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NHL Odds – Ch-ch-changes Coming for Challenged Teams

Eric Thompson

by Eric Thompson in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

It’s that time of year for NHL teams: time to “s**t or get off the pot,” as an elegant person once said. With the NHL’s trade deadline just days away, some teams still need to make a choice on which direction their season is heading. Making changes is often viewed as a last resort for teams; on the other hand, shaking things up is sometimes necessary to get a loser back on track or turn a contender into a favorite.

Look at two very different examples this season: the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota Wild. Both teams started the year on fire, then suffered lengthy losing streaks. The Habs troubles came in December after Carey Price went down. Since then they’ve been the worst team in hockey: yet the only move they’ve made was acquiring John Scott.

Meanwhile, GM Marc Bergevin pledged his support to head coach Michel Therrien, claiming he would be in charge until at least the end of this season. Now, after leading the East handily on Dec. 1, Montreal is currently five points out of a playoff spot (behind five other teams).

Compare that to the Wild, who had their own miserable run in January, losing 13 of 14 games. Minnesota axed head coach Mike Yeo on Feb. 13 and promoted AHL coach John Torchetti. Since then, the team has won four of the last six, and sits four points out of a playoff spot (with two games in hand). The mini turnaround also has the Wild looking to buy at the deadline, with rumors linking them to Boston’s Loui Eriksson.

That’s just one example, but it does make being complacent look less favorable than making a change. If nothing else, changes get the players’ attention and shows fans the organization isn’t completely tone deaf. So who are some of the big names that could be changing location in the coming days and months?

Here are our odds for both players and coaches getting shipped out.

2016 NHL Trade Deadline and Coaching Change Odds:

Odds to be traded by the Feb. 29 trade deadline:

  • Jonathan Drouin (Tampa Bay): 2/5
  • Eric Staal (Carolina): 7/2
  • Loui Eriksson (Boston): 5/1
  • Dan Hamhuis (Vancouver): 7/1
  • Travis Hamonic (NY Islanders): 12/1
  • P.K. Subban (Montreal): 1,000/1

Winnipeg got the ball rolling, sending soon to be UFA Andrew Ladd back to Chicago, giving the erstwhile captain a chance to win another Cup. Everyone knew the Jets had to make that deal, so few were shocked by its announcement. The rest of the players on our trade watch don’t necessarily need to be moved at this juncture, but it could be helpful for their organizations.

Jonathan Drouin has made it plainly obvious he wants out of Tampa, but he is under contract for another season, so GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t need to rush any deals. Meanwhile, Travis Hamonic politely requested a trade months ago (to be closer to his family), and little has come of that since.

Eric Staal and Loui Eriksson are both important pieces on their current teams, but they’re UFAs this offseason. It will be interesting to see what Carolina and Boston value more: future assets or a late-season playoff push.

Hamhuis is the Canucks’ most movable asset, but he has a no-trade clause and seems happy staying in Vancouver. Marc Bergevin also tried to quash rumors that P.K. Subban was on the market, but the fact those rumors even existed in the first place is pretty ridiculous.

Odds to be fired as head coach of their respective teams by start of next season:

  • Michel Therrien (Montreal): 1/12
  • John Tortorella (Columbus): 2/3
  • John Torchetti (Minnesota): 5/1
  • Bill Peters (Carolina): 6/1
  • Paul Maurice (Winnipeg): 6/1
  • Todd McLellan (Edmonton): 10/1

Someone has to take the blame for the Montreal collapse, and Therrien probably should’ve fallen on the sword a long time ago. Part of the difficulty of firing a Canadiens coach mid-season is finding a bi-lingual replacement on short notice. As for Tortorella, it’s a minor miracle he keeps getting coaching jobs. He has improved the Jackets slightly since his arrival, enough to significantly damage their chances at winning the draft lottery. With an offseason to search, they should be able to find a better option.

Torchetti seems to have the Wild back on the right track, but Minnesota may still be tempted to examine options in the offseason, unless the coach can do something truly remarkable this year, like say, beat the Blackhawks in the playoffs?

(Photo Credit: Michael Miller (Own work) Photo has been cropped. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

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