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Who is the first coach fired this season?
Mike Sullivan 50%  50%  [ 3 ]
John Tortorella 33%  33%  [ 2 ]
Geoff Ward 17%  17%  [ 1 ]
John Hynes 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Paul Maurice 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Bob Boughner 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Other 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 6
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:04 pm 
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I'm just gonna do this real quick.

Safe for now
Jon Cooper (TB) - Reigning Stanley Cup winner. This might be the first time the longest-tenured NHL head coach won't be on the hot seat list.
Lindy Ruff (NJ) - New coach.
Rick Bowness (DAL) - Had an unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final in the Bubble.
D.J. Smith (OTT) - Still rebuilding, but you never know with Mr. Melnyk in charge.
Jeremy Colliton (CHI) - Just got an extension and the team finally admitted they needed a rebuild.

We have a unique situation for a few reasons. One, this is a truncated season during a time of financial crisis. At least one club (Chicago) has essentially written this entire year off. And because of that, there are rumblings that NHL teams are looking to lower the salary curve that had so abruptly risen thanks to guys like Mike Babcock. Two, there are at least a couple interim coaches who were simply retained (Ward in Calgary, Evason in Minnesota) at the same time there are some really viable candidates on the outside looking in. Bruce Boudreau and Gerard Gallant are chief among those candidates. Will a team be more inclined to make a move because of their availability, or will financial constraints prompt a team to stick with the guy they got?

Lastly, this is a completely reconfigured league. Completely new divisions and teams will be playing almost exclusively within those parameters. No one really expects this alignment to last beyond this truncated season, but how much will success or failure weigh on a bench boss's

THE HOTTEST SEAT
Mike Sullivan (PIT) - Nothing says "This is your last chance" more than the team firing all your assistants. Sullivan has had the luxury of back-to-back Cup wins to cushion him. I feel like that cushion is gone now. Rutherford has shown he's not afraid to take a bold move when he feels it's in the best interests of the Penguins.

HOT SEATS
John Tortorella (CBJ) - His abrasive nature wins him no friends in the media, and sometimes leads him to clash with players. With rumblinges that Pierre-Luc Dubois wants out, is it possible the Jackets make a move sooner rather than later to try and keep their star center happy?

Geoff Ward (CGY) - I really don't know what the expectations are in Calgary, but they're not in a rebuild, and spent big money to bring in what they hope is a franchise goaltender. I know they said they ripped the interim tag off of Ward, but I'm not completely convinced that they actually did.

John Hynes (NSH) - It was a curious hire to begin with, and like Calgary, I don't know what the actual expectations are here. Certainly missing the playoffs are unacceptable, but I don't think the Predators are championship material anymore. The one thing that may save Hynes is that his boss may be in even more trouble (see below).

Paul Maurice (WPG) - He's been on the job for six years now, and he will be more reliant on his Vezina-winning goalie than ever. That defense is a disaster and the forwards, talented as they are, lack the true elite gamebreaker who might make up for that.

Bob Boughner (SJ) - The Sharks beached themselves last season, and I'm not certain they're any better this year. Unless the puzzling move to trade for Devan Dubnyk actually pays off, the Sharks don't really look like the powerhouse they once were. Like Hynes in Nashville, Boughner's one saving grace might be that his boss is on his last legs.

GM HOT SEAT
David Poile (NSH) - I once ranked him number one among all general managers in the league. The Preds have been on a steady decline since their trip to the Cup Final and it really does look like their championship contention window has been abruptly slammed shut, and a lot of Poile's moves of late have only hastened that decline. I placed John Hynes on the "hot seat" list but I'm not certain Poile will be the one who ends up firing him.

Doug Wilson (SJ) - He's spent a lot of money on a lot of aging players. The Sharks look old and increasingly slow, and the goaltending might still be a gigantic issue. It doesn't help that Evander Kane has made for more bad press for the organization with his bankruptcy filing and may not even play this year.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:51 pm 
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Agreed with everything except DJ. For some reason I can see Gene getting tired of him quickly and firing him for no good reason.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:55 pm 
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Travis Green is a sitting duck for what it's worth. Strange times.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:58 pm 
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Logical Progression wrote:
Travis Green is a sitting duck for what it's worth. Strange times.


The Colgate Toothpaste North Division is going to be a widowmaker for sure, or at least a coach killer. Six of the teams are pretty close talent-wise.

I mean, if the Leafs or Jets are sitting in 5th two months in, are their coaches safe? I'd say no.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:39 pm 
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E.L. wrote:
Logical Progression wrote:
Travis Green is a sitting duck for what it's worth. Strange times.
The Colgate Toothpaste North Division is going to be a widowmaker for sure, or at least a coach killer. Six of the teams are pretty close talent-wise.

I mean, if the Leafs or Jets are sitting in 5th two months in, are their coaches safe? I'd say no.
Definitely. I'd say Maurice is in a very precarious position at the moment. But he could be slightly better off than Green who, entering the final year of his deal has not been extended by ownership, which is mildly disturbing seeing as he has done everything asked of him in the first three years of his tenure. After spending like drunken sailors in FA the last infinity number of years, they've become the cash crunch Aquilini's. Word on the street is that they are trying to sell the club. Good luck with that :roll:


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:10 pm 
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Keefe, Green, Ward, Maurice, Tippett, DJ all a losing streak away from getting turfed. Not sure about Claude Julien, but if the Habs suck, even Bergevin's job is on the line. The GM could go before the coach.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 10:47 am 
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E.L. wrote:
Keefe, Green, Ward, Maurice, Tippett, DJ all a losing streak away from getting turfed. Not sure about Claude Julien, but if the Habs suck, even Bergevin's job is on the line. The GM could go before the coach.


It seems like years ago, but Keefe only took over midway through last season. I think he gets at least this season.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:29 pm 
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I'm saying Sullivan because I really hope the Pens suck donkey.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:34 pm 
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Chris18 wrote:
I'm saying Sullivan because I really hope the Pens suck donkey.


Rutherford did him no favours: Jared McCann is their 3C, unless Freddy Krueger is the 3C of their dreams...

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:32 pm 
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E.L. wrote:
Chris18 wrote:
I'm saying Sullivan because I really hope the Pens suck donkey.


Rutherford did him no favours: Jared McCann is their 3C, unless Freddy Krueger is the 3C of their dreams...


Yeah. But I just realized if Sullivan gets canned early, they may have time to right the ship. So maybe I want to linger like a bad fart.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 6:58 pm 
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I mean...isn't McCann supposed to be good?

Forgot to throw Rick Tocchet into the mix. Thus far, results have been largely bad, though I don't think that's necessarily his fault. The GM who hired him is gone, and the owner who pushed to get him is also gone, so I'm guessing unless the Yotes go on an inexplicably good run, he's done after this season.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:50 pm 
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Sullivan may not make it to the end of tonight's game.

I had forgotten they traded for the defensively-challenged Mike Matheson, and he sure is living up to his name...


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 10:19 am 
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I am actually surprised Bednar isn't on this list. Cup favs in Vegas and by the pundits equal high expectations coupled with the ticking tock of Mackinnon ....how long is his leash?

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:47 pm 
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harmfuljays wrote:
I am actually surprised Bednar isn't on this list. Cup favs in Vegas and by the pundits equal high expectations coupled with the ticking tock of Mackinnon ....how long is his leash?


I considered adding him, but I think his seat is merely warm at this point. There are others in far bigger trouble than him.

If the Avs stumble badly, yes, he's in huge trouble. But having the worst NHL coaching debut season in modern history didn't cost him his job, so I think he has some leeway, especially since the team has been literally ONE GOAL away from being in the Conference Final two years in a row. They've improved every year since that rough first year, and this is really only the first season where expectations are sky high.

BTW, Bednar is not that far away from being the longest-tenured Avalanche coach in the franchise's 25-year history.


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:52 am 
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So...no coaching changes yet. We’re seeing some teams getting in real trouble though and if I had to pick a guy who’s going to be pink-slipped first, I think it’s Ralph Krueger. The Sabres are a completely and totally derelict franchise. That said...Krueger is signed for $4 million annually so if they can him that is one very hefty bill. And Pegula has already forced the Sabres to cut costs, one reason why Jason Botterill reportedly lost his job is because he refused to fire staffers.

One big factor I did not weigh nearly enough: COVID protocols. This is going to severely limit who you can bring in and when, and that alone might artificially extend some lame duck coaches.


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:45 am 
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Pokecheque wrote:
So...no coaching changes yet. We’re seeing some teams getting in real trouble though and if I had to pick a guy who’s going to be pink-slipped first, I think it’s Ralph Krueger. The Sabres are a completely and totally derelict franchise. That said...Krueger is signed for $4 million annually so if they can him that is one very hefty bill. And Pegula has already forced the Sabres to cut costs, one reason why Jason Botterill reportedly lost his job is because he refused to fire staffers.

One big factor I did not weigh nearly enough: COVID protocols. This is going to severely limit who you can bring in and when, and that alone might artificially extend some lame duck coaches.


Meh, they could allow an assistant coach to be interim HC for the quarantine period of an incoming new HC.

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 10:40 am 
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Aaaaaaaaaand it’s Julien. Wow. Did not see that coming.


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:35 am 
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Pokecheque wrote:
Aaaaaaaaaand it’s Julien. Wow. Did not see that coming.


Can three games sink a coach? I think they did here. They were awful Saturday against the Leafs, and Sunday/Tuesday against the Sens, and it was mostly coaching. Horrid special teams, lack of discipline, lots of sitting back, very little of the active passing and rushing we saw early in the season and perhaps worst of all, less trust in the rookies. CJ is a great coach but ultimately gets too set in his ways. Happened in Boston and happened here.

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:08 pm 
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Odd, yeah they had a cold streak but what was expectations if you fire the coach with the record what it is.


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:37 pm 
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Hounsy wrote:
Odd, yeah they had a cold streak but what was expectations if you fire the coach with the record what it is.


They're basically .500 and that's with their dominance against the Canucks. This is a team that had a good couple of weeks then tanked.

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