New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes came into this season on the hot seat. Not only has he turned that around, but he’s in the conversation for best coach in the league.
Coming out of last season, it seemed almost certain that the New Jersey Devils were going to make a coaching change. It was clear the Devils just didn’t have what it took to win games. In fact, the team lost 10 games in a row. That’s some next-level sucking. It was clear that the players had lost faith in their coach.
To his credit, general manager Ray Shero was not willing to give up on his guy over one bad season. John Hynes did phenomenal with little talent is his first season behind the bench. Then, with seemingly more talent, the wheels fell off the next season.
All that is behind Hynes and the Devils now. The way this season has gone is beyond any fans imaginations. Many of the players are getting the credit for the job they’ve done, and deservedly so, but Hynes deserves a ton of credit.
He’s clearly learned from last year’s mistakes. It’s almost like he went through his own sophomore slump. He now knows he has to play the player with the hot hand, no matter how controversial.
Just look at the decisions he makes on defense. While last year Ben Lovejoy was playing 20+ minutes every game, this year he’s a healthy scratch almost every night. He’s still a veteran on this team, but he just isn’t good enough to play every night.
He also won’t live or die by one decision. Hynes was put in an interesting spot when Travis Zajac went down to start the year. The Devils had a hole at the number one center spot. When Adam Henrique and Pavel Zacha didn’t work in that spot, he didn’t hesitate to put Nico Hischier on the top line. Despite the fact that he’s 18 years old, that didn’t stop him from giving him that responsibility.
His biggest win came in the form of Brian Gibbons. When Opening Night rosters were announced, every one questioned why Gibbons was on the roster over John Quenneville. It just didn’t make sense on paper. The thing about hockey is, the game’s played on ice, not paper.
Gibbons is now the team leader in goals, tied with Taylor Hall.
This is why Hynes will be in the running for the Jack Adams Award all season long. Sure, many analysts will blindly give it to Gerard Gallant, and he’s done a masterful job with the Vegas Golden Knights. However, I would argue Hynes has done a better job.
Both teams have dealt with an interesting amount of injuries. Both teams came into the season with little to no expectations. In fact, the Devils were one of a few teams that ranked lower on preseason predictions than Vegas.
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Hynes just had so much to deal with in terms of fitting talent into certain spots. How young should this team be? Where should one put a pair of highly skilled teenagers? What should you do with Miles Wood? How do you deal with a rapidly decreasing Travis Zajac? Can the team rely on Cory Schneider?
Hynes answered every question like a 30-year veteran lawyer retaking the bar. At this point, I would let Hynes take my SATs.
Who knows what Hynes is using to make these decisions. It could be the Devils analytics team, or it could be a bevy of gut decisions that keep working out. Either way, it’s hard to argue any coach doing a better job.
At the end of the day, it’s harder to compete in the Metropolitan Division than it is in the Pacific. Should the Devils stay in the playoff race all season, then Hynes should be the pick for the Jack Adams Award.