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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNDec 14, 2023, 07:00 AM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
Craig Berube’s seat became too hot to handle this week, as the St. Louis Blues fired their longtime coach (with whom they won the Stanley Cup in 2019) on Tuesday night.
It wasn’t something GM Doug Armstrong wanted to do. But at a time when trades are hard to make due to parity and the salary cap, it can be the easiest remedy for a team’s ills — especially since the general managers that build these underwhelming teams won’t fire themselves.
Berube was the third coach dismissed this season — joining now-former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft and Dean Evason, dismissed by the Minnesota Wild — and might not be the last.
Here’s a temperature check on the NHL’s coaching hot seats for all 32 teams. Contract information is courtesy of CapFriendly and NHL sources.
Burning up
D.J. Smith, Ottawa Senators
The Blues firing Berube leaves Smith as the lone coach with the scorching seat. The “Fire D.J.!” chants at Senators games only confirm that.
The Senators entered Wednesday night’s slate with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference (22) but that was deceptive, as they had a higher points percentage than either the Buffalo Sabres or the Columbus Blue Jackets, with a few games in hand on each.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
They’re ninth in the league in goals per game (3.39) and 17th in the league in goals against average (3.22), for a plus-5 overall in goal differential. Their penalty kill stinks (31st) and their goaltending has been middling (21st in team save percentage). Under the hood, they were 24th in expected goals differential and 19th in shot attempts percentage. They’re the poster children for mid.
This is Smith’s fifth season behind the Ottawa bench. They’ve missed the playoffs in the previous four seasons, and 2022-23 season was their first season over .500 (with a .524 points percentage). He has a club option for next season. The general manager that hired him, Pierre…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/39107265/nhl-head-coach-hot-seat-rankings-firings-hirings-2023-2024
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2023-12-14 11:14:39
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