The Wraparound: Will Keefe, Woodcroft or D.J. Smith Be the First Coach Fired? Do the Sens Have an Eichel Problem with Tkachuk? And How Is James van Riemsdyk Outperforming Tyler Bertuzzi?

This is The Wraparound. Michael Traikos looks at a handful of topics in the NHL and elsewhere with links to further reading on The Hockey News' team and theme sites.

The season is less than a month old, and we’ve already seen a team part with its GM. How long before a coach is next?

Whether it's Ottawa, Edmonton or Toronto, there is no shortage of options. 

Things are obviously not going well for most of the Canadian teams. While the Vancouver Canucks continue to exceed expectations, the same cannot be said of the Maple Leafs, Oilers or the Senators, who may all benefit from a coaching change. 

Let's start in Edmonton, where the Oilers have one win in their past seven games and are stuck alongside San Jose for the worst overall record in the league. Jay Woodcroft shouldn't be blamed for a goaltending tandem with the third-worst goals-against average. But if the Oilers somehow lose to the Sharks this week, expect a move to be made.

In Toronto, the heat is on Sheldon Keefe, who still hasn't been able to integrate the team's new faces into the lineup. Max Domi is searching for his first goal, Ryan Reaves is searching for his first point and Tyler Bertuzzi and John Klingberg are searching for their games. The Leafs are somehow still holding down a playoff spot, but they are now on pace for 89 points — their lowest in a full season since drafting Auston Matthews in 2016.

And then there's Ottawa. After firing GM Pierre Dorion last week, the Senators were booed off the ice in a loss to the Lightning on Saturday and had their captain call out the fans. With the worst record in the Eastern Conference, it seems to be a matter of when — not if — the team will pull the trigger and replace head coach D.J. Smith. If so, look to former NHL head coach Jack Capuano to slide over from his role as an assistant and take over the reins.

Ottawa may have an Eichel problem in Tkachuk

I loved hearing an emotional Brady Tkachuk sound off against "the constant booing and the bulls---" from the home fans in a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. What I didn’t like was how similar he sounded to Jack Eichel during his final days in Buffalo. If you’re a Sens fan, that has to be the worry. It’s been six years without even a sniff of the playoffs for Tkachuk. That is, if you don’t count him crushing beers in the stands at the Saddledome while watching his brother play.

Quenneville won't be coaching in the NHL anytime soon

Don't expect Joel Quenneville to be a candidate for any coaching positions this season. Not with the Chicago Blackhawks being sued by a second player in relation to the sexual assault cover-up during the 2010 championship run. As with Kyle Beach, this latest allegation also involves a "Black Ace" who had been practising with a group of non-roster players during the playoffs when he was allegedly assaulted by Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich. The coach during that time was Quenneville, who subsequently lost his job seven games into the 2021-22 season with the Florida Panthers.

Sharks fans are not used to this level of losing

As we discussed on Saturday night’s The Hockey News Pre-Game Show, the Sharks are entering “worst-team ever” territory. For anyone dismissing that fact, simply because they’re based in a basketball-first southern market, consider this: the Sharks have only missed the playoffs eight times in the last 30 years. During that span, they won their division six times and reached the Stanley Cup final in 2016. This is a franchise — and a fan base — that’s used to winning. And now, they've gone the first 11 games without a win while allowing 10 goals in the past two games alone. Ouch!

For $4.5 million less, the Leafs could have had JVR

Last summer, the Boston Bruins lost Tyler Bertuzzi to free agency and signed James van Riemsdyk to a one-year contract worth $1 million.  Bertuzzi ended up signing with the Leafs for $5.5 million. After 11 games, Bertuzzi has two goals and one assist. And van Riemsdyk has four goals and seven points.

No Hughes? No problem for the red-hot Devils

The New Jersey Devils are currently without Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. We’re talking about two No. 1 overall picks, as well as their top-two centers, who combined for 74 goals and 179 points last season. In other words, it should be a huge loss. And yet, you wouldn’t know it after the Devils beat the Blackhawks 4-2 on Sunday, thanks to centers Dawson Mercer and Michael McLeod each finding the back of the net.

Lalonde out-coaches Jack Adams winner Montgomery

The Red Wings became the first team to hand the Bruins a regulation loss this season, beating Boston 5-4. And Detroit did it while going with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, a strategy coach Derek Lalonde said allowed the team to get Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat away from Boston’s top defensive pairing. Smart coaching. If this keeps up, Lalonde could be an early favorite for the Jack Adams, which Bruins' Jim Montgomery won last season.

Balanced offense a good sign for the Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are 6-6-0 to start the season, which isn’t great. But the team must be happy with how it’s getting contributions throughout the lineup.

Five different players scored in Saturday’s 6-4 win against the Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, 15 players scored at least a goal this season, with six players scoring three or more times. Compare that to Toronto, where 10 players have a goal and only four scored three or more times.

Could Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo be Toronto-bound?

With Brett Pesce nearing a return from injury, word is that the Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly looking to move one of their seven defensemen. Tony DeAngelo appears to be the most obvious candidate since he makes only $1.75 million. If so, there won’t be a shortage of suitors for an offensive defenseman with five points in 12 games. Look to the Leafs, who are without Timothy Liljegren, as a potential target. It could be why Toronto called up Nick Robertson from the minors in hopes of showcasing him.

Wrapping Up

- In addition to the hats that flooded the ice upon Auston Matthews scoring his third hat-trick of the season, there was also a brassiere, which brought out a new nickname for the Leafs sniper: “Bra-ustan Matthews.” It also brought out the jokes, with some fans saying it’s the closest the team would get to the Cup.

- Lots of failure going around in Pittsburgh, with most of it being blamed on the new guys. Lars Eller received a 'C,' and Noel Acciari got a 'D' in the early-season grades. Check out the grade for Erik Karlsson here.

- The most interesting race this year could be for the Calder, where every day seems to bring a new name into the conversation. With a rookie-leading eight points in 11 games, keep an eye on Anaheim defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, who was selected 10th overall in 2022.

- Vegas scored seven times in what felt like a statement 7-0 win against Colorado on Saturday. The big story this year, however, has been goalie Adin Hill, who made 41 saves to further his case as the early Vezina Trophy favorite, with a near-perfect 6-0-1 record, a 1.81 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.

- It was interesting to see rookie Logan Cooley get some ice time with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz in the dying minutes of Saturday's 5-3 loss to Winnipeg. I predict will see more of that trio as the season progresses.

- Keep an eye on Islanders' Bo Horvat, who missed practice on Monday after blocking a shot on Saturday night.