5 NHL coaches who could be on the hot seat by Thanksgiving
By Kyle McKenna
2. Claude Julien – Montreal Canadiens
Claude Julien’s first crack as an NHL coach began with the Montreal Canadiens back in 2002-03. Impressively enough, Julien has only coached two other organizations since (New Jersey & Boston) that time while never taking a season off from being a bench boss.
The Blind River, Ontario native seems to always have success with his teams; however, the Canadiens haven’t clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs since Julien took over for Michel Therrien in 2016-17 when the Habs lost in the first round in six games to the New York Rangers.
Yes, the Canadiens entered a quick rebuild after losing to the Broadway Blueshirts in 2017, but there’s no doubting that Montreal’s expectations are to make a run at its first Stanley Cup championship since 1993.
There’s no time for the 2008-09 Jack Adams award winner (Coach of the Year) and his Canadiens to slip in the Eastern Conference standings, especially with how competitive the Atlantic Division is this season.
Every two points available on the table for the Original Six franchise is key and staying in the top three spots for the Atlantic Division standings from the start should go a long way for this Habs team.
In recent memory, when Montreal didn’t qualify for the postseason it was usually because all-star goaltender Carey Price was injured – that’s not the case and Canadiens have made attempts to upgrade their roster down the middle of the ice at the center and defense positions.
If this team is on the outside looking in by late November, then general manager Marc Bergevin may have to find a replacement for a city with the highest expectations in the NHL.