5. Rikard Gronborg
Current Job: Tampereen Tappara Head Coach
Yeah, this again. Rikard Gronborg doesn’t see his name in headlines as much anymore, and it appears he’s happy to keep coaching in Europe, but a new coaching job with a team as talented as the New Jersey Devils has to be intriguing for him, right? Only one issue, Tom Fitzgerald has said he wants someone with some NHL experience. Whether he means someone who was a former head coach or possibly an assistant, Gronborg doesn’t fit the bill.
Still, this is someone who is considered one of the great hockey minds in the world. He has been talking about moving to the NHL for over five years, but it’s never happened. We can’t even find a public report where he interviewed. It seems like this is an internet campaign at best.
Gronborg is an amazing coach and would make an amazing coach in the NHL. He has some North American coaching experience, leading the Great Falls Americans of the AWHL in the late 90s and early 2000s. He also had one season as an assistant in the WHL before going back to Sweden.
Would the Devils be willing to take the risk with Tom Fitzgerald’s job on the line? That shouldn’t be on Fitz’s mind, but it’s hard to say it won’t be. It is most likely that the Devils sign a name brand, but watch out for these names during the process.