Rikard Gronborg, Tappara
If there is one coach overseas the Devils must strongly consider, it’s Rikard Gronborg, whose name has circulated in NHL circles before. Gronborg’s experience goes back to the 1994-95 season when he was an assistant at St. Cloud State, and he landed his first head coaching job back in 1998-99 for the AWHL’s Great Falls Americans.
Like each coach on this list, Gronborg has plenty of experience developing young talent, having coached and acted as a scout for Sweden at the U18 and U20 levels. Most recently, Gronborg spent four seasons coaching the NL’s ZSC Lions, where he turned the team into one of the league’s best in 2019-20 before COVID ended the season.
Gronborg hasn’t coached in North America for over a decade, and he recently signed on to coach Tappara in Liiga, but his credentials are among the best of any coach outside the NHL or AHL. While he wouldn’t be at the top of any initial shortlist for the Devils, his resume and experience speak for themselves, and it would make sense if the organization contacted him.
It’s been reported that the Devils have reached out to him during past coaching searches, so it would surprise nobody in the fan base if they talked to and even garnered strong consideration to hire one of the biggest names at the international level.