New Jersey Devils: Mike Babcock Would Be A Terrible Coach To Hire
The New Jersey Devils might be in the market for a new coach, but Mike Babock would be a terrible hire for them as they look to move forward.
The New Jersey Devils are clearly a team that is underperforming based on their expectations. They have made the number-one overall pick twice in the last three years, and have two really good centers in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes to show for it. They have made some great additions over the summer in P.K. Subban, Nikita Gusev, and Wayne Simmonds but id hasn’t all come together yet.
A lot of people believe that the system and lineup that John Hynes implements isn’t the one that fits for the current Devils roster. They overachieved at times with a less talented roster but now that there is some talent they aren’t utilizing their skill to their full potential. If he is the issue that is one thing but they need to replace him with someone who will get the most out of this roster if they were to make that decision.
The Toronto Maple Leafs recently fired their head coach Mike Babcock due to a lack of progression. They have a bunch of elite players like Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly. Similar to the Devils, they weren’t playing a system that fit their roster. They have replaced him with Sheldon Keefe, who has implemented a system that is fast and skill-based and the Leafs haven’t lost since.
That fact right there is reason enough to make Babcock someone the Devils should stay far away from. He loved playing Toronto’s fourth line and didn’t optimize their skill guys. That basically means that he would be a more high-profile version of John Hynes. He would also make a lot more money than Hynes would so it would not be a smart move by the Devils. It would just continue a similar issue that is currently going on. The Devils want a guy who will come in and encourage the group to play to their skills and put together strong lineups.
Babcock was also in the news on Sunday night because it came out via the Athletic that he had Marner make a list of his teammates from “most hard-working to least hard-working”. Marner did it to be on the good side of his coach but apparently Babcock revealed Marner’s list to the players that were ranked at the bottom. That, along with how the players have reacted since the firing, have made it seem like he has done some pretty negative things for the locker room. The last thing the Devils want is a guy who will come in and ruin the dynamic of a young group.
The Devils are loaded with youth who need to be built up. With Hughes and Hischier being the leaders of the young group, they also have Jesper Bratt, Will Butcher, and Jesper Boqvist among others who all are looking to elevate this team to new heights. There is a funny feeling that Mike Babcock would ruin what the Devils are trying to do. He would be a terrible hire for the Devils.