Jim Montgomery (Stars) Favored to Be First NHL Coach Fired; Leafs’ Babcock in Top Ten at +1000

• Odds on the first NHL coach to get the axe in the 2019-20 season are out in sportsbooks
• Jim Montgomery’s Dallas Stars have started the season with three consecutive losses
• Toronto’s Mike Babcock is in the top-10 of the odds as he’s feeling the pressure

The 2019-20 NHL season just got underway last week but the conversation of which head coach will be fired first has come up in hockey talk. Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery is the favorite to get canned first.

Is he the best bet? Let’s take a closer look at the odds and see where the value lies.

First NHL Head Coach Fired Odds

*Odds taken 10/8/2019

Stars Slow Start Has Montgomery On The Hot Seat

The Dallas Stars lost in overtime of Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs last year. Furthermore, that loss was to the eventual Stanley Cup champions. After adding Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry to boost the offense of an already stellar defensive team, the Stars entered the season with reasonable 2020 Stanley Cup odds at +2000.

However, the start of the 2019-20 season hasn’t been smooth as the Stars have lost each of their first three games. On one hand, it shouldn’t be too much to worry about as two of the losses were on the road and all three losses were by one goal.

At the same time, while the losses to Boston and St. Louis can be explained, losing the Detroit Red Wings has set off some fire alarms in Dallas.

Of concern is that the Stars were just 19-18-4 on the road last season and five of their next seven games are away from home. Unless they snap out of it, Montgomery could be canned quickly.

Could DeBoer’s Time Be Up?

San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer has had a good run with the Sharks. He hasn’t gotten them over the top but he did take the team to the Conference Finals last season where they held a 2-1 series lead at one point.

However, the Sharks window to win is right now and they simply can’t mess around. An 0-3-0 start to the season is unacceptable. Losing to the Vegas Golden Knights, who had revenge on their minds, is fine but they’ve lost twice to them already. Losing at Anaheim was unexpected and has raised some eyebrows.

Worse yet is the fact that the Sharks, who lost some key pieces off their offense in the offseason like Gustav Nyquist and Pavelski, told everyone the offense would be fine. As it turns out, it’s not as they’ve been outscored 12-3 through three contests.

DeBoer also has a big goaltending issue on his hands as the Sharks duo of Martin Jones and Aaron Dell posted the worst save percentage in the conference last season. Jones is at .862 so far and Dell is at .897. If the Sharks can’t outscore their opponents, this team is in trouble.

Babcock Makes The Top 10

One surprise on the list is seeing Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock. The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be a Stanley Cup contender and have started the year 2-1-1, but it’s become clear that the pressure is on. The team has lost two in a row after winning their first two games and that’s what has soured the mood.

Babcock has struggled to get this team past the first round of the playoffs too, so questions have been brewing as to whether he’s the man to lead them. At the same time, I don’t expect him to get canned unless this team falls out of the playoff picture. They won’t consider it otherwise.

What’s The Best Bet?

I actually like Rick Tocchet to get canned first. The Arizona Coyotes have missed the playoffs in each of his two seasons as head coach. While it looked like they made some progress, jumping from 70 points in his first season to 86 last year, I don’t think this team is very good.

They’ve started the year with a pair of losses and I expect it to continue.

Guys like Montgomery and DeBoer have better rosters that should turn things around. I’m looking for Tocchet to get canned first.