Penguins coach admits, “I don't know what's going to happen after the season.“

Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet sees the job opportunities around the NHL and admits he’d love to be a head coach again. "I'd love to have another kick at it, but honestly I haven't been contacted by anybody," Tocchet told NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

So, while Tocchet may seem to be a perfect fit of a franchise like the Buffalo Sabres or the Florida Panthers, he remains persona non-grata.  To his credit, the distraction of a new job may be just that, a distraction. ”I’m just focused on (the Stanley Cup Final). I have no idea what's going to happen at the end of the (season)."

Tocchet has been with the Penguins as an assistant since 2014. Prior to that, he compiled a 53-69-26 record with a struggling Tampa Bay Lightning franchise from 2008-2010. He believes that he’ll get his shot again as an NHL head coach and that the success he’s had in Pittsburgh will be the spring board to his future success. "When you're a successful team and you win other teams like to look at the people in that organization," Tocchet said. "That's good. That's a good thing with being with Pittsburgh, you get looked at because we've won a lot of games the last couple of years.”