This week we’ve seen the third NHL coach Craig Berube fired in St. Louis. All three firings have occurred in the West (Berube, Dean Evason, and Jay Woodcroft), mostly because teams in the West other than SJ, ANA, and CHI are still within a few points of a playoff spot.
Who will be the next coach to fall this season?
In the East, the name of DJ Smith has been mentioned often, but the Senators have the least number of games in the NHL (24) and have so many games in hand, that they could catch up. If they don’t, then you might see a change, but they may wait until the end of the season when they have a new GM in place.
Pascal Vincent is a first-year coach and even though Columbus has been terrible, he is not likely to get replaced so quickly. Don Granato is safe, even though the Sabres could be the biggest disappointment in the NHL so far. Veterans Mike Sullivan and Lindy Ruff are not in danger and neither is Martin St. Louis in Montreal.
Out West, the Hawks, Ducks, and Sharks are all rebuilding, so Luke Richardson, Greg Cronin, and David Quinn are safe. The Wild, Blues, and Oilers have already made their changes, Calgary has a first-year bench boss, Dave Hakstol made the playoffs last season in Seattle, and Andre Tourigny has the Coyotes battling for a playoff spot.
Unless there is a dramatic decline with one of these clubs, the answer to the question might be nobody.
Watch and listen to the @HockeyBuzz Buzzcast for your daily #NHL news and rumors on:@YouTube https://t.co/yKfvRAkraC@TuneIn https://t.co/gseaUhfA7V@ApplePodcasts https://t.co/M5dT4bhrDt
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) January 5, 2021