NHL Coaches On The Hot Seat, New Year's Edition
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December transitions into January, and a New Year full of hope or potential misery for some head coaches in the NHL takes shape.
Some coaches popped up on this list unexpectedly. This is because a few might not have a shelf life beyond this season. Anyway, here we go!
Gerard Gallant - New York Rangers
Wasn’t this coach on Jack Adams’ radar last year and early this year? Times have been tough with the weight of expectations in New York. James Dolan is about to get involved. That is never a good sign.
Dolan, the owner of Madison Square Garden, likes to tinker and mettle. His teams are better when he is less into the day-to-day operations. No one knows if Chris Drury (the GM) has as short of a leash, but evidently, Gallant does. It is something to watch for should New York stumble again.
Paul Maurice - Florida Panthers
Though Florida’s record cannot all be pinned on Paul Maurice, some of the blame has to be placed somewhere. That is the problem with a head coach. Fairly or unfairly, Maurice is getting the heat. The Panthers are 15-16-4 on the season and 3-7 in their last 10 games. Even after the fallout of the Huberdeau trade, some have to wonder what is going on.
Maurice still has some of the same personnel problems, and it does not help that Aleksander Barkov returns to the lineup after missing the past couple of weeks. The Florida coach will start feeling the seat get hot soon enough for a team that is expected to be 10-15 points higher in the standings.
Dallas Eakins - Anaheim Ducks
Dallas Eakins will coach into 2023 with the Anaheim Ducks, but it is anyone’s guess how long that may last. Kind of like what we see in Chicago, Anaheim management may buck popular opinion and let him serve out the season.
Anaheim and Chicago are battling for the worst record in the league. Other teams might hop into that, but it almost seems like Eakins gives his team a better chance to lose or “tank hard for Bedard.” One never knows, but the Ducks’ bench boss looks like he has his Snickers and is staying a while.
D.J. Smith - Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators’ media want Smith gone even more than the fans. That has become the sentiment as a season full of promise has instead turned to mediocrity. Ottawa is packed in with other average teams like Montreal and even Florida.
The Senators’ management is content with letting Smith coach into 2023. Ottawa ownership has said they are monitoring the situation more intently. That usually bodes ominously for coaches.
Still, stay tuned as fans and media alike believe Smith is gone after this season or sooner, no matter what.
Bruce Boudreau - Vancouver Canucks
Bruce Boudreau sees his seat cool. Vancouver is above .500 for the first time all season. Could he get off this list soon?
The excellent news for Boudreau and the Canucks is that a playoff spot in the West is more attainable than expected.
Brad Larsen - Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Brad Larsen are somehow still together. At some point, this becomes macabre. Now, Columbus has COVID cases. That’s right. Elvis Merzlikins and Patrik Laine tested positive for COVID and are out until next week at the earliest. Again, for Columbus fans and management, when is it enough?
Mercifully, Columbus did not have to play on Tuesday, thanks to the Christmas weekend blizzard in Buffalo. However, the Blue Jackets have lost six straight and have a chance of catching Chicago for the worst record in the NHL.
Remember when Johnny Gaudreau thought he was playing for a playoff team? Hey, maybe he can coach the team, too.
Craig Berube - St. Louis Blues
St. Louis still meanders at .500, and now Torey Krug is out for at least six weeks with a lower-body injury. What can Doug Armstrong do?
Again, a personnel move has to come before anything. Cap situations dictate a different tact. St. Louis gives up goals in bunches, which is not on the coach. Their defense is paper thin. Does Berube coach in 2023-24?
What is the holdup, Nashville?
The Nashville Predators are better than a .500 team. Nashville is wasting away an exceptional talent like Juuse Saros is a criminal offense in hockey circles. Arguably, the fact that David Poile still has a job may be the crazier notion here.
When the system fails, a team often needs to improve. This is what Nashville looks like currently. The Predators show a little positive and a little negative, but mostly the latter.
Now, Hynes is squarely planted on this list, and the question is, do he and Poile get the boot together?
That is all for now. Happy New Year!
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