TAMPA – Is firing and hiring new head coaches in the second half of the season (even the last six weeks of the season) a new trend?
It could be akin to pulling your goalie with five minutes or more left when down by two or more goals at the end of the game. Once Patrick Roy started it, other coaches followed, and the analytics back it up.
This year we have seen four head coaches fired in 2026, in the second half of the season. Three of them were replaced in March and April.
Most coaches have been fired shortly after their team’s regular season ends or within a few months after it. Some are relieved of their duties in the first half of the season.
Looking at the list of the current thirty-two head coaches, only six were hired in the second half of the season and four of the six happened this year. The other two were Martin St. Louis, hired by Montreal in February of 2022, and Jon Cooper, who was hired in March 2013.
New coaches are generally thought to provide a boost, or bump to the team. Is this the reason for this new timing? Let’s look at the four, when they were hired, and whether they’re in a playoff spot:
Rick Bowness Columbus Blue Jackets January 12, 2026 Playoffs? No
He’s the earliest hire of 2026. “Bones” replaced Dean Evason. Columbus went from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to contention for a Wild Card playoff spot after the hire. He coached 37 games with a record of 21 wins, 11 losses, and 5 OT losses (the final few weeks of the season, the record dropped to 2-8-1). Since then, two assistant coaches and a video coach will not have their contracts renewed (Haviland, Ford, and Augustitus). The team and coach have not stated their intentions for next season.
D.J. Smith Los Angeles Kings March 1, 2026 Playoffs? Yes (lost 1st Rd)
Jim Hiller was fired after a win, which followed a 5-game losing streak. Smith, who has been an associate coach with the Kings since 2024, still has the interim title. Of the 23 games he’s coached, the Kings won 11, lost 6 in regulation, and 6 in OT. The team was not in a playoff spot prior to Smith being hired.
Peter DeBoer NY Islanders April 5, 2026 Playoffs? No
The Isles were in third place in the Metropolitan Division. They then lost 7 of 10 (4 straight), leading to Patrick Roy’s firing. DeBoer only coached 4 games, losing 3 of them. This was a different situation because management wanted to hire DeBoer before another team picked him up in the offseason. They gave him a contract that extended 3 more years through the 2028-2029 season.
John Tortorella Vegas Golden Knights March 29, 2026 Playoffs? Yes
Inconsistency in the season’s second half was cited as the reason Bruce Cassidy was let go. Under “Torts,” the team won 7 and lost 1 game. The loss of just 3 more games would have dropped the Knights from first place in the weak Pacific Division (which Connor McDavid referred to as a pillow fight) to outside looking in. Management will re-evaluate Tortorella’s contract after the season.
Cooper was hired on March 25, the year of a lockout-shortened season of 48 games. He replaced Guy Boucher who went 13-17-1. Under “Coop,” the team was 4-8-3. The next year the team was 46-27-9, which was good for second place in the division, although they were swept by Montreal in the first round of the playoffs.
Under Cooper, the Bolts have only missed the playoffs once, reached the Stanley Cup Final four times and have won the Stanley Cup twice. That’s not a bump. That’s a 13-year mountain!