You can sit here all day and argue all the reasons as to why John Hynes should be let go. There are plenty of them, but the real question that should be asked is “Why has management not addressed the current state of the team?”. It is no secret the New Jersey Devils are struggling immensely and that some change needs to happen.
As for this season, there is still plenty of time to turn things around. So, why are the things that need to be addressed not even being addressed? The silence from management means they are trying to do something, or not doing anything at all. Both of which is slightly concerning as this Devils team needs a jolt in the right direction in.
This team is very young mix of veterans and rookies. One can argue on paper this New Jersey Devils team is much better than they are playing. Many believe Taylor Hall has one foot out the door, and this may or may not be true. The contradicting factor here is that it is a contract year for number 9, and no player in any league or sport wants to have a down year leading into Free Agency.
The strategy in which they are playing right now does not set them up for success. Defense has been a problem since the very first game of the season, and no adjustments have been made. Teams have been able to pick them apart from our game plan and indecisive decisions regarding defenseman. Right now, the defenseman in the offensive zone are aggressive on keeping the puck in the zone and rightfully so. The decision that must be made in a short span of time is can you win the race to the puck, and our defenseman have lost that battle more than they should.
Nobody wants their team to be conservative, but the team’s aggressive strategy has been very ineffective. The reason you can say John Hynes needs to go, is the questions regarding how the Devils play. Obviously the coach cannot play for the players, but the split second decisions on how to defend, or get it out of the zone has cost us in so many games its hard not to address it. It has been multiple games of asking these players to adjust and make a change, Clearly the voice is just not being heard by some players on this team.
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In many cases that a team has just not responded to the coach, change has been made. Teams have responded with bounce back performances to streak some wins together in these scenarios. This season is not lost yet and a change should be made just to give us a chance. If the New Jersey Devils release John Hynes and the players do not respond to the next coach. Then you have your answer whether the group you have is going to get it done.
In this early stretch this season you really have not heard much from the front office other than rumors. Rumors are a pain in the you know what, and many fans become hostile to the situation of being out of the loop. In reality we really have no authority to know what they are going to do. But if the team struggles like this it would be nice to have some clarity as to what the heck the New Jersey Devils plan on changing. Watching games night in and night out is frustrating win or loss, because they can be so much better then the current state.
The right thing to do going forward would be to make a change to the coaching staff. The New Jersey Devils players need a jolt of life into this locker room. Firing a coach is never easy and it is not going to change things overnight, but it is exhausting to watch repetitive mistakes. Ray Shero must take charge and put this organization in even better hands because the New Jersey Devils are an organization known for continued success. Unfortunately the only continuous thing of late is getting the top draft pick, and any fan would rather watch playoff games then the NHL Draft.