NHL Has 6 New Coaches For The 2026 Season
The 6 new coaches in the NHL are: Peter DeBoer of the Islanders, Peter Laviolette of the Los Angeles Kings, Manny Malhotra of the Vancouver Canucks, Jim Hiller of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Rich Browess of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Mike Bab and Ryan Craig of the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
That is a lot of turnover. Six of the thirty-two NHL coaches are new, totaling 18.75%. The key question is probably the difference between who is going to take their team the furthest, most likely Craig, and who is going to lead their team to the most improvement. In the latter sense, Vancouver was awful last season, so it looks good for Malholtra. Who is likely to have the most success?
Ryan Craig: Vegas Golden Knights
He probably has the potential to take this team the furthest because they were in the NHL finals last year. The whole roster of the Vegas Golden Knights is talented. If he can assume command with as little upheaval as possible, he will be successful. We have one of the top teams in the NHL here; it will be interesting to see if he can preserve their success. In some sense, a Stanley Cup win is keeping the team at level par.
Manny Malhotra: Vancouver Canucks
This might be the coach who has the best chance at improving his team. Vancouver was last in the NHL in points last season; they were the worst team. In essence, there is nowhere to go but up. They would be unlikely to remain the worst team in the league, but the roster is not that great. Malhotra probably benefits from having the lowest possible expectations. If he can only improve the locker room chemistry, it could mean twenty more points for the team. He is known as a players’ coach.
Peter DeBoer: New York Islanders
Will he change the team’s identity? He is an experienced coach, and the team is expected to compete for a playoff spot. He will bring back defensive structure to the team, which should work. The best player on the team is Ilya Sorokin, the goaltender. However, the team was near the bottom of the NHL in high-danger chances.
Will DeBoer be able to preserve him with increased defensive structure? What of the team’s youth movement, and will he foster or expedite it? The Islanders may be the most fascinating team in the NHL. With a raft of young talent and a stable veteran core, he might be expected to make the playoffs.
Peter Laviolette: Los Angeles Kings
This is an interesting hire. Peter Laviolette is an experienced coach, but the team is likely to struggle this season. They did practically nothing in free agency, and their most decorated player, Anze Kopitar, retired. They have a young team that is probably malleable. Laviolette probably has grace this season. It is interesting to see that such a young team is hiring such an experienced coach.
Jim Hiller: Toronto Maple Leafs
Hiller was the coach of the Los Angeles Kings, but, interestingly, he inherited a lot of talent, plus he has the number one overall draft pick in Gavin McKenna. In Los Angeles, Hiller was a defense-first coach. He is in a new place now. Can he coach an offensive-oriented team? It is important to remember how this team ended last season; it basically imploded. Is Toronto the biggest Canadian market? Is Hiller the answer?
Mike Babcock: Edmonton Oilers
Of all the new coaches in the NHL, Babcock may be perhaps the worst suited to his current team. There are a couple of big stars, megastars really, on the team. They were offensively oriented. He may not have a defensive system to put in place. Moreover, the big stars may resist a new system. This is a team that is just two years removed from the Stanley Cup Finals.
Conclusion
The six new coaches in the NHL this season find themselves in radically different situations. The worst team in the league, Vancouver, and the best team in the league, Vegas, both have new coaches. There are some middling teams, like the Islanders, and some highly talented teams, like the ones in Toronto and Edmonton. We will see how this all plays out, because it will certainly be fascinating.
