Grading the New NHL Head Coaches

Rush to judgement.

That's what those of us who attempt to grade first-year coaches can be accused of doing even though the season is still in its first month.

However, new coaches have to hit the ground running. If they don't, their team will remain in the malaise that it was in when it was led by the previous coach.

There are four coaches in the NHL who are in their first year with their new teams. A fifth, Randy Carlyle of the Toronto Maple Leafs, started at the end of the 2011-12 season.

We grade these five coaches as the 2013 season reaches its fourth week.

Randy Carlyle, Toronto Maple Leafs

The much-scrutinized Toronto Maple Leafs have played solid hockey as they have passed the quarter-pole of the season.

The Leafs are 8-5-0 and sit in a tie for fourth place with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs have won four games in a row. Head coach Randy Carlyle deserves credit for getting the Leafs off to a solid start and putting themselves in a position to end their long playoff drought.

Toronto won just its second home game when it defeated Philadelphia Feb. 11, but the Leafs are juggernauts on the road. They are 6-1-0 away from home, having already beaten the Montreal Canadiens twice at the Bell Centre.

Carlyle has done good work so far, but the veteran coach will almost certainly have some problems along the way. The Leafs still have a goaltending issue.

They may be off to a great start with James Reimer and Ben Scrivens playing well—although Reimer was forced out of the victory over the Flyers with a leg injury that Carlyle said is not serious—but that does not mean they will play consistent hockey for 48 games.

Carlyle has the Leafs playing with greater focus and discipline than they have in the past. That has allowed the Leafs to become a team that high-caliber opponents must take seriously.

Grade: A-minus.

Ralph Krueger, Edmonton Oilers

Ralph Krueger has the difficult job of molding his team of young, potential superstars and helping them develop their game.

Through the first quarter fo the season, the Oilers have been quite competitive in compiling a 5-4-3 record.

With 13 points, the Oilers are in a tie with three other teams for eighth place in the Western Conference. They have a lot of work to make the postseason, but they are in a position to earn a playoff bid if they can pick up their pace just a tad.

Krueger is helping his young players come along and he has gotten exciting play from rookies Nail Yakupov and Justin Schultz.

Goalie Devan Dubnyk has met or exceeded expectations with a 5-3-3 record, a 2.45 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the Oilers' start has been their ability to play a full 60 minutes. They gave up six goals in the second game of the season to San Jose and were blown out in that game, but they have been competitive in their 11 other games.

Grade: B.

Michel Therrien, Montreal Canadiens

Many of the distractions that impacted the Montreal Canadiens have been erased by head coach Michel Therrien.

Controversies about a head coach who could not speak French have been erased and the team is focused on the fundamentals of the game.

The Canadiens have gotten a lift from the return of solid defenseman Andrei Markov, who was limited to 13 games last year. The Canadiens have a record of 6-4-1, which puts them in seventh place and would qualify them for the postseason.

While that's a lot better than the 15th place finish in 2011-12, the Canadiens have lost three games in a row after a 6-1-1 getaway.

Therrien seems to be getting quite a bit out of his team, but he may not have quite enough talent to bring the Canadiens back to glory this season.

Still, they have first-rate Carey Price in goal and they appear to be on the right track.

Grade: B.

Adam Oates, Washington Capitals

Based on the talent on the roster, the Washington Capital should be a prime playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps they should be on a perch just below the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, but they are as strong as any of the other Eastern Conference teams.

However, when Dale Hunter decided not to return after leading the Caps to a playoff upset over the Bruins and extending the Rangers to seven games, it should have indicated that the Capitals were a dysfunctional team.

Adam Oates took the job after helping the New Jersey Devils get to the Stanley Cup Finals. He has not been able to generate any consistency as stars like Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have been below par.

The goaltending has also been an issue for this team in the early going.

Oates has been trying to get his team to play disciplined, Devils-style hockey. The Caps sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and have lacked focus and identity. There's little evidence to think that will change any time soon.

Oates may be in over his head with a team that needs quite a bit of time on the therapist's couch.

Grade: D.

Bob Hartley, Calgary Flames

It's no surprise that the Calgary Flames are tied for 14th in the Western Conference through the first 10 games of the season with a 3-4-3 record.

This team did not have the look of a contender last year and the changes they made to the roster in the offseason—bringing in former Capitals defenseman Dennis Wideman and Red Wings forward Jiri Hudler are two of the major additions—were not enough to change this team's prospects.

The Flames play hard and often keep it close, but they are not good enough to win. General manager Jay Feaster would probably be better off breaking up this team and rebuilding.

That's not head coach Bob Hartley's call. It is his job to win with this team and he is struggling to get those victories.

That's not something that is going to change any time soon. The Flames lack the firepower and they give up big goals at inopportune moments.

Grade: D-plus.