The fallout continues over Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer’s controversial decision to pull starting goaltender Jake Oettinger during Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.

DeBoer gave Oettinger the hook after he allowed two goals on two shots and appeared to shoulder the blame on the netminder following the team’s 6-3 loss last Thursday that eliminated them from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman discussed whether things can be mended between both sides during Monday’s edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.

One thing Friedman is sure about: Oettinger isn’t packing his bags.

“I don’t think the Dallas Stars are trading Jake Oettinger,” Friedman said. “Even if Oettinger walked in there and said, ‘I want to be traded,’ I think the Dallas Stars would say, ‘Look, we just signed you to an eight-year extension. We have no interest in doing that, and we’ll figure out a way to sort this out.'”

There actually is precedent for such a situation in Dallas. Friedman pointed to 2018 when then-CEO Jim Lites ripped into the performance of star forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Both players have remained with the club to this day and although Benn is set to hit free agency on July 1, he expressed a desire to stay during his end-of-season media availability Saturday.

“(Lites) really criticized them publicly, heavily, and both players were really upset, but they sorted it out,” Friedman said. “I think that’s the Stars’ goal here too is, they know that Oettinger was upset and they know that he was embarrassed, but just like they did with Benn and Seguin, they will work, I believe, to sort this out.”

He added: “There’s no question there were some hard feelings. There’s no question it has to be mended, but … if they could sort out the Benn-Seguin thing with Jim Lites all those years ago, there’s no reason they can’t sort out this, too. (General manager) Jim Nill is still there. He’s a calm guy. He’s competitive. He burns to win, but he handled that one, he can handle this one, I think.”

Friedman doesn’t believe DeBoer will be fired either, but the Stars “will see how next year goes” before considering a contract extension.

As the Boston Bruins continue their search for a new bench boss, one name is out of the running: interim head coach Joe Sacco.

Friedman said he heard Sacco was told he isn’t staying as the team has interviewed other candidates.

“There’s been a lot of talk about (Ontario Reign AHL head coach) Marco Sturm, and I heard he did really well in his interview last week,” Friedman said. “They also had (Washington Capitals assistant) Mitch Love in there last week, I believe they had (former Oilers head coach) Jay Woodcroft, and they also interviewed (Bruins assistant) Jay Leach.”

A new name Friedman added to the mix is Stars assistant coach Misha Donskov, who is now free to chat with Dallas out of the playoffs.

“If they want to talk to him in person, he’s available now, but we’ll see,” Friedman said. “They had a big week last week in Boston with all those candidates there and, like I said, I was told Sacco would not be returning as head coach.”

Where could Sacco wind up? Friedman wondered if Sacco could join the Toronto Maple Leafs’ bench after associate coach Lane Lambert left to become the head coach of the Seattle Kraken.

Sacco, who played 13 seasons in the NHL, was drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1987 and played alongside head coach Craig Berube briefly during his time in Toronto.

Pittsburgh Penguins executive Kyle Dubas also is on the lookout for a new head coach, but Friedman is having doubts if Love remains the front-runner for the job.

“I’ve always been told to trust my instincts when I say something, stick with it until I have reason to believe it’s not going to be the case. Don’t doubt yourself,” Friedman said. “I just heard that it’s not assured Love is going to be the guy in Pittsburgh.”

Former Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith, Woodcroft and New York Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse had interviews, according to Friedman, with others potentially in contention as well.

“These could be famous last words, I don’t know how much of a hurry Dubas is in. … Things change pretty quickly,” Friedman said. “I’ll just say I’m not as sure Love is the leader as I was earlier in this process.”

Latest on CHL-NCAA transfers

Now that the London Knights have captured the Memorial Cup, business is expected to pick up on the junior hockey front with regards to players transferring to the NCAA.

Victoria Royals centre Cole Reschny and defenceman Keaton Verhoeff have already verbally committed to North Dakota, and Erie Otters forward Malcolm Spence is heading to Michigan.

Medicine Hat Tigers star (and potential 2026 No. 1 pick) Gavin McKenna has had his name appear in rumours, while teammate Cayden Lindstrom has been linked to Michigan State.

“If you’re an NCAA hockey fan, with the transfer portal, you’ve seen the chaos for a few years now,” Friedman said. “It’s bananas the player movement and now, for the first time, we’re really seeing it with the CHL and the NCAA. Nobody really knows where we’re going here yet. They have an idea, we’re starting to see more players but nobody really knows long-term what this is all going to mean.”

Friedman expects it’ll be a case-by-case basis for each player and not a “one size fits all” solution.

“Not every NCAA school is the same. Some of these NCAA schools are powerhouses, some others are smaller budgets,” he said. “It’s just like the CHL. Who won the Memorial Cup this year? London, the biggest of the big. Well, not everybody is a London. There are smaller markets and smaller teams that won’t be able to do some of the things that London can do.

“It’s a case-by-case and a team-by-team basis. Someone’s going to walk into North Dakota or Michigan and be blown away. Others are going to walk into other schools and they’re going to say it’s no different than what I’ve got here.”

Friedman noted that players still have the option until Jan. 10 to return to the CHL and wondered if any players would jump back if they find it’s not working out for them.

One thing Friedman is sure about is that it’ll force CHL teams to be better.

“What a CHL team has got to be asking now is: Are we doing everything in our power, whether we are a big team or a small team in terms of budgets, are we doing everything in our power to make players want to stay with us?” Friedman said. “And the answer to that question better be yes. It should force you to be better.”