When will we see the first coach fired this season?
It may be only November, but it’s not too early for the coaching carousel to start turning in the NHL. There are likely already a few head coaches with underperforming teams that are starting to feel their seat get hot underneath them. Last season, Jim Montgomery was fired by the Boston Bruins on November 19th, meaning we’re already at the point when mid-season coaching changes become a real possibility.
Which coach will be shown the door first this season? As always, there are a number of candidates. Any coach with a team near the bottom of the standings shouldn’t feel too safe, especially those that have already helmed multiple seasons that fell short of the playoffs.
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta to discuss when we’ll see our first fired coach of the season, and who that coach might be.
Carter Hutton: At what point do we see our first coaching change? What is the vibe you get? Obviously, Nashville is the team that kind of lights the board. There’s Buffalo. I think Huska in Calgary has a bit more of a leash. Jim Montgomery, they went out and got him in St. Louis, he got them to the playoffs. Who’s the first coach to drop here?
David Pagnotta: Lindy Ruff, I believe it’s the last year of his contract, so there’s more flexibility there. Andrew Brunette has another year on his deal, his contract expires after next season, and then there’s a team option, not an individual option. Huska just signed his extension. Montgomery, as you said, was just brought in with a nice contract as well. Some teams are being cognizant of that. These (contracts) are guaranteed, they still pay them. Do we make that change now? From Nashville’s perspective, do we make that change and then Barry Trotz comes in to take over and then you reevaluate in the offseason? For other teams you look at that as well.
I don’t get the sense that either Calgary or St. Louis are going to do anything in that regard. Minnesota as well. It’s really Nashville, because of the expectations that are there. But Nashville’s issues aren’t exclusive to what’s going on behind the bench. Their roster just isn’t where they thought it was going to be, or as deep as they thought it was going to be. I don’t get the sense there are any teams that are itching to make that type of move. It’s a difficult decision, first of all. There’s a lot that goes into it behind the scenes. If Nashville really starts to flounder here, you can’t trade everybody, and some of those moves are going to be difficult. You’ve got to show your team and your fan base that you’re at least doing something. That might be more of a reasoning or a casualty-of-war scenario than anything right now.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…