The NHL coach firing odds have Todd McLellan sitting at the top of the list, with the Detroit Red Wings head coach priced at 3/2 (+150) to be the first coach fired this season, according to current lines at BetOnline Sports & Casino.
That is a pretty significant statement considering the season has not even started.
McLellan is followed by Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette at 5/2 (+250) and Calgary Flames coach Ryan Huska at 7/2 (+350). Sheldon Keefe is next at 5/1 (+500), while Winnipeg’s Scott Arniel sits at 6/1 (+600).
But McLellan’s position on the list is particularly interesting because Detroit enters the season with far bigger problems than just its coach.
The Red Wings missed the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season last year, and now they are opening training camp with Shawn Horcoff serving as interim general manager, Dylan Larkin stripped of the captaincy and a concerning contract situation with defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
So if McLellan becomes the first coach fired, it is fair to ask whether Detroit is actually fixing its biggest problem — or simply changing the most visible person.
Firing McLellan Would Be Scapegoating
There is a very real argument that McLellan could be the easiest person to blame if things go badly. It’s partly why he leads the current NHL coach firing odds.
Coaches usually are.
However, Detroit’s problems run much deeper than the bench.
McLellan took over midway through the 2024-25 season and immediately helped stabilize the team. He went 15-3-1 over his first 19 games, giving the Red Wings a legitimate push toward the playoffs after Derek Lalonde was fired. He then finished his first full season in Detroit with a 41-31-10 record.
That doesn’t mean McLellan is beyond criticism. Detroit still finished outside the playoffs, and the offense ranked only 22nd in the NHL last season while the team allowed the 19th-most goals.
But there is a difference between saying a coach needs to get more out of his team and saying the coach is the primary reason the organization is struggling.
Detroit’s current situation hardly screams stability. The team spent months searching for a permanent GM after Steve Yzerman stepped away, only naming Horcoff interim GM just before training camp. Horcoff now has responsibility for roster decisions, the salary cap and hockey operations personnel.
That makes McLellan’s position particularly complicated.
The Next GM Could Make Good on NHL Coach Firing Odds
The biggest reason McLellan leads the NHL coach firing odds is the simplest.
A new general manager may want his own coach.
That is not necessarily an indictment of McLellan. It is simply how NHL organizations often operate.
If Horcoff eventually gets the permanent job — or another executive takes over — the new hockey boss will have to decide whether McLellan is the right person to oversee the next phase of the rebuild.
And that decision could come quickly if the Red Wings stumble out of the gate.
Detroit already has enough uncertainty surrounding the roster. Larkin’s future remains unresolved, and the Red Wings will begin the season without a captain after Larkin was stripped of the role following his trade request. Owner Chris Ilitch has even acknowledged that Larkin could remain in Detroit all season.
That is a lot for one organization to sort through.
If the Red Wings struggle, firing McLellan would be the easiest move to make because it creates the appearance of immediate change.
The NHL coach firing odds suggest that possibility is already under serious consideration.
But Detroit should be careful.
If the roster, front office and organizational direction remain unclear, changing the coach could simply mean finding a new person to stand behind the same problems.
NHL Coach Firing Odds Put Todd McLellan on the Hot Seat