Earlier this off-season there were reports that a) the Maple Leafs were very interested in Pete DeBoer becoming the team's new head coach and; b) the interest may have been mutual.
That was obviously put to bed when Lou Lamoriello announced that he wanted DeBoer coaching the Devils next season, and that a contract was in place for that to happen.
DeBoer had no problem putting the old rumors to rest when doing a radio spot on TSN 1050 Toronto, claiming returning to New Jersey was always priority No. 1.
“I’m a New Jersey Devil through and through. I wanted nothing more than the opportunity to come back and try and get our group back into the playoffs where I feel we belong.…
DeBoer coached the team to a Stanley Cup appearance in 2012, and though they've lost a lot of talent since - including star players Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk - he has managed to keep the team competitive, despite not having the most talented roster to work with.
While the Devils failed to reach the post-season this year, DeBoer believes the team deserved to be there, and are on the upswing.
DeBoer said he really believes the Devils were a playoff team this year & that the past few years were tough losing Parise & Kovalchuk
— Hope_Smoke (@Hope_Smoke) May 7, 2014Ultimately feels that the Devils have come out of that situation and are back on the rise now & he wants to part of it.
— Hope_Smoke (@Hope_Smoke) May 7, 2014I agree with DeBoer, and believe the team didn't make it because of a) a lack of talent and; b) they weren't able to capitalize on scoring chances, not because they weren't getting any or being outplayed, which the data shows was clearly not the case.
DeBoer offered some other interesting quotes, saying he didn't think the goaltending situation was ideal for Cory Schneider or Martin Brodeur, and that looking back it probably wasn't good for the Devils, either.
Brodeur has more or less said he'll be playing hockey elsewhere next season, which I think is good for the Devils. They'll be able to turn the page and give the bulk of the workload to Schneider, who clearly showed he could handle it while posting a 1.97 goals against average and .921 save percentage in 45 games played.
I think DeBoer is an excellent coach, and with some dead weight cut and a little more talent to work with, he'll be able to get the Devils back where they belong: in the playoffs and competing for a Stanley Cup.
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