3 coaches on the hot seat entering the season
Nearly half of the NHL's coaches were hired in the past two years, so there may be fewer on the hot seat than usual. However, there's three in particular who could be without a job in due time.
Todd McLellan, Oilers
Joel Auerbach / Getty Images Sport / GettyHired: May 19, 2015
Another bad start for the Edmonton Oilers could cost Todd McLellan his job. After a successful 2016-17 season, the Oilers began last year with a 7-12-2 mark and never climbed out of that hole.
By season's end, the Oilers had the league's worst power play (14.8 percent) and the seventh-worst penalty kill (76.7). Special-teams woes are usually blamed on the coach - fairly or not.
General manager Peter Chiarelli may be feeling some pressure himself. Back-to-back seasons of missing the playoffs with Connor McDavid on the roster is unacceptable in a hockey-crazed market like Edmonton, and Chiarelli will promptly make a coaching change if the team starts slow once again.
Joel Quenneville, Blackhawks
Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images Sport / GettyHired: Oct. 16, 2008
Joel Quenneville is the longest-tenured coach in the league, but his time in the Windy City may be drawing to a close.
Quenneville's job was rumored to be jeopardy during a disastrous 2017-18 campaign as the Blackhawks missed the playoffs (by a lot) for the first time since he took over.
And general manager Stan Bowman hasn't done Quenneville any favors; a series of one-sided trades have stripped the roster of most of its talent.
Meanwhile, Corey Crawford's health is worrisome, the blue line is full of question marks, and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will be asked to carry the offensive load despite all their mileage. In a tough Central Division, the Hawks seem more poised to be in the Jack Hughes sweepstakes than to contend for the postseason. If early indicators point toward another season without playoff hockey, Bowman may turn the page and bring in a new coach.
Randy Carlyle, Ducks
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyHired: June 14, 2016 (second stint)
The Anaheim Ducks were hampered by injuries for much of the first half last season, and already have a slew of players shelved to begin 2018-19. They still rallied to make the playoffs after a 11-11-6 start a year ago, but were swept in the first round by the rival San Jose Sharks.
Carlyle's first stint as Anaheim's bench boss ended after an early playoff exit and then a slow start to the following season. And with the team's Stanley Cup window closing, his archaic coaching style could cost him his job this time around. General manager Bob Murray wants the Ducks to play faster, and he may need a fresh voice to make it happen.
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