Five NHL Coaches to Watch On the Hot Seat in 2023-24

Being an NHL coach isn’t easy. It’s a job that requires a plethora of hockey knowledge, plenty of previous playing and/or coaching experience, leadership, patience and countless hours of devotion and dedication on and off the ice. 

In a cutthroat, results-driven league like the NHL, when coaches fail to deliver on expectations, regardless of their previous accomplishments, they’re often relieved of their duties.

Here are five NHL coaches who might find themselves on the hot seat this season if they're nowhere near meeting those expectations:

D.J. Smith has the respect of his players, but his seat is boiling. If the Senators don’t get off to a winning start and find themselves under .500 after the first 20 games – as they have been for the past four seasons under Smith’s leadership – Smith could very well be the first coach to get the boot in 2023-24. 

He has yet to lead the Senators to the playoffs, and while management has been extremely patient with everyone throughout the Senators’ prolonged rebuild, Ottawa’s retooling is almost complete. Clinching a playoff berth is the bare minimum this season. “Playing competitive games down the stretch” simply won’t cut it anymore in Ottawa.

Berube was hired in November 2018, and despite a rocky start, he led the Blues on a miraculous run to their first-ever Stanley Cup. Since then, the Blues have only won one playoff series, and they’re coming off a season where they underperformed all over the ice, finishing with a subpar record of 37-38-7 and missing the post-season entirely. 

While all the blame doesn’t rest on Berube’s shoulders, he couldn’t seem to get to the root of his team’s struggles, and he made his thoughts clear about goaltender Jordan Binnington’s less-than-stellar performance between the pipes. This season may be Berube’s last chance to work it out and find a winning formula.

Sullivan has brought two Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh and is the winningest coach in Penguins history with 337 career victories. However, the Penguins missed the playoffs last season for the first time since Sidney Crosby’s rookie campaign in 2005-06. 

The Penguins made a huge splash in the off-season, acquiring three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in a three-team trade to bolster the defense corps. Karlsson, fresh off a 101-point season, will also provide a huge boost to the Pens’ offense. If the Penguins start the season on a sour note or aren’t firmly in a playoff position by the all-star break, Sullivan may be dismissed.

After 19 years, the Maple Leafs finally broke their first-round curse, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to advance to Round 2. Then, they were promptly eliminated by the Florida Panthers in five games. In the off-season, the Leafs strengthened their forward group, added to their defense and supplemented their goaltending tandem of Ilya Samsonov and either Joseph Woll or Martin Jones, which is quietly good. 

The Leafs should finish near the top of the Atlantic Division again, but even though superstar Auston Matthews has been signed to a four-year extension, another early playoff exit could mean dramatic changes to the roster next summer – and Keefe’s dismissal.

Like the Leafs, the Wild have been a good regular-season team but struggle to put it together in the playoffs. Under Evason, the Wild have made the playoffs four times but have yet to win a first-round series. Evason has an impressive 142-67-23 record in the regular season and has helped the Wild contend for the division title the past three seasons. However, his playoff record is a meager 8-15. 

Aside from Kirill Kaprizov, the Wild lack the top-end talent of the Leafs or Oilers. Evason may have more wiggle room than Keefe, but another first-round exit or missing the playoffs entirely may see him out.