Who will be the first NHL coach fired this season?

Credit: Jan 9, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery looks on in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL season is young, but unrest has quickly set in among a handful of teams falling short of expectations. Last year, we saw our first coaching change in early November. Because a struggling team sometimes likes to give its dressing room a spark before it’s too late to turn the season around, we could see a firing soon.

Last season, we saw seven bench bosses dismissed during the season. Who will be the first coach fired in 2024-25?

MATT LARKIN: I sense the desperation seeping in for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mike Sullivan will forever be royalty in Steeltown, having led the Pens to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2015-16 and 2016-17. But this group hasn’t won a playoff series since 2017-18 and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2021-22. If we accept the premise that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang still want to contend this season, perhaps this team needs a jolt. It worked in 2008-09 when the Pens booted Michel Therrien for Dan Bylsma and again in 2015-16 when they subbed out Mike Johnston for Sullivan, yielding a Cup each time. I don’t blame Pittsburgh’s current struggles on Sullivan – it reflects the failure of the past two front offices, in my opinion – but it’s always the coach who falls on the sword first.

SCOTT MAXWELL: Wow Matt, you’re really low on the Penguins this year. For me, I think it will be Derek Lalonde with the Detroit Red Wings. It already felt like there was a bit of heat on his seat towards the end of last season when the Wings fell out of a playoff spot, and the fact that they’ve been inconsistent to start the season won’t be helping his case to stick around. And while this one isn’t entirely his fault, I also just don’t think the Wings are a well-constructed team this year, and when they inevitably struggle, someone will have to the fall guy for Steve Yzerman, and that will probably be Lalonde. On top of that, he’s made some questionable choices over the course of his tenure, particularly with how he’s thrown Moritz Seider to the wolves with his usage and potentially hampered the development of their top defenseman.

PAUL PIDUTTI: The NHL’s coaching carousel never stops. 13 head coaches oversaw their first training camp in September, and 18 out of 32 jobs have turned over in the last 17 months alone. My choice today is John Tortorella in Philadelphia — even though he’s done an admirable job with a rebuilding roster. Why? Torts has a few things working against him. He made the cardinal sin of job preservation in sports by overachieving last year, escalating expectations for a young team that isn’t talented or deep enough yet to take the next step. And while GM Daniel Briere was part of the front office that hired Tortorella, he inherited the head coach when he was named interim GM in March 2023. Despite what was deemed a successful season, Philly faded badly down the stretch, losing eight in a row to squash their playoff hopes. With his taskmaster approach and mercurial persona, the next controversy never feels too far away with Tortorella. With a 1-5-1 start — and being outscored by 14 goals — Philadelphia will need to find their footing sooner than later to keep the veteran coach behind the bench.

STEVEN ELLIS: A crazy concept, maybe – but how about Jim Montgomery? The Boston Bruins aren’t as deep as they once were, but they still look to be falling behind a little too early here. Mix in his recent altercation with Brad Marchand and what seems like real frustration on the ice and you have to wonder if changing it up could help spice things up for the franchise. We know Montgomery is a great coach – he won the Jack Adams two years ago – but the Bruins are looking to keep relevant at the top of the standings and perhaps a new voice behind the bench could help. He’s less likely than just about anyone else on this list, but you never know.

ANTHONY DI MARCO: I know it’s just his second season, but is it too early to think about Andrew Brunette being on the hot seat? The Nashville Predators have hitched their wagon to five or six players long term at big money, so there isn’t much GM Barry Trotz can do to shake up the nucleus of his roster. With a rebuild clearly not being in the cards, the Preds had their sights set on returning to being a perennial playoff team and potentially a Stanley Cup contender. If the Preds can’t right the ship as we approach the holidays, you have to wonder if Trotz will have any other option than to consider a coaching change.
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Who will be the first NHL coach fired this season?

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