Rumor: Head coach of contending team may soon be without a job.

For the second consecutive season head coach Michel Therrien finds himself at the helm of a team that is falling apart after a very strong start.

The Canadiens made some big moves this summer in an effort to shore up some of the issues they had after star goaltender Carey Price went down during the 2015-2016 campaign and while those move may have improved the Habs roster, they also left Therrien with no excuses to fall back on.

This time around Price is healthy, the roster is healthy, and after a 13-1-1 start to the season the Canadiens are starting to show some concerning mid-season form once again. While the Habs remain first in the Atlantic division, their once seemingly insurmountable lead now appears very vulnerable to teams with multiple games in hand like the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Eric Engels of Sportsnet believes that a poor start from the Habs coming out of the bye week could result in Therrien being the scapegoat for the team's failures:

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There’s no other way to look at it: the Canadiens are at a crossroads.

Bergevin may not fire Therrien immediately, but if the team doesn’t pull a complete 180 out of the bye week, you have to think he’s as good as gone. Without a single player on the injured reserve list, and with the team coming off much-needed rest, there won’t be an excuse for Therrien to fall back on.

Many expected the move to come last season when the Habs completely feel apart after losing Price but general manager Marrc Bergevin stood by his coach, he may not be so lucky if things continue to trend in this direction.

It’s hard to imagine Michel Therrien dodging this bullet.