The first head coaching change of the young NHL regular season came out of Beantown on Tuesday afternoon, with the Boston Bruins opting to ax Jim Montgomery after the Eastern Conference club got off to a miserable 8-9-3 (.475) record.
Montgomery is two years removed from leading the Bruins to an NHL record 135 points in a single season. However, Boston lost to the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs that year, before going 47-20-15 last season.
Right now, the Bruins are fourth in the Atlantic Division, with the team’s 19 points to date standing two behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the third spot in the division and six points behind the division-leading Panthers, with Boston taking to the ice under interim coach Joe Sacco for the first time against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night.
To get a sense of where Boston could go from here, BetMassachusetts.com broke down some hypothetical odds using our Massachusetts sports betting experts on who the next Bruins head coach will be, with Sacco holding top honors thanks to earning the interim coaching role in Beantown.
Next Boston Bruins Head Coach Odds
Candidate | Current Job | Odds | Percent Chance |
Joe Sacco | Current Bruins Interim HC | +400 | 20.0% |
Todd McLellan | Former LA Kings HC | +600 | 14.3% |
Gerrard Gallant | Former NY Rangers HC | +600 | 14.3% |
Marc Savard | Current Maple Leafs AC | +900 | 10.0% |
Jeff Blashill | Current Lightning AC | +1100 | 8.3% |
Jay Leach | Current Bruins AC | +1100 | 8.3% |
Mike Vellucci | Current Penguins AC | +1250 | 7.4% |
Joel Quenneville | Former Blackhawks HC | +1750 | 5.4% |
The Field |
| +700 | 12.5% |
These odds are exclusive to BetMassachusetts.com and are unavailable on Massachusetts sportsbook apps.
Who Will Replace Jim Montgomery in Boston?
Sacco is our top pick to earn the full-time job in Boston, at +400, while outsiders that are atop our Bruins head coaching job board include former Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan and former New York Rangers coach Gerrard Gallant, who are both listed at +600 to replace Montgomery.
Current Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Marc Savard is at +900 odds, followed by the dynamic duo of two more assistants, the Lightning's Jeff Blashill and the Bruins' Jay Leach at +1100 apiece, Throw in Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mike Vellucci at +1250 and former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville at +1750 and you have the full rundown on who we see possibly taking over in Boston next.
For now, it’s up to Sacco to turn the tide in Boston, with the 14-year NHL winger and former Colorado Avalanche head coach from 2009 to 2013 having a shot at cementing his status as the Bruins’ full-time head coach with 62 games left in the NHL’s marathon of a regular season.
Stay with BetMassachusetts.com for more Bruins updates and the best Massachusetts sportsbook promo codes available.
Author
Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
