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McKenzie on coaching in the NHL: Who’s on the hot seat, who wants Julien?

Boston Bruins v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NJ - JANUARY 02: Head coach Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins gives instructions to Brandon Carlo #25 during the second period against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on January 2, 2017 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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With Jack Capuano, Ken Hitchcock and Claude Julien all out of jobs fairly recently, it sure feels like NHL coaches are dropping like flies.

It’s also worth wondering if there will be a domino effect: will more heads roll? Could those available coaches - also including Gerard Gallant from earlier this season - make teams more willing to part with there current bench bosses?

NHL Insider Bob McKenzie stopped by NBCSN to dish on a wide variety of subjects on Wednesday, with coaching talk ranking among the most interesting tidbits.

Bruins and Claude Julien

To start things off, McKenzie notes that interim Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy will seemingly get a real shot to drop that “interim” from his title, though he’ll need to produce results.

The juicier stuff is about Claude Julien, though.

While McKenzie notes that official permission hasn’t necessarily been asked for interviews in either cases, he notes that both the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers are likely to chat with Julien. At the moment, with Doug Weight doing well in Brooklyn, the New York Islanders are unlikely to chase him.

These situations are subject to change, of course.

Which coaches should sweat the hot seat?

Naturally, when a coach gets fired - and particularly when some big names fall in quick succession - the question is “Who’s next?”

McKenzie wonders about Lindy Ruff and the Dallas Stars, particularly because the team hasn’t handed the veteran head coach a contract extension just yet. That doesn’t mean that the guillotine is hovering over his head, but Ruff might at least be in a little danger.

As far as Paul Maurice of the Winnipeg Jets and Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning go, McKenzie hypothesizes that each coach is safe for now.

That said, time and losing streaks can change these matters. For more, check out McKenzie with Liam McHugh: