Pittsburgh Penguins Cut Down Their List of Head Coaching Candidates

After quickly moving on from Mike Sullivan this off-season, many expected the Pittsburgh Penguins to try and lure a big name Head Coach to join them for what may be the final few years of Sidney Crosby's NHL career.

Unfortunately, their potential candidates keep being taken off the board, with David Carle (University of Denver) and Joel Quenneville (Anaheim Ducks) already off the board, and now, it appears as though the Bruins, Flyers and Kraken are the three finalists to land former Penguins assistant Rick Tocchet.

That has narrowed down their list of candidates immensely, although General Manager Kyle Dubas has already suggested some intriguing ideas, revealing that he may look to use his time in Denmark/Sweden to interview coaches in Europe that may not be the conventional favourites for a role in the NHL.

On top of that, it's more likely than not that the team look to the AHL and a first-time Head Coach to fill the role, although they quickly ruled out Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Head Coach Kirk MacDonald, as they want to see him develop further down there.

For many on the outside looking in, that leaves Pittsburgh with Capitals assistant Mitch Love, who has been the Calgary Wranglers Head Coach in the past, as well as Todd Nelson, who has been at the helm of the Hershey Bears for a number of years now, with Abbotsford Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra a potential choice as well.

Those are certainly slim pickings for a team with Sidney Crosby leading the way, but with the Penguins and Dubas looking to re-tool the team for the future, don't be surprised to see a young coach hired in the role this off-season.