Dallas Stars Near Deal to Bring Back Glen Gulutzan as Head Coach

Dallas, Texas — The Dallas Stars are in advanced discussions to hire Glen Gulutzan as their new head coach, a source confirmed to The Dallas Morning News. The potential contract comes after the team parted ways with Peter DeBoer, who led the Stars to three consecutive Western Conference Finals but was dismissed following their latest playoff exit.

Darren Dreger first reported the news about Gulutzan’s imminent hiring. The Stars are currently finalizing contract negotiations after agreeing in principle. Gulutzan, who previously coached the team from 2011 to 2013, has spent the last several seasons as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers.

In his first stint with the Stars, Gulutzan had a record of 64 wins, 57 losses, and 9 overtime losses but failed to reach the playoffs. General manager Jim Nill fired him as part of his initial changes when he took over the role. At that time, Nill said, ‘It’s part of the business. Sometimes you have to go through peaks and valleys.’

Fast forward 12 years, Nill hopes this hiring will be different. Since leaving Dallas, Gulutzan has accumulated valuable experience, particularly as an assistant with the Oilers, where he helped improve the team’s power play efficiency significantly.

Kris Knoblauch, the current Oilers head coach, praised Gulutzan’s contributions to the team’s power play during his tenure, saying, ‘He’s got really good grasp on that, and I don’t think he gets enough credit for that.’

Gulutzan, a native of Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, has also had head coaching experience with the Calgary Flames. He led the Flames to the playoffs in his first season but was let go after missing them the following year. In total, he has a coaching record of 149-125-23 in the NHL.

If hired, Gulutzan would become the sixth head coach of the Stars under Nill’s leadership. The organization is hoping he will help them advance further in the playoffs. As they prepare for the future, the Stars aim to find the right balance between experience and fresh tactics.