Last year's playoffs saw a lot of new teams entering the mix. Teams like Winnipeg and Calgary came out of nowhere to compete in the playoffs after missing the playoffs for over five years. The result was six teams in the playoffs that were not a year before.
While that is good news for the fanbases of those teams, it also means that a lot of teams missed out on the playoffs that were expected to make it to the playoffs. All six of these coaches had teams expected to make the playoffs, but fell short. Only one of them, Craig Berube, got fired. That means there will be plenty of coaches on the hot seat this season.
Claude Julien, Boston Bruins
The longtime Bruins coach has plenty of accomplishments in his time at Boston. His Stanley Cup win cemented his legacy as one of the best all time Bruins coaches, which is a big compliment considering the successful history of the Bruins. He has also won the Presidents Trophy, has a couple 50-win seasons and has gone to two Stanley Cups including the 2010-2011 victory.
However, last year was a major disappointment for a team that was supposed to contend for another Stanley Cup appearance under Julien. Hampered by injuries to key players, the Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time under Julien. The team hasn’t been able to keep young stars like Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton, and is one of the older teams in the league. If they have another meltdown like they did last season, Boston could enter a rebuilding stage.
Darryl Sutter, Los Angeles Kings
Darryl Sutter was brought in around the same time the Kings brought in Mike Richards and Jeff Carter as the final pieces to their Stanley Cup puzzle. The results were instant, a Stanley Cup in Darryl Sutter’s first season. The team would fare well again in a lock out shortened season, eventually losing in the Western Conference finals to the eventual champions, Chicago. Their success under Sutter continued the next year when they won another Stanley Cup with Sutter in 2013-2014.
Just like Julien, the wheels came off last season. Multiple players had off the ice issues, and Mike Richards was actually in the AHL at one point. The distractions caught up with them as they failed to make the playoffs for the first time under Sutter. The team isn’t as old as the Bruins, so they should be more likely to compete for a Stanley Cup in 2015-2016. But the question is if fatigue caused the problems, or if it was the off the ice issues that eventually caught up with the team. While Sutter is coaching grown men, he still has to keep them in line if the team wants to compete for a Stanley Cup again. If he can’t, the Kings may be looking for a new head coach.
Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche
When Roy was a player, he had one of the biggest personalities in the NHL. His time in Montreal, while wildly successful, is also known for it’s ending where Roy basically forced his way out of a toxic situation. When he returned to coach the young Avalanche, many questioned if he had the composure to handle being an NHL coach. The result was him winning the Jack Adams Award his first season as the Avalanche’s coach. The team finished first in the Central Division after winning 52 games.
Last season was a different story. He was his old over the top self, something I got to see live when he turned five shades of red in a game against the Flyers, which my friends and I got a kick out off. He also butted heads with young players like Nathan Mackinnon, and was not afraid to bench them. The end result was the team missed the playoffs a year after Roy made them one of the more competitive teams in the league his first year coaching them. The question will be answered this year if Roy is the right guy for the job, or do they need a calmer presence on the bench.
Lindy Ruff, Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars coach has had plenty of successful years coaching in the NHL. Before joining the Stars, he coached the Buffalo Sabres for 15 years. He made it to the playoffs in 8 of those seasons. In his first season with the Stars, the team saw Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn both bloom under his tutelage. The team made the playoffs, and appeared to be growing into perennial playoff contenders.
Just like the coaches above, Ruff had a rough season last year. His team let in over 3 goals a game, and fell apart down the stretch and failed to make the playoffs. A part of that has to do with Seguin’s injury, but that does not excuse the terrible defense the team displayed when the season was on the line. The team was active in the off-season, signing veterans like goaltender Antti Niemi to bolster their squad. That just adds to the pressure Ruff already has to get his team to the playoffs, where he has a 59-48 record over his career.
Todd Richards, Columbus Blue Jackets
In his second season with the Blue Jackets, the team really came out of nowhere and made the playoffs. After not qualifying for the last four years, the team looked nowhere near playoff material. In the season before Richards took over, the team only mustered 29 wins in 82 wins. However, Richards found a star in the making in Ryan Johansen, and coached Sergei Bobrovsky to a Vezina Award.
Last season, Columbus was one of the many teams that disappointed in the NHL, if you couldn't tell from the first four coaches on this list. The team mustered only 198 goals last year after scoring 231 the year before. Richards needs to find a way to get his offense scoring again, or else this could be his last year as Columbus Blue Jackets head coach.