OffThePost.org

Gonna make this quick. We all know who's topping this year's list. It couldn't be more obvious, even before last night's disastrous loss to the Flyers.

1. Lindy Ruff, New Jersey Devils - You may as well have started playing that video of the Ghanaian funeral marchers the moment it was announced Ruff was coming back to NJ AND they were bringing back Mackenzie Blackwood. Like, why bother? And the answer to support both Ruff and his embattled goalie? Vitek Vanecek!? Maybe they should look into firing Tom Fitzgerald too. What a mess.

2. D.J. Smith, Ottawa Senators - Smith skirted by with low expectations on a rebuilding squad, but after a very ambitious offseason, the franchise and fans want some real progress. That's going to be hard in that division and goalie-by-committee.

3. Todd McLellan, Los Angeles Kings - I've long been a skeptic of Rob Blake's rebuild in La-La Land. Too many monumental mistakes both at the draft and in free agency. This is a team that should have a new, young, and dynamic core in place by now to supplement their aging stars, and they're nowhere to be found. It was McLellan's penchant for slog-it-up hockey and the addition of the league's best defensive forward that made the Kings good enough (barely) to make last year's playoffs. And in a league that's getting faster and more dynamic, McLellan's Babcockian style of hockey may be on its way out...along with him.

(Dis)honorable mentions:
John Hynes, Nashville Predators
Brad Larsen, Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Eakins Anaheim Ducks (it's gotta happen sometime)

Going to try something new and predict Adams finalists:
1. Martin St. Louis, Montreal Canadiens
2. Don Granato, Buffalo Sabres
3. Dean Evason, Minnesota Wild

Wuh-oh, Sheldon Keefe already pulling the "Calling out my top players" card only three games in! That's not good.

Three games in. Wow.

The Coyotes are having some fun pointing out that they've earned at least one point in all visits to TO since 2002. Not like they play there a lot, but that's a hell of a streak. Especially for the Coyotes.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

The Coyotes are a super-weird team. They've also given the Avs all kinds of fits too. Not sure how but I guess being continually bad means your opponent tends to look past you, especially if they're heavily favored.

Yeah and the cellar dwellers usually play against top teams like that’s their playoff series. It makes some sense.

All that said, I think David Quinn will be first canned. 0-5 now.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Naw, I don't think he will be (though he never should've been hired in the first place), the Sharks are more or less tanking it. I doubt they're thrilled about their start but once they dealt Brent Burns that was a tacit admission that what they had wasn't working. If he gets canned I think it'll be after the season.

I still think Lindy is front and center, though to my utter surprise it sure looks like the seat under Bruce Boudreau is way hotter than I would've expected only four games in. Sheldon Keefe is in big trouble too.

The big commonality with all these coaches is that none of them are getting very good goaltending. Coaching job security is directly proportional to save percentage.

Holy fuckin' shit I think I'm gonna be way more off than usual!

It'd be CRIMINAL to fire Lindy now. The team is leading the league in shots taken and fewest shots allowed, yet they're treading water because, once again, their goaltending sucks ass.

First guy out the door? Shockingly...I think it's Boudreau. Someone on HF said BB has a tendency to escalate locker room issues and, well, we all know there was a pretty big one in Vancouver to begin with. Personally I'll feel terrible for BB as I think he's a brilliant coach (albeit a tad temperamental). It ain't his fault the current brain trust handed him a horrid defensive corps, and then the only legit star on it got hurt. You can tell when a team is trying to get their coach fired.

Dallas Eakins will be next.

Bruce fired in the most brutal way possible. The Canucks are a clown organization.

I can't believe DJ Smith still has a job. Was an awful hire from day one and the Sens are moving backwards after investing heavily in their corps. Bruce would be great for this young team, to be honest.

The Darryl Sutter has worn thin, but that's more of an offseason thing.

Paul Maurice was a bad hire as well and the Panthers will not meet expectations even with a second half turnaround.

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I don't know who's next or if there will be another coaching change in-season, but I wonder if Cassidy will be one-and-done in Vegas. The team is floundering a little and he's already played the "Publicly call out your best player" card not one season in. In both his stints in Washington and Boston he got into real conflict with his players, can't imagine he's making friends now. If he indeed gets the axe, that may be it for him.

I just hope to hell they don't go out and get Bruce Boudreau after that.

The guys I think for sure are gone this summer are Smith and Eakins. No way do they stick around.

Jack Eichel: coach killer. Cassidy was a terrible choice with a mercurial star, but unfortunately NHL teams by law have to recycle the same retreads over and over. It's law, right?

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"Law of nature, like gravity. Throw an apple up, it will come down. Need a coach and there's a bad one available but he has experience? You must hire him." -I'm John Tortorella and I approve this message.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Gallant fired. Lots of rumors about the Rangers trying to get Quenneville reinstated. Fuck that. But it's such a Rangers move.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Read today that the Rangers are either not or are no longer considering Quenneville. Good.

Plenty of coaches out there now. Supposedly they're talking to Laviolette and Boudreau.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

The Recycling Rangers

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