Camps haven't even opened and we have one coaching change, and one lame duck. With the surprise resignation of Patrick Roy one name gets taken off this year's list, and Ken Hitchcock announcing this as his final year in the NHL makes any speculation about his tenure a moot point as well.
So here's my best shot at the hottest seats in the league going into the season.
Willie Desjardins, Vancouver Canucks He's got a lousy team run by a guy who is the consensus pick for worst GM in the league. It stands to reason that ol' Willie will be a sacrificial lamb sooner or later, and among the people on this list, he may be the most welcoming of the pink slip.
Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers His team isn't lousy, but due to cap constraints he'll be forced to put some very green players in key roles. It could work out brilliantly, but I feel like this team is one Lundqvist or Nash injury away from disaster. Rumors are abounding NY isn't happy at all with their blueline corps and are looking hard for an upgrade...will it come in time to save Vigneault's job?
Jack Capuano, New York Islanders Expectations have been rising at a steady pace, and one could argue the Isles took a step back this offseason. Apart from a new diving knife and more comfortable lifts in his shoes, a Cap firing is definitely at the top of Chris18's wish list.
Okay, those are the three hottest seats. Now for a couple that are probably lukewarm.
Claude Julien, Boston Bruins Personally I'd be shocked if it happened, as I'm just not sure what expectations are in Boston at this point. Also, he has the dreaded label of "longest tenured coach in the NHL" so he has to be on the list by default.
Guy Boucher, Ottawa Senators He's brand new but since Lou left the Devils, it appears the job of Sens Bench Boss offers about the least amount of job security in the NHL, so he's also here by default.
Michel Therrien, Montreal Canadiens Management gave as big a vote of confidence to him that one could expect with the trade of P.K. Subban, so if this actually happens I can't even imagine the fallout in Montreal, and that's why I think it won't, barring a complete and utter collapse by the Habs.
Dave Hakstol, Philadelphia Flyers Again, I'd be a bit surprised since the Flyers are still kinda/sorta rebuilding and the fact they still don't have a real goalie, but I can't rule out the possibility of Hextall axing Hakstol (say that three times fast).
Apart from those names I think everyone's either relatively safe or so new that they'll likely at least last until the next coaching watch.
Lastly, I always take a look at the "GM Watch" and this year there's definitely a guy who's in big, big trouble.
Jarmo Kekäläinen, Columbus Blue Jackets Oh, Jarmo...the first-ever European NHL GM has had a very troubled run in Columbus, and is now faced with the worst of situations--a capped-out roster that looks mediocre at best. To be fair, he inherited a mess made by his two predecessors, but he didn't make things much better by throwing too much money at too many players way too soon. He can save his job if the team somehow performs above expectations and/or he somehow manages to pull off the miracle of dumping some of the cap-annihilating contracts currently on the books, but if he doesn't and the team is looking at yet another lottery pick, I'm guessing John Davidson will be looking for another guy to take the reins (unless he's fired too and then you'll know Columbus has entered Edmonton territory). The thing that sucks is that it'll likely be a long while before another NHL team tries again with a GM who's not from North America.
So...anyway, take your guesses. I'm not even gonna bother with a poll this time.
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