Pink Slip Index: No One Wants to Be First to Go

In the NHL, coach firings are as common as parking tickets in New York City. Throughout the NHL season I'll be taking a bi-weekly look at five coaches who are the most likely to get fired. Be advised your local coach may be axed at any moment. Consider this fair warning.

The NHL has had a lot of parity since the advent of the 'overtime point,' and over the last two weeks we've really seen that at work. The difference between fourth and 11th in the Western Conference is five points and there's a similar logjam of teams in the East. Parity is also working its way into our countdown as the six teams that were on the countdown last time all have at least four wins in their last 10 games. No one is tanking! No one is trying to get their coach fired! What is this, socialism?

I'm starting to think that all the NHL coaches put a secret pool together, betting on who will be fired first, and no one wants to be the first to go. I suspect that the consequences of being the first to go is that person has to run a naked lap around the NHL store in Manhattan or something. And the players, like the rest of us, have no interest in seeing that. That's got to be the reason why no one is really tanking, right?

Off the List... For Now:

Rick Tocchet, Tampa Bay Lightning (Previous Rank: 6). The Lightning are sitting in eighth place in the East and are 3-2-2 since we last checked in. There are many more candidates with much warmer seats.

Randy Carlyle, Anaheim Ducks (4). The Ducks have won four of six and may be hitting their stride.

Ron Wilson, Toronto Maple Leafs (5). These Maple Leafs aren't good, but they're also not the same team that started the season 0-7-1. For now -- and because Wilson really isn't in much danger this season -- they're off the countdown.

Free Passes: Jacques Martin, Montreal Canadiens. Jacques Lemaire, New Jersey Devils (who will be listed here as long as Lou Lamoriello is in charge).

And now, your updated list of coaches on the hotseat...

No. 5: Pat Quinn, Edmonton Oilers (NR). This is one of those rankings that's probably going to get me a lot of criticism, but the veteran Quinn (in his first year in Edmonton) makes the list since his team had by far the biggest turnaround this month. The Oilers started the year 6-2-1, which must feel like a mirage right now in Alberta, as they've gone 4-11-3 since then. Quinn's probably not going anywhere but there's certainly some heat on him right now.

Seat status: Mmm... Toasty!

No. 4: Peter DeBoer, Florida Panthers (NR). The Panthers haven't been playing too badly -- 3-2-3 in their last eight -- but DeBoer has been getting free passes from me for the last few weeks. This week, the second-year head coach moves onto the countdown (barely) since a few other candidates improved their standing. Not really a case of things getting worse in South Florida, more a case of standing pat while everyone around you improves.

Seat status: In limbo.

No. 3: Todd Richards, Minnesota Wild (3). Not much has changed in Minnesota, either. The Wild are 3-1-2 since we last checked in and Richards is still a first-year coach. First-year coaches tend to get a fair shake unless things completely fly off the rails, so Richards certainly isn't in too much danger. The Wild are still last in the Western Conference so, you know, it's not like things are going really well.
Seat status: Still lukewarm.

No. 2: Andy Murray, St. Louis Blues (1). I was sure Andy Murray would have been fired by now. He was believed to be in trouble last year and, after losing 4-1 on Nov. 13 to the Sharks, the Blues were 9-9-4 and looking like things weren't going to get any better. Since then the Blues have gone 4-1-1 and made my prediction look really bad. So thanks for that, St. Louis.

The Blues are looking better, just like most of the teams in this countdown, but they're not quite out of the woods yet. Four of their next five are on the road against some good teams (Detroit, San Jose, Los Angeles and Columbus). Although maybe that's a good thing, since the Blues are 5-8-2 at home.

Seat status: Cooling, but still warm to the touch.

No. 1: Paul Maurice, Carolina Hurricanes (2). As I outlined last time around, it would be very tough for the Hurricanes to fire Maurice. They'd have two former coaches on their payroll and all the injuries the team has sustained only strengthens the argument that this isn't entirely the coach's fault. However, the Canes have been by far the worst team in the countdown -- probably because their star netminder is out for a while -- as they've lost four in a row and still are the only team in the NHL without a road win. That's going to be a tough statistic to change as their next four road games are against Washington, Pittsburgh, Ottawa and New Jersey. Yikes. Hang in there Carolina, it's going to be a bumpy road.

Seat status: Boiling lava hot, but Canes likely don't kick Maurice to the curb.