Rumor: possible NHL promotion for Benoît Groulx

Since 2016, Benoît Groulx has been coaching in the AHL at Syracuse. At this point, in a league where there’s a lot of movement, he’s practically part of the furniture.

In fact, I should say he was almost part of the furniture.

According to what journalist Jean-François Plante is reporting on Twitter, this could be the end for Groulx at Syracuse. He didn’t necessarily mean a dismissal, but a possible promotion to the NHL.

Plante, who is well informed in the Outaouais region, raised the name of André Tourigny, who is currently looking for an assistant with the Arizona Coyotes.

There are pulls in the career of Gatineau head coach Benoît Groulx. Sources tell me he’s done after 7 seasons with @SyracuseCrunch. Possible promotion. André Tourigny has an assistant position to fill with @PhoenixCoyotes 1+1 ? 👀 pic.twitter.com/FpTyEWK3PE

– jf plante (@jfplante_Droit) June 2, 2023

If that’s the case, it would mean he’d go back to being an assistant, something he hasn’t done since the 2001-2002 season with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes.

If he does indeed join his friend Tourigny upstairs, it would mark the end of a long association with the Lightning, a place where he seems to have been very well treated for the past seven years.

But with Jon Cooper in charge, his chances of advancement with the Lightning are slim.

As Groulx has never tasted the NHL, dominated the QMJHL for 13 years in Gatineau and made the playoffs seven out of nine times in the AHL (including his years in Rochester), he fully deserves to go up.

And since he’s not often mentioned as a possible coach, perhaps arriving in an assistant role will help put him on the map.

Jean-François Plante doesn’t rule out the possibility of the former Olympiques player joining Patrick Roy if he were to find himself an NHL job in the near future. Personally, I see Louis Robitaille following him into the NHL, but why not Ben?

If he were to go to the NHL and his son Benoît-Olivier were to break into the Ducks line-up next year, the two family members could be in the NHL at the same time.

But it’s not a done deal yet. To be continued.

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