New Jersey Devils: Could Slow Start Put John Hynes in Hot Seat?

To clarify before delving into this topic, it must be acknowledged that the New Jersey Devils are just two games into their 2019-20 season, but concerns have sharply escalated after things went awry. As we all know, the Devils had their most epic collapse in years during the home opener on Friday night, after blowing a 4-0 lead and losing in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets. The next night, they were utterly embarrassed by the Buffalo Sabres, getting torched 7-2.

A lot of factors didn’t go New Jersey’s way during their first two games. One of the more prominent issues can be traced back to the head coach, John Hynes. As one of our recent articles pointed out, Coach Hynes made some head-scratching lineup decisions over the weekend. He swapped Jesper Bratt and John Hayden on Jack Hughes’ line after the second period of the home opener, has this ambiguous commitment to Mirco Mueller, along with a seemingly deluded obligatory belief that Andy Greene should still play top-pair minutes.

Granted, the Devils’ frustratingly disappointing weekend isn’t completely on the coaching staff, but if these first two games are a prelude to a less-than-subpar start to the season, John Hynes’ job could be in jeopardy. This summer, Ray Shero acquired an influx of quality players that’s given Hynes what could arguably be the most talented squad he’s had at his disposal over his four years in New Jersey.

This roster showed flashes of their capability during the preseason, along with the first two periods of their home opener. While there’s always the remote possibility the team’s newcomers could wind up not being compatible with their teammates—a scenario some Devils fans might struggle to consider—any excuses exonerating Hynes will be very far and between if things continue to go south in the season’s early stages.

It’s not uncommon in the NHL for teams that are struggling to make mid-season coaching changes and turn their seasons around. This isn’t an attempt to compare this current New Jersey Devils team to them, but the best—and most recent—example of this trend is last year’s St. Louis Blues, who were dead last in the league at one point last year. St. Louis went on to fire their head coach Mike Yeo, who was succeeded by Craig Berube. The rest, as we all know, is history.

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Again, this isn’t to say the New Jersey Devils are destined for the same path if their season starts the same way, forcing them to part ways with Hynes. The 2018-2019 St. Louis Blues were the best example, in recent memory of a talented team with a bolstered roster and heightened expectations that made a complete 180 after making a coaching change in the wake of a disastrous start to their season.

Putting everything in perspective however, this team deserves a grace period of at least 10-20 games, unless something drastic occurs like struggling to maintain a win percentage above .250 through the season’s first two months. All things considered, the Devils are more likely to regroup and play closer to the standards set out for them before the season starts but as we all know, there are no guarantees in sports.

While much of the hysteria is relatively premature, the fact they’re currently on a trajectory to flatly stumble out of the gate warrants an exploration of how Coach Hynes’ role may factor into the team’s current (and potential future) struggles and how he might be held accountable if they persist beyond this weekend.

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