We’re in the thick of the 2026 off-season, but TheHockeyNews.com's ranking of the NHL’s 32 coaches continues. 

After looking at coaches No. 32 through No. 27, here, we’re focusing on coaches No. 26 through No. 21.

The criteria for our ranking focus on each coach’s recent accomplishments and history, their expectations, and general reputation, but it is ultimately very subjective. Some coaches clearly stand out as the best in their profession, while others still have a lot to prove in hockey’s top league. 

Manny Malhotra was one of the hottest coaches on the market this summer before he chose the Vancouver Canucks as his next place of employment. Malhotra won a Calder Cup with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks in 2024-25, and he could’ve picked any number of teams to continue his development with at the NHL level. So getting him is a coup for Canucks GM Ryan Johnson, even if this will be Malhotra's first year as a head coach in the NHL.

Malhotra is in a unique situation with his own son, Caleb Malhotra, drafted to the organization. But Manny Malhotra’s biggest challenge is developing Vancouver’s youngsters into capable NHLers.

The Canucks need to start taking steps forward, and the pressure will be on Malhotra right away next season as he tries teaching and pushing his players at the same time.

Ryan Warsofsky wasn’t a big-name coach when he took the San Jose Sharks’ job in 2024-25. In his first year, the Sharks won 20 games, but in 2025-26, San Jose won 19 more games, finished in fifth place in the Pacific Division, and narrowly missed qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Sharks won’t win an additional 19 games in 2026-27, but San Jose is trending upward, and that’s a credit to Warsofsky. 

The Sharks are built around youngsters Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa and now Ivar Stenberg, and Warsofsky must give them room to develop. But San Jose is desperate for playoff hockey, and nothing less than a playoff appearance next season is what Warsofsky and the Sharks are expecting.

Jim Hiller worked his way through the NHL coaching community, mostly as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings.

Hiller also had a run as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, but that didn’t lead to any playoff series wins for the Kings. Nonetheless, Hiller is now squarely in the spotlight in Toronto as Craig Berube’s successor.

Hiller couldn’t succeed in L.A., but he’s getting a better Leafs lineup to work with. And if he can’t get the Maple Leafs into the playoffs next year, he will have underachieved.

Andre Tourigny has coached the Utah Mammoth franchise since 2021-22, but he has only one playoff appearance and zero playoff series wins in that span. That single post-season appearance came this past year, but Utah fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.

Tourigny deserves credit for helping develop the Mammoth’s youngsters, but five years is a solid run in the modern-day coaching business. So if Utah doesn’t make tangible progress next season, Tourigny could be on the firing line, even if he's signed a multi-year contract extension with the organization in June.

The Mammoth are in a tough spot to be a playoff team in the highly competitive Central Division. So Tourigny is under the gun to get Utah further in the post-season. Certainly, with how long he's been with the organization, the pressure will be increasing next season.

Glen Gulutzan’s second stint as coach of the Dallas Stars began this past season, and he guided them to a 50-20-12 record and second place in the Central. Before that, Gulutzan’s NHL teams – Dallas and the Calgary Flames – had never finished higher than fourth place within the division. So Gulutzan should be praised for leading the Stars to a great regular-season result.

That said, Dallas is in win-now mode, and Gulutzan will only have so much time to improve on last season’s results. It’s not enough just to have regular-season success, and Gulutzan and the Stars must get to the Cup final if he’s to keep his job in the long-term.

The Ottawa Senators were looking to improve their playoff performance this past year, but they got swept in the first round by the eventual Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes.

Still, Green kept his job for what’ll be a third season in Ottawa next season. He will pass the 500-game mark as a coach next season, and that’s a testament to the respect he has around the league. 

The Senators are dealing with an improved Atlantic Division next year, and Green won’t keep his job much longer if he can’t steer Ottawa to an improved showing in 2026-27.

The Sens are now operating in the post-Brady Tkachuk era of the franchise, and Green can’t afford for the Senators to stall or step backward. Thus, absent a stronger team performance next year, this could be Green’s final season as Sens coach.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.