After a three-year stint where he went 120-41-23, the end came quickly for Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery this season, with the Eastern Conference stalwarts firing the veteran coach after an 8-9-3 start to the year back in November.
To get a sense of where Boston could go from here, BetMassachusetts.com broke down some hypothetical odds using our Massachusetts sports betting experts on who the next Bruins head coach will be, with a current NHL assistant coach and the team’s interim leader leading the way right now.
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Next Boston Bruins Head Coach Odds
Coach |
Position |
Percentage Chance |
Odds |
Misha Donskov |
Dallas Stars Assistant Coach |
20.0% |
+400 |
Joe Sacco |
Boston Bruins Interim Head Coach |
15.4% |
+550 |
Rick Tocchet |
Former Canucks Head Coach |
12.5% |
+700 |
Jay Leach |
Boston Bruins Assistant Coach |
10.0% |
+900 |
Todd Nelson |
Hershey Bears (AHL) Head Coach |
8.3% |
+1100 |
Jay Pandolfo |
Boston University Head Coach |
8.3% |
+1100 |
Marco Sturm |
Ontario Reign (AHL) Head Coach |
5.4% |
+1750 |
Ryan Mougenel |
Providence Bruins (AHL) Head Coach |
5.4% |
+1750 |
Peter Laviolette |
Former Rangers Head Coach |
4.8% |
+2000 |
The Field |
|
10.0% |
+900 |
These odds are exclusive to BetMassachusetts.com and are unavailable on Massachusetts sportsbook apps.
Top Contenders To Become The Next Bruins Head Coach
The top candidate to replace Montgomery in Boston is a man that’s been an assistant in the NHL since 2019, with Misha Donskov of the Dallas Stars leading the way at +400, after helping guide the Western Conference club to consecutive 50-win campaigns in 2024 and 2025. Donskov has worked with the Las Vegas Golden Knights (from 2019-20 to 2022-23) and the Stars, with stops with the OHL’s London Knights and Ottawa 67’s before that, putting him in line for his first head coaching role in the 32-team league (perhaps) in 2025.
Should the Bruins opt to go elsewhere, don’t rule out Boston keeping interim head coach Joe Sacco, who went 25-30-7 in relief of Montgomery this season and 130-134-30 in four seasons as the coach of the Colorado Avalanche, with the veteran NHL coach coming in at +550 on our next Bruins coach odds board.
Other top tier candidates to replace Montgomery include former Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, who checks in at +700, while Bruins assistant coach Jay Leach is next in line at +900.
Stay with BetMassachusetts.com for more Bruins updates and the best Massachusetts sportsbook promo codes available.
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Dark Horse Candidates In The Bruin’s Coaching Hunt
Among the longshot coaching candidates to keep an eye on when it comes to the Bruins’ search are names like Todd Nelson, who has led the Hershey Bears of the AHL to consecutive Calder Cup titles (and three titles since 2016-17 with a third coming as the coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2016-17), with the veteran of 467 games as a player and former Edmonton Oilers head coach checking in at +1100 to replace Montgomery. He sits alongside Boston University head coach Jay Pandolfo on our Bruins odds board.
Pandolfo has been the man at BU since taking over as head coach back in 2022, winning a Hockey East championship in 2023 and reaching the Frozen Four three years in a row, including this year’s title game, which the Terriers lost to Western Michigan, 6-2.
Three other candidates, in Marco Strum of the AHL’s Ontario Reign and Providence Bruins (AHL) head coach Ryan Mougenel (+1750 each) and former Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette (+2000) rounding out our odds board to replace Montgomery in Boston.
USA Today photo by Bob DeChiara.
Bruins Coach FAQ
The current betting favorite to become the next Boston Bruins head coach is Misha Donskov, an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars. He leads the odds with a 20% implied chance and +400 betting line.
Joe Sacco, who is serving as the interim head coach for the Boston Bruins, is one of the top contenders. He has a 15.4% chance according to oddsmakers, with betting odds set at +550.
Yes, internal options like Joe Sacco, Jay Leach and Ryan Mougenel are in the mix. Joe Sacco, the current interim head coach, has a great shot. While Jay Leach, currently an assistant with the Bruins, and Mougenel, who leads their AHL in Providence, are seen as strong developmental choices.
Author
Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
