The New Jersey Devils were fully expecting to still be playing hockey in May of 2024 after an excellent 2022-23 campaign that saw the team finish third in regular-season standings and beat the favored New York Rangers in Round 1.
But after a hugely disappointing 2023-24 season in Newark, it's back to the drawing board — and it'll be with a new coach after Lindy Ruff was fired at the beginning of March and interim coach Travis Green was just hired by the Ottawa Senators.
The Devils will have their new coach soon, though, possibly within the next week — at least according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
“Devils hope to have a new coach hired within 7-10 days. They should have a clearer picture of things by end of week,” the hockey insider reported on Tuesday. “Kings haven't decided their course yet on HC front. GM Rob Blake will meet with Jim Hiller next week. Kings liked how Hiller handled himself. But we'll see.”
Any speculation that Green might return behind the bench next season was put to rest after he was chosen as Ottawa's next coach. But just the fact that the Devils are looking for a new head coach is certainly an unfortunate development; after leading the team to a 52-22-8 record last year, it looked like Ruff would be behind the bench for at least a few more campaigns.
But after a middling season, the veteran bench boss was fired by general manager Tom Fitzgerald at the beginning of March.
“I take full responsibility,” Ruff said at the time. “You want to win, and we've dealt with a lot. Players want to win. I'm responsible for the wins and losses, who gets on the ice and who doesn't get on the ice. I said this before, we got a passionate fan base. They want to see wins, and if you look at our home record, that part hurts. So, I feel fully responsible.”
Ruff quickly landed on his feet, being scooped up by a Buffalo Sabres team that he already coached for nearly two decades (1997-2013). And whoever is hired by Fitzgerald as the new head coach in NJ will have immediate expectations to get this roster back into the dance in 2025.
Devils will accept no less than a return to the postseason in 2025
Dougie Hamilton suffering a torn pectoral muscle and missing nearly the entire season was the catalyst of a hugely discouraging campaign in Newark. The Devils also dealt with a plethora of other injuries — including to superstar Jack Hughes — as well as dealing with subpar goaltending for most of the year.
The players between the pipes could look a lot different next season, with Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen now part of the equation after being brought over in pre-trade deadline acquisitions. Those two figure to be the top options on opening night, but Nico Daws could also push for starts after a strong season.
Without a doubt, a ton of things went wrong for this roster this year. And it probably shouldn't have cost Lindy Ruff his job. But this is a very talented team that's ready to win now, and getting back into the postseason will be top priority for whoever is hired as the Devils next head coach.
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