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The NHL season began in North America, but the predictions continue.
In the last two weeks, The Hockey News polled 56 editors and digital correspondents on more than 30 topics regarding the 2024-25 NHL season. We unveiled the first batch of predictions on Tuesday, which included the Stanley Cup champion, Hart Trophy winner and more major award winners.
This next batch of predictions includes who will reach another level, who may take a step back, who could get fired and more. Adam Proteau has the analysis.
Who Will Be The First Coach Fired?
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Analysis: The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Mike Sullivan is the second-longest-tenured NHL coach at the moment. He will celebrate nine years – a lifetime-and-a-half, in NHL coaching terms – as of this December. But with the Penguins likely being a fringe playoff team at best, Sullivan is under massive pressure to produce a solid season, and he could very well be the NHL’s first bench boss dismissed this season.
Narrowly behind Sullivan in this category is the Detroit Red Wings’ Derek Lalonde. He also needs to avoid a major losing streak at all costs, or Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman could look for his replacement sooner than later.
Which GM Is Feeling The Heat The Most?
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Analysis: This category had a tie for first between two Atlantic Division rivals – the Buffalo Sabres and GM Kevyn Adams and the Boston Bruins and GM Don Sweeney. The Sabres must end their 13-year streak of no Stanley Cup playoff hockey to save Adams’ job. And Sweeney needs his team to go at least as far as it did last year – when it made it to the second round of the playoffs – to calm the waters in Beantown. (Full transparency: most of the reasoning for the Sweeney votes included the contract saga between the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman, which ended last Sunday.)
Here are some other comments from voters in this category:
“The East is a gauntlet, and that’s especially true for the Atlantic. The Sabres have some core pieces, but Adams hasn’t built a team to compete around them, and that’s going to be a tall task within his division.”
“Sweeney: Team could be in decline after years of domination, and his handling of the crease situation has an early spotlight on him.”
“Steve Yzerman: Long time as GM with no playoffs. Need some sort of result.”
“Despite being one of the NHL’s stronger franchises over the…