The New Jersey Devils continue to be busy during the NHL’s ‘pause’ by conducting their search for a head coach. According to Elliot Friedman’s ’31 Thoughts’ column, the Devils have interviewed John Stevens. We do not know when the interview took place, but this adds more intrigue in regards to the Devils’ process of finding the right head coach.
John Stevens’ impressive coaching resume includes success in both the AHL and NHL levels with the Philadelphia Phantoms, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. Some notable achievements include winning the 2005 Calder Cup with the Phantoms, advancing to the Conference Finals as head coach with an overachieving Flyers team in 2008 (in which The Hockey News awarded him Coach of the Year) and served as an assistant coach on two Stanley Cup Championships with the Kings. He guided the Kings to the playoffs in his only full season as head coach, and was fired thirteen games into the following season after a slow start. He is now an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars. Overall, he compiled a 171-148-43 record as a head coach along with 3 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.
Stevens is regarded as a defensive minded coach, something we know that the Devils have needed help stabilizing for quite some time now. Would he take a Devils defense and turn them into overachievers? We all know the Devils defense will not be great any time soon, but respectability is key.
Stevens by all measures seems to be a ‘safe’ hire more than an upside hire as coach. He is well respected and has had success in the NHL, but how far could he take a young Devils team? Stevens for all intensive purposes will get them to play a more disciplined and defensive style, which the team needs because of how many penalties the team takes and how many defensive lapses they have.
However, the Devils need to maintain a forward thinking approach on whom they feel could help them win championships five to ten years down the road because of their collection of young and talented forwards. The Devils need a creative coach that will utilize the talent and speed that they will inevitably possess. Is Stevens really that kind of coach that will get the best out of their young core?
The Devils are doing their due diligence while time is on their side to make the best decision for the franchise’s future. When the NHL resumes, hopefully the Devils will have an edge on who they want to guide them in the future. The Devils will look inevitably different next season, and that includes both the front office and coaching staff. The hope is that Tom Fitzgerald will become the team’s permanent general manager, however that is not set in stone. Former general manager of the Vancouver Canucks Mike Gillis has also been interviewed for a front office position. Gerard Gallant, Alaine Nassreddine and now John Stevens are all considerations to be the 18th coach of the New Jersey Devils. Everyone seems to be clamoring for Gallant, and when a coach is hired it will be intriguing to see how the Devils fan base reacts.