At the top of this list is a potential in-house hire: Pascal Vincent. We have seen a lot of positivity and negativity in regards to this idea, and it’s easy to see both sides of this. As we are frequently remembered, when the team last made a coaching hire (John Tortorella), it spelled the end for one of the top young up and coming coaches in the league (Jared Bednar).
The Jackets had a nice run of success under Torts, but Bednar got the last laugh, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup last spring. Those of us who have been around the franchise for a long time know this sting, and we have to wonder how much differently things could be if they had promoted from within when they fired Todd Richards in 2015.