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New Frontrunner Emerges for Penguins Head Coaching Job, per Elliotte Friedman
The Pittsburgh Penguins are down to a few names as their next Head Coach, and it appears as though former Senators bench boss DJ Smith is now the front runner.
After a slow start to the off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins search for a new Head Coach appears to be heating up, with the team seemingly narrowing it down to their final few candidates.
While recent reports revealed that Washington Capitals assistant Mitch Love is the likely choice for GM Kyle Dubas and the organization, that may not be the case anymore after a recent report.
According to Elliotte Friedman, former Ottawa Senators Head Coach DJ Smith isn't one to be underestimated, and while he may not yet be the official front runner, the fact that this report is coming out now means this is still a wide open race.
«I did have some people who said to me don't underestimate DJ Smith on this. Kyle Dubas knows DJ Smith, that's No.1 and No.2 when you look at Ottawa's young players, a lot of them started under Smith".
During his time as Senators Head Coach, Smith put together a well below record of 131-154-32, and while the belief is that he can still be a solid Head Coach, after one less than stellar stint behind the bench in the NHL, many question if he's the right pick for Sidney Crosby' final few years in the NHL.
A name like Jay Woodcroft has also been thrown out there by many in the know, but at this point, all signs are that Kyle Dubas is set to decide between Smith and Love, and while it may seem like an obvious choice to some, at this point no one quite knows who will be hired a the Penguins next Head Coach.
| POLL | ||
MAI 31 | 175 ANSWERS New Frontrunner Emerges for Penguins Head Coaching Job, per Elliotte Friedman Who will be the next Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach? | ||
| DJ Smith | 27 | 15.4 % |
| Mitch Love | 83 | 47.4 % |
| Other | 65 | 37.1 % |
| List of polls | ||