New NHL coaches: Malhotra and DeBoer best positioned for early success

Six NHL teams changed head coaches either late last season or over the summer, and each arrives with a different mandate. For some organizations, simply getting back into the playoff picture would qualify as a successful year. For others, anything short of a deep Stanley Cup run will be framed as a disappointment, while a few are focused primarily on developing younger players. That context will heavily shape how early success is judged for this group of new coaches.

Craig and Hiller walk a tightrope between lofty goals and shaky goaltending

In Vegas, Ryan Craig steps into one of the league’s most demanding environments, where the Golden Knights are still expected to chase championships. He inherits an older core and a problematic crease. According to MoneyPuck, regular netminders Carter Hart and Adin Hill combined to allow 18.4 more goals than expected last year, a worrying sign for a team with title ambitions. The roster remains deep, but losing an efficient scorer like Pavel Dorofeyev without a clear replacement narrows their offensive margin for error and makes it harder to view Vegas as a true Cup favourite.

Jim Hiller’s situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs is different but equally pressured. He has more high-end talent than he did with the Los Angeles Kings, especially up front, yet Toronto’s fortunes hinge on two variables: Auston Matthews’ health and Sergei Bobrovsky’s form. A fully recovered Matthews could solve much of last season’s offensive dip, and shifting Darren Raddysh onto the top power play unit in place of Morgan Rielly may keep that group dangerous. At 38, however, Bobrovsky must prove last year’s struggles were a blip rather than a permanent slide. If he falters again, it is hard to see the Leafs thriving around him.

Babcock and Laviolette under scrutiny in the Pacific Division

Mike Babcock’s return behind the Edmonton Oilers bench comes with more questions than answers. His recent track record is thin, and his current reputation is far from what it once was, but he still has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl approaching the back half of their primes. Those two have already shown they can drag Edmonton deep into the playoffs almost on their own. For the Oilers, the regular season is largely a formality as long as they qualify; the real concern is an unsettled goalie trio of Tristan Jarry, who struggled last year, frequently injured Frederik Andersen and unproven Devon Levi.

The Los Angeles Kings turned to Peter Laviolette because they still see themselves as contenders in the Pacific. Yet recent departures and some current decisions cloud that optimism. Laviolette appears set on using Adrian Kempe as his number-one centre despite Kempe not holding that role full-time in years and winning only a small share of his draws last season. Behind him is an aging, middling blue line and a goaltending tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg that inspires limited confidence. On the other hand, Laviolette has a long history of strong first seasons with new teams, which keeps the playoff door open.

Malhotra and DeBoer benefit from modest benchmarks

In Vancouver, Manny Malhotra’s job appears tied more to long-term direction than immediate wins. Management’s likely priority is getting more out of the younger players, particularly on defence, while boosting veterans’ trade value. As long as the Canucks stay near the bottom of the standings and add draft capital, frustration should be limited. The risk for the front office is that Malhotra coaches them too well, pushing the team into the NHL’s middle tier and out of premium draft position. If that happens, pressure will grow to move older contributors who are driving unexpected victories.

Peter DeBoer joins the New York Islanders with arguably the clearest runway to be labelled an instant success. The bar is simply to make the playoffs again after a frustrating season under a coach who was widely viewed as underperforming. DeBoer’s track record is one of the most consistent in the league in terms of playoff appearances, aside from 2021–22. If he can guide the Islanders back into the postseason early in the Matthew Schaefer era, it will be seen as a significant step forward and a validation of the coaching change.