The New Jersey Devils have a ton of choices to make this offseason. They made two of their biggest already, hiring Sunny Mehta as the new GM and deciding against hiring a President of Hockey Operations. That was on top of the agenda after the Devils let Tom Fitzgerald go.Â
Now on the top of the agenda is the head coach. It’s the one decision they can make while the playoffs are going on. Sheldon Keefe was at the press conference for Mehta, and the Devils seem committed to the current head coach, but that’s not a guarantee. There are options out there, but are they better? Let’s assess.
1. Bruce Cassidy
Bruce Cassidy was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights right before the playoffs. He’s a Stanley Cup winner who has had success in both Vegas and Boston, but there are issues. He is hard on his players, and that seems to have an expiration date, but he does have a really good system to use. He has proof that he can get teams to win in the playoffs.
Cassidy is considered the top candidate, but there are others with NHL experience. Patrick Roy, Jay Woodcroft, and eventually, Craig Berube, but none of those are the right fit for the Devils right now. Cassidy could work, but Mehta has to really evaluate whether the Devils are better off with him over Keefe.
2. David Carle
This one is a long shot because Carle had every opportunity to leave the University of Denver last season, decided to stay, and helped Samu Salminen win a national championship. Carle is well on his way to being the best college hockey coach in the history of the sport. Going to the NHL would be a tried and true money grab. We’d want to pretend it’s all about the challenge of doing it at the highest level, but the money would have to work to get him over the edge.
The one thing that might move him is looking at the opportunity to be the head coach for Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. That might be an opportunity he can’t pass up, and the Devils and Mehta could get Carle to leave his post in Denver. That would be a huge win for Mehta and the Devils, but it still is a long shot.Â
3. Rikard Gronborg
Rikard Gronborg has been someone in the coaching lexicon for close to a decade now. He seemed like a guarantee to be the first European head coach in more than 20 years. Gronborg has taken over the Swedish national team, even though he lost the bench for the 2026 Winter Olympics. That went terribly, and Gronborg is back to the bench to bring Sweden forward.
While that will keep his focus, he won’t lose it by being an NHL head coach. He should be able to do both, especially since he will be focused on the Olympics. Gronborg was always considered ahead of his time, which is why the Devils and other teams reportedly interested haven’t made the decision to hire him.
Listen, none of these candidates are perfect, and it might be why the Devils just stick with Keefe. At least for a year, Keefe can try to prove himself.
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