Do Rangers have front-runner to fill coaching vacancy with AHL Hartford?
The New York reportedly are closing in on hiring a new coach for their American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford. And the front-runner just may be someone who has worked with Rangers coach Mike Sullivan before.
“I think some AHL jobs are close to getting filled,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said Friday on his 32 Thoughts podcast. “I heard Hartford has an opening and Jay Leach, the assistant in Boston, I’m told has an excellent shot at that job.”
Leach was previously an assistant under Sullivan with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL, before the Pittsburgh Penguins hired Sullivan as their coach in November of 2015. Though never a head coach in the NHL, the Rangers interviewed him a year ago for their opening, before hiring Sullivan to replace the fired Peter Laviolette.
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reported last week that the Bruins aren’t renewing Leach’s contract and that he’s out as an assistant to Marco Sturm. Leach was a Bruins assistant for two seasons, first under coach Jim Montgomery, then under interim coach Joe Sacco — who’s now one of Sullivan’s assistants in New York, and then Sturm.
At first blush, Leach appears to be an excellent candidate to replace Grant Potulny as coach with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Leach is highly regarded in hockey circles, and was also an assistant in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken. In addition to his duties with Wiles-Barre/Scranton, Leach also coached in the AHL with the Providence Bruins — first as an assistant, then as head coach.
“He’d be a real good get for them,” a former minor league team executive told Forever Blueshirts.
The 46-year-old native of Syracuse played professionally for 12 seasons, mainly in the AHL and ECHL. A big (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) grinding forward in his day, Leach scored one goal had three points, and accumulated 60 penalty minutes in 70 NHL games with the Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and San Jose Sharks.
The Rangers fired Potulny in early May. He lasted two seasons as Hartford’s coach, failing to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs in either 2024-25 or 2025-26. Potulny came from the college ranks, and it’s been speculated that the Rangers preferred a coach with professional experience in Hartford moving forward.
Grant Potulny – photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Before Potulny, Hartford reached the postseason two consecutive seasons, first under Kris Knoblauch, then with interim coach Steve Smith after Knoblauch was hired by the Edmonton Oilers during the 2023-24 season. Knoblauch was recently fired by the Oilers following three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including finishing twice as Stanley Cup runners-up to the Florida Panthers.
