3 Coaches Poised to Lose Jobs After Round One Losses

John Hynes, Nashville Predators

I don’t know if John Hynes will lose his job, but he should. The Nashville Predators bench boss just wrapped up his third season (second full season) with the Preds, and for as promising as the campaign looked at one time, he and his team have zero playoff victories to show for their efforts this year.

Hynes had a losing record in his five-year stint with the New Jersey Devils but has been able to put together a winning resume while in Nashville. In two and a half COVID-impacted seasons, Hynes is 92-64-10.

His postseason numbers are horrific, though, as he has only four wins to pair with 15 losses. With the Predators, he is 3-11 in the playoffs, including the sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche this season.

Not every aspect of his tenure in Tennessee has been dismal, but I do feel as though his club has been constantly fighting an uphill battle. Players like Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen have largely struggled to get anything going under Hynes, which has been a major setback.

In terms of the playoffs, I don’t fault Hynes for this year’s loss, as the Avs are easily one of the best teams in hockey. However, when you lose a playoff series to the Arizona Coyotes (2020 Qualifying Round), everything else gets put under a microscope.

Nashville is in a position where it has to choose between trading players with value to launch a rebuild or acquiring players to improve the team and make a real run at the Cup. Regardless of which route they select, I don’t love Hynes as the leader of either project.