The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are famous for high-pressure situations, and after six games, there are already a few situations where it is mounting on head coaches.
1. Pete DeBoer, Dallas Stars head coach | First-round foe: Colorado
Pressure: Rising
The Stars lost seven straight games to end the regular season and were spanked at home in a 5-1 Game 1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, which Dallas knocked out of the playoffs in last season’s Western Conference semifinals. Add in the mega-swing Dallas GM Jim Nill took to acquire superstar winger Mikko Rantanen, and injury excuses likely won’t be enough to save DeBoer from speculation about his future in Dallas.
2. Scott Arniel, Winnipeg Jets head coach | First-round foe: St. Louis
Pressure: Simmering
Not all pressure is created equally, and it’s not all fair. Arniel, in his first season as head coach, helmed the NHL’s smallest market to a President’s Trophy win.
No other coach is dealing with market history. The former Atlanta Thrashers expansion franchise, which later became the historic Winnipeg Jets franchise (the original Jets are now in Utah), faces unique market challenges. A downturn in ticket sales as recently as last season had ownership sounding the alarm about the franchise’s future in Winnipeg.
For this fan base, winning might mean more than it does elsewhere. And, for better or worse, that means the added pressure falls on Arniel in a season worthy of the Jack Adams award for Coach of the Year.
3. Kris Knoblauch, Edmonton Oilers head coach | First-round foe: Los Angeles
Pressure: Stable for now
There’s more pressure than you’d think in a series involving a second-year head coach fresh off taking the Oilers to within a game of hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Edmonton went through some late-season rough patches thanks to a parade of injuries. One of those injuries is to defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who was third among defensemen on the team in time on ice per game and best among defensemen on the team in shots allowed per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick.
This is not an easy time of year to be without a top-four defenseman. The expectations in Edmonton after last season will be Stanley Cup-or-bust every year. A first-round exit against a hot Los Angeles team that Edmonton has eliminated in three straight postseasons could turn the pressure up across the entire organization.
4. Jim Hiller, Los Angeles Kings head coach | First-round foe: Edmonton
Pressure: Stable for now
The pressure he’s facing isn’t necessarily an immediate danger to his job. Still, the second-year head coach had the interim tag removed from his title this summer to navigate this moment. The Kings earned home ice in this series thanks to a significantly better offensive output year-over-year, while still maintaining their elite defensive play. If their regular season success doesn’t translate into playoff success soon, mounting pressure on GM Rob Blake could break. Hiller’s standing will be on much shakier ground if the man who hired him is out of Los Angeles.
5. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach | First-round foe: Florida
Pressure: Stable for now
The Lightning-Panthers will be the final playoff series to start, when that opens on Tuesday night in Tampa. Cooper, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, is probably not in danger of losing his job. That said, Tampa won only three playoff games in the last two seasons. The Lightning earned home-ice advantage and retooled their team by letting future Hall of Famer Steven Stamkos walk this summer for precisely this moment against a banged-up Florida team that has played more hockey than anybody else in the past two seasons.
