It may be early in the NHL season, but some coaches are starting to feel the pressure. Slow starts, mismanagement of players and bad memories of last season are all contributing factors to why these coaches are feeling the heat this early in the season. In the NHL – more than any other sport – there are big gains to be had for switching coaches. So many teams do it midseason and see a huge spark. If the following coaches continue to underperform, some of them may not last the entire season. Here are the NHL coaches on the hot seat early in the NHL season.
Claude Julien – Montreal Canadiens
One of the many well-known facts about the Montreal Canadiens is their willingness to fire a head coach mid-season. In fact, Claude Julien has firsthand experience with the subject matter, having been fired by the Montreal Canadiens in the middle of the 2005-06 NHL season. Julien has not gotten the Canadiens off to a good start this season. The Canadiens are averaging the fewest goals per game and are tied for last in the Eastern Conference. If he cannot right the ship in the next month or so, Julien is a good bet to be the first coach fired this season.
The Canadiens are currently in dead last in the Eastern Conference with just one win and three points. That’s about as ugly as a start as anyone could have envisioned for this team.
Alain Vigneault – New York Rangers
It has been a good run for Alain Vigneault in New York. As coach of the New York Rangers, the team has made the playoffs every season and even made a Stanley Cup appearance back in 2014. The Rangers are in strange place this season. Their best player, Henrik Lundqvist, is nearing the end of his career and the rest of the roster does not seem talented enough to make the Rangers a Stanley Cup contender. The slow start, going 1-5-1 over their first seven games, backs up the fact, that this roster with a struggling Lundqvist is not that good. If Vigneault cannot figure out how to get more out of his players and the Rangers remain in the basement of the Metropolitan Division, he may see his time in New York come to an abrupt end.
The Rangers have just one more point than the Canadiens as they’re sitting on four with one win in eight games.
Bruce Boudreau – Minnesota Wild
The slow to start Wild’s season is not doing Bruce Boudreau any favors or helping fans forget about the end of last season. Last season the Wild collapsed down the stretch, limping into the playoffs and swiftly losing to the St. Louis Blues 4-1 in the first round. Boudreau is one of the best regular season coaches of all-time, but he is just 42-43 all-time in the playoffs. Since the Wild have played the fewest games of any team, it may be too soon to judge Boudreau, but a 1-1-2, after a 9-11-2 stretch to end last season may make management consider making a coaching change sooner than later.
Peter DeBoer – San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are nearing an end of an era. With the departure of Patrick Marleau and the age of Joe Thornton, this San Jose Sharks team is nearing the “If we are out of it come February, let’s start the rebuild” phase. That means if Peter DeBoer cannot get his team to perform better, he may find himself looking for a new job.
Todd McLellan – Edmonton Oilers
Although Todd McLellan is highly unlikely to get fired, McLellan and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers are on the hot seat due to their mediocre start to the season. Last season, McLellan helped the Oilers finish the season as the third highest scoring team in the West. This year, the Oilers are last in their conference for goals scored. The Oilers enter Thursday, nine points between first place in their division, a division many predicted they would win. It is still early, but with Stanley Cup or bust aspirations, McLellan better get his team going soon.
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