5. Ryan McGill is back
So technically this isn’t a hypothetical and it already happened. The Devils did not change out the defensive coach or the goaltending coach, which left a lot of Devils fans scratching their heads. However, McGill was a great coach in 2022-23. What happened last season? He changed his system, and we’ve been on record opining about how it was devastating to this defense as a whole.
First of all, the Devils focused on poke checks for just about everything. Hitting does get a defenseman out of position, but if it’s done right, it knocks a guy off the puck and makes them think twice about where they skate. Nobody is calling for head hunting, but if the poke is your only defense, it’s going to not work out.
The Devils also added hitters this offseason. Not only are their two new defensive acquisitions (three with Kovacevic) all hitters of some discipline, Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter add that element as well.
The other defensive style that has to change is the call for both defensemen to skate behind the net when the puck is there. We can’t confirm that was the strategy, but it happened so often, and with every defenseman, it feels like it had to be. If it was, then McGill needs to forget that strategy ASAP. If that wasn’t the directive and the players were both skating behind the net on their own, constantly leaving the front of the net wide open for a direct pass, then the players need to be held accountable.