Marc Crawford

Former NHL coach Marc Crawford wants to return to the league after four years in Switzerland.

(AP file photo)

DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings expect to move fairly quickly in hiring an assistant coach, making a decision in the next couple of weeks, if not sooner, general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday.

"(Coach) Jeff Blashill and I have gone over a bunch of names. We've interviewed a couple of people," Holland said. "Jeff Blashill also has talked to a number of other people. Does it lead to an interview process? That's to be determined."

The Red Wings are replacing Tony Granato, who after two seasons with the organization took the head coaching job at Wisconsin, his alma mater.

Holland said they will hire an assistant with extensive NHL experience.

"We lost a guy with a lot of experience in Tony Granato," Holland said. "We want to replace him with someone with a lot of experience."

Granato was responsible for the defense and the penalty killing. Blashill indicated after the season they'll keep their options open regarding shuffling duties on the staff. Pat Ferschweiler ran the power play, which struggled for much of the season and in the playoffs.

Holland said there are no internal candidates. Chris Chelios, a part-time assistant coach, said late in the season that he is not interested in a full-time position due to family commitments.

Some of the candidates the Red Wings are considering are in the mix for a head coaching job. Anaheim, Calgary, Minnesota and Ottawa have vacancies.

Holland declined to reveal any candidates. Here are some possibilities:

Marc Crawford: The veteran coach wants to return to the NHL following four years as head coach of Zurich in the Swiss League, winning the championship in 2014. He reportedly has interviewed for the Senators head coaching job. He won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and has a career record of 549-421-100-77 (W-L-T-OTL) in 15 seasons with the Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars. He has stated he is willing to serve as an assistant if he doesn't get a head coaching job.

Todd Richards: He is the winningest coach in Columbus Blue Jackets history, going 127-112-21 over parts of four seasons before being replaced by John Tortorella on Oct. 21 following an 0-7 start to the 2015-16 season. He is the only Blue Jackets coach to win a playoff game. He also coached the Wild for two seasons and has a career record of 204-176-37.

Guy Boucher: He coached SC Bern of the Swiss League for two-plus seasons before being fired on Nov. 18 when indicated his desire to return to the NHL. He was Steve Yzerman's first head coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, going 97-78-20 in two-plus seasons, including a run to the Eastern Conference finals his first year, losing to Boston in seven games. He also reportedly interviewed for the head coaching job in Ottawa.

Mike Yeo: He posted a record of 173-132-44 in four-plus seasons as head coach of the Wild, before being fired on Feb. 13, following a 1-11-2 stretch. His team made the playoffs three times, losing each time to the Chicago Blackhawks, twice in the second round. He was an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins the previous four seasons, including the two years they faced the Red Wings in the Cup finals (2008 and 2009). Yeo also reportedly interviewed for the Ottawa job.

Doug Houda: He spent the past 10 seasons as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins. He was fired on April 14. A second-round pick by the Red Wings in 1984, this journeyman defenseman played in 172 games over parts of six seasons in Detroit.

Paul MacLean: He spent six seasons as an assistant under Mike Babcock in Detroit before getting hired as the head coach in Ottawa, where he went 114-90-35 in three-plus seasons and won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach in 2013. He's been linked to the Minnesota and Calgary jobs. He spent this past season as an assistant in Anaheim, under Bruce Boudreau, who was fired after the first-round playoff loss to Nashville.

Trent Yawney: He's coached for eight years in the NHL -- parts of two seasons as the head coach in Chicago and stints as an assistant with the Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks and Ducks, where he spent the past two seasons.

John Torchetti: The interim head coach in Minneaota after Yeo was fired, he's still being considered for the permanent job. The Wild went 15-11-1 under Torchetti to reach the playoffs, where they lost to Dallas. Torchetti has extensive coaching experience in various leagues, including NHL stints in Tampa Bay, Florida, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago.

-- Follow MLive Sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

-- Download the Detroit Red Wings on MLive app for iPhone and Android

-- Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage on Twitter