Since John Hynes departed to become the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils on June 1, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have had a head coaching vacancy. Two weeks into the process, the picture has become clearer when it comes to the next head coach of the Penguins top farm club.
On Wednesday, the Devils announced that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant coach and former Penguins defenseman Alain Nasreddine would be joining Hynes in New Jersey.
Nasreddine, 39, would have widely been considered the favorite for the job if he had remained in the organization. He had spent the last five seasons as the assistant under Hynes in Wilkes-Barre.
At the same time, another former Penguins defenseman that had been linked to the job, Todd Nelson, was also dropping out of the race. The Grand Rapids Griffins, triple-A affiliates of the Detroit Red Wings, snapped up Nelson, who had been the Edmonton Oilers’ interim head coach.
Nelson had spent just a half of a season behind the bench in Edmonton before the Oilers decided to go in a different direction, hiring former San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan. Nelson had been the head coach of their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City for four seasons before his promotion last year. Nelson had been considered to be the favorite if Nasreddine decided to move on.
Late on Tuesday, Darren Dreger of TSN Canada revealed that another prospect for the job had emerged.
Mike Sullivan leading candidate to coach Wilkes Barre. Likely announced this week. Todd Nelson agreed to contract with G. Rapids Yesterday.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 17, 2015
Sullivan, 47, had a ten-year NHL career with San Jose, Calgary, Boston and Phoenix before joining the coaching ranks. He immediately took the head coaching position in Providence (AHL) and was called up as an assistant in Boston in the middle of his first season.
He then spent two seasons as the Boston Bruins head coach, compiling a 70-56-38 record. Since then, he has been an AHL assistant under John Tortorella, following him from Tampa Bay to the New York Rangers and Vancouver. Sullivan spent the 2014-15 season as the Chicago Blackhawks’ development coach.
The Penguins will not get draft pick compensation for losing Nasreddine, like they did Hynes. Per NHL policy, compensatory draft picks are only awarded when a signed coach or executive takes the position of head coach, general manager or president.
Photo credit: NHL
