3 NHL coaches already on the hot seat

A new NHL season means the pressure is on, not just for players, but coaches as well.

While each team enters the season tied, the fact is a number of head coaches will need their clubs to get off to great starts if they want to keep their jobs.

Here are three coaches who could be on the hot seat if their teams don't perform from the get go:

Michel Therrien

If Therrien's job wasn't in question last season, it certainly will be this year.

While it hasn't been confirmed, there are strong rumors that P.K. Subban's trade to the Nashville Predators was the result of disapproval from his head coach.

Consequently, it'ill be up to Therrien to get his club back to the top of the division - or at worst back into the playoffs - if he wants to keep his job.

Of course, general manager Marc Bergevin gave the bench boss a vote of confidence last season, so he could refrain from making such a move, but history has shown the Canadiens faithful won't accept a poor product on the ice.

Willie Desjardins

The Vancouver Canucks took a steep fall last season.

After a successful 2014-15 regular season that saw the Canucks finish with 101 points, Desjardin's downward spiral appears to have started that same postseason.

The Canucks were ousted by the Calgary Flames in six games, and last season went off the rails completely.

The team finished with the NHL's third-worst record, averaging the second-fewest goals for, 23rd-ranked goals-against, and fourth-worst power play.

Under Desjardins, the team has struggled and with the Canucks holding onto the hope they can still compete for a playoff spot, it might not take long for management to make a change.

Claude Julien

Julien's name has been on the chopping block the last couple seasons, and he will enter this season with the knife already sharpened.

Ever since the Bruins claimed Lord Stanley's mug in 2011, the club has been in decline. Sure, they reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2013, but an early exit in 2014 and two straight playoff absences have the club aching for change.

Now, unlike others on this list, it appears Julien is less to blame, and his potential firing is looked at as a way to give the club the biggest jolt - similar to what we saw with Bruce Boudreau this offseason.

Of course, Julien and the Bruins will be given time at the start of the year to prove two down seasons and the loss of Loui Eriksson aren't harbingers of the season to come. But, get off on the wrong foot, and don't be surprised to find a coaching vacancy in Beantown.