Coaches on the hot seat at the start of the season
— -- As we approach the opening of training camps across the NHL, most coaches are excited to get back on the ice and begin the long 82-game journey toward the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But some coaches will be starting camp knowing that if their team does not perform well out of the gates, they could be out of a job.
Let's look at the eight bench bosses who open the 2016-17 season under the most pressure:
Michel Therrien, Montreal Canadiens
Right or wrong, the lasting impression from Habs fans is that Therrien is responsible for the team trading superstar defenseman P.K. Subban. If the club underperforms with Shea Weber as their No. 1 blueliner, the already-loud criticism of Therrien will become a full-blown outcry for him to be fired.
The Canadiens' head coach has one big thing going for him: Carey Price is coming back. Montreal was 10-2-0 with their top goalie last season before he was injured, and he won the Hart and Vezina trophies the previous one.
But there are plenty of scenarios in which Therrien could be buoyed by Price and still end up without a job. If Alex Galchenyuk doesn't take the next step toward being a No. 1 center, or if Alexander Radulov cannot work with Therrien, or if Montreal simply misses the playoffs, he could be looking for next summer.
Claude Julien, Boston Bruins
It seems like Julien has been on the hot seat for years, and always finds a way to push his team into the playoffs. But last season the Bruins fell apart down the stretch and put their coach under the most scrutiny he has faced since winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.
Management has not helped their bench boss much, as the club traded Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton during his tenure, then acquired a slowed-down David Backes this offseason to essentially replace 30-goal scorer Loui Eriksson. The Bruins' 2016-17 roster has holes on defense and concerns about scoring, which could result in another disappointing season.
If the B's miss the playoffs, it's likely Julien will be out.
Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers
After his team's poor showing in the playoffs against the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Rangers fans began to question both Vigneault's systematic decisions and his lineup choices.
The team struggled to possess the puck in 2015-16, ranking 26th in Corsi for percentage, in part because of Vigneault's choice to play Dan Girardi big minutes. Girardi ranked last out of all NHL defensemen with more than 500 minutes played in relative Corsi, yet he still logged the third-most even-strength minutes on the team. It was also confusing to see Kevin Hayes benched in the playoffs, while Tanner Glass received ice time.
This offseason, GM Jeff Gorton gave AV more to work with, beefing up the forward group by signing Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey and free agent Brandon Pirri. Vigneault has the horses to get into the playoffs and make noise -- as long as Henrik Lundqvist plays like Henrik Lundqvist. If he doesn't, the Rangers could be looking for a new coach.
John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
John Tortorella is on the hot seat because he's John Tortorella. His unceremonious exits from New York and Vancouver made it work asking: Can his in-your-face style still work in 2016?
After a bad start to the 2015-16 season under Todd Richards, the Jackets showed some signs of life under Torts, but were unable to get themselves back into contention. Columbus has new hope with their top defensive pair of Seth Jones and Ryan Murray, but also has many question marks within the forward group.
Unless Sergei Bobrovsky returns to Vezina Trophy-level play, we shouldn't expect to see the Jackets as a top team in the Metro, but they will be asked to contend for a playoff spot. If they are in the basement again, Tortorella may not get the benefit of the doubt.
Jack Capuano, New York Islanders
The Isles finally won a playoff round in the John Tavares era, but were quickly disposed of by the Tampa Bay Lightning thereafter. While Capuano has been behind the bench for a long time for the Islanders, the organization has to be growing impatient that they have not achieved more, despite having one of the best offensive players in the world.
Capuano will have his work cut out as the Islanders allowed Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to leave in free agency and only signed Andrew Ladd this offseason. It will be an uphill climb to go deep in a stacked Eastern Conference, but the bar should be set high for a coach that has been there for more downs than ups during his tenure.
Paul Maurice, Winnipeg Jets
After finishing last in the Central in 2015-16, the Jets have all the makings of a worst-to-first team.
They have plenty of under-23 talent that is ready to improve, and will be significantly upgrading their goaltending if Connor Hellebuyck starts 50-plus games. Dynamic offensive players Marko Dano and Nikolaj Ehlers should be expected to take the next step in the NHL this season, and we could see young players like No. 2 overall pick Patrik Laine and former first-round pick Kyle Connor make an impact if they make the team.
With a roster like this, there has to be progress for the Jets, even if they are in one of the league's toughest divisions. If not, Maurice will have some tough questions to answer.
Todd McLellan, Edmonton Oilers
While it is just the second season of the McLellan era in Edmonton, the Oilers made big swings in the offseason by signing Milan Lucic to a long-term contract and trading former No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall to New Jersey for defenseman Adam Larsson.
They may not expect to be Stanley Cup contenders, but management will be asking for much better results than last year, especially since some are projecting near 100 points for Connor McDavid in his sophomore season, and former No. 3 overall pick Leon Draisaitl showed signs of becoming a star in his own right.
Based on McLellan's success in San Jose, the Oilers should feel confident the team will vastly improve, but if they are in the basement again, McLellan will be the one feeling the heat.
Willie Desjardins, Vancouver Canucks
Poor Willie. The Canucks may be in the worst position in terms of roster construction in the entire league. They have aging stars in Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin, and a weak defensive unit that just lost its second best blueliner, Dan Hamhuis, to free agency.
Moreover, the Canucks don't really have a "next wave" of quality young players that is ready to take the reins. Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen are the only under-23 players that will be impact players.
The only chance Vancouver has at being a legitimate contender in the Pacific Division is if goaltenders Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom combine to be the best tandem in the NHL. None of this is Desjardins' fault, but history tells us that the wrong man often gets the axe.
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