NHL 2010-11: Coaches on the Hot Seat after Weak Starts

The 2010-11 National Hockey League season is well underway. While it's still early, there are a few coaches under a little bit of pressure to perform. 

I know that the current standings probably aren't going to reflect the standings come playoff time. Still, some coaches don't have any excuses for their teams' poor starts. 

In this slideshow, I will be listing coaches who are on the hot seat through the first few weeks of the season. It's still early, but there is surely going to be some shuffling soon if these teams' performances stay the way they are right now. 

Now, the standings don't necessarily indicate what I am getting at with this slideshow. Some teams just haven't lived up to the high expectations put forth. There is a great number of things that could put a coach on this list. 

I don't know about you, but I was surprised at the number of good starts we've seen this year. It just goes to show you that there is a lot of parity in the league right now.   

You may not agree with all of these choices. If you have any that you would like to see added to the list, please leave a comment below with your rationalization. If it warrants a slide, I'll surely add it. 

No. 6: Todd Richards, Minnesota Wild

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PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Head Coach Todd Richards of the Minnesota Wild looks on from the bench area during the preseason NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center on September 29, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Wild d

Todd Richards is fairly new at his gig with the Minnesota Wild. 

When he was brought on, it was thought that he would be able to transform the Wild into a high-paced offensive team. Nobody thought that it would be easy. The Wild had been playing Jacques Lemaire-style hockey for years.

Unfortunately for Richards, Jacques Lemaire hockey worked for the Wild. It was what won them hockey games. 

Since Richards took over, the Wild have looked confused out on the ice.

Now, I could understand this confusion last year. The Wild lost their superstar, had new players, a new coach and new management. It was a time for adjustment.

This year, there can't be any excuses. The Wild's league leading sell-out streak has ended and the fans are starting to get impatient. 

If Mr. Richards doesn't get this team to come together and play well in both ends of the rink, it won't be long before he is on his way out.

No. 5: Todd McLellan, San Jose Sharks

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SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 16: Head coach Todd McLellan of the San Jose Sharks looks on against the Colorado Avalanche in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion on April 16, 2010 in San Jose, Ca

It's tough to put Todd McLellan on this list. 

When you consider that he has won back-to-back division championships and led his team to the conference finals, you would think that his job would be safe.

The problem for Mr. McLellan is that the pressure is clearly on the Sharks to perform in the postseason. 

I don't think that anyone would disagree when I say that Sharks' management gave Ron Wilson too many cracks at the can. While Wilson's teams were good during the regular season, they didn't manage to get the job done either.

Fans and management alike are starting to get frustrated. When you combine this fact with the little standings problem that the Sharks have, it's starting to look like Todd McLellan is on the hot seat.

The Sharks are 3-3-1 and things aren't looking good. This team is too good on paper to be getting shut out by teams like Calgary. 

Hopefully, for McLellan's sake, this team picks it up quickly.

No. 4: Brent/Darryl Sutter, Calgary Flames

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COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 22: Head Coach Brent Sutter of the Calgary Flames watches as his team takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period on October 22, 2010 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Calgary defeated Columbus 6-2. (Photo by J

The Flames could be under more pressure than anyone in the league right now.

The reason I wrote Darryl's name up there is because I feel that if Brent is going to go, Darryl will too. I doubt that Darryl would fire Brent without some sort of "influence" from upstairs. 

This team is a mess right now. Although they have back-to-back wins, it doesn't appear that this is going to be a very positive year in Calgary. 

When Morrison is your leading scorer (no offense BMo), you have a little bit of a problem. 

In his time in Calgary, Brent Sutter hasn't been able to get a lot out of his top-line guys. He plays a defensive style of hockey. While defense does win championships, you can't win if you can't score.

It's time for Brent to wake up and give his offensive guys more freedom or he could be leaving Calgary in the very near future.

No. 3: Cory Clouston, Ottawa Senators

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OTTAWA, ON - DECEMBER 28: Cory Clouston of the Ottawa Senators walks the bench before the start of a game against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Place on December 28, 2009 in Ottawa, Canada. The Ottawa Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2.

Yikes! I'm not sure that anyone was expecting this kind of start out of the Ottawa Senators.

All summer it looked like they were going to be even better than last year.  They went out and signed free agent Sergei Gonchar to a big contract and they had young guys coming back off great campaigns. 

Everything was looking great in Canada's capital. 

Fast forward to this season and what do we have? 

We have a team sitting at 2-5-1. That's a terrible record. 

While it may not be totally Clouston's fault, some of the blame must lie on his shoulders. You would think that he would be able to get more than one assist out of Alexei Kovalev in his eight games played. You would think that he would have at least one player above a plus one in the plus/minus category.

Clouston is going to need this team to pick it up quickly. The loss of Volchenkov appears to have really hurt his defensive system. 

It's time for him to see that he doesn't have that defensive stalwart lining up back there anymore. He needs to change the way the Ottawa Senators play hockey, or he could be packing his bags very soon.

No. 2: Randy Carlyle, Anaheim Ducks

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SAN JOSE, CA - SEPTEMBER 24: Head coach Randy Carlyle of the Anaheim Ducks stands on the bench during their preseason game against the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion on September 24, 2010 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Anaheim Ducks are in a little bit of trouble.

When I look at the systems being played in Anaheim, I see a team living in the past.

Gone are the days when Carlyle could send out Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer to hold down the fort.

Gone are the days when J.S Giguere would be there to stop anything that came his way.

This is a new Anaheim Ducks team. It's time for them to gain a new identity. Carlyle is relying heavily on his top line. He is also putting a lot of pressure on Cam Fowler. 

We saw failure last season and it looks as though we could see it again this season. Right now, the Ducks can't seem to win on the road. 

These little wrinkles had better be ironed out by the 20-game mark of this season. Because of his great history with the team, I think that Carlyle will be given the benefit of the doubt for awhile. However, at some point, the patience of Bob Murray will grow thin.

No. 1: John MacLean, New Jersey Devils

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NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 16: John MacLean head coach of the New Jersey Devils watches the game action against the Boston Bruins during the second period at the Prudential Center on October 16, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey. The Bruins defeated the Devils 4-1. (P

I know it's his first year and I know it's only been nine games, but something is going seriously wrong in New Jersey. 

I don't know what's happening in New Jersey. 

Marty Brodeur looks tired and Ilya Kovalchuk doesn't look like half the player he was in Atlanta. This team is in serious trouble.

Just looking at their record (2-6-1) shows you that there is something wrong. In my opinion, the problems run deeper. 

Lou Lamoriello has said all of the right things publicly regarding MacLean but, at some point, changes must be made. 

This team was great under Jacques Lemaire last season (am I sensing a trend in this slideshow?). They played well defensively, offensively and as a team. 

This season, they look to be disorganized and distraught. 

If I were John MacLean, I would be doing some serious thinking as to how I can improve this team quickly. New Jersey Devils fans won't put up with this for much longer.