Guy Boucher
Guy Boucher may differ from the type of guy you bring in during the middle of the season for a spark, especially when you're near the bottom of the league standings. Boucher isn't necessarily a player's coach, so his act wears thin on players. However, as shown in his two previous head coaching stints, he can get the most out of his players early in the tenure.
The Tampa Bay Lightning hired Boucher for the 2010-11 season. During the regular season, the team finished 46-25-11. Boucher led the Lightning through two rounds of the playoffs before the team fell to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Ottawa Senators hired him in 2016-17, and he led them to a nearly identical 44-28-10 record during the regular season. He took the Senators on an improbable run, which ended in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Boucher's two stints have been identical. He made the conference finals, finished out of the playoffs in the following year, and got fired midway through his third year. Could Boucher be a short-term option to turn the Canadiens into a winning team in 2025-26?