One of the most unique aspects about this year’s coaching changes is where the moves took place. The Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues all made changes in an effort to get their seasons on track and reach the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils opted not to make moves despite sitting at the bottom of the standings. While the latter group of franchises opted not to fire their coaches in-season, there is no guarantee they will not make moves once their seasons officially come to an end. Here is a look at the NHL coaches that will get fired at season’s end.
Jared Bednar, Colorado Avalanche
We have seen plenty of franchises accept a team plummeting down the standings as they rebuild with an eye on locking up a top pick. However, Colorado is on another level when it comes to how disastrous this season has been for them. The Avalanche was expected to contend for the playoffs this year. Instead, they have posted a brutal 22-54-3 record that has left them with 47 points – 21 less than the closest team to them in the standings.
Colorado’s futility this season is unprecedented. When you consider the talent they have had on the club this season it’s almost baffling. Nathan Mackinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene, Mikko Rantenen, Tyson Barrie and Semyon Varlamov were considered a decent core group. Yet the Avalanche rank dead last in goals per game, goals allowed per game, powerplay percentage and 29th in penalty kill percentage. They might even be one or two years late to the party in terms of landing the first-overall pick without a Connor McDavid or an Auston Matthews available. Colorado is in a miserable spot right now. Bednar should get the boot at season’s end.
Dave Hakstol, Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers managed to stay in the playoff hunt for longer than Colorado. However, considering the moves he made throughout the year there is a strong case for Philadelphia to move on from Hakstol. This is the same coach that scratched Shayne Gostisbehere for Andrew MacDonald. It’s the same coach that scratched rookie Travis Konecny for Dale Weise. Hakstol was a surprise hire when GM Ron Hextall brought him in from the University of North Dakota in 2015 and it clearly hasn’t worked out. The Flyers could certainly use some more experience behind the bench so don’t be surprised if they move on from Hakstol after this season.
Paul Maurice, Winnipeg Jets
There have been numerous reports that Winnipeg plans to re-sign Maurice to an extension. That would be a big mistake. Considering the overall talent at his disposal, it’s incredible that Maurice hasn’t led the Jets back to the playoffs. Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Nik Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba make up an extremely talented core group. Winnipeg’s goaltending has been a disaster, but part of that problem has been the play in front of them. The Jets rank seventh in NHL scoring but just 27th in goals allowed. Meanwhile, they rank in the bottom-third of the league in both powerplay and penalty kill percentage. Winnipeg certainly has enough quality players to be a playoff contender. Perhaps a change behind the bench will help them take that next step next season.
Lindy Ruff, Dallas Stars
Speaking of a club with a ton of talent that failed to live up to expectations this season, the Stars are certainly in that category. Dallas finished with the best record in the Western Conference a year ago when they went 50-23-9 for 109 points. Fast forward to this year and they have long been eliminated from the postseason at 33-36-11 for 77 points. Injuries and poor goaltending have been part of the problem. However, even a year ago, when this team was peaking, they failed to make a Stanley Cup run. The Stars have missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. After another disappointing year, it’s time for Dallas to move on from Ruff.
Willie Desjardins, Vancouver Canucks
Canucks president Trevor Linden has already said that the franchise’s leadership group will “look at our options at the end of the season”. Vancouver is 30-40-9 and even more importantly they have struggled to show more than flashes of their potential. The Canucks rank 29th in the NHL in goals per game and 24th in goals allowed per game. Their special teams units rank near the bottom of the league in powerplay percentage and penalty kill percentage. Desjardins wasn’t dealt the best hand with Vancouver stuck between a rebuild and contending for the postseason. After all, Desjardins led the Canucks to a 48-39-5 record in his first year with the team even despite its flaws. Vancouver might be wise to keep Desjardins on board for at least one more year. However, after a disappointing season it won’t be a surprise when Desjardins is fired at season’s end.
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