Welcome to Top-Shelf Takes, a weekly series from staff writer Mary Clarke all about the NHL. Lace up your skates as we dive deep into the epic highs and lows of this little sport called hockey.
Been awhile, hasn’t it?
Now that the calendar has flipped to 2023 and the holidays have come to an end, the 2022-23 NHL season has hit its midway point. And surprisingly, we’ve yet to see a head coach fired by the halfway juncture.
Given how high the turnover often is in the NHL at the head coaching position, it’s rare to last this long into a season without seeing one bench boss canned. It’s hard to say if there’s any real reason behind this phenomenon, but considering this is the year to be bad with a chance to draft Connor Bedard on the line, it makes a bit of sense that some teams are just doing the bare minimum here.
Still, a chance for higher lottery odds are unlikely to save the jobs of all the coaches on the hot seat. Someone has to be the first head coach fired this NHL season, so here are our five best guesses as to who the unlucky soul could be.
Bruce Boudreau, Vancouver Canucks
I’m honestly shocked Boudreau wasn’t fired earlier this season when the Canucks got off to a horrific start. Vancouver did rebound at the start of November and went from being a depressing hockey team to just plain mediocre, but even then this is clearly not the season this team wanted to have at all. Another slide could very well cost Boudreau his job — for real this time.
Dallas Eakins, Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks have been quite abysmal this year, with the NHL’s worst goal differential at minus-73 and it’s not even close. Firing Eakins isn’t going to magically make the team better, that’s for sure, but it would at least be a wake up call to this team that has seemingly been sleepwalking through much of this season.
Brad Larsen, Columbus Blue Jackets
Yes, it’s truly unfortunate that the Blue Jackets are dealing with the worst injury luck imaginable. But honestly, I don’t think the team would even be playoff ready at full strength anyway. Larsen hasn’t shown much promise as a head coach these last two years and the team’s decision to go after Johnny Gaudreau in the offseason looks worse by the day. While he could be an offseason departure, I don’t think Larsen will be the bench boss for Columbus much longer.
D.J. Smith, Ottawa Senators
The Senators talked a big game in the offseason with their major acquisitions that moved the needle on paper, but the improvements haven’t manifested yet on ice. Smith is 81-104-24 with the Senators over the last four seasons, a record that doesn’t inspire confidence given how important this year was supposed to be. It’s way past due for the Senators to move on from Smith.
Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues
The Blues have been inconsistent all season long, with recent returns an overall positive for St. Louis. However, the Blues are still out of a playoff spot in mid-January and staring up at a long list of competitors for the wild card. Berube’s meant a lot to this organization in helping them win a Stanley Cup back in 2019, but his firing could light a fire under this team if the organization believes the Blues are too stagnant.
Three stars
3. Columbus tosses its hat in the ring for the race to 32nd
To reiterate how bad the Blue Jackets have been, they have a 2-8-0 record in their last 10 games and now sit three points out of last place in the NHL. With how poorly they’ve been playing recently — and with a chance at drafting Bedard possibly waiting in the wings — you have to wonder if Jarmo Kekalainen has any regrets about paying big money for Gaudreau in free agency last summer.
2. Sabres jersey magic is taking on a life of its own
Buffalo’s impressive record in their red and black alternates continues, as the team is now 5-1 when wearing these high-contrast colors. Their only blemish? An uncharacteristic shutout loss against the Flyers on Monday. Still, the players are starting to believe in the magic and that’s what matters.
“We love wearing it… we feel evil in the jersey.”
Amazing quote from Dahlin on why they’re so successful in the black & red.
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) January 8, 2023
Given the Sabres have a high chance of playing spoiler to a playoff team this spring, it’s more than fair for them to don the mantle of the villain.
1. Connor McDavid causes a stink over his socks
Someone please get Connor McDavid new socks. He’s been wearing the same pair for years because the company doesn’t make them anymore, but they’re exactly how you expect years-old socks to look and it’s terrible!
Connor McDavid wears the same socks every game, and you gotta see them. 😳 pic.twitter.com/FYRPRBFRC9
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) January 9, 2023
I get hockey players are a suspicious bunch but enough!!!
Underbaked idea of the week
The NHL’s All-Star voting system
It’s that time of year again for the NHL’s All-Star selection ahead of the upcoming event in early February. This year, however, the NHL added a new wrinkle to the mix, as a fan vote will decide two skaters and one goaltender per division. A fan vote is a great idea, don’t get me wrong, but where I — and many others — take issue is the NHL’s insistence on having one representative from all 32 teams.
As things currently stand, fans will have to vote in players such as Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, and Steven Stamkos, among other talented players that didn’t make the cut. On some level, it makes sense why the NHL tries to have all 32 teams represented, but an All-Star Game is a showcase of the best of the best. It’s past time the NHL moves on from this antiquated system and give the fans what they want instead: the stars!
What to watch
Rangers vs. Stars – Thursday, January 12
For all you goaltender enthusiasts out there, Igor Shesterkin versus Jake Oettinger should be a good one. The Stars have been better offensively this season thanks to Jason Robertson, so Shesterkin might be a bit more under siege compared to his goaltending counterpart.
Penguins vs. Jets – Friday, January 13
The Penguins are fighting for their playoff lives right now and the Jets are playing some of their best hockey of the season coming into this one. Pittsburgh’s desperation clashing against Winnipeg’s ferociousness should make for fantastic Friday night theatre.
Bruins vs. Maple Leafs – Saturday, January 14
This will be a battle between two of the titans in the Atlantic Division. The Maple Leafs have their work cut out for them if they want to catch the Bruins for first in the division, so winning this game would be a good start.
You can watch the 2022-23 NHL season streaming on ESPN+.
