All 31 NHL head coaches will feel a sense of pressure heading in to a new hockey season. There is a sense of optimism surrounding every franchise with expectations varying across the board based on talent, experience and where they finished last season. Some coaches are feeling more pressure than others heading in to this year and will likely need their teams to improve on what they accomplished last season if they are going to keep their jobs. Here is a look at four head coaches on the hot seat heading in to the 2017-18 NHL season.
Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning took a major step back under head coach Jon Cooper last season as injuries and inconsistent performances kept them from reaching the playoffs. The expectation is that Tampa Bay will bounce back and contend for a Stanley Cup this season with a healthy roster that is absolutely loaded from top to bottom. The return of Steven Stamkos should help while Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Ryan Callahan all need to prove they can stay healthy for the entire season. A healthy roster combined with the additions of Dan Girardi and Mikhail Sergachev should be enough to vault this team back in to Stanley Cup contention. Anything less could result in Cooper losing his job.
Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks
Could Joel Quenneville possibly be on the hot seat? It does appear that way as the Blackhawks are coming off a relatively disappointing season. While Quenneville has been there a long time and has proven himself over and over, the reality is that sometimes, a team can tune a coach out after a while. Some people are wondering if that was the case with the Blackhawks last postseason.
Chicago led the Western Conference with 109 points last season. That didn’t mean anything at all when the Blackhawks were swept by the Nashville Predators in the opening round of the playoffs. A lack of salary cap space will once again force Chicago to rely heavily on its core foundation of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford. The Blackhawks will also lean on young talents like Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz to take another step forward and contribute at a high level. Chicago has the talent to contend for a Stanley Cup this season. Anything less than a deep playoff run could result in Quenneville losing his job.
Jared Bednar, Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are coming off a historically bad season in Bednar’s first year as head coach. The fact that he still has a job after last year’s debacle surprised a number of hockey experts, but a combination of a late start and a lack of NHL talent might have been enough to save his job for at least a few more months. Colorado absolutely must improve after they recorded only 22 wins and 48 points last season. The Avalanche might not have the talent to be a playoff team but there is a good chance Bednar will be fired if they struggle mightily out of the gate for the second year in a row.
Jeff Blashill, Detroit Red Wings
Blashill enters his third NHL season with heightened expectations after last year’s disappointment. Detroit fell far short of expectations last year but the general belief is that there is enough talent on the roster to bounce back and compete for a playoff spot this season. It’s fairly rare for the Red Wings to miss the playoffs.
The Red Wings barely made the playoffs in Blashill’s first season behind the bench two years ago and if he wants to keep his job, they will likely need to get back in to the postseason this year. With a talented crop of young players including Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Petr Mrazek as well as veterans Henrik Zetterberg and Mike Green, the expectation is that Blashill will lead the Red Wings back to the postseason in 2017-18. Anything short of a return to the playoffs could result in his dismissal. A good start would go a long way for his job security.
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