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No matter the month, there’s always at least a couple of NHL coaches on the hot seat.
And this season is no different in that regard. Which current NHL bench boss is most at risk of being fired? Let’s examine the coaches dealing with the hottest hot seat right now. In order of hottest seat:
1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
As the Penguins continue to languish near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings, the pressure on Sullivan continues to mount. Pittsburgh’s defense is abysmal – they currently have the league’s second-worst goals-against average (3.83) – and their offense is 21st in the NHL at 2.72 goals-for per game. At some point, Sullivan has to bear full responsibility for the Pens’ all-around struggles, and that time could be fast approaching.
Sullivan’s job isn’t getting any easier. Not with GM Kyle Dubas beginning the inevitable fire sale by trading away Lars Eller earlier this week. Reports suggest that everyone not named Sidney Crosby could be available. That includes Sullivan, who’s in his 10th year on the job since getting hired midway through 2015-16 and could use a fresh start.
If so, expect him to be quickly snapped up once he is on the open market.
Related: Are More Trades Coming For The Pittsburgh Penguins?
2. Derek Lalonde, Detroit Red Wings
Lalonde has been running things with the Red Wings for nearly two-and-a-half seasons, and Detroit doesn’t have a single playoff game to show for it. While they might have been transitioning out of a rebuild, the way they added veterans put the team in compete-now mode.
This season, the Wings are off to a mediocre start – they’re currently seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 7-7-1 record. In a market that grew accustomed to success in its glory years, a .500 team performance will not cut it for Lalonde to keep his job.
As Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman feels an increasing amount of pressure, the easiest fix would be to change coaches. Detroit’s offense has been subpar. The Red Wings’ offense is currently the fourth-worst in the NHL (2.47 goals per game), and while their defense has been better, their penalty kill is third-worst (66.7 percent success rate). That lack of success in such a key special-teams metric speaks to Lalonde’s inability to provide sufficient structure for his charges.
While Yzerman bears a lot of blame, it could be Lalonde who is paying for the team’s struggles.