Welcome back to The Hockey News' NHL Hot Seat Radar, where we're looking at who's facing more or less pressure to perform in the past week.
To be clear, not every person on the hot seat is in danger of losing their job or being traded. But if their seat is warming up based on recent results, they're facing pressure to turn the results around and get back on a better track.
As we noted last week, Calgary Flames coach Ryan Huska and Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette were on the hot seat, and their seats haven't cooled off any. So we're focusing this week partly on a couple of Maple Leafs and a Blues GM whose job isn't at risk but does have increasingly important work ahead of him.
But first, we return our focus to the Buffalo Sabres.
Ruff and Adams were also on the Hot Seat Radar last week, the Sabres are 0-3-0 in the past week, so their seats warm up even more.
Buffalo simply doesn’t have the depth of difference-makers, and that’s on Adams. And the Sabres don’t outwork many opponents. That’s on Ruff.
The logjam ahead of them in the Eastern Conference makes Buffalo’s road ahead extremely difficult. Their current stretch of four games in six days could either keep Buffalo somewhat close to the playoff battle or far out of it. They lost the first game of this stretch 5-2 against the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday.
There’s just too much not going the Sabres’ way to imagine that they’re going to overcome much of it and salvage their season. And the status quo with Buffalo’s management team is not going to stand. Unless the Sabres start stacking wins, Ruff and/or Adams may soon find themselves in the unemployment line. It’s that straightforward in Western New York.
Will Kevyn Adams' Lack Of Trades Cost Him The Sabres' GM Job?In the NHL, sometimes it's the trades you don't make as a GM that get you fired. Could Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams be next in that regard?Don’t look now, but the Maple Leafs have backslid into 15th place in the Eastern Conference and 27th in the NHL. This, from a top-five team in the league last season. They've been outscored 15-10 in the past week, with a 0-3-0 record.
Thus, everyone in Toronto is on a hot seat of sorts, but Berube has to take his share of the blame and quickly find out how to turn things around, or things will get ugly in Leafs Land.
This is not to say Berube is in danger of getting fired anytime soon. But after he’s experienced the highs of winning a division title in Toronto, he’s in the early stages of finding out how hard things can be when the Leafs slump.
He's turned a struggling team around 180 degrees before, when the Blues went from last in the league to the Stanley Cup championship in 2018-19. Now, he's under pressure to find answers for the Maple Leafs before a warm seat gets hot.
Armstrong has earned his job security in St. Louis, and Alexander Steen is becoming the Blues' GM next year, anyway.
That said, Armstrong has his work cut out for him to allow Steen to hit the ground running next season, when Armstrong stays on as president of hockey operations. And the pressure's building on the Blues to pick a direction.
The Blues are 29th in the NHL with a 6-8-3 record, but they have gone 2-0-1 in the past week.
Armstrong won’t be changing coaches the way he did last year when he hired Jim Montgomery, so other things will have to change with the Blues if they cannot build on this points streak.
If the Blues stay this far down the standings, the pressure will be on Armstrong to get something of note in trades for players like Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou if their futures look bleak in St. Louis.
NHL Rumor Roundup: Are Brayden Schenn, Jordan Kyrou And Tage Thompson Trade Bait?Trade rumors continue to swirl around St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou, while teams are looking into the availability of Buffalo Sabres scorer Tage Thompson.The Blues made a stunning late-season run into a playoff spot last season, so the door shouldn’t be closed on them changing their status in the standings. But the longer the Blues languish at the bottom, the hotter Armstrong’s seat will get to either retool the way he did when he traded Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko in 2023 or make hockey trades that refresh St. Louis' window of contention.
St. Louis doesn’t have the type of generational talent true Western Conference teams possess, and that means Armstrong’s biggest job will be to convert his current group of talent into long-term puzzle pieces.
Stolarz was a feel-good story in his first year as a Maple Leaf, posting a 21-8-3 record, .926 save percentage and 2.14 goals-against average last season.
This year has been an entirely different story for the 31-year-old, who has a 6-5-1 record, an .884 SP and a 3.51 GAA. When you’re averaging a full goal per game more than you did last season, your seat is warming up.
Stolarz, who's unlikely to play Thursday due to an injury, has a new four-year contract extension that kicks in after this season, so he's sticking around. However, with tandem-mate Joseph Woll close to returning from a start-of-season absence, Stolarz may be in danger of losing the starter’s job if he doesn’t start to show he’s capable of being one.
The Leafs are in dire need of wins, and if Woll does come in and deliver wins, Stolarz may find his opportunities cut back. There’s no room for error in Toronto, and Stolarz’s struggles may wind up putting him into the No. 2 role until he improves.
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The World Junior Championship is just over a month away, and we should start to hear about what the rosters look like in the coming weeks.
One of the most interesting questions every year is what NHL teams will do with their U-20 players. Do they keep them on the NHL roster, or are they willing to send them to the world juniors to be leaders for their country for a few weeks?
It’s obvious some youngsters will stick in the NHL. There’s no shot that the San Jose Sharks are even contemplating whether to send Macklin Celebrini, as he sits near the league lead in scoring. He’s more likely to play for Canada’s Olympic team in February than to play for their world junior team over the holidays.
Other players have had a taste of NHL action, but we’ve already seen them sent back to their junior clubs. Guys like Jett Luchanko and Brady Martin are virtual locks on the roster for Canada.
There are a few players who are in limbo. They are still playing in the NHL, but they’ve been playing in a lower role, or they have been in and out of the lineup because teams want to ease them into the NHL.
Let’s look at eight Canadians and whether they are likely to stay in the NHL or get released to the world junior team.
This feels like the easiest player to discuss on the list.
Schaefer should stay in the NHL. He’s been borderline dominant already for the Islanders, and he should continue to face the toughest competition in the world.
The argument for sending U-20 players in the NHL to the world juniors is to give them a chance to get back to dominating the competition, but Schaefer seems to be doing just fine. It doesn’t make much sense for the player or the team for Schaefer to be released for the tournament.
This one is a bit tougher. Sennecke has been great for the Ducks, and they have outperformed expectations thus far, but there have been a few hiccups for Sennecke in the early going.
Sending him to the WJC would allow him to assert himself as one of the best, if not the best, players at the tournament. That said, having him in the NHL, where he can work through his mistakes, will allow him to develop his overall game further.
Sticking around the Ducks makes a lot of sense, and that’s probably what happens.
The Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie duo could both be important pieces for Team Canada. They are in slightly different situations right now, though.
Kindel has been playing fairly consistently, and he’s found himself in the Penguins' top six as of late. His pace and playmaking have always been strengths, but his five goals have been nice to see early in the year, as he goes to the hard areas and gets rewarded for it. He’s playing solid minutes and earning more power-play time as well.
Brunicke’s been scratched since Nov. 3, having played nine games. The 10th game would burn off the first year of his entry-level contract, so the Penguins are staying patient before deciding what they want to do.
He’s been solid at both ends of the ice, but there have been rookie mistakes along the way.
The team has spoken of a detailed plan for Brunicke's deployment in the NHL. They could be holding him out of the lineup for an extended period so that they can send him to the AHL on a conditioning stint, a seldom-used loophole for getting a 19-year-old some AHL time in the short term.
When it comes to the world juniors, Brunicke should likely be loaned out if he hasn’t been returned to junior yet. As for Kindel, there's a bit less certainty there. The case for him to be lent to Hockey Canada is simple: let him go and be a key piece before returning in January to pick up where he left off.
Dickinson and Misa are in two different boats at the moment.
Dickinson is benefiting from his time in the NHL. He’s getting a fairly regular shift, and he’s working through the ups and downs of being a rookie blueliner in the NHL.
Misa’s dealing with a foot injury at the moment, and while he’s been fairly steady in his games, he hasn’t truly hit his stride. An AHL conditioning stint when he returns from injury could get him ready for the WJC with Team Canada, where he could go and be one of the team’s most impressive talents. A stint with the WJC squad could set him up for a very nice second half in San Jose.
Having surpassed the nine-game plateau, Catton has burned the first year of his entry-level contract, but he still could be sent back to junior hockey, as doubtful as that may be.
Catton has played top-nine minutes and has flashes of really intriguing play. He only has three points, but he’s looked well.
Depending on how his season is going in a month, the Kraken could look to use the world juniors as a way to give Catton a break from the grind and allow him to chase down a gold medal. They did this a few years back with Shane Wright before sending him back to the OHL. With Catton, it feels like he would be back in the NHL after the experience with Team Canada.
Parekh's start to the season hasn’t been as smooth as many expected. The uber-skilled offensive blueliner hasn’t made his mark in the attacking zone, and his defensive game has been exposed at times.
He was injured in a recent game and was deemed week-to-week with an upper body injury, so health will also play a factor.
If Parekh returns by the beginning of December, sending him to the AHL for a conditioning stint would make some sense, and then loaning him to Team Canada could give him a chance to gain some of his confidence back after a rocky start to the season in Calgary. Being a leader and a go-to option for Canada would be a great thing for Parekh's development this season.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off three straight losses and will be looking for a much-needed bounce-back game when they host the LA Kings on Thursday. The Kings enter the matchup after winning three of their last four games, including impressive victories over the Jets, Penguins, and Canadiens, snapping several winning streaks along the way.
This game promises plenty of intrigue for fans and bettors alike, with the potential for high-scoring action and standout individual performances. We aim to build on our early-season momentum, having strung together multiple wins in the Pad Stack Challenge and holding an 8-2 record so far for our bank-building challenge. That momentum has carried over into other picks, including a perfect 4-0 night last Friday with the Penguins-Capitals game.
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Red Wings Set For Bounce Back in Offensive Frenzy Versus DucksDetroit eyes a crucial victory against Anaheim, aiming to ignite their offense and overcome recent struggles with a high-scoring performance.Over 6.0 Goals (-105)
John Tavares Anytime Goal (+170)
Corey Perry Over 0.5 Points (+110) Longshot Pick
The Buds offense has been red hot lately, ranking third in the NHL with 62 goals through 17 games. However, their defense has been their Achilles' heel to start the season. With 65 goals allowed, Toronto is tied with Nashville for the most goals allowed this season.
The struggles are compounded by heavy reliance on Anthony Stolarz, who has 13 starts this season with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage. In Toronto's most recent loss to the Bruins, Stolarz appeared rattled, allowing three goals on 11 shots in the first period.
This defensive vulnerability could give the Kings an opening. Los Angeles sits tied with the Washington Capitals for 20th in the NHL for goals per game with a 2.88 average. The Kings are known for their elite defensive structure, which typically places them among the top two or three defenses in the league. Currently, they are inside the top ten, allowing 2.88 goals per game, tied with the Carolina Hurricanes. This structure has often resulted in low-scoring matchups against Toronto, with six of the last ten games totaling five goals or fewer. However, an unexpected high-scoring game or shootout is possible.
For tonight, the young Dennis Hildeby is confirmed to start for Toronto and has struggled this season, with a 3.75 goals-against average in three appearances. On the other side, LA's Darcy Kuemper has been solid over his last three starts but has faced challenges versus Toronto, holding a 3-5-0 record, a 3.01 goals-against average, and an .887 save percentage in ten starts against the Maple Leafs.
The question is who will take advantage of what could be a high-scoring affair. For Los Angeles, attention turns to 40-year-old Corey Perry. The longtime NHL veteran has seven goals in his last ten games and has scored in three of his last four games versus Toronto. While a longshot pick, Perry should be able to contribute at least a point, especially alongside returning Toronto native Jeff Malott, who will be looking to score against his hometown team.
For Toronto, the focus is on John Tavares. With superstar center Auston Matthews sidelined for the next week, Tavares has moved up to the team’s top line. He has 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points over his last 24 games versus the Kings, including a four-game point streak entering the contest. Tavares has scored in six of his last eight games against Los Angeles and has totaled 21 points in his last 18 matchups. Entering Thursday, he is red hot with goals in three of his last four games, contributing five points.
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