NHL Hot Seat: Coaches Fired Late In a Season

Patience to foment a winning on-ice product has never been so thin in the NHL. And who receives the brunt of the blame when things go awry? 

Coaches, inescapably. 

While coaches are almost always first on the chopping block, late-season firings were rare before the 2024-25 season. 

With the recent surge in 11th-hour axings, let’s take a look at which coaches received their marching orders on or after March 1. 

Which NHL Coaches Were Fired Late in an NHL Season?

5. Michel Therrien (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Fired the day after Valentine’s Day, Michel Therrien gets an honourable mention despite being let go before March 1. 

On Feb. 15, 2009, the Pittsburgh Penguins parted ways with Therrien. Dan Bylsma, the coach who replaced him, led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup that season. 

The Penguins had a 27-25-5 record, with middling Stanley Cup odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook, when Therrien was let go. 

4. John Tortorella (Philadelphia Flyers)

The Philadelphia Flyers sent John Tortorella packing on March 26, 2025, on the back of a 2-10-1 stretch that saw the team drop to the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. 

He’s the only coach on the list of late-season firings whose team didn’t have a chance of making the playoffs at the time of his dismissal. 

3. Jim Hiller (Los Angeles Kings)

The Los Angeles Kings were three points out of a wild-card spot when Jim Hiller was shown the door. The Kings were 24-21-14 with Hiller at the helm, but had lost seven of the previous nine, including a humiliating 8-1 defeat at home to the Edmonton Oilers. 

2. Bruce Cassidy (Vegas Golden Knights)

Before showing Bruce Cassidy the pink slip on March 29, 2026, the Vegas Golden Knights were among the most disappointing teams. 

The Golden Knights began the season as one of the hockey odds favourites to win the Cup, but were in third place in the Pacific Division at the time of Cassidy’s departure. 

An 8-15-4 run, the league’s third worst from Jan. 20 to March 29, led to his dismissal. The Golden Knights were the only team in a playoff position when they pulled the trigger. 

1. Patrick Roy (New York Islanders)

Patrick Roy’s April 5 firing was arguably the most surprising of the bunch. The Islanders were just one point out of a wild-card spot with four games remaining. 

While the Islanders were enduring a precipitous slide, losing eight of 12, few expected such a drastic change. 

New York wanted to get ahead of the hiring cycle and snap up acclaimed coach Pete DeBoer before other teams could. 

Still, Roy’s unceremonious departure will resonate with the hockey community for a long time to come. 

Which Coach Was Fired Latest in an NHL Season? 

On April 5, 2026, Patrick Roy was relieved of his duties with just four games remaining in the regular season.

Has a Coach Ever Been Fired in NHL Playoffs? 

Coaches have been fired in the NHL playoffs, but only after their team was eliminated. 

Which NHL Season Had the Most Coaching Changes? 

There were 11 coaching changes during the 2002-03 season, the most in-season changes all-time.