The coaching carousel has already spun hard once, and a few more names could be feeling the heat before the 2026-2027 season even gets going.
Some of the biggest shakeups came in the 2025 NHL season, when Kris Knoblauch was dismissed after a strong three-year run in Edmonton that still ended with consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances and then a disappointing season. Bruce Cassidy’s exit from the Vegas Knights came in the middle of the year and caught plenty of people off guard. Patrick Roy and the Islanders agreed to part ways, Craig Berube was out in Toronto, Jim Hiller was let go by the LA Kings, and Dean Evans moved on from the Blue Jackets.
Now the pressure starts to build on the next group.
John Hynes is firmly in the spotlight in Minnesota, where the expectations have been raised to a simple standard: Stanley Cup or bust. The Wild have the kind of talent that makes a deep run possible, and the roster includes Quinn Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber, and strong goaltending.
But there’s also no wiggle room if the results fall short. Minnesota plays in a tough Western Conference, yet the message around the club is clear: no excuses.
The Wild finished last season with 104 points and went out in the second round. They have not reached the conference finals since the 2002-2003 season, back when the division was still called the North West. That stretch says plenty about why the pressure keeps rising.
In Edmonton, Mike Babcock is back behind an NHL bench for the first time since 2019. He was hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 but later resigned, and now he’s getting another shot with the Oilers as they try to steady things. Given the baggage attached to Babcock’s name, it’s hard to see this turning into a long stay.
His reputation has long been tied to criticism over his use of intense, old-school psychological warfare, mental manipulation, and verbal degradation that multiple former players and staff members described as workplace bullying.
New Jersey is another place where the coach could quickly find himself under scrutiny. The Devils have a new general manager in Sunny Mehta, who previously had success with the Florida Panthers, and Sheldon Keefe is now working with a roster that needs a jump. New Jersey finished third in 2024, then slipped to seventh in 2025, and that kind of drop puts Keefe’s job in play if the trend doesn’t reverse.
The Devils have added Anthony Mantha and Evan Rodrigues, and they’re hoping Nico Daws can grow into the starting goalie role, especially with Jake Allen getting older. If the roster stays healthy, New Jersey has a chance to make noise in the Metropolitan Division.
But everything still runs through Jack Hughes. If he can’t stay on the ice, the expectations around this team have to change.
In Other News...
Wild Fans May Not Like Whats Holding Up Quinn Hughes Deal
Quinn Hughes is eligible for a contract extension with the Wild, and the early conversations appear to be centered on the usual big-money questions: term and value. Minnesota has made clear it believes a deal can still get done, which is hardly a surprise for a player of Hughes caliber, but the market for top defensemen is always tricky, and the timing matters just as much as the numbers.
What could complicate things is the broader NHL picture, where one contract at the top of the blue-line market could help shape the next. Hughes is weighing his own situation carefully, looking to maximize the value of his next deal, and that means the Wild may have to wait while the market sorts itself out before the real momentum starts. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Face A Huge Dylan Larkin Decision After Trade Buzz
The Dylan Larkin conversation is the kind of summer noise that can quickly turn into something bigger when a team like the Wild is looking to add a proven center. Detroit and Minnesota did have trade discussions, but the talks reportedly ran into the usual hard part of any deal at this level: agreeing on what the return should look like, while also dealing with the salary cap. The Red Wings are said to want a center in any Larkin trade, and for a player who remains under contract through the 2030-31 season with a no-movement clause, the price is never going to be modest.
For Minnesota, the fit is obvious in the abstract and far trickier in practice. Any serious pursuit would likely force the Wild to clear money, and the sort of one-for-one framework that has been floated around the league is not something they have been eager to entertain. Larkin asked for a trade earlier this offseason, but Detroit has not guaranteed it will honor that request, which keeps the whole situation in a holding pattern for now. [Read more 🡒]