The Dallas Stars will announce that they have hired Denver University head coach Jim Montgomery next week. This report is according to Chris Dilks of SBN College Hockey.
Looking like a strong possibility that Jim Montgomery will be the next head coach of the Dallas Stars.
— Chris Dilks (@ChrisDilks) May 1, 2018
Dallas Stars Hire Coach Jim Montgomery
The Dallas Stars will bring in Montgomery to replace the retiring Ken Hitchcock. This season, the team finished with a 42-32-8 which left them in the sixth spot in the Central Division.
Montgomery has served as the coach for Denver since 2013-14. He totaled a record of 125-57-26 in his five seasons in charge. He has NHL experience and played for the Stars from 2001-03. The Montreal native also played for St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers. He guided the Pioneers to the 2016-17 NCAA national title. He made the tournament in each season at the helm.
According to Francois Ganon of RDS, the two sides are expected to agree to a deal, perhaps as soon as the end of the week. Montgomery gained a lot of attention last off-season and was a finalist for the Florida Panthers job before he declined. He also got some interest from the Los Angeles Kings. The New York Rangers had Montgomery on their radar as well.
What This Means for the Team’s Future
The Stars under-performed last season and are looking to make a change. Hitchcock did a great job fixing Dallas’ suspect defense, but the offensive punched lacked in spots. The injury to goalie Ben Bishop did not help the Stars’ chances. There’s hope he’ll be able to get Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn going again.
Montgomery is a proven winner at the collegiate level and has coached NHL talent at the school. It took a couple of years for former North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol to make the transition, but the Flyers look like a team on the rise.
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