- Oct 16, 2026
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Rick Bowness faces mounting pressure in Columbus, where the 71-year-old Blue Jackets coach has publicly criticized players' effort levels throughout the season. The league's oldest active bench boss, who previously voiced similar complaints with Winnipeg, has a non-zero chance of resigning; otherwise, general manager Don Waddell could dismiss him. Such a move would make Columbus the first club to fire a coach in consecutive years, following Dean Evason's January ouster, and would mark the franchise's sixth coaching change in four seasons.
In Nashville, Andrew Brunette enters his fourth season behind the Predators bench after being retained by new GM Chris MacFarland. An aging roster with limited young talent ready to contribute has kept him under scrutiny for two years.
Calgary's Ryan Huska also begins his fourth year with the Flames, having yet to reach the postseason. The club is projected near the league basement, with questions about whether he can extract more offense from developing players.
Chicago's Jeff Blashill oversees a last-place Blackhawks club that has been getting heavily outplayed in its own end. The team, built around Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell, has underwhelmed throughout his tenure of uncompetitive rosters. Bruce Cassidy has surfaced as a possible replacement. Analyst Matt Larkin questioned whether it counts as a firing if Bowness walks away himself.
Source: Daily Faceoff - Sat Oct 24, 8:46 AM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).