James Guillory-Imagn images
No matter the month, there are always at least a few NHL coaches in the right seat.
And this season is no different in that regard. Which current NHL bench boss is most at risk of being fired? Let’s take a look at the coaches currently facing the hottest seat. In order of hottest seat:
1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
As the Penguins continue to languish at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings, the pressure continues to mount on Sullivan. Pittsburgh’s defense is terrible – they currently have the second-worst goal percentage in the league (3.83) – and their offense ranks 21st in the NHL at 2.72 goals per game. At some point, Sullivan has to take full responsibility for the Pens’ overall struggles, and that time could be approaching quickly.
Sullivan’s job doesn’t get any easier. Not when GM Kyle Dubas started the inevitable fire sale by trading Lars Eller earlier this week. Reports indicate that anyone not named Sidney Crosby could be available. That includes Sullivan, who is in his tenth year on the job since being hired midway through 2015-16 and could use a fresh start.
If so, expect it to be snapped up quickly once it hits the open market.
Related: Are More Trades Coming for the Pittsburgh Penguins?
2. Derek Lalonde, Detroit Red Wings
Lalonde has been in charge of the Red Wings for almost two and a half seasons, and Detroit doesn’t have a single playoff game to show for it. While they may have been transitioning from a rebuild, the way they added veterans put the team in “compete now” mode.
This season, the Wings are off to a mediocre start – they are currently seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 7-7-1 record. In a market that became accustomed to success in its glory years, a team performance of .500 won’t be enough for Lalonde to keep his job.
With Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman feeling increasing pressure, changing coaches would be the simplest solution. Detroit’s offense was subpar. The Red Wings’ offense is currently the fourth-worst in the NHL (2.47 goals per game), and while their defense has been better, their penalty kill is the third-worst (66.7 percent success rate). That lack of success in such an important metric for special teams speaks to Lalonde’s inability to provide sufficient structure for his charges.
While Yzerman carries a lot of the blame, it could be Lalonde who pays for the team’s struggles.
Related: NHL Power Rankings: One youngster who can take any team to the next level
3. Andrew Brunette, Nashville Predators
Brunette has the least tenure of any coach on this list, but the way the Predators have looked this season, the coach needs to feel some major heat to turn things around.
After all, look who Nashville landed last summer. From Steven Stamkos to Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, the Preds went all-in. And yet you wouldn’t know it based on where they are in the standings.
Brunette has long been considered a can’t-miss coach at the highest level of hockey, and now he’s had a year and a half to get the Predators to where their lineup suggests they should be.
The changes in Nashville must start with their offense – they currently rank third-worst team in terms of goals scored, averaging just 2.47 per game – but their defense ranks seventh at 3.29 in the NHL. goals conceded per match.
All things considered, something notable would have to happen to change the Preds’ current trajectory, and Brunette wouldn’t be the first bench boss to have his time on the job cut short much sooner than he expected. Just ask former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft. Nothing short of a significant turnaround will solidify Brunette’s grip on the Predators’ job.
4. Jim Montgomery, Boston Bruins
He is just two years removed from winning the NHL’s Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach, but Montgomery has faced calls for his job since the Bruins stumbled to a brutal 4-6-1 record this season. They are now 8-8-1, which is still a .500 point percentage that isn’t good enough.
Some of that can be attributed to Boston’s new players adjusting to a different team and a different system, but the Bruins currently have the sixth-worst offense (2.50 goals per game), and their defense is the seventh worst in the league. 3.39 goals conceded per match). That’s a comprehensive failure, and Montgomery has had no adequate solutions to end his team’s misery – despite benching David Pastrnak and stripping captain Brad Marchand.
Related: While Bruins’ Marchand defends coach over argument, not every argument causes bad blood
Montgomery must find a way to get Boston to win more than two games in a row this year – something it hasn’t done in 18 games – and because the Bruins are built to win now, General Manager Don Sweeney will be pressured to change the chemistry. . The easiest way to do that is to move on from Montgomery and bring in an experienced hand like Joel Quenneville or Gerard Gallant, hoping to give Boston’s players more confidence than they have shown thus far.
Firing Montgomery would be a cold move, but this is a zero-sum industry, and Montgomery simply hasn’t made enough profits to keep his job 100 percent safe.
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