All things are trending in the direction of Glen Gulutzan getting another shot at leading the Dallas Stars.
On Sunday, the team was closing in on hiring Gulutzan as its next head coach, a person familiar with the search confirmed to The Dallas Morning News, replacing Pete DeBoer, whom the Stars fired earlier this month.
If finalized, it would mark the second time Gulutzan served as the Stars’ head coach. He coached the team from 2011-2013 and was fired as one of Jim Nill’s first acts as Stars GM.
The news of his anticipated re-hiring garnered mixed reactions, with some looking forward to the Stars bringing in the man who revamped the Oilers power play and others concerned after his short-lived time in Dallas a dozen years ago.
Sports Roundup
Here are some pros and cons of Gulutzan becoming the team’s next coach:
Related:Who is Glen Gulutzan? 10 things to know including playing career, first stint with StarsProsPower play prowess
Gulutzan has run one of the best power plays in the NHL since taking on that role in Edmonton in 2018.
Before Gulutzan arrived, the Oilers had the worst power play in the league in the 2017-18 season, connecting just 14.8% of the time. That was also with both Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid on the roster.
Since Gulutzan took over, the Oilers’ power play has a 26.8% conversion rate, which ranks No. 1 in the NHL since that 2018-19 season.
While Gulutzan has had incredible personnel to work with, he’s shown consistency in his role in Edmonton. Special teams have also led to the Stars’ downfall in their last two series against the Oilers, with Gulutzan playing a big role. The Oilers went 6-for-16 on the power play in their five playoff games against the Stars this year.
Ready to handle big-time players
Gulutzan is known for having a strong working relationship with many of the Oilers’ top players, especially McDavid.
After DeBoer’s relationship with his players played a role in his firing, the Stars needed to bring in a players’ coach, and Gulutzan should be able to fill that need.
He’s also familiar with working directly with some of the league’s superstars. He’d be taking over a Stars roster still transitioning to welcoming in a superstar of their own in Mikko Rantanen.
It took some time for DeBoer to adjust to having a player like Rantanen at his disposal, but Gulutzan should be equipped to handle his talent — as well as the Stars’ other top players like Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen and Wyatt Johnston — immediately.
Franchise is in a far different spot
It may not be fully fair to judge Gulutzan on his first stint in Dallas.
The franchise was in a difficult spot, filing for bankruptcy as part of the sale to Tom Gaglardi. Gulutzan took over just months before, when the team wasn’t in a position to spend big on key players.
Within two years after his hiring, the Stars would have a new owner, GM and head coach. He was also a first-time NHL coach at the time, being promoted from his previous role as head coach of the Texas Stars.
Gulutzan is coming back now with experience as an assistant for the Oilers and Canucks and a head coach for the Flames. The Stars have also developed tremendously as contenders, reaching the Western Conference finals for the last three years and building a roster very much capable of contending each year.
He’d be handed the keys to a team set up for success — a far different situation from the one he walked into over a decade ago.
ConsYears out of a head coaching seat
While Gulutzan has been around the league, he hasn’t been a head coach for the last seven seasons.
Some may wonder why the Stars pursued him for their opening when he’s been passed on for other openings around the league in recent years.
Gulutzan has been able to focus on the power play in Edmonton, but in Dallas, he’d take on many more responsibilities in charge of the entire operation.
He’s only spent four years as an NHL head coach and made the playoffs just once. As a head coach, he has a 146-125-23 record in his 294 games.
The Stars may believe he can have better success this time around, but they’re taking somewhat of a leap of faith in doing so.
Rough first stint in Dallas
The aforementioned circumstances weren’t ideal, but Gulutzan’s first stint in Dallas wasn’t great.
He missed the playoffs both years, as the Stars went 64-57-9 from 2011-13.
He was one of just three coaches in Stars history to coach two seasons or fewer before being fired.
His two years as head coach also extended the Stars’ longest postseason drought in the history of the franchise to five consecutive years.
That drought ended the next season when Lindy Ruff took over.
While many signs point to stint in Dallas being quite different for Gulutzan, Stars fans won’t be quick to forget his history with the team.
So close yet so far
The Oilers may have advanced past the Stars the last two seasons, reaching the Stanley Cup Final, but they couldn’t get the job done either.
Dallas felt it couldn’t win a Stanley Cup with DeBoer at the helm, so they needed to go out and find someone that they felt could win it all.
Nill may believe Gulutzan is that person, but he hasn’t proven it on paper yet.
The Oilers lost the 2024 Stanley Cup Final in seven games to the Florida Panthers and the 2025 Final in six games, again to the Panthers. Edmonton has not won a Stanley Cup since 1990.
As a head coach Gulutzan has also never won a playoff series. He still has some work to do to prove his winning abilities at the game’s highest level.
On X/Twitter: @Lassimak
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.