Jim Montgomery has waited about two and a half years for his next head coaching assignment after being fired by the Dallas Stars in 2019. It won’t be too long before he reemerges after the Boston Bruins released him on Tuesday.

Montgomery is a good coach. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2023 after leading Boston to an NHL record 65 wins. He took the Bruins to the playoffs each of the last two seasons.

A series of events — questionable offseason signings, underperformance across the roster, leaky goaltending, poor special teams — kept Montgomery from chasing a third straight postseason appearance.

It’s only a matter of time before Montgomery secures his next head coaching position. A team could even go so far as to fire its coach to make room for Montgomery.

Here’s a first look at his possible destinations.

The Blues are the clear favorite to become Montgomery’s next employer.

Montgomery broke into the NHL playing for the Blues in 1993-94. He is also dating Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. On September 16, 2020, Armstrong took a gamble on Montgomery, following his dismissal from the Stars, as Craig Berube’s assistant coach. Montgomery helped the Blues transition from a defensive first team to a go-go attack.

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Montgomery gets along well with Pavel Buchnevich, who is struggling for traction (11 points in 19 games). He also helped Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou become offensive players.

His wife, Emily Montgomery, is from St. Louis. The family still has a house in the area.

The Blues are 8-10-1. Coach Drew Bannister, who replaced Berube in 2023, is in his first stint as a head coach in the NHL. Bannister is in the first season of a two-year contract.

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Montgomery is originally from Montreal. He speaks French, although he is not a French speaker like Martin St. Louis.

The 7-10-2 Canadiens are last in the Atlantic Division. They are deep in a rebuild under executive vice president Jeff Gorton, the Bruins’ former interim GM, and general manager Kent Hughes. The Canadiens are not expected to be a playoff contender in the coming seasons.

St. Louis has been behind the bench in Montreal since 2022. The Canadiens did not make the playoffs under St. Louis.

The Red Wings are deeper into their rebuild than the Canadiens. Deep enough in fact that coach Derek Lalonde is under pressure to deliver results.

Lalonde, who had never been an NHL head coach before, is in his third season with Detroit. The Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs since 2016. They are 7-9-2, only ahead of Montreal in the Atlantic.

As such, GM Steve Yzerman may be considering a shakeup. Montgomery would be in charge of promising players such as Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. Montgomery would also be reunited with Vladimir Tarasenko, one of his St. Louis players.

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Mike Sullivan has won two Stanley Cups. He has been working in Pittsburgh since December 12, 2015. Sullivan was involved in the organization’s decision to hire general manager Kyle Dubas. That way, job security is on Sullivan’s side.

The 7-10-3 Penguins are swinging, though. Their minus-25 goal differential is the only thing worse than the Bruins’ minus-21 goal differential.

It might be time for a change.

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(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)