from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,
...But the other side of that coin is taking a chance with an AHL head coach or an NHL assistant who has never got that look yet.
Here’s a look at some of those candidates, in no particular order.
Derek Lalonde/Jeff Halpern, Lightning assistant coaches: I think there’s a decent chance NHL clubs start exploring Jon Cooper’s coaching tree soon enough and when you talk to people around the league, many feel both Lalonde and Halpern have earned that chance. Although yet another deep playoff run this spring might take them out of some interview opportunities just based on the calendar.