D.J. Smith, John Tortorella Lead Available Nhl Coaches Into 2026 Playoffs
The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs opened with available nhl coaches at the center of the bracket, as the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights entered the postseason with interim head coaches. D.J. Smith had guided the Kings since March 1, while John Tortorella took over the Golden Knights on March 29.
D.J. Smith Keeps Kings Moving
Smith pushed the Kings through the final stretch of the regular season and kept them in the playoff field. Los Angeles went 11-6-6 in its final 23 games under him and clinched the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 90 points.
That run came after the Kings fired Jim Hiller on March 1 and promoted Smith from assistant coach to interim bench boss. He had already spent nearly five seasons with the rebuilding Ottawa Senators from 2019-20 to 2023-24, and he joined Los Angeles as an assistant coach in February 2024.
The job has carried extra weight because the Kings are in transition. Anze Kopitar is retiring and Drew Doughty is approaching the end of his career, leaving the club with a bench decision that reaches beyond one playoff series.
Golden Knights Turn To Tortorella
Vegas entered the playoffs with the same interim setup, putting Tortorella in charge less than a month after he stepped in. The Golden Knights began the postseason under temporary leadership just as the Kings did, and that makes both benches part of the same coaching market story.
The field around them has already started to move. The New Jersey Devils missed the playoffs for the third time in the last six seasons, fired Tom Fitzgerald as general manager on April 7, and replaced him with Sunny Mehta on April 16. Sheldon Keefe was hired as the Devils' bench boss in 2024 after five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That leaves Smith among the names tied to whether Los Angeles keeps its interim setup in place. Jay Woodcroft, a former Edmonton Oilers head coach who led three straight second-place finishes in the Pacific Division, is also part of the broader search picture, along with other established head coaches, NHL assistants, and minor league coaches.
