The New Jersey Devils fired head coach Pete DeBoer last week and used an interesting strategy to replace him.
General manager Lou Lamoriello has gone behind the bench, which he’s done in the past after firing a coach. But this time, he has brought two coaches along with him. Former Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates will oversee the forwards, while legendary Devils defensemen Scott Stevens will work with the blue line.
It’s an interesting decision to have three coaches. Stevens has been viewed as a potential head coach someday and this situation gives Oates an opportunity to gain more experience for when teams have open coaching vacancies in the summer. Oates was the Washington Capitals bench boss for two seasons before being fired after the 2013-14 campaign.
The Devils need to figure out which direction to take for the rest of the season. They have the oldest roster in the league and rank 29th in goals scored per game and 19th in goals against average. Even if this team gains enough ground in the standings and earns a playoff spot, a Round 1 defeat is likely.
The best decision for New Jersey is to not worry about winning, develop the club’s young players and put itself in a position to pick as high as possible in a talent-rich 2015 NHL draft. The Devils have drafted very poorly since the salary cap was introduced and it’s one reason why they’re in this situation.
Three coaches isn’t a long-term solution, but it’s an OK one for a team that shouldn’t be competitive this season.
— Martin Brodeur’s tenure with the St. Louis Blues might be nearing an end with Brian Elliott ready to return to the lineup after recovering from an injury. That said, Brodeur has played well enough in St. Louis (3-2-0, .904 save percentage) to earn a backup job somewhere else if he does leave the Blues.
Brodeur made 16 saves for his 125th career shutout Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
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— The 2015 Winter Classic is Thursday and there is less buzz for this game than in years past. Two main reasons for this are the lack of a “24/7” series on HBO and the fact that the matchup — Chicago Blackhawks versus Washington Capitals — isn’t a rivalry and doesn’t feature any compelling storylines.
— The 2015 World Junior Championship is underway in Toronto and Montreal. Canada and the United States both are undefeated ahead of their showdown Wednesday in Montreal. Bruins prospect David Pastrnak gave the Czech Republic a berth into the quarterfinals with an overtime goal against Denmark on Monday. He also tallied two assists.
— There were a few roster transactions made Monday. The Edmonton Oilers acquired center Derek Roy from the Nashville Predators in exchange for center Mark Arcobello. Edmonton also claimed Bruins winger Matt Fraser from the waiver wire. The Anaheim Ducks placed veteran winger Dany Heatley on waivers.
— The Carolina Hurricanes have the second-worst record in the league and one reason for this lack of success has been the absence of top-six center Jordan Staal. He broke his leg in the preseason and made his regular-season debut Monday night in Carolina’s 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Staal played 19:01 and assisted his brother Eric’s power-play goal in the third period.
— The Winnipeg Jets still occupy a wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference despite not having their four-best defensemen because of injuries. Making matters worse is top-six forward Evander Kane’s latest injury.
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— Johnny Boychuk scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the New York Islanders’ matchup with the Capitals on Monday night. The victory moved the Isles into a first-place tie (49 points) with the Pittsburgh Penguins atop the Metropolitan Division. New York hasn’t won a division title since 1987-88.
— The Bruins are once again a top-five puck possession team.
via Natural Stat Trick
Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images
