Predicting which coach gets fired first this year.

[The Bottlenecker]

The season is almost upon us, so I thought I'd have a little fun, and see who you guys think will be the first NHL coach to get the axe this year.

My own personal guess: Montreal's Michel Therrien. If the Habs come out of the gate slowly, I can't see how they hang on to him.

Open for discussion and debate...

[Eskimo Brother]

Therrien probably. If Dallas gets out to a slow start I wonder if Ruff gets shown the door.
You also wonder how patient Edmonton can afford to be.

[Avalanche_Ambush]

My top 3 predictions in order are:
1)Willie Desjardins (vancouver)
2)John Tortorella (Columbus)
3)Michael Therien (Montreal)

[Eskimo Brother]

My top 3 predictions in order are:
1)Willie Desjardins (vancouver)
2)John Tortorella (Columbus)
3)Michael Therien (Montreal)

Good call on Torts. He should be top of my list as well actually.

[Moses]

Jack Capuano.

This is "the" year for the Islanders. If they slip off that track then the coach is going to be pink slipped.

[pmorrow]

Torts, Julien, Capuano and Therrien probably on the hottest of seats. Maurice, Desjardins, Vigneault and Ruff I'd say have some pressure on them.

[Avalanche_Ambush]

Good call on Torts. He should be top of my list as well actually.

Thanks. My reasoning behind these rankings is:
-Though I don't think desjardins is a bad coach I think vancouvers gonna struggle and he'll be the scapegoat for managements inability ice a good enough team to contend or decide to rebuild.
-Tortorella's 2nd on my list because I don't think his coaching style suits todays nhl and his players have a tendency of tuning him out quickly.
-Therien's 3rd because all though he's under fire for mtl's struggles last season and what he may or may not have said about pacioretty I think price being back setting a calming mood on the ice they should rack up the W's... And bergevin seems to have his back

[StuntMan12]

Tortorella
Therrien

Fire Therrien please!

[ztking]

I like the obvious ones mentioned but I'm gonna go a different route and say Claude Julien. Boston still thinks they are a contender and with that abomination of a D core I think they start season rough Julien ends up a casualty. Also of one's mentioned Randy Carlyle would be a surefire bet imo if they didn't just hire him back and not wanna look stupid.

[Ingolo]

#1 with a bullet for me is Torts. His teams (even the WCH US team) don't play a game that wins in today's hockey landscape. His personnel management only alienates players, and I have to assume that at some point the front office will get sick of seeing players making five million dollars sitting on the bench because the coach is throwing a hissy fit, and would rather be right than win games.

I also think that Julien is on thin ice. As a Bruins fan, I honestly think it's far more Don Sweeney's mess that they're in than Julien's, but it's much more often that a coach takes the fall than a GM. I think if they get to the new year below .500 then Julien will be out the door.

#3 would be Therrien. Realistically I think Montreal would have been better off to clean house this summer and move on from both Therrien and Bergevin; and again, not often that a GM gets replaced mid-season.

[butch]

Jack Capuano.

This is "the" year for the Islanders. If they slip off that track then the coach is going to be pink slipped.

with wang out of the picture snow's hands may not be tied to cappy so I agree .

I could see them bring up brent thompson to be the interim HCoach to finish season should cappy be relieved at some point

[rangerfan2430]

I'd say either Torts or Therrien will be the first coach fired

[STONE.]

Thanks. My reasoning behind these rankings is:
-Though I don't think desjardins is a bad coach I think vancouvers gonna struggle and he'll be the scapegoat for managements inability ice a good enough team to contend or decide to rebuild.

Agree 100%. The stubborn insistence to keep this team together to try to win again with the Sedins is going to cost Desjardins his job. That patchwork D can't hold up, and although I think there are actually a few nice pieces in the pipeline, they are being rushed into duty they can't handle. And as I fan of the team, I hope it's true.

The Canucks could really use Nolan Patrick!

[Axeman33]

I think Therrien is safe, even if the Habs get off to a slow start unless they clean house and fire him along with Bergevin. For whatever reason, Bergevin seems set on Therrien and is willing to keep rolling with him. Dont get me wrong, I think he should be on the hot seat but he seems to avoid the darts being thrown at him.

I do think Willie Desjardins is going to be on the hot seat early on. Same for Paul Maurice. The Jets have put together a solid young team and expectations are growing. I can see Maurice being looked at closely this year.

[The Bottlenecker]

Jack Capuano.

This is "the" year for the Islanders. If they slip off that track then the coach is going to be pink slipped.

He would have been my first choice, except the wacky Islanders brass is very unpredictable. And besides, they've put up with him this long, what's another year?