Analysts list two NHL head coaches on hot seat after Jim Montgomery's Bruins firing

The firing of Jim Montgomery as head coach of the Boston Bruins after just 20 games has put the spotlight on other NHL coaches potentially on the hot seat. Analysts discussed which coaches could be next after the Bruins' shocking move.

While talking on Sportsnet, analyst Luke Gazdic pointed to Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette as someone potentially in trouble given the team's lackluster start despite big offseason signings.

Gazdic said:

“I’m going to Nashville, Tennessee, and Andrew Brunette. With the amount of money that they spent this summer and the start that they are having. You already got Barry Trotz talking about, you know, tearing this thing down into a rebuild."

I think Andrew Brunette is a heck of a coach, but something and something fast needs to happen.”

Meanwhile, Colby Armstrong highlighted Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde as another coach who could be on thin ice.

Armstrong said:

“I’m going to go (Derek) Lalonde in Detroit. The Yzerplan, what’s going on with that? We seemingly see the same things, the same teams, and this is a team that we’ve been kind of waiting for to pop."

Armstrong noted the Red Wings have some good players, but they have a poor 8-9-2 record. So, he believes coaching change is needed for team direction.

Analyst Sam Cosentino's take on NHL coaches on hot seat

Hockey analyst Sam Cosentino pointed to the Anaheim Ducks' Greg Cronin as someone potentially in jeopardy. He noted that many NHL teams hire a coach they think can oversee a rebuild and work with young players, but plan to eventually replace them with someone else long-term.

"So I’m gonna go to Anaheim. I want to talk about Greg Cronin… I do believe they have that in “Anaheim, but that kind of interim guy, I don’t think is going to make the cut there. So I got Cronin on my hot seat.”

Cosentino suggested Cronin, who took over as interim coach this season, may fall into that temporary rebuild coach category in Anaheim. He compared the situation to recent coach hires and quick dismissals in Buffalo, Ottawa, and Philadelphia where teams went young but didn't retain the coach.

Cosentino believes Anaheim has good prospects but that Cronin may not be the long-term answer as head coach there.

Total 22 NHL coaches have been fired since the start of 2023.