For the men who toil behind NHL benches, the hours are long and the leashes are short. So it's hardly a surprise that when the 2017-18 season begins, seven teams will have new coaches. Three of those seven are first-timers at this level, an extension of a hiring trend that has resulted in nearly a third of NHL teams being helmed by rookie bench bosses. ESPN spoke with several current and former players about which of these coaches will fare best in their new homes.
Hitchcock, 65, is by far the most experienced coach among the new hires, and the peak of his 20-season career came during his previous stint in Dallas.