3 coaches who should worry about their job after Gallant's firing
One day later, and the hockey world is still up in arms over the sudden and unexpected firing of Florida Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant.
Related: Panthers officially name GM Rowe interim head coach
After helping the Panthers claim just their second division title on the back of a franchise-record 103-point season last year, the club appeared to have it out for Gallant, giving him the ax after the club jumped out to a sub-par 11-10-1 record.
Gallant's firing should also come as a warning to current head coaches in the league, as there appear to be much hotter seats elsewhere.
Here are three coaches that should be worried about their job security following Gallant's abrupt firing:
Willie Desjardins
The Willie Desjardins experiment in Vancouver needs to come to an end.
The Canucks under Desjardins have been in regression since his first season. After making the postseason with 101 points during the 2015 season - which was followed by a swift exit at the hands of the Calgary Flames - the team managed just 75 points last season and are on pace for less than that in 2016-2017.
The team averages the second-fewest goals per game, they boast the second-worst goal differential in the league at minus-17, and despite a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games, sit just a win up on last place in the Western Conference.
Management has a lot to blame for the current state of the Canucks, but they could make a statement with a change behind the bench.
Jack Capuano
Coming off a second straight 100-point season and the franchise's first playoff-series win, it appeared the New York Islanders were well on their way to a strong 2016-17 campaign. Wrong.
Jack Capuano and Co. have gotten off to the worst start in the NHL, amassing a league-worst 16 points through 20 games, and it isn't just one or two facets of their game holding them down.
| Stat | GF/GP | GA/GP | Shots/G | SA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Rank | 21 | 25 | 22 | 26 (5th highest) | 25 | 22 |
It's a mess across the board, and while Capuano has admitted he feels the loss of Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen have hurt the club, decisions such as rolling three goalies have hindered the club's performance and caused a wrinkle in attitude with some.
A change here could be forthcoming.
Lindy Ruff
Stop me if this starts to sound familiar.
Coach leads team to division title, reaches second round of the playoffs, next season struggles out of the gate partially due to injuries, still has a winning record, and now sits just outside a playoff spot.
Yes, if anyone in the league knows what Gallant was feeling right before he got fired, it would be Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff.
The Stars are struggling, especially compared to the team we saw last season. The team's goaltending has not gotten better and they are struggling to score themselves out of holes.
Ruff - like in so many cases - might not necessarily be the culprit for a slow start, but with a team appearing to be in win-now mode and a playoff spot in question, it might not take too long for Jim Nill to make a change in an attempt to get the team back on track.