NHL season preview: 5 bold predictions for the 2019-20 season
By Alex Hoegler
4. Five Coaches Will Be Fired Mid-Season
There were a whopping seven coaches in the midst of the 2018-19 season: Joel Quenneville (Chicago Blackhawks), Dave Hakstol (Philadelphia Flyers), John Stevens (Los Angeles Kings), Todd McLellan (Edmonton Oilers), Randy Carlyle (Anaheim Ducks), Guy Boucher (Ottawa Senators), and Mike Yeo (St. Louis Blues).
It obviously worked out nicely for the Blues, who won the Stanley Cup under interim head coach Craig Berube. The other six teams that replaced their coaches mid-season all missed the postseason, however.
Well, there are a handful of NHL coaches who are on the hot seat entering this season. Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Paul Maurice (Winnipeg Jets) come to mind, given that their respective teams have underachieved in the postseason.
Related Story. 4 Head Coaches On The Hot Seat. light
Bruce Boudreau of the Minnesota Wild is certainly on thin ice, with his team missing the postseason for the first time since 2012 last year. John Hynes (New Jersey Devils) might not last long if this revamped Devils team struggles out of the gate, even though he received an extension in January.
Jeff Blashill (Detroit Red Wings) and Rick Tocchet (Arizona Coyotes) better show that their respective teams are ready to turn a corner, otherwise they might not last the entire season. Detroit and Arizona have missed the postseason in three and seven consecutive years, respectively.
The guess here is that at least five head coaches will be fired at some point during the 2019-20 season, following last year’s trend of immense bench boss changes mid-season.