3 NHL Head Coaches on the Hot Seat This Season

We have seen multiple teams play well below their set expectations this season. Considering many of these ‘underachievers’ looked like Stanley Cup contenders going into the season, some blame has been placed on poor coaching. There may be more than three NHL coaches on the hot seat, but for this post, we will focus on the top three coaches who are in the hottest of all seats.

Peter Laviolette Going Down with the Rangers

It is not surprising to see the New York Rangers on this list. The previous President’s Trophy winners are now 27th in the league with a mediocre record of 17-19-1 at the 37-game mark. When looking at what went wrong, the team has made only a couple of roster changes since then. Sure, there have been some minor tweaks to the bottom six, but nothing major. The biggest move was sending out overpaid Jacob Trouba and trading a disgruntled Kaapo Kakko. This has made Peter Laviolette a prime candidate for removal from the Big Apple.

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Laviolette has always struggled with living up to his expectations with a new team. It seems like every time he joins a new organization, he finds success, but then, in his second year, he loses it. When he coached the Capitals, the team placed 2nd in the Eastern Division, and in his next season, the group placed fourth in the Metropolitan. In Nashville, he had the same story: he placed second in his first year and fourth in his second year. It may be time to break the sophomore curse Laviolette brings to all his teams.

Patrick Roy is Making Extremely Controversial Moves

It looks like Patrick Roy just seconded the idea that just because you are good at the game doesn’t mean you’ll be good at coaching the game. When Wayne Gretzky went behind the bench, coaching for the Phoenix Coyotes in the early 2000s, he did not look good. The same can be said for Roy.

Roy is in his fifth year of coaching at the professional level and his second with the New York Islanders. Currently, the Islanders hold a record of 14-18-7, which gives them the last-place spot in the Metropolitan Division. 

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Recently, Roy has been making decisions that seem like they come out of nowhere, and his team has suffered as a result. When Roy and the Islanders faced off against each other last week, Roy made the questionable move of pulling the goalie when the play was in their own zone. This play, of course, cost them a goal and ultimately cost them the game as they went on to lose 3-1. Additionally, Roy pulled the goalie halfway through the third period after trailing 5-1 to the Buffalo Sabres. This also resulted in a goal. This shows how Roy’s reckless decisions are costing not only the Islanders a victory but, potentially, the entire season.

Andrew Brunette Isn’t Fitting in the Predators’ Organization

Andrew Brunette has only been a Head Coach in the league for just over two seasons, with his first full season being with Nashville last season. Brunette assisted in giving the Florida Panthers the President’s Trophy in 2022 (a trophy that they were already on pace for). It looks like his lack of Head Coach experience is catching up to him, as the Predators currently sit seventh in their division with an 11-20-7 record.

With the signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei this offseason, the Predators hoped to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history this season. However, they aren’t on pace to get close, even with a talented roster that includes Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, and Juuse Saros. The team cannot find a way to stay competitive. This turns attention to Brunette who has spent his time in the music city testing our different gum flavors.

When watching the live broadcast, Brunette looks to be doing little to nothing the majority of the time, and this gives the team little energy to convert on the ice. With GM Barry Trotz threatening a rebuild, Brunette may be the first to go in Nashville.

Next: 3 Trade Candidates for the Anaheim Ducks This Season