Why do NHL teams make so many in-season coaching changes?
-
Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
Lindy Ruff is no longer the coach of the New Jersey Devils, becoming the seventh NHL head coach to be fired during the 2023-24 season.
He is also the latest example that being behind an NHL bench might be the most disposable position in all of sports. In the last five years, there have been 25 head coaches who have been fired during the NHL season.
How does that compare to other sports? Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NFL have had a total of 32 in-season coaching/managerial changes combined in that same amount of time, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The NFL has had the most with 13. The NBA is second with 10 while Major League Baseball has had nine.
“Actually, I thought the number would have been a little bit higher to be honest with you,” former Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “I know it’s been a lot in the last 16-to-18 months. It’s a lot. But, it happens.”
Several items have been attributed as to why NHL organizations burn through head coaches at a rate that’s rapidly higher compared to its MLB, NBA and NFL counterparts.
Each situation has its nuances. The common denominator that nearly every in-season coaching change shares is management has reached a breaking point. The seven teams that have fired coaches this season all entered the season with playoff aspirations ranging from a preseason Stanley Cup front runner in the Edmonton Oilers to a team such as the Ottawa Senators that had one of the more active offseasons in the league.
That eventual point of separation came either because of a slow start or a team was going through a free fall. Getting off to a poor start is what prompted the Oilers to make a change by mid-November after losing 10 of their first 12 games. The Senators did the same after losing five of six games in mid-December for an 11-15 start that saw them gradually fall out of the playoff discussion.
Free fall is what happened with the Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders. The Kings were another potential Stanley Cup challenger and started 20-7-4 only to lose 14 of their next 17 games before making a change at the All-Star Break. The Islanders were 17-9-9 when they lost nine of their next 11 contests before replacing Lane Lambert with Patrick Roy.
Of the six teams that made coaching changes before Ruff was fired, the Kings and Oilers are the only ones who entered Tuesday in a playoff spot. The Blues, Islanders and Minnesota Wild were more than five points shy of the wild-card while the Senators were adrift by 19 points. The Devils were eight points behind the leading teams in the wild-card race.
There’s also the notion that a coach might be the easiest change to make considering the challenges teams constantly face to move players because of a salary cap that’s become even more constricting in recent years.
“If a team has certain expectations from ownership and management, it’s either going to be a GM who is let go or a coach who is let go,” said Lindsay Pennal, the executive director for the NHL Coaches Association. “We can see who falls on the chopping block. … In the NHL, if you have lost a few games over a few weeks, teams are ready to make a decision.”
Pennal said it’s encouraging that the NHL’s three longest tenured coaches — the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Mike Sullivan and the Colorado Avalanche’s Jared Bednar — prove that longevity can lead to success.
After all, those three coaches have won five of the eight most recent Stanley Cups.
But there have been coaches who were fired this season who were proof that longevity and success can only go so far. Craig Berube won a Stanley Cup and led the St. Louis Blues to four straight playoff appearances in his five-plus seasons. Dean Evason led the Wild to the postseason in four straight seasons.
Even they got fired. Their firings also came with a sense of symmetry that further emphasizes a team’s expectations. Berube, Evason and Jay Woodcroft, who was fired after parts of three seasons in Edmonton, were also in-season hires who were added when their respective teams decided a change was needed.
This is why the phrase “hired to be fired” is one that is commonly heard about NHL coaches.
“I can only surmise what coaches tell me, which is that this comes with the territory,” Pennal said. “They have a short life span with a team but there’s a lot of circular movement. Even though they are being fired, they can be hired by another team. They can have a long tenure with coaching in the NHL.”
To Pennal’s point, four of the seven teams that fired their coach replaced them with someone who had previously been an NHL head coach elsewhere. The NHL currently has 15 coaches with previous head coaching experience for another team.
Bylsma, now the coach of the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, said the NHL’s current playoff format could also play a role in why teams quickly move on from coaches. He said 16 teams or half the NHL makes the playoffs which creates the belief for enough franchises that they could get into the postseason.
“So, there’s an added pressure on the coach and the manager when you don’t meet those expectations but 16 other teams do,” Bylsma said. “You can go around the league and see what the Sabres were saying, the Red Wings were saying, the Blue Jackets, the Senators and a lot of those teams were talking about playoff expectations. The facts are when you look at the East … you are fighting for a slim, narrow margin of maybe making the playoffs.”
As an agent who represents NFL and NHL coaches, Ian Greengross, offered insight into why the shelf lives for coaches in those leagues are different.
Greengross said the perception around how coaches are valued in either league goes back to the nature of each sport. He said the NFL and football as a whole is more methodical in nature when it comes to details such as clock control, lengthy drives and scripted plays. The NHL and hockey, while it allows for coaches to also run systems and script some plays, remains more free-flowing in nature with items such as line combinations or defensive pairings that can be shuffled multiple times throughout a game.
The mentality in those leagues and sports is something Greengross said plays a role in how coaching contracts are handled. He said NFL coaches often sign contracts that are between four and five years in length while an NHL coach is getting three years, and he pointed out that NFL coaches are making around $7 or $8 million annually while the average NHL coach makes $2.5 million.
Greengross also mentioned an NFL player can keep the same agent when they transition to coaching. In the NHL, an agent cannot represent coaches and players, which means they must choose one over the other.
“Coaches have gone agentless which has led to a system where they feel fungible and take the first offer,” Greengross said. “It’s not because they are not smart people or not deserving but it’s because nobody has been there to guide them. They’re coaches, they’re not agents. They’re not negotiators per se. They’ve been made to feel that if they don’t accept a team’s offer, the team will go get their second choice or someone else instead.”
While the number of coaching agents is growing, Greengross added that there are coaches who are starting to understand that they don’t have to take the first offer and that they can ask for more money.
“They’re not going to hang up and never call again,” Greengross said. “They may say ‘No.’ But at least you asked for it.”
Bylsma remarked how his expiration date was something that did come up during his time with the Penguins. He had heard about how coaches in Pittsburgh were usually gone after three seasons with Bylsma making it to a sixth season where he reached the playoffs in every one but was eventually dismissed.
So what would make someone want to go back for more after getting fired the first time?
“I’m slapping myself with the word ‘arrogance’ here,’ Bylsma laughed. “I think you have to have a belief that as a coach, the way your team plays, the way you can get your team to play and with the players you have, that you can be a winner.”
-
Greg Wyshynski
When Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk raised the Stanley Cup over his head for the second straight season, the on-ice celebration included two of the most important people in his life: Father Keith Tkachuk, who played 18 seasons in the NHL; and brother Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators.
Keith was smoking cigars and hoisting the Cup with Matthew around the arena. Brady was holding a beer and diligently avoiding contact with the Cup, as superstition dictates that an NHL player should never touch it if they’ve never won it before.
The celebration was another memorable moment for the Tkachuk boys and their father. This month, another one arrived: The trio graces the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 26 Deluxe Edition.
“Growing up, Matthew and I dreamed of playing just like our dad,” Brady Tkachuk said. “Even now, his influence on how we play and prepare remains huge. It’s an honor to be featured on the cover. Having him standing alongside us makes the whole thing even better.”
We spoke with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk recently about their video game history, the Panthers’ wild offseason, Brady’s future in Ottawa, Matthew’s health heading into next season and their thoughts on the new NHL collective bargaining agreement.
But first, we asked two of the first players named to the 2026 U.S. men’s Olympic ice hockey team about chasing gold. Responses were edited for length and clarity.
You guys became USA Hockey legends after the 4 Nations Face-Off, if you weren’t already. Obviously, the tournament did not end the way Americans wanted. Is winning Olympic gold in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy the ultimate revenge on our friends in Canada?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: I don’t even know if you look at it as revenge, but it’s been a long time coming since USA Hockey’s been at the top of the mountain. Canada’s owned the Olympics or World Cups or even the world championships, although we got that back a little bit this year. They’ve been the leader in all of that and the team that we’ve all been trying to knock off.
I don’t think it’d be as much as revenge than showing how far along USA Hockey has come. We’ve had some incredible players and national teams that we’ve looked up to our whole lives but that haven’t gotten the job done. So, not only would winning [gold] accomplish dreams for us, but hopefully it would bring a lot of satisfaction for those guys that paved the way for us.
Brady, you play in a Canadian city while trying to win Olympic gold for the Americans. What’s that dynamic like?
BRADY TKACHUK: Learning from experience, it’s a little bit of a different position to be in. All the people that support you on a day-to-day basis, now they don’t want you to win.
Your dream as kids is winning the Stanley Cup and winning a gold medal for your country. I know that’s always been our two main goals. But we got into hockey, and a lot of people got into hockey, from the 1980 Miracle on Ice. And now, we have an opportunity to pave the way for the next generation of kids in the U.S. that maybe wouldn’t be playing hockey if they didn’t get to experience USA Hockey in the Winter Olympics and potential gold medals.
There’s not just playing for ourselves in that locker room with that group, but you’re really playing for your country and you’re playing for the next generation of kids. And like Matthew said, you’re playing for the guys that have paved the way, that are to be so supportive and fired up to be watching.
You guys are NHL 26 cover athletes, along with your dad. We spoke to Keith recently, who reminisced about seeing the glow of a video game screen under the doors of your bedrooms, whether it was when you were younger or in Matt’s case, when he was playing in Calgary. What’s your brief history of playing video games together?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: Yeah, we would play. I think during COVID was probably the last time I religiously played, and that was when we were all under one roof before I had my house in St. Louis. Brady and I played a lot. NHL is definitely one of them. I think Brady has played more throughout his life than I have, and that was one of the things that he was much better at than I am. So, I didn’t really play too much against him.
We played the game like how you’d probably expect us to play: Turn off all the penalties, make all the guys really big and fast. It was like prison rules NHL. So, it was a lot of fun.
BRADY TKACHUK: I honestly feel like we had a pretty religious routine. Right after school, if it was a nice day, out for roller hockey then dinner and then we were playing NHL. We try to sneak in a best-of-seven if it was early enough, but it was a lot of fun. Either we played together or most of the time, we’re playing together against each other and it was a ton of fun.
Now that you’re in the NHL, what is the level of interest or concern among the boys when it comes to their EA Sports ratings? Do they still care?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: We don’t talk about it too much. I know that there’s one day, maybe it might be at the beginning of the year, which I guess is coming up here soon, where you go over your rating or you guess another player’s rating. I think where they get pissed off is when you guess their rating and it’s way lower than their actual rating is.
You’ve got to be careful with who the sensitive guys are on the team because you don’t want that to actually affect them — and you never know if it might. Hockey players are proud athletes. You want to have a decent rating.
BRADY TKACHUK: I’m probably one of the guys that will just play a game as the Sens to see where my rating is at, to see how good my guy is. This version is exciting because it’s more individual-based. You can see within the game how I am in real life, and that’s really cool and unique.
These ratings are always fun. And to be honest with you, I don’t know what the rating is going into this year’s game. I know they give a midyear bump and that’s the goal: That hopefully I get a midyear bump because that means I’m playing well.
Matthew, your name was recently listed by the White House as being part of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, joining names like Wayne Gretzky and Mariano Rivera. How did you get involved in that?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: I’m not actually allowed to comment on that until it’s official yet. So, I have to wait on that a little bit. But I promise in a few weeks, if that comes true, I’ll answer that for you.
Let’s talk about something that did come true: The Florida Panthers somehow hanging on to Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand as free agents. How shocked were you that GM Bill Zito was able to pull that off?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: I don’t know if I was shocked. I think at the time, as a player and more importantly as a friend, you’re more worried that one of your buddies is going to go elsewhere. At the end of the day, you want your teammates and your best buddies to be happy with whatever decision they make. So, if that’s chasing a ton of money or if that’s going to where they want to play, you just got to be happy for them.
The best part about those three is they all believe in what we’re doing in Florida. They want to live in Florida, they want to play on a good team, and they want to have a great group of players surrounding them.
Out of all of them, I was most confident in [Ekblad] staying the most. Just because he’s been a lifelong Florida Panther. I just think it was going to be impossible for him to leave. And then the other guys … I mean, this was a chance for them to cash in. You just didn’t know if it was going to be with us or not.
I was surprised, though, that they were all able to stay. I thought that with the way the money was tied up, you didn’t know if it was going to be possible — and somehow it was. Everybody was taken care of so well.
Bill did a great job of making sure it could happen. You want your best buddies to be rewarded with how great they played and how great they’ve been up to this point. I think they all got rewarded very well, and I’m just so excited to have a chance to hopefully run it back with them this year.
When did you know about Marchand? Was it when he was smoking cigars on the back of a golf cart outside of the Elbo Room? At some point, were you just convinced the guy liked it down there vs. leaving as a free agent?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: Marchand, when he first got traded, I would’ve thought there was never a chance that we’re going to be able to keep everybody. As time goes on and you have success and you get to know guys and you get to know what their wants and desires are with the rest of their career — or where they want to live — you can start connecting the dots. People just don’t want to leave Florida when they come. I think that that is the case with them and everybody that’s been there.
The only time you’re going to see guys leave is if it’s such a crazy difference with money. Some of these guys that we’ve had the last few years have really cashed in with other teams, which we’re so happy to see. I think that’s really the only way you’re going to see guys go elsewhere.
We have too good of a thing going right now, and everybody wants to be a part of it.
Brady, your dad threw cold water on all the speculation about you leaving Ottawa when we spoke recently. How much did making the playoffs, showing the progress of the Senators, give you a sense of relief that maybe some of that speculation might go by the wayside now?
BRADY TKACHUK: Yeah, I think we really needed to make the playoffs to show everybody that we’re a team that’s capable of that, but also capable of doing more than just making the playoffs.
The last couple of years, it was kind of stagnant. We had high expectations and we didn’t quite accomplish what we needed to. And with that came doubt. But I think it showed with the steps that we took last year that we have a great hockey team. I think that we’re kind of just getting started with what we want to accomplish. Playoffs are great to get to, but that’s not our end goal. The sky’s the limit for our group.
I think [that success] helped with all the speculation. When things aren’t going well, people are always assuming or trying to think in my shoes. But I was kind of never really in that thought process. It was all about sticking it out. It’s been a long time coming, for not just our team but the city, to get into the playoffs. And I think it was really important to me to end that drought.
Through all that adversity that we faced with being the bottom five teams to finally get to the playoffs was an amazing feeling. But now that we got there, I think everybody wants a little bit more and wants to accomplish all of our childhood dreams.
Obviously, the season is getting closer. Brady, we saw you were training with Trevor Zegras this summer. What are your thoughts about him getting a fresh start in Philadelphia with the Flyers?
BRADY TKACHUK: Yeah, I drove up to Connecticut and skated with him. I’ve known ‘Z’ throughout the years but got to know him pretty well when we played world championships together. He’s a great guy, and I think it’s going to be great for him to get a fresh start in Philly and under Rick Tocchet. They have a great culture there, and I think he’s just going to do a good job of fitting in.
I’ve always thought playing against Philly that they play super hard, but they have a lot of great players with skill. So, I think that is going to be the best thing for him. I’m excited to see his progression this year and see how the change affects him. I bet that’s going to be for the good.
Matthew, you were dealing with some significant injuries by the end of last season and said it was “50/50” regarding offseason surgery. What’s your path for the next few months? Are you still hoping to maybe hit the ice in October?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: I’m still hoping to hit the ice as soon as possible. If I do get the surgery, it definitely will be the first two, maybe three months [of the season] if that’s the case. But it’s still undecided at this point.
Finally, the NHL and NHLPA have signed off on a new collective bargaining agreement. We haven’t heard from many players about this deal. What did you like? What did you wish was in it that didn’t make the cut?
BRADY TKACHUK: I think Marty [Walsh], Ron Hainsey and the NHLPA did a really good job. A lot of it came behind the scenes with the NHL. They kept it discreet.
I think it’s important that we did a four-year deal and to navigate where our league is in four years’ time. Obviously, there’s things that will probably trend and want maybe more of in four years’ time. But I think the changes that they made are exciting. The 84-game schedule [means] more hockey for people to come and watch. I think it’s going to be good.
Less preseason crap, too.
MATTHEW TKACHUK: Took the words right out of my mouth.
That’s the one main thing I like. I’ve never liked the preseason setup. I mean, guys do a great job of coming into [camp] in shape. There are the captain’s skates before the preseason because everyone wants to get back and see the boys. So, I think preseason has been overrated. It’s way too long, and the games are way too much. However they were able to shorten that, I was on board with that for sure.
Just get into the season. Just get on with it.
-
Greg Wyshynski
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk said he remains undecided about getting surgery before the 2025-26 season but acknowledged he could miss significant time should he require it.
Tkachuk, 27, revealed after the season that he sustained a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 games of the NHL regular season but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tkachuk had 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games during the playoffs, including seven points in the final against Edmonton, to lead the Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup championship.
Coach Paul Maurice said his star forward was “a mess” healthwise heading into the postseason.
“We weren’t hopeful at the start that he would survive the first round,” he said.
Tkachuk said after the season that it was “50/50” whether he’d have surgery, adding that the offseason provided ample time to make that call. Tkachuk told ESPN on Friday that “I’m still hoping to hit the ice as soon as possible.” Should he decide to go under the knife, Tkachuk said, it’s likely he’ll miss multiple months of action.
“If I do get the surgery, it’ll definitely be the first two or maybe three months if that’s the case. But it’s still undecided at this point,” said the Panthers star, whose contract and cap hit could be placed on long-term injured reserve during his recovery.
It’s been a notable offseason for Tkachuk. He appears on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 26 and is featured with brother Brady and father Keith on the cover of the game’s deluxe edition.
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk were among the first six players named to the 2026 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey roster for the Winter Games in Italy next year. Matthew Tkachuk also married fiancée Ellie Connell in July.
All of that was after another epic, multiday Stanley Cup celebration by the Panthers in Fort Lauderdale and Miami that featured spontaneous appearances at bars, clubs and beaches as well as a championship parade.
The Panthers’ chances for a third straight Stanley Cup received a boost this summer when GM Bill Zito was able to re-sign a trio of star veteran free agents: center Sam Bennett (8 years, $64 million), defenseman Aaron Ekblad (8 years, $48 million), and winger Brad Marchand (6 years, $31.5 million).
Tkachuk said that he wasn’t surprised that all three players wanted to remain with the Panthers but that he was amazed that Zito found a way to make the money work under the salary cap.
“I thought that the way the money was tied up, you didn’t know it was going to be possible, and somehow it was,” he said. “Everybody was taken care of so well, and Bill did a great job of making sure it could happen. I think they all got rewarded very well, and I’m just so excited to have a chance to hopefully run it back with them this year.”
Tkachuk said he was confident that Ekblad would return, having been a Panther since he was drafted by Florida first overall in 2014. He was a little less certain about Bennett and especially Marchand, who both had a chance to break the bank in free agency.
“When Marchand first got traded [at the deadline this spring], I would’ve thought there was never a chance that we were going to be able to keep everybody. But as time goes on and you have success and you get to know guys’ wants and desires for the rest of their career, you can start connecting the dots,” Tkachuk said. “People just don’t want to leave Florida when they come [here]. We have too good of a thing going right now, and everybody wants to be a part of it.”
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike