New Jersey Devils: Enough Is Enough And It’s Time For A Change

The New Jersey Devils have fallen short of every single expectation this season. After Friday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, it’s clear a change of head coach is the only way forward.

Do yourself a favor, read this article by Dave Lozo, a name you probably now know well in the hockey world. This article was written right after the New Jersey Devils fired Peter DeBoer. DeBoer’s 2014-15 Devils started 12-17-7, and looked like one of the worst teams in the league while also being the oldest. It was a major problem, and Lou Lamoriello tried fixing it himself. The three-headed coaching monster didn’t work, but at least he did something.

One might argue the Devils should have done it sooner. The real problem was the plan of replacement. Lou took the bench as head coach, then Scott Stevens and Adam Oates took over as assistants. It was an innovative idea, but one that did not work in the slightest.

Maybe that’s the situation the Devils are in now. The coaching situation does not work, and that’s as clear as ever today. Looking at the decisions made before the game and in game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it’s clear something isn’t clicking. Head coach John Hynes put his most talented player Jack Hughes with a young player trying to find his way in Jesper Boqvist and a veteran who’s lost two steps in Wayne Simmonds. Hughes literally beat two and three defenders the entire game, but despite finding both Simmonds and Boqvist in front for beautiful chances, nothing went in the net.

The Devils just gave up a goal to go down 3-1, and they desperately needed an answer. So, who did John Hynes choose to go out there? The line of Miles Wood, Pavel Zacha and Jesper Bratt. Add on to that Mirco Mueller on defense, who was on the ice for the three of the four Penguins goals, and the Devils are almost fighting themselves.

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All season, Hynes has changed things with seemingly no long-term vision in place. Maybe he was always coaching for his job, since that “extension” he signed last season was never what it seemed. The changes he makes in game could be bore out of desperation. He puts the lines in a blender at least once a week. Maybe he’s doing that because every single game result matters. The problem is nobody is building chemistry together, and this is actually causing them to lose games.

That’s the real problem here. The Devils are losing games solely because of coaching. The players on the ice aren’t always helping things, but this is a team with Taylor Hall, P.K. Subban, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Travis Zajac, Sami Vatanen and an up-and-coming Mackenzie Blackwood. That’s also ignoring a lot of really good players that could play a complimentary role in this. Instead, everything looks disjointed.

Just look at the Devils passes. They aren’t ever tape to tape because the Devils are playing with different teammates on a nightly basis. Sure, the best hockey players like Sidney Crosby should be able to overcome that, and learn the tendencies of everyone. Well, news flash, there’s no Crosby on this team right now.

If the Devils were just allowed to build any kind of chemistry, those passes would be crisp. If Hughes spent the first 21 games with Nkita Gusev, then he’d know how fast he could go to catch up to a pass. Also, Gusev would learn Hughes’ tendencies, and would put himself in position based on that. Instead, Hughes is trying to learn where Simmonds and Boqvist will be a quarter into the season.

There might not be anyone better out there for the New Jersey Devils behind the bench, but the current Devils team is not one that will thrive under Hynes. This is a much different team than the 2017-18 team that made the playoffs. Hall is still coming back from a major injury, and he can’t play Superman just yet. Blackwood does his best to steal games, but he’s 22 years old. He’s not in a spot where he can do it on a nightly basis just yet. There’s no Patrick Maroon and Brian Boyle to get in an opponent’s face and frustrate them when the team needs a spark. They went in a different direction, and it hasn’t worked.

The Devils problems aren’t all Hynes’ fault, but it’s honestly a lot Hynes’ fault. There’s some fault on Ray Shero, but his biggest fault right now is holding on to his hand-picked coach. We hear all the time that GMs get one coaching change, but this is a different hockey world. Shero can replace Hynes with someone he’s close to, and he still has some leash left.

All we know is something needs to change if the Devils want to salvage this season. They can’t fire the players. Shero could make a trade, but any deal he makes would need to use a barren batch of picks. The only logical move right now is to move on from John Hynes.