According to Arcinfo, Mario Richer is one of the candidates the Swiss League team is interested in. The 54-year-old Canadian has coached in the QMJHL, in Austria, in the EBEL and has been the head coach of Amiens in the Ligue Magnus for the past four seasons.
As for the rest of the coaching staff, it is still not clear whether Clint Thornton will keep his position. Goaltending coach Fabien Hecquet, on the other hand, is expected to stay. Loïc Burkhalter is also still busy finalizing his roster, but "some things are still pending. We no longer have one of the four largest budgets in our category, and that doesn't make certain negotiations any easier."
HCC has planned to reduce their budget by CHF 400,000 for the next season. Given the current situation, it might, however, even be more. "No one can guarantee that all the sponsorship contracts in force will be 100% respected and we are counting on a reduction at that level," future president of HCC Olivier Calame states. "It is also very difficult to approach new sponsors or renegotiate certain agreements."
