6 NHL Head Coaches Who Could Be on the Hot Seat as 2026-27 Progresses – The Hockey Writers – Season Previews

The NHL is no stranger to midseason coaching changes. There were a couple last season, most notably the Vegas Golden Knights replacing Bruce Cassidy with John Tortorella and Pete DeBoer taking over for Patrick Roy with nearly a week left in the regular season. Which coaches could find themselves on the hot seat as the 2026-27 season progresses?

Sheldon Keefe

Even though the New Jersey Devils made a GM change this offseason, Sunny Mehta opted not to make a coaching change, retaining Sheldon Keefe to begin 2026-27. Keefe’s first two seasons as the Devils’ head coach were a disappointment, but it wasn’t entirely his fault.

The Devils’ roster simply wasn’t good enough, specifically their supporting cast. That’s no longer an excuse, though. Mehta made multiple changes this offseason, and the Devils look much improved.

They’ve brought in Luke Evangelista, Evan Rodrigues, and Jesper Boqvist via trades, and Anthony Mantha and David Rittich via free agency. It’s not a perfect roster by any stretch, but it’s better than what former general manager Tom Fitzgerald handed to Keefe two years ago when he took the job.

If the Devils get off to a poor start and find themselves out of the playoffs by American Thanksgiving, Mehta could pull the plug on Keefe and make a coaching change. Unless someone gets their hands on him beforehand, the Devils could eye Kris Knoblauch as a replacement.

Andre Tourigny

Andre Tourigny is one of the NHL’s longest-tenured coaches. The Utah Mammoth have shown progress under him, but expectations are different heading into the 2026-27 season. Most expect the Mammoth to be legit playoff contenders, and not just a wild-card team. They made a few splashes this offseason, namely acquiring Vincent Trocheck and signing Anders Lee.

Granted, the Central is loaded, especially at the top. I don’t think anyone expects the Mammoth to surpass the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars, but they do look better than the Minnesota Wild on paper.

Even last season, rumors percolated that the Mammoth considered replacing Tourigny with DeBoer. Nothing came of it, and the Islanders ultimately hired DeBoer in the final weeks of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Mammoth went on to clinch a playoff spot under Tourigny.

Tourigny is not entering the 2026-27 season on the hot seat. But if the Mammoth get off to a slow start and underperform, it wouldn’t be a shock if general manager Bill Armstrong makes a change.

Mike Babcock

Is it a hot take to have Mike Babcock in a coaching hot seat article without him having coached a game for the Edmonton Oilers? Absolutely not. He didn’t even coach a game for the Columbus Blue Jackets before they fired him for an off-ice incident.

Babcock showed no accountability for his brief time with the Blue Jackets, either. He essentially said everyone else was the problem, and that was that. That’s not a great sign entering the new season, but it will likely take a similar incident from his time with the Blue Jackets to get him fired midseason.

Even if the Oilers underachieve, I don’t see owner Daryl Katz and GM Stan Bowman pulling the plug on Babcock midseason unless it’s an absolute dumpster fire and the team is on the verge of missing the playoffs. But given Babcock’s history, you can’t say his job is 100 percent safe.

Ryan Warsofsky

Ryan Warsofsky isn’t entering the new season on the hot seat, either, but the Sharks aren’t expected to be a bottom-feeder anymore. Expectations will be higher, especially since the Pacific Division is largely up for grabs outside the Oilers and Golden Knights.

At least to me, the Sharks have plenty of variance. I don’t see the bottom falling out. Macklin Celebrini is too good, but it wouldn’t be a total shock if they don’t take the step forward many expect them to this season.

The Sharks were one of the worst five-on-five teams in the NHL last season, finishing with an expected goals share (xG%) of 46.91 percent. If they don’t improve at five-on-five, they could underachieve, and that could put Warsofsky on the hot seat if they aren’t close to a playoff spot.

Andrew Brunette

Andrew Brunette has gotten a raw deal in most of his time as the Nashville Predators’ head coach. Former GM Barry Trotz didn’t exactly assemble a roster that put Brunette in a position to succeed. Still, Brunette kept the team within striking distance of a playoff spot last season.

Unfortunately for Brunette, the Predators made a change at the top, hiring Chris MacFarland as GM and president of hockey operations. We know that GMs like to bring in their own people, whether that’s coaching, scouts, players, etc., and that could make Brunette’s seat at least warm. If the Predators struggle out of the gate, MacFarland could want to bring in his own head coach at some point.

Todd McLellan

Todd McLellan’s status as the Detroit Red Wings’ head coach is in limbo as the organization looks to hire a replacement for GM Steve Yzerman. Once the Red Wings hire a new GM, they will likely assess McLellan as the season progresses.

It’s highly unlikely that the Red Wings’ new GM, whoever that may be, will fire McLellan before the season starts. We’re too close to the 2026-27 season beginning for a GM to conduct a coaching search. But that doesn’t mean McLellan’s job is entirely safe.

Similar to Brunette, a new front office may want to bring in their own personnel. If the Red Wings are sitting toward the bottom of the Atlantic Division, which may certainly occur, especially if they trade Dylan Larkin, then a new front office may replace McLellan midseason with an interim coach and conduct a full search for a new head coach next offseason.

Of these coaches, Keefe is likely under the most pressure to begin the new season. If the Devils don’t get off to a good start, he may be the first to go. After that, it’s up in the air. There could be a coaching change that no one sees coming, too. Time will tell.

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