In hockey there's an old saying, "coaches are hired to be fired". It's a sad axiom but one that occurs every NHL season. A team struggles and the coach pays for it often with the loss of his job. Sometimes it is justified and sometimes in today's salary cap world it's a move done when there is nothing else that can be done. Sometimes the coach pays for the sins of his general manager. 

John Stevens was the first to fall victim this season with his firing by the Philadelphia Flyers on December 4th. Sadly, he won't be the last. 

Before the Stevens firing the speculation had Andy Murray of the St. Louis Blues becoming the first to get this ax. After a strong second half performance got the Blues into the playoffs for the first time in five years the club was off to a sputtering start this season and there were rumors Murray was clashing with some of his young players, particularly Patrik Berglund, who's been a huge disappointment this season after his solid debut in 2008-09.

In recent games however the Blues have shown signs of improvement which likely means Murray won't be going anywhere yet. 

The Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs got off to terrible starts to this season but their respective general managers have supported their coaches claiming they won't be fired. How long those job guarantees last remains to be seen. 

The Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild have also had their problems but having hired new coaching staff in the off-season it's unlikely there'll be any coaching changes happening with those two teams for now. 

The New York Rangers have declined from a strong start to where they're currently tied with the Flyers for 11th in the East. Temperamental head coach John Tortorella could find his name popping up in the "next to be fired" speculation but given he was a mid-season replacement last season GM Glen Sather might be reluctant to bounce him. 

Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings was whispered earlier this season as one who could lose his job but that doesn't appear likely. He's the head coach for Canada's Men's Hockey team at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but moreover the Wings decline this season has more to do with injuries and loss of depth in the off-season than anything attributable to Babcock. He's also received a vote of confidence from management but unlike those for coaches of other teams this one appears more guaranteed. 

Given the current standings it could be much later into the season before the next NHL coach is fired. Once the gap between the playoff teams and those struggling to make it widens, or when a club that played well earlier in the season runs the risk of missing the playoffs, or when no trades are available to shake up a roster, that's when the ax could fall again. 

The Chicago Blackhawks finally made it official, today announcing the re-signings of forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and defenseman Duncan Keith to multi-year contract extensions. 

According to various reports Kane and Toews signed identical five year contracts worth $6.3 million per season, while Keith signed a 13-year deal worth a cap hit of $5.5 million per season. 

These signings aren't surprising as it's been rumored since mid-November the three were all but re-signed. The delay was believed owing to ensuring the Blackhawks didn't violate the NHL's "tagging" rule, which stipulates no team can spend more on payroll for next season than the current season's salary cap, which this season is $56. 8 million.

While the new salaries of the three pushes the Blackhawks committed payroll for next season to around $60 million it's believed the club gets a break on that because it also includes the bonus cushion which would allow teams to spend over the cap by up to seven percent. 

It was believed the Blackhawks would have to dump salary prior to announcing the re-signings of these three but the Chicago Daily Herald reports the team is fine cap-wise for now, indicating management will certainly have to make a move or two in the off-season to get under the cap for next season. 

So don't expect any significant trades from the Blackhawks for now. While they'll undoubtedly have to move one or two players in the off-season they wish to keep the current roster intact for the remainder of the season as they hope to make a run for the Stanley Cup this coming spring. 

Re-signing Kane, Toews and Keith were necessary. Kane and Toews are the club's franchise players, the cornerstones around which management has rebuilt the team and will continue to build around over the next five seasons. Keith meanwhile is the anchor of their defense corps and invaluable in keeping the Blackhawks amongst the league's elite teams. 

After several weeks of speculation the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes were talking trade the two teams made a deal today although note of the magnitude suggested by some rumormongers. 

Despite rumors the two teams might swap some notable name players ultimately the Leafs today shipped little-used winger Jiri Tlusty to the Hurricanes in exchange for the rights to prospect center Philippe Paradis. 

Tlusty, 21, has split the past two seasons between the Leafs and their AHL farm club and this season spent only two games with the big club. 

While touted as a potential scoring forward Tlusty has struggled to prove himself at the NHL with the Leafs and according to Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford Tlusty will spend this season with Carolina's farm club, although Rutherford said he sees him as a future top six winger. 

The past twenty-four hours have been unusually busy for significant NHL player movement, with one being traded and two others claimed off waivers, with the Montreal Canadiens involved in two of the three. 

On the evening of December 1 came word the San Jose Sharks had claimed Canadiens defenseman Jay Leach off waivers. 

The Canadiens had claimed Leach off waivers from the New Jersey Devils back on November 6th. With several defensemen sidelined or hobbled by injuries the Habs needed an affordable veteran and Leach was available. As the Habs claimed him off re-entry waivers they only had to pick up half of his $500K salary for this season.

With the imminent return of veteran defenseman Hal Gill the Canadiens no longer had need for Leach's services and attempted to demote him to the minors but he had to pass through waivers first and the Sharks plucked him. 

As he was with the Canadiens Leach will likely fill a depth role. He played only 7 games with the Habs and likely won't see much more than that with the Sharks, who recently demoted struggling rookie Jason Demers to the minors in a move seen by many as a "kick in the pants" to get Demers back on track. Once he's recalled, Leach will likely be demoted unless he gets claimed again by another club off waives. 

This morning the Canadiens pulled off their second trade in as many weeks, this time shipping little-used center Kyle Chipchura to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2011. 

Chipchura, 23, was once a highly-touted prospect of the Habs who was unable to crack the club's roster over the past two years despite given every opportunity to do so. 

His skating was considered the issue, likely due to a severed Achilles tendon he suffered in Junior hockey. 

The Ducks will be hoping Chipchura benefits from a change of venue and gets his game back on track but at this point in his career he's considered little more than a fourth line center. In 19 games with the Canadiens this season he had no points and was -10 in plus-minus. 

Soon after this deal was announced it was reported the New York Rangers had claimed center Erik Christensen off waivers from the Ducks. 

It's the fourth team in three years for the 25-year-old Christensen, who was once considered amongst the Pittsburgh Penguins promising forwards (he had 18 goals and 33 points in 61 games in 2006-07) but seemed to lose his spark after being dealt to the Atlanta Thrashers at the February 2008 trade deadline as part of the deal which sent forward Marian Hossa to the Penguins. 

After managing only 19 points in 47 games last season with the Thrashers he was dealt at the March 3rd 2009 trade deadline to the Ducks where he seemed to recover his offensive touch, with 9 points in 17 games with the Ducks. 

This season however he played in only 9 games with no points and was sent to the Ducks AHL affiliate in Manitoba for a conditioning stint in mid-November. He was obviously going to be demoted back to Manitoba after the Ducks claimed Chipchura. 

The Rangers are currently struggling and in need of a roster shake-up. Since the salary cap is preventing them from moving any overpaid underachievers the Blueshirts had to look to the waiver wire where Christensen, who can play both left wing and center, was the best option. 

With Brandon Dubinsky currently out with a broken hand Christensen will get another opportunity to prove himself but if he doesn't he could find himself headed to the minors later this season. 

TSN.ca reports sources claim Boston Bruins center Marc Savard has signed a seven-year contract extension believed to have an annual salary cap hit of $4.2 million per season. 

This comes as no surprise to Bruins watchers who understand only too well the value of the 32-year-old Savard to the club's offensive attack. Since signing with the Bruins as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2006 Savard has averaged 87 points per season and is considered one of the best - and most under-rated - playmakers in the league. 

A foot injury which sidelined Savard for several weeks earlier this season only further drove home the point as to his value as the club struggled offensively in his absence. He currently has 10 points in 11 games.

If the Bruins failed to re-sign him Savard would've become one of the most pursued players in next summer's unrestricted free agent market. It had been suggested the Toronto Maple Leafs would've been among the suitors hoping to reunite him with former Bruins linemate Phil Kessel. 

It was originally believed Savard might seek between $5.5-$6.5 million per season so it's a good bet his contract will be front-loaded meaning he'll earn the bulk of the money in the first four years. 

Some might question committing to Savard for so long but given his value to the Bruins they really had little choice. Getting his cap hit down to $4.2 million - heck, anywhere under $5 million per - is a good deal, and if he can stay reasonably healthy over the next four-five years and keep up his strong production numbers it'll be a worthwhile investment for the Bruins.