Recently, the New Jersey Devils made an addition to their coaching staff, with Victor Kuri appearing on their staff directory under the role of "Reconditioning Therapist/Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach."
While the Devils didn't have those specific roles filled previously, it's not a new responsibility for the team or the league. Many NHL organizations have a staff member devoted to this type of work. The strength and conditioning part of that is the less interesting of the roles, given that that type of work is a mainstay at every level of hockey, starting in juniors.
The Reconditioning Therapist is a more fascinating duty, a specialized job focused on rehabilitating players after their injury.
Kuri had spent the better part of the last decade in baseball, working with the St. Louis Cardinals and, most recently, the Houston Astros. With the Cardinals, he was the Rehab Coordinator from 2021 to 2025, and with the Astros, he held a similar role for their minor-league team. Of note, the most common injuries in baseball involve the shoulders, and that seems to be the most pressing issue with New Jersey.
The New Jersey Devils are changing their philosophy on injuries
The Devils' three most important players all have histories with their shoulders -- the Hughes brothers have obviously had their fair share of problems and corrective surgeries, and Jesper Bratt had shoulder surgery an off-season ago.
Shoulder injuries aside, New Jersey has been one of the most injured teams in the league. Brett Pesce (MCL) missed significant time in 2025-26, as did Johnathan Kovacevic (ACL tear), Arseny Gritsyuk (upper-body), Stefan Noesen (knee), Cody Glass (upper-body), and, of course, Jack Hughes (hand). They had a myriad of other minor injuries or injuries to depth players that held them back from putting out a complete lineup for much of the season.
With so many players recovering from injury, it stands to reason that this addition to the coaching staff is more welcome than it has been in years. Health is, and has been, the one thing that has consistently held the Devils back for multiple seasons -- as special a talent as Jack is when he's unimpeded by injury, he does have a history of being on the shelf. Health killed them in 2023-24, in the playoffs in 2024-25, and, obviously, last season as well.
Kuri's addition to the crew, then, should be met with open arms. More sports science and recovery assistance is never a bad thing.
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