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NHL teams are approaching the 10 game mark and October is coming to an end. That means it's getting to the point that teams cannot say “it's still early” anymore. Teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadiens are off to great starts, putting speculation that their coaches are on a short leash to rest, at least for now. Now let's look at the teams that have not lived up to expectations during the early stages of this NHL season. You have to look no further than the New Jersey Devils. Other teams to note include the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Phoenix Coyotes, all of which made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and are at, or near, the bottom of their respective divisions. Even teams like the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, and Washington Capitals are off to what they would consider sluggish starts given their talent and depth. Veteran coaches in the NHL looking for work include Stanley Cup winner Ken Hitchcock, former Oilers player and coach Craig Mactavish, as well as a number of coaches that have proven themselves in the minors and deserve a shot in the big leagues. Although it is in fact still early, the standings are starting to shape up and we are starting to get an idea of how the season will play out. The New Jersey Devils have rookie coach John MacLean behind the bench. Their play is showing that MacLean is just that, a rookie. They currently have a 3-9-1 record, and are tied for last place in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, who did not have very high expectations coming into this year. The Oilers also have 3 games in hand on the Devils. Parise, the man that scored the game-tying goal for team USA against team Canada goaltender, Roberto Luongo in the final minute of the mens Olympic Gold Medal game during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, has been equally disappointing. The Devils' sniper has not been himself, notching only 3 goals and 3 assists throughout his first 12 games. Not nearly good enough for someone tagged as a franchise player. 
It's that time of the year again, and there are many surprises throughout the NHL as well as a couple coaches off to a slow start that find themselves in the hot seat.
The number of teams off to surprising starts this year is definitely an increase over the past few years. The New York Islanders, who have gone through enough injuries to key players to last an entire season, have somehow managed a 4-3-2 start, good enough for 2nd in the competitive Atlantic Division. The Toronto Maple Leafs sprinted out of the gate going 4-0-1 in their first 5 games. They have since cooled down but still sport a 5-4-1 record, which is 3rd behind the also surprising Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens made the Eastern conference finals last season stunning both Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, as well as Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. They however made it that far thanks to the stellar goaltending of Jaroslav Halak, who they traded to the St. Louis Blues in the offseason, putting an end to the goaltender controversy that had been brewing for the past couple seasons. The move did not sit well with Montreal Canadiens fans. During the pre-season, it seemed as though they had made a terrible mistake trading their playoff hero away when Carey Price looked as though he couldn’t stop a beach ball. The crowd booed him on more than one occasion. As soon as the season started though, Price turned his game around, posting a 6-3-1 record, while arguably stealing a game or two. The Calgary Flames are off to a 6-5 start leading the Northwest division. Calgary went through such scrutiny during the offseason for their signings of centre Olli Jokinen and winger Alex Tanguay. Both had previously been with the club and had not panned out as they had hoped. The Buffalo Sabres, winners of the Northeast division last season, find themselves at the bottom of the division this year, trailing everyone including the Ottawa Senators. The Sens find themselves in a similar position to the Sabres, underachieving and looking to turn things around. Both teams need better performances from their players and should be able to turn things around.
The Phoenix Coyotes sit last in their division, and are looking for answers. Star goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was the main reason the Coyotes found themselves playing hockey in the spring, instead of playing golf. He should have been a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist, as the award is supposed to go to the player judged to be most valuable to his team. Well, take away Bryzgalov, and the Coyotes are on the outside looking in. All three finalists for the Hart Trophy, Henrik Sedin (who ended up winning), Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, all had strong supporting players that played well all year, and likely would’ve found themselves in the playoffs even if they hadn’t had their best year. Bryzgalov is having a good year to date, but unfortunately, his Coyotes are struggling, possibly due to many players having career years last season. Or maybe it is because they have a number of players reaching the end of their careers? Whatever the reason, the Coyotes do not look like they have the jump this season to contend for the playoffs. Adding to the belief of many that last season’s success was a mere fluke, these teams' coaches have added pressure to win, or management may have no other choice, but to look for alternate coaching.
Off to a slow start as well, although with not as much reason to panic, are the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals. Both teams are considered far too deep and skilled to continue playing the way they have been so far this year. Take into account, the Canucks are playing with injuries to key players. Alex Burrows, Sami Salo, Dan Hamhuis, and Keith Ballard are all out with injuries and all play a very important role. The Philadelphia Flyers are sitting with a .500 record and are forcing people to ask the question; is this the team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season? Or the team that got into the playoffs on the last day of the NHL’s regular season with a must win shootout victory agains the New York Rangers? Ken Hitchcock’s coaching resume speaks for itself, he should find himself able to land work again in the NHL fairly soon. Craig Mactavish, is also a coach out there with experience and is well liked by his players.
Mike Keenan and Michel Therrien are two other coaches that are often brought up, along the never ending amount of minor league coaches hungry for an opportunity to prove themselves. Therrien however, does have work with the Minnesota Wild as a scout. With all this in mind, how long will it take before an NHL coach is fired? And who will it be?