the end of every season, players deserve to be heard."
This leaves both the Stars and their former coach in the lurch. While Dallas has a number of worthy options for the next bench boss, DeBoer's choices are much more limited.
Where does DeBoer go next?
After the end of the regular season, a number of clubs were looking for someone new behind the bench: the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Seattle Kraken, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks were all in need of a new coach.
Unfortunately for DeBoer, the Stars waited until all of the NHL coaching vacancies were filled before announcing the firing. Each of those teams has already found a replacement, leaving no openings for DeBoer to fill right now.
"Pete's going to win a Cup. Unfortunately it won’t be here, but he’s going to win a Cup. He’s a good coach and he learns every time. He’s been fired a few times, but I think he’s learning each time it happens."Stars GM Jim Nill in a press conference
Does that mean he is done coaching in the NHL? Of course not. DeBoer has had a tremendous amount of success in the big league during his time coaching the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights and most recently the Stars.
Just in his three-year tenure with Dallas, the team has recorded the fourth-most wins in the NHL with 149 victories. In his career, DeBoer has collected 662 wins for a .525 W%.
That success extends to the playoffs, too. DeBoer has a 9-0 record coaching Game 7s, and his 97 posteseason wins is the fifth-most all time among head coaches. In 18 seasons, his teams have reached the playoffs 10 times, the Conference Final six times, and the Stanley Cup Final twice.
Once another spot opens up, DeBoer will be one of the top candidates on the market, so don't expect him to be out of a job long -- but the events leading up to his firing by Dallas may give some teams pause.
The short leash that coaches are kept on
DeBoer joins a group of successful coaches who were fired by their organizations this year, including former Flyers coach John Tortorella and longtime Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan, who has now joined the New York Rangers.
Sullivan hit the chopping block as the Penguins missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, following a seven-year playoff streak since he was hired. Meanwhile, Tortorella and the Flyers failed to make progress in the three years he was behind the bench, leading to his dismissal late in the season.
DeBoer is in a very different position than those two coaches were. Dallas has thrived under his leadership for the last three years. But the Oettinger drama just sealed his fate -- as soon as he lost the confidence of his players, it was pretty much concrete.
But why do some coaches get such little leeway? For example, Peter Laviolette helped coach the Rangers to a Presidents Trophy and Eastern Conference Final appearance in 2024, but he got the axe after New York narrowly missed the playoffs this season. That comes in the midst of a "retool on-the-fly" by GM Chris Drury, who traded captain Jacob Trouba and former first overall pick Kaapo Kakko.
So why does the responsibility fall only on Laviolette, or Sullivan, or DeBoer? Simply put, the NHL is a business that revolves around its players. The star skaters are the guys who draw in fans and their needs should be prioritized when it comes to finding the right fit behind the bench.
It's much easier to replace a coach than it is to change big parts of a team's roster. Naturally, when there's a problem, the coach is going to be the first one to go. It's not always fair, but it's reality in the NHL.
DeBoer will be back in a head coaching job in the near future, as his pedigree speaks for itself. But at this point, the Stars have put their players first. Only time will tell how big of an impact DeBoer had on the team's success, as they enter next season with a new face leading the squad.