Fired?

Unlike last season in the NHL, this season has seen far less firings and hirings in its first half. The only coach fired thus far this season has been John Stevens in Philadelphia and he was replaced with Peter Laviolette, Stanley Cup winner with the Carolina Hurricanes just a few short years ago. Of recent firing rumours have gone rather soft, however, I think as performances through half of this NHL season have not met owner's expectations and as a result I'm sure there are some heads soon to be on the chopping block. So without further ado, allow me to share with you the coaches that I believe are on the chopping block. Keep in mind, this does not mean I think they will be fired immediately, however, I do believe it to be imminent if something does not change in the on-ice performance of their team.

Randy Carlyle, Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Carlyle began his tenure with the Mighty Ducks in the 05-06 NHL season, in which he won 43 games, going 43-27-12. The following year he led the club to their first Stanley Cup Championship. He has a record of 196-125-48 through four and a half seasons with the club. His Ducks have seen a dismal start to their NHL season, going 16-18-7 in their first 41 games. Their major signings in the off-season included Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. Though injuries have plagued their team's superstars, currently Selanne, Koivu, and Getzlaf are all out of the lineup, their play when they have been healthy has been less than astounding. With many problems on the ice, the Ducks have been the most disappointing team so far this NHL season.

Never winning less than 42 games in an NHL season (he won 42 last year, which is his lowest amount since taking the job in 2005), he is on pace to win 32 games this year. A full 10 games less than what the Ducks franchise are used to, while adding a superstar by the name of Saku Koivu. Most would say, Carlyle is skating on thin ice.

Pat Quinn, Edmonton Oilers
Newly hired by the Oilers brass this off-season, Quinn's team started the season over-achieving on the strength of play in goal by Nikolai Khabibulin. Since, Khabibulin has gone down with a back injury and is likely going to go under-the-knife ending his NHL season early. Leaving the floundering Oilers in 10th place in the Western conference, looking to move up. No, the play of Deslauriers has not been bad, in fact he has kept them in many games, and therefore, Quinn's job is on the line early as his team has not been working nearly hard enough. With one win in their last 10 games, and that win coming against the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs, means that Quinn's job is jeopardy.

Do I think Quinn will be fired? Probably not, but on reputation alone will he keep his job. His reputation of his careers with the Canucks, Maple Leafs, and his international resume. If it were anyone else, they'd be lucky to have lasted this long.

Honourable mentions certainly include Ron Wilson in Toronto, Ken Hitchcock in Columbus, and John Tortorella in Manhattan. Wilson will not see a move because of his friendship with Leaf's GM Brian Burke, and the stage that the team is in. Hitchcock and Tortorella may not be as lucky, with Tortorella's seat getting the hottest of them all of late.