Andy Greene
This one comes with a lot of considerations. Andy Greene hasn’t technically retired yet. He did take a “lap” with Zdeno Chara to end the season with the Islanders. He spent two seasons on Long Island after spending the rest of his career with the Devils. The Islanders are looking for a new assistant coach after firing Barry Trotz and hiring Lane Lambert to be the head coach. Maybe Greene makes the easy transition there.
However, Greene’s time in New Jersey was more important. He was a long-time captain here. He had that run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. He spent 14 seasons with the Devils after they gave him a chance as an undrafted free agent. Greene saw a transition in New Jersey, and he helped the team in its time of need.
Sure, Greene didn’t have the success as captain that Scott Stevens had, but he was good at the role he was asked to do. Even when he was getting older and his skill set wasn’t what it used to be, the Devils still put him on the top line playing more than 20 minutes per night.
Who knows if this will transition into a good coaching role, but we’ve seen captains make the transition in the past. They already have to take a pseudo coaching role when they are the captain. They are looked upon as the player to go to when a coach isn’t an option. Now, they are that option. Greene seems like he’d be a good coach based on what we know about his career.