There's always pressure to perform in the business of professional sports, but some people in the NHL are feeling the heat more than others entering the 2026-27 campaign.
Pressure comes in different forms. Executives might be under scrutiny to make the right moves, coaches can feel the heat of potentially losing their jobs, and players may carry the burden of meeting high expectations. There are some of each in our list of the 10 people under the most pressure this season.
Stan Bowman
Position: General manager, executive vice president of hockey operations
Team: Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have made one controversial move after another this offseason. First, they hired Mike Babcock as head coach and then signed forward Alex Formenton. It's safe to say the organization cares solely about winning.
That adds to the already immense pressure to win this season as Connor McDavid enters the first year of a two-year extension. Regardless of what happens this year, McDavid could inform the Oilers after the season that he won't re-sign, which would force the club to trade him next summer. That scenario would put Bowman under the microscope to get a suitable return for McDavid, which is nearly impossible to do with the game's best player.
Bowman may not be at risk of getting fired, but it's safe to say this year might be Edmonton's best chance to win a Cup. As a result, there's pressure on Bowman to make the team as strong as possible before the trade deadline.
Jon Cooper
Position: Head coach
Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Cooper is widely regarded as one of the NHL's premier head coaches. He's led the Lightning to four Stanley Cup Finals and won twice in his 14 seasons with the club.
But playoff success has been harder to come by in recent years, as the Lightning have lost in Round 1 in four straight years. Would a fifth straight first-round exit make the front office consider a coaching change? VP and GM Julien BriseBois has routinely defended Cooper, but the possibility can't be ruled out. Even coaches as calm and calculated as Cooper have their message grow stale eventually. Tampa Bay boasts a Stanley Cup-caliber roster, so there's ample pressure on Cooper to take the Lightning on a deeper playoff run this season.
Auston Matthews
Position: Center
Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Is Matthews still capable of being one of the world's best players, or are those days behind him? That could be the difference in the Maple Leafs getting back to the playoffs.
In a four-year stretch from 2020-24, Matthews led the league in goals three times, and he was a three-time Hart Trophy finalist who won the award in 2022. Nobody could match his combination of goal-scoring and two-way play.
However, it's been a different story since Toronto named Matthews its captain two years ago. He's battled injuries and hasn't produced enough when healthy, totaling 60 goals and 131 points in 127 games since the start of 2024-25. That's good for most players but not nearly enough for someone of Matthews' ability.
The entire Maple Leafs organization is under significant pressure following last season's disaster, especially considering the club is without its first-round picks for the next two years. And arguably no team is banking on one player rebounding to the extent Toronto is with Matthews. He needs to deliver.
Chris Drury
Position: GM, president
Team: New York Rangers
I applaud the job Drury did this offseason. He gave New York's blue line a much-needed facelift with the additions of Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi, and No. 5 pick Alberts Smits. Drury also made the team deeper on the wings by bringing in Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Eeli Tolvanen. But what if this doesn't work?
The Rangers have undergone multiple retools since hiring Drury as GM in 2021. If the latest one flops, where does the team go from here? A full-scale rebuild? Would ownership trust Drury to oversee that? Probably not if things go south in 2026-27.
Spencer Carbery
Position: Head coach
Team: Washington Capitals
No team made more impactful additions this offseason than the Capitals did by bringing in Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, among others. Washington's front office clearly wants to make Alex Ovechkin's potential final season one to remember, but if the team falls short of expectations, it could cost Carbery his job.
Carbery, who won the Jack Adams Award in 2025, is renowned as one of the league's best coaches, but back-to-back seasons without a playoff appearance could be enough to warrant a change - especially with a roster of this caliber.
Leo Carlsson
Position: Center
Team: Anaheim Ducks
Nobody in their right mind would blame Carlsson for accepting the five-year, $90-million offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, but a contract that size carries large expectations.
Carlsson broke out with 67 points in 70 games last season, but another leap will be required to justify his $18-million average annual value - the highest in the NHL this season. The Ducks also lost a lot of their depth from a year ago, in part because of Carlsson's hefty price tag. Anaheim is a top-heavy team now, and it'll need Carlsson to be on his game every night in order to get back to the playoffs.
Bill Guerin
Position: GM, president of hockey operations
Team: Minnesota Wild
Guerin's job isn't in jeopardy whatsoever, especially after he reportedly signed a multi-year extension Tuesday. But there's no denying that he's facing enormous pressure to succeed, and it really all comes down to one player: Quinn Hughes.
Can Guerin sign him to an extension? If Hughes indicates that he wants to play out the year and potentially test free agency next summer, what will the executive do? Will Guerin trade him for a return that's almost sure to be far less than what he surrendered to acquire the star defenseman? Or will he simply push his chips into the middle for the 2026-27 season? The Wild are Cup contenders, and the fan base is craving a deep run. Minnesota hasn't been past Round 2 since 2003, the team's third year of existence.
Ryan Warsofsky
Position: Head coach
Team: San Jose Sharks
Warsofsky is entering his third season as the Sharks' head coach, but the 2026-27 campaign brings expectations for the first time in his tenure. San Jose made a big leap a year ago, going from 52 points to 86 points. Now the team is expected to make the playoffs, especially after GM Mike Grier bolstered the blue line in the offseason with the additions of Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba.
This could be a make-or-break year for Warsofsky. If the Sharks reach the playoffs - and even win a round - Warsofsky could be in San Jose for the long haul. But any signs of regression could cost him his job.
Jakub Dobes
Position: Goaltender
Team: Montreal Canadiens
Dobes' success was a great story for the Canadiens last season, as the rookie stabilized Montreal's crease by posting a .901 save percentage in 43 games. He was even better in the postseason, carrying the Habs to the Eastern Conference Final with a .908 save percentage in 19 appearances.
With unheralded goaltenders who seemingly come out of nowhere, it's always difficult to know for certain if the rookie year was a flash in the pan or the start of a long, fruitful career. The Canadiens clearly seem to think Dobes is The Guy after signing him to a three-year, $16.07-million extension this summer. But if he can't repeat last season's performance, Montreal will suddenly have a major goaltending problem, and its status as a Cup contender could falter as a result.
Don Waddell
Position: GM, president of hockey operations
Team: Columbus Blue Jackets
Boy, oh boy, does Waddell ever have his hands full. The Blue Jackets' franchise player, Zach Werenski, reportedly requested a trade this offseason before changing his mind and reaffirming his commitment to the organization. Columbus' leading goal-scorer the past two seasons, Kirill Marchenko, seemingly has no interest in staying beyond this season. And the team's No. 1 center, Adam Fantilli, is a restricted free agent who's holding out of camp.
First things first, Waddell needs to sign Fantilli, ideally for as long as possible. Then the difficult part begins: making the playoffs.
The Blue Jackets have missed the postseason in six straight years. If they make the playoffs this year, perhaps Werenski and Marchenko consider signing long term. If Columbus fails to reach the playoffs, though, those two are almost certainly gone and Waddell will have to rebuild this team from the ground up.
