The NHL’s coaching hot seat: Who’s next in the crosshairs after Jay Woodcroft’s firing?

The ninth-best points percentage in NHL history among coaches with at least 100 games was not enough to save Jay Woodcroft’s job in Edmonton last week. His seat was piping hot, and a loss to the historically awful San Jose Sharks pretty much vaporized it.

But Woodcroft wasn’t the only bench boss feeling the temperature rise beneath him. What is the current state of the NHL’s coaching hot seat now that Woodcroft is unemployed?

SEAT IS LAVA

Lane Lambert, New York Islanders

The lackluster start for an Islanders team with designs on contention is concerning enough. A 5-6-4 record, good for seventh in the Metropolitan Division, simply will not do for a team that climbed back into the postseason last year and was supposed to be ascending, at least in the eyes of GM Lou Lamoriello. But the way the Isles are losing is particularly concerning. Remember that stingy team identity, forged under previous coach Barry Trotz and supposedly continued under former Trotz acolyte Lane Lambert? It’s gone. Lambert’s Isles rank among the absolute worst defensive teams in the NHL this season, bleeding scoring chances at 5-on-5 and icing one of the worst penalty kills in the league. They are driving the play reasonably well offensively at 5-on-5 but sit near the bottom of the NHL in power-play efficiency, so they aren’t outscoring their weak play in their own end. When you’re a bad defensive club and 30th in goals per game, things are not going well.

Lamoriello is so famously ruthless with his coaches that he once fired Robbie Ftorek from a New Jersey Devils team that was in first place and had eight games left in the regular season. Considering Lamoriello also unceremoniously dumped a two-time Jack Adams Award winner in Trotz in the summer of 2022, there’s little reason to expect a lenient approach with Lambert should the Isles’ struggles continue. Veteran center Casey Cizikas recently took exception to ‘Fire Lambert’ chants at Islander home games, but those fans might soon get their wish.

HOT SEAT

D.J. Smith, Ottawa Senators

We’re now a couple weeks removed from Pierre Dorion’s ousting as Senators GM, and Smith is still standing. Team owner Michael Andlauer has made good on his claim that Smith was safe. But how safe and for how long? The Sens remain dead last in the Atlantic Division. They were supposed to seize a tremendous opportunity this year with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers dealing with significant injuries to start the season. The playoffs are still the goal, and if it becomes clear the playoffs aren’t going to happen in 2023-24, the blame will likely land at Smith’s feet. He’s safe-ish for now, but it’s tough to see him surviving any additional extended slumps.

Dean Evason, Minnesota Wild

The Wild, hamstrung by cap penalties for the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, weren’t able to retool their roster much this offseason. But their relatively static group was the same one good enough to make the playoffs comfortably last season. While the early injury to captain Jared Spurgeon didn’t help, the Wild had little reason to expect a massive step backward in the standings this season. Yet they’ve lost three straight games and seven of 10, tumbling to sixth in the Central Division with a .400 points percentage. Evason hasn’t masked his frustration when speaking with media of late, calling out the team for “awful” play, claiming some of his players “sucked” – which is not typical behavior from him. He seems like a coach under pressure, knowing his number could be up if the Wild don’t turn things around. Their penalty kill sits at a truly embarrassing 63.5 percent right now, dead last in the NHL.

LUKEWARM SEAT

Sheldon Keefe, Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs remain a potent, top-heavy offensive club, capable of exploding for big comebacks and hot streaks. But they have also regressed significantly on the defensive side of the puck this season, weighed down by some of new GM Brad Treliving’s ill-advised additions, most notably defenseman John Klingberg. Keefe himself recently lamented that the team needs to worry less about posting great scoring numbers and more about keeping pucks out of their own net. Doing so looks like it will be a challenge all season. If the Leafs’ scoring dries up due to a cold streak or injury to one of their superstar forwards, they could fall into a lengthy slump. If that happens, the temperature of Keefe’s seat may spike in a hurry. While his relationship with Treliving got off to a good start and Keefe received an extension in the offseason, he’s still not Treliving’s hire. Keefe’s runway is far from infinite.

Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues

Stanley Cups don’t buy you indefinite job security. Just ask Joel Quenneville and Darryl Sutter about that. They led the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings to five total championships between 2010 and 2015. The Hawks canned Quenneville by 2018, and the Kings fired Sutter by 2017. Each bench boss was pink-slipped three years after bringing home a Cup.

Why bring that up? Well, Mr. Berube is now 4.5 years removed from guiding the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The victory is far enough in the rearview mirror for Berube’s unofficial immunity to evaporate. The Blues missed the playoffs last season and, despite the fact they sold off a few pieces, entered 2023-24 as retoolers rather than rebuilders. With star forwards Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas plus four defensemen signed to long-term deals, a rebuild wouldn’t have been possible. Adding center Kevin Hayes in the offseason told us GM Doug Armstrong was intent on icing a competitive team this season. So far, they’ve been inconsistent, to say the least. After a 5-5-1 start, they’ve won three consecutive games, giving Berube some breathing room. But for the third straight season, they’re grading out atrociously in 5-on-5 defensive play.

The Blues’ record has been propped up by tremendous goaltending so far from Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer, who have combined for a .927 save percentage. If they falter – and we know how hot and cold Binnington can run – the Blues could swoon, turning the heat up on Berube again.