The New Jersey Devils are no longer in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round after a goal in double overtime of Game 5. Now, a few weeks later, the Devils fans are still trying to watch hockey. There are four teams left in the playoffs, with a chance to crown a new Stanley Cup champion.
There aren't many Devils fans who are going to root for the Hurricanes. Not only are they the Devils' rivals, but they are the reason New Jersey is out of the playoffs. There are the select few who are rooting for Carolina just so they can say the Devils lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion, but that's not a popular take.
When looking at the other three options, the Dallas Stars might be the one that makes the most sense. And it's because of one former Devils head coach. Peter DeBoer has been around the league, but what feels like forever ago, he was the head coach of the New Jersey Devils. He was let go by the Florida Panthers, and the Devils knew they had a good one on their hands.
DeBoer had a great roster at his finger tips. This is a team that had Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk on the roster, with Martin Brodeur still patrolling the net. Adam Henrique and Adam Larsson were up and coming, and Travis Zajac and David Clarkson were both in the primes of their career. As much as we lament Lou Lamoriello for his roster construction at the end of his Devils career, this was legitimately a good team.
DeBoer only made the playoffs in 2012 with the Devils, but that was one of the best runs in the history of this franchise. The Devils beat the Panthers in an epic double overtime contest in Game 7, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the New York Rangers. DeBoer won more playoff games than every coach to come since him. Think about that; DeBoer's one run brought more playoff wins than John Hynes, Lindy Ruff, and Sheldon Keefe. Actually, he had twice as many wins (Hynes 1, Ruff 5, Keefe 1, DeBoer 14).
Prior to hiring Lindy Ruff, there were rumors the Devils were considering a reunion with DeBoer. However, the timing wasn't right back them.
Now that so much time has passed and nobody would think the Devils "dropped the ball" on DeBoer (he's been let go by both the Sharks and Golden Knights since his Devils firing), can Devils fans now make him their rooting interest in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Devils fans should put their support behind Peter DeBoer and the Dallas Stars
It's the rooting interest that makes the most sense. The Panthers are the defending champs, which usually doesn't beget many hockey fans to jump on the bandwagon. The Edmonton Oilers have Adam Henrique, who is still a Devils fan favorite. That would be the other rooting interest, but we feel like the Stars are the better choice. Selfishly, we want to keep the Canada Stanley Cup drought alive.