Bleacherreport
6 NHL Coaches and General Managers Already on the Hot Seat
D.Miller32 min ago
- Derek Cain/ One month into the 2024-25 NHL season, the standings remain crowded for the most part as teams adjust and settle in for the long march to the playoffs next spring. Nevertheless, a few teams have drawn attention for their slow starts. Scrutiny usually falls on the head coach when a team stumbles out of the gate. They're expected to find ways to motivate their players or to find the right line combinations that turn the club into a winner. Even a former Stanley Cup winner like Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins isn't immune from criticism. Sometimes the attention shifts toward a general manager like Lou Lamoriello of the New York Islanders. A GM is the roster architect and must answer at some point why the club isn't performing to expectations, especially if they've recently made a coaching change. Here's a look at four coaches and two general managers who could be feeling the heat early in this NHL season. Do you agree with our list? Is there someone you believe belongs on it? Let us know in the app comments below.
- Bruce Bennett/ The Buffalo Sabres haven't been to the playoffs since 2010-11. Their 13-season postseason drought is the longest in NHL history. They've had four different general managers during that stretch and made seven coaching changes , including bringing back current bench boss Lindy Ruff after firing him during the 2012-13 season. Kevyn Adams took over as general manager in June 2020 and intended to finally turn this team into a contender. His efforts seemed to be working when they narrowly missed the playoffs in 2022-23 with their highest point total (91) since 2010-11. However, they stumbled last season and finished with 84 points. The Sabres entered this season with the intent of ending their long playoff drought, but they won only four of their first 11 games (4-7-1). The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn noted this was the club's worst start since 2017-18. The Sabres' power play and penalty kill are among the league's worst , plus they're taking costly, undisciplined penalties. Fairburn cited their overreliance on Tage Thompson's line and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin for most of their offense. Meanwhile, young scorers Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn are struggling to find the back of the net. Fairburn wondered what Adams would do to fix the Sabres. On Oct. 30, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the Sabres GM was shopping around in hopes of bolstering his roster. This is Adams' fifth season as Sabres general manager and perhaps the most crucial for his continued employment. The longer this club stumbles along, the more pressure he'll face to do something to turn things around.
- Derek Cain/ Upon being hired as head coach of the Nashville Predators in May 2023, Andrew Brunette guided them back into the playoffs after they missed the 2023 postseason. However, their lack of scoring punch led to their first-round loss against the Vancouver Canucks. General manager Barry Trotz sought to rectify that problem this offseason. He signed free-agent scoring forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, both of whom have Stanley Cups on their resumes. Trotz also bolstered his blue line by adding defenseman Brady Skjei. Adding Stamkos, Marchessault and Skjei put the Predators among the offseason's winners . Those moves were seen as a statement that they were going to push their way into Stanley Cup contention. However, at 4-6-1, they're sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Five of those defeats came in their first five games as Stamkos, Marchessault and Skjei struggled to adjust to their new teammates and Brunette's system. Predators fans didn't expect this start to the season when those big moves were mad, though.. There's no indication that Brunette's in danger of losing his job, However, his seat must be starting to feel uncomfortable considering the Predators' start to the season. The Predators could improve as Stamkos, Marchessault and Skjei gain their footing and adapt to their new club's style of play. If they don't, Brunette could be in trouble.
- Mike Stobe/NHLI via The New York Islanders are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 4-6-2. The main reason for their sputtering start is their lack of scoring punch. Their 2.25 goals-per-game average ranks 31st overall. That lack of production has been an ongoing issue for the Islanders since Lou Lamoriello took over as general manager in 2018. Over the past six seasons, their 2.83 goals per game ranked 25th overall . Meanwhile, the Isles are on their third head coach after hiring Patrick Roy in January. Under Lamoriello's management, the Islanders emphasized goaltending and defense, sitting with the fourth-best goals against per game (2.68) over the last six seasons. That led to success early on, with back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021 while earning Lamoriello two straight Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Awards. However, Lamoriello failed over time to find sufficient scoring punch to match his team's defensive game. The Islanders missed the playoffs in 2022-23 and barely qualified over the last two seasons, getting eliminated from the opening round in both. Lamoriello attempted to boost his offense by acquiring Bo Horvat in January 2023 and signing the recently sidelined Anthony Duclair on July 1. However, he hasn't found the type of game-breaking scorer whom the Islanders have been missing since John Tavares left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs (Lamoriello's previous team) in 2018. The enthusiasm that Islanders fans enjoyed earlier in Lamoriello's tenure has long vanished. If the club's malaise continues, they could soon begin to voice their displeasure with his management during their home games.
- John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via The Boston Bruins were among the top teams in the NHL over the last two seasons under head coach Jim Montgomery, who was hired in July 2022. Montgomery guided the Bruins to the Presidents' Trophy in 2022-23, when they set NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points. Last season, they finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with 109 points. During the offseason, the Bruins bid farewell to goaltender Linus Ullmark and winger Jake DeBrusk but added goalie Joona Korpisalo, defenseman Nikita Zadorov and center Elias Lindholm. Entering this season, they were again expected to be among the league's elite. However, the Bruins were near the bottom of the Eastern Conference on Nov. 1 with a record of 4-6-1. Their 2.62 goals per game as of Nov. 3 ranked 27th overall, while their 3.23 goals against per game was the 12th-highest. On Nov. 1, The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa reported that Montgomery was at a loss to explain his club's early-season difficulties. That included an 8-2 drubbing by the Carolina Hurricanes on Halloween and being shut out 2-0 on Oct. 29 by the rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers. Since then, the Bruins started November with back-to-back 2-0 wins over the Flyers and Seattle Kraken. That could take some pressure off Montgomery, who's in the final season of his three-year contract. Nevertheless, his chances of getting an extension will dwindle if he can't find a way for his club to regain its once-dominant form.
- Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Since being hired as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens in February 2022, Martin St. Louis has garnered praise for his handling of the rebuilding club's young players. In mid-April, the Canadiens exercised their option on St. Louis' contract, ensuring he'd remain as their coach for the next three seasons. The Canadiens began this season hoping to be in the playoff mix after three seasons of rebuilding. As of Nov. 3, however, they had a 4-7-1 record, which once again put them near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with nine points. Their defensive stats tell an ugly story. They've given up the second-most goals against per game (4.08) and the fifth-most shots against per game (31.9), while their faceoff win percentage (47.6) sits 25th. Defensive mistakes should be expected from a young, rebuilding club like the Canadiens. Nevertheless, the lack of progress on defense is cause for concern and reflects badly on the coaching staff. It appears the honeymoon is ending between St. Louis and the Montreal media. The s Brendan Kelly believes the Canadiens coach has yet to show he can find a way out of the club's current mess. Arpon Basu of The Athletic cited ongoing mistakes that the players seem unable to learn from. Given St. Louis' new contract, Canadiens management will likely remain patient with him. However, it will be difficult to ignore his critics for long if the losses keep mounting with no sign of on-ice improvement.
- Minas Panagiotakis/ Mike Sullivan became head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins in December 2015, which makes him one of the NHL's longest-serving active head coaches , Only Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning has been on the job longer. Sullivan enjoyed immediate success with the Penguins, guiding them to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2015-16 and 2016-17. However, they've only won one playoff round since 2018 and missed the postseason each of the past two years. The Penguins are now a shadow of that once-dominant club that won consecutive Cups. Franchise stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are aging and, along with Bryan Rust, they're the only players remaining from their 2016-17 championship roster. This is only Dubas' second season in the job, so he's unlikely to face too much heat for the club's performance. But if losses continue to mount, he could consider a shakeup behind the bench. Sullivan is doing his best with the roster he's been given. Nevertheless, it's his responsibility to get the best out of his players. Despite his long tenure in Pittsburgh, he could pay the price if the Penguins fail to rise in the standings.
Read the full article:https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10142188-6-nhl-coaches-and-general-managers-already-on-the-hot-seat
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