In the cutthroat world of the NHL, a coach's job security can feel as fragile as a pane of glass after a slapshot. It's a harsh reality: winning is everything, and when a team underperforms, the head coach is often the first to face the music. We're barely a month into the season, but already, general managers and owners are casting a wary eye at their coaching staff, wondering if a change behind the bench might be the magic bullet to turn their team's fortunes around.
Last year, a staggering eight NHL head coaches were shown the door mid-season. That's a quarter of the entire league! Think about that for a moment. The first domino to fall was Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins on November 19th. That means we're only a couple of weeks away from the start of what some might jokingly call "bench-boss hunting season." So, the burning question is: which coaches are teetering on the edge this year? A quick glance at the bottom of the standings will give you some clues, but the NHL, as always, has a knack for throwing curveballs. And this is the part most people miss: it's not always about the losing record. Sometimes, it's about the way you're losing, or the lack of progress shown by key players.
On a recent episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk, alongside former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton and The Sheet's Jeff Marek, delved into the precarious positions of several NHL coaches.
Carter Hutton kicked things off by asking Jeff Marek, "As I look across the NHL, Jeff, what coaches outside of Andrew Brunette are on the hot seat? You’ve got to think about (John) Hynes in Minnesota. In Buffalo, Lindy Ruff. What’s your take on who else could be another coach on the move?"
Jeff Marek responded with some insightful observations: "You know, I could see both of those. I mean, any team that’s sort of fallen out of it early here. It’s funny, too, there were some people that I talked to that were actually wondering, which may sound weird and now they’ve circled back out of this swerve, but there were conversations that I had with people that were wondering if this is the year that’s it’s finally over for Jon Cooper in Tampa when they had their early struggles. He’s been a head coach longer than anybody else in the league. Coaches have shelf lives. But right now in the Eastern Conference everybody is essentially the same team, so it’s difficult to figure out who’s actually good and who’s actually bad."
Marek then zeroed in on specific situations, adding, "I think that Buffalo is always in a state of questioning. Listen, even today, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen coming off a great performance on Saturday, Buffalo is going back to Alex Lyon again today. So, is that a message being sent? It looks like it, but I don’t know. To your point about Lindy Ruff, he’s on the expiring contract. You do wonder about him there. But target number one, if we’re going to put targets on people, has gotta be Nashville. That’s the one team that now in a second go-for-it year in a row is really underperforming."
But here's where it gets controversial... Marek subtly suggests that even a coach with a long and successful tenure, like Jon Cooper, isn't immune to scrutiny if the team struggles. Some might argue that Cooper has earned the benefit of the doubt due to his past achievements, while others might say that sentimentality has no place in a results-driven league.
Now, let's turn the question to you. Do you agree with Marek's assessment of the coaches on the hot seat? Are there any other coaches you think should be feeling the pressure? And what level of patience should teams exhibit with struggling coaches, especially those with proven track records? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below! What do you think of bench-boss hunting season? Is it a necessary evil in professional sports, or is there a better way to approach coaching changes?
