Generally, a team likes their coach to at least be a part of the offseason decision making. Of course, when there is no coach in place that makes it a bit difficult, so teams generally prefer to find their new coach as soon as possible after the season ends.
Of course, that also includes finding the right coach as well.
Columbus GM Scott Howson would much rather take his time and find the right coach, than rush into filling the vacancy and find himself going through the same thing again next season. From the AP:
“If it takes well into June, then that’s what it takes,” Howson said while on a scouting trip to Toronto on Wednesday. “We’re prepared to make sure that we’ve looked at all opportunities before we make a decision.”
Claude Noel, promoted to interim coach after Ken Hitchcock was fired in the middle of the season, is a candidate for the full time job with a three other coaches who have spent most of their time in the AHL.
Generally, a coach doesn’t have much input in the drafting process as most of the work has been done by the scouting department, so there’s not a pressing need to have a coach hired anytime soon. Still, it’s a good idea to have a coach present with the team at the draft, so I’d expect a decision to be made at least by mid-June.