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New Jersey Devils: What Must Alain Nasreddine Do To Keep Head Coaching Gig?

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 03: New Jersey Devils interim head coach Alain Nasreddine speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the Vegas Golden Knights on December 3, 2019 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 03: New Jersey Devils interim head coach Alain Nasreddine speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the Vegas Golden Knights on December 3, 2019 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils finally made a head coaching change when they fired John Hynes and replaced him with assistant head coach Alain Nasreddine in the interim. How successful must Nasreddine be to keep the job for good?

The New Jersey Devils made most fans happy when they finally made a coaching change after two absolutely pathetic performances against the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. A lot of fans were skeptical of the man they were now putting in charge. Alain Nasreddine was Hynes’ assistant coach, and someone who has been in charge of the defense, by far the Devils weakest unit.

That doesn’t mean anything really when it comes to being a head coach candidate. That’s why Ray Shero gave him the keys to the castle, at least for now.

Now, the question is, how does he keep the keys? Nasreddine is clearly just a “for now” choice, but we’ve seen it before where the interim coach does such a good job, the GM has no choice. Now, Nasreddine would have to do yeoman’s work to make that happen, but it’s definitely not impossible.

This is going to be Ray Shero’s second coaching hire in New Jersey, and not many GMs get the chance to make three coaching hires after they fired the first two. The head coach is one of the most important, if not the most important decision a general manager can make. Owners don’t have the patience to watch their top guy making the wrong decision when it’s the most important decision.

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So, how does that impact Nasreddine? That means Shero has to be absolutely sure that he’s the right man for the job. That means Shero has to look beyond the initial motivation the Devils have from seeing their coach get fired. If the Devils win five games in a row, that’s not going to be enough. This has to be evidence of sustained success.

Basically, Nasreddine has to at the very least get the Devils back in the playoff race this week. Think of it in the same way we’re thinking about the Taylor Hall situation. Hall is very close to being able to choose any situation he wants in the league. Shero is very close to taking a very talented team with two number-one overall picks already there, and likely another high draft pick coming.

For Nasreddine to stick, he needs to show he’s better than literally every candidate out there. The Devils are currently ten points out of a playoff spot. It’s still December, and early in the month at that. Shero made it clear that he expected more out of this team. Nasreddine has to be that more. If he can get the Devils at least in the top ten in the conference, that might be enough. However, it might not. To guarantee himself this job, Nasreddine has to be better than better. He has to be perfect. If he’s not, the Devils are going to open the search to everyone. The Devils have to, at the very least, win 35 of the next 55 games. If they don’t it’s going to be another year in the lottery for the Devils.

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