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What is going on with the New Jersey Devils' coaching search?

June 25, 2020, 10:26 AM ET [231 Comments]
Todd Cordell
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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The New Jersey Devils do not have a General Manager, nor a President of Hockey Ops. You know, people generally responsible for assembling a roster and coaching staff.

Despite that, the organization has somehow come up with a shortlist of five rumored finalists to be the team’s bench boss.

This has led many to believe the Devils could actually hire a coach prior to naming a GM. Apparently, they’re the only party failing to understand that’d be a disaster.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet mentioned that multiple GM candidates have pointed out as much.



It *sounds* like the Devils are changing their plans and putting the coaching search on the backburner for now. That’s good news.

What’s concerning is they needed X amount of people to tell them what should have been common sense.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know hiring a coach before a GM is a horrendous idea. Let’s say ownership loved Randy Carlyle, for example. He would be all-in on heavy hockey. What happens when you hire a modern GM who wants to build a team around speed and puck possession at the expense of size? The simple answer: nothing good.

I’m extremely interested to see where the coaching search goes for here. We know all the names in the hat now.

If they don’t change when a GM is finally put in place, it’ll be a pretty telling sign that ownership is calling the shots. They can absolutely do that – it’s their team – but it’s probably not the best recipe for success.

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