Latest On New Jersey Devils Coaching Search
The New Jersey Devils won’t be playing any more hockey for quite some time as one of the teams not included in the 24-team format, but that doesn’t mean they can take a vacation. The front office has plenty of work to do this offseason, including making a decision on interim GM Tom Fitzgerald and interim coach Alain Nasreddine.
On the coaching side, reports have surfaced over the last several weeks the Devils have shown interest in several top names. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes that New Jersey is “eyeing at least four candidates” with Nasreddine, Gerard Gallant, Peter Laviolette, and John Stevens the known contenders.
Laviolette comes with the most experience as an NHL head coach, with over 1,300 games behind the bench. He also comes with a ton of regular season success—only one team coached by Laviolette has finished under .500—but doesn’t have nearly as much in the postseason.
Gallant meanwhile is another coach with plenty of success, though his last two stops have ended abruptly. After taking the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season and getting them back to the playoffs in year two, the organization made a switch in 2019-20.
Obviously at this point there is no rush in bringing in the next Devils head coach, especially if next season doesn’t start until January. But for a franchise that once went to the playoffs 19 times in 20 years (including four trips to the finals and three cups) there must be a lot of anxious energy to get things back on track.
Snapshots: Blashill, Pilut, Canadiens
The Detroit Red Wings season has come to an end following the announcement of the return to play format, meaning they’ll go down as one of the worst teams in history (at least in terms of points percentage). The club finished 17-49-5 and missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, leading many to question the future of Jeff Blashill.
Steve Yzerman, Detroit GM, is not one of those questioning his head coach. On a conference call with reporters today including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Yzerman explained that he has “no plans on making a coaching change at this time.” Blashill signed a two-year contract extension in 2019 that carries him through the 2020-21 season but now has a 153-194-52 record as head coach of the Red Wings.
- A report out of Russia has Buffalo Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut heading to the KHL next season, though it has not been confirmed at this point. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News reports that the Sabres are inquiring with Pilut to see if he has indeed signed or agreed to terms with Traktor Chelyabinsk. Pilut is scheduled to become a restricted free agent later this summer, but with the Sabres already eliminated from play he could be looking for a new opportunity already. The 24-year old Pilut ended up playing just 46 games over two seasons for Buffalo, despite being excellent in the minor leagues and showing he could handle NHL duty. Should he decide to pursue a contract overseas, the Sabres could temporarily retain his rights by issuing him a qualifying offer.
- With just a few days left to sign them, Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin explained to reporters including Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports that they will not be issuing contract offers to a few prospects. Allan McShane, Cole Fonstad and Samuel Houde–all players that will see their draft rights expire on June 1st–will not receive contracts from the Canadiens.
Snapshots: Expiring Contracts, Hall, Summer Showcase
Though it has been assumed by many, the NHL has not actually officially announced that player contracts that are scheduled to expire on June 30th will be extended through the eventual end of the 2019-20 season. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports today that that uniform slide of all player contracts is expected to happen, meaning pending unrestricted free agents will have to wait until the Stanley Cup is awarded (or the season is canceled) to hit the open market.
More importantly, Russo writes, are the contracts for coaching staffs and scouts all around the league that are also set to expire at the end of the normal season. These employees are not part of a union like the NHLPA, meaning extensions may have to be negotiated individually (though the league could create a standard extension document). In the piece, Russo examines the coaching situations around the league that could be affected by the extension decisions.
- Among the players who are pending unrestricted free agents is Taylor Hall, who at one point pre-coronavirus looked like he was a lock for a huge long-term contract this summer. While some have suggested that Hall (and other premium free agents like Alex Pietrangelo and Torey Krug) could maximize their earning potential by taking a one-year contract and hoping the salary cap bounces back, Hall doesn’t sound like he wants to go down that road. Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet told ESPN On Ice that Hall told him “he doesn’t want to go through another year trying to play on a one-year contract. He wants to get settled somewhere.” The Coyotes are “a team he’s very interested in staying with” according to the Arizona coach.
- USA Hockey is still planning on holding the World Junior Summer Showcase, though Hockey Canada won’t be participating. Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports that the tournament is still scheduled for late-July between the USA, Finland, and Sweden. Nothing is certain in the world right now, but you can bet scouting staffs around the NHL perked up when they heard that they may get the chance to see many of the best young players in the world battle this summer. The tournament is a proving ground for the rosters that will take part in the World Juniors at the end of the year.
New Jersey Devils Interview John Stevens
The New Jersey Devils may have to play some additional regular season games if the league ever starts up again, but that won’t stop them from doing some offseason work. The team has already interviewed several head coaching candidates including Gerard Gallant, despite the strong job that Alain Nasreddine has done since taking over. Add one more to the list, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the team has interviewed Dallas Stars assistant John Stevens.
Stevens was a head coach in the NHL most recently with the Los Angeles Kings, though he lasted only 99 regular season games with the club after taking the top job. His first year went well enough, with the Kings posting a 45-29-8 record and making the playoffs, but a sweep at the hands of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights paired with a slow start in 2018-19 left Stevens without work. He had previously held the head coaching position in Philadelphia too, even taking the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008.
It is important to note that the Devils are operating at this moment with an interim GM as well after Tom Fitzgerald took over from Ray Shero partway through the season. There are changes coming in New Jersey, though many have pointed out that Nasreddine is still a contender to keep the job.
West Notes: Engelland, Canucks, Steen
The Vegas Golden Knights already have a roster full of defensemen, including six NHL players already under contract with another four defensemen in Nicolas Hague, Jimmy Schuldt, Dylan Coughlan and Jake Bischoff all waiting to get their chance to break out with the franchise.
That leaves a big question question mark for soon-to-be UFA and team leader Deryk Engelland. SinBin Vegas’ Ken Boehlke suggests that the writing is on the wall that the veteran defenseman’s time with the team could be over soon. The scribe points out that Engelland hasn’t been a favorite of new head coach Peter DeBoer since he took over on Jan. 16. He has only played in five games under the new coach and was scratched in the team’s last 12 games and 17 of the team’s previous 18 games.
DeBoer did recently praise Engelland’s dedication to the team:
To a man they all want to win the Stanley Cup, that’s their number one motivation,” said DeBoer. “They are willing to do whatever they have to do to be a part of it. I look at Deryk Engelland as an example of that. Tough situation, veteran guy, we had to scratch him some games here recently before the pause. The messaging to me was ‘I just want to be a part of this. When you need me, let me know, and I’ll be ready to go.’ You can’t have enough of that and that’s what makes groups like this special.”
However, it’s quite obvious that the team may be looking beyond Engelland in the future despite the veteran’s intent on continuing his playing career. He currently has a goal and six points in 49 games, while averaging his lowest ATOI (17:33) in his time with Vegas. With a number of blueliners waiting for their chance in the AHL, Vegas may have seen the last of him.
- TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that while many teams are against the NHL’s recent memo that is suggesting the league have the NHL Entry Draft in June, the Vancouver Canucks are a team that is likely going to be in favor of the deal. The Canucks traded their first-round pick last offseason to Tampa Bay (now owned by New Jersey) and would rather give the Devils a non-lottery pick this year, rather than an unprotected one for the 2021 draft. The Canucks are currently in the playoffs as of this moment. However, if play does resume with a October/November draft, the Canucks could slip out of the playoffs and be forced to move a lottery pick then.
- Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that while there is a lot of talk of the St. Louis Blues buying out veteran forward Alex Steen in the offseason next year in order to make room for UFA Alex Pietrangelo, the scribe believes that’s an unlikely scenario. The scribe says it’s more likely that Steen, one of the most popular players on the team and a leader as well, is more likely to retire at the end of this season. That could solve a tough issue of being forced to buy him out, which the team might hesitate to do after the years of service both on and off the ice.
Stretch Run Storylines: Edmonton Oilers
As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks. Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run. Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team. We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Edmonton.
No one was quite sure what to make of the Edmonton Oilers coming into the 2019-20 season. Back in 2016-17, the team made a promising playoff run, suggested that Connor McDavid was set to take Edmonton to years of deep playoff runs. Instead, the team collapsed for two straight years, being bounced from the playoffs both years and struggling with a weak defense and a lack of top-six talent. Add a new general manager in Ken Holland and the team under new head coach Dave Tippett is back in the playoff race, beginning to look like that 2016-17 team.
Hart Trophy For Draisaitl?
McDavid may be the face of the franchise, but Leon Draisaitl has been grabbing many of the game-to-game headlines as the German center has finally moved from McDavid’s wing to center his own line and has found success. He has formed his own line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, which has had great success throughout much of the second half of the season. The 24-year-old who had 50 goals and 105 points a year ago, has already surpassed that point total in less games. He has 43 goals and 110 points through 71 games and is leading the league in scoring.
Could Draisaitl be joining McDavid as a Hart Trophy winner? He is 13 points ahead of McDavid who is second in the league in scoring. With the turnaround success of the Oilers, who are in second place in the Pacific Division, Draisaitl may just be the lead candidate for the trophy.
Trade-Deadline Acquisitions
The Edmonton Oilers picked up three players at the trade deadline in a hope to bolster their defense and their offense to another level. The team gave up two second-round picks in order to pick up the speedy Andreas Athanasiou, while also moving a future fifth-rounder for winger Tyler Ennis. They also moved Kyle Brodziak and a fourth-round pick to Detroit for veteran defender Mike Green.
However, the Oilers have yet to get much of a return on those investments as Athanasiou has appeared in just nine games with just one goal. Ennis has fared better with two goals and four points in nine games. Green has appeared in just two games due to injuries. The hope is all three can make significant strides when/if play resumes. However, if the season is cancelled, the Oilers will only have Athanasiou left as the other two will be unrestricted free agents and no guarantees that they will return next season.
With so few games under their belt, the learning curve for all three players could be significant as they have to learn a new coaching system and how to play with new linemates.
Loss Of A Teammate
With all the tragedy stemming from the COVID-19, the Oilers suffered a separate loss when forward Colby Cave passed away on Apr. 11 when he was placed into a medically-induced coma due to a brain bleed. The forward had appeared in 44 games with the Oilers over the past two years and he played in 11 games this year with Edmonton.
While he wasn’t a full-time player with the Oilers, he was a big part of the team and the Oilers will have to deal with that loss as a team. How the team handles it could have a big effect on how the team performs in the playoffs when/if the league gets the season re-started.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Markstrom, Vegas, Hartford
When the 2019-20 NHL season was paused, Vancouver Canucks were right on the edge of returning to the playoffs. It’s not somewhere they’ve been since 2015, so turning things around is an impressive accomplishment for this young group. One of the older players on the team that was around (however infrequently) for that 2014-15 season is Jacob Markstrom, who happens to be scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer.
If you ask him though, this won’t be his last chance to help Vancouver reach the playoffs. Markstrom was on a conference call with reporters yesterday including Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, and explained that he wants to “stay in Vancouver” and has “no plans of leaving.” Markstrom does understand the complicated situation that every team is in with regards to free agents and an uncertain salary cap, but is obviously hoping that he can stick around for a while longer. The 30-year old goaltender was having the best season of his career, posting a 23-16-4 record and .918 save percentage when the season was paused.
- If you’ve been wondering whether or not the Vegas Golden Knights would ever name a captain, Peter DeBoer has some answers for you. According to Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas, DeBoer discussed the captain question on a season ticket holder podcast, explaining that he believes a team should have one and that the Golden Knights have several candidates. For what it is worth, Boehlke expects Mark Stone to be the captain if one is named. Stone is currently the highest-paid player on the Golden Knights and is signed through 2026-27.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack are bringing back some experience for next season, signing Vincent LoVerde and Mason Geertsen to one-year AHL contracts for 2020-21. LoVerde, 31, is. two-time Calder Cup champion that scored 21 points in 62 games for the Wolf Pack this season. Geertsen, 25, won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup in 2017 before establishing himself as a full-time AHL player the last three years.
Snapshots: Spezza, Hlinka-Gretzky, Coaching
For players nearing the end of their careers, a lost playoff would be devastating. One of their last few chances to raise the Stanley Cup evaporates without anything they can do to stop it. That would be the case for Jason Spezza, who went to Toronto on a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs chasing that elusive championship. Spezza has played more than 1,200 NHL games between the regular season and playoffs but still hasn’t been able to see his name engraved on the sparkling chalice.
All through this season Spezza has been clear that his intention is to play beyond 2020, and on a conference call with reporters today including Luke Fox of Sportsnet, he clarified that there is “nowhere else” he’d rather be than in Toronto. Spezza has been excellent in a depth role for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring nine goals and 25 points in 58 games despite averaging fewer than 11 minutes a night. It seems likely that if he is willing to take another bargain to stay in Toronto, the team would be open to it given how inexpensive they need their fourth line to be.
- Scouting for this year’s draft took a huge hit when junior and college seasons were abruptly ended, and the 2021 class looks to be in danger of losing some valuable face time as well. The Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, a huge opportunity for the upcoming draft prospects to show what they can do against the best competition in the world, is expected to be canceled for this year according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The tournament is scheduled for August in Edmonton, Alberta but is already on the chopping block. McKenzie also notes other events like the World Junior Summer Showcase are also in jeopardy, meaning this year’s draft class could miss plenty of opportunities to show NHL scouts what they can do.
- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) followed up his earlier report on Gerard Gallant‘s interview with the New Jersey Devils by adding that other teams with interim head coaches—specifically the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild—aren’t going to address the situation until they find out what happens with the rest of the 2019-20 season. Those three, in particular, are still in playoff contention, something that the Devils (and San Jose Sharks, who currently have interim coach Bob Boughner in place) don’t have to worry about.
New Jersey Devils Interview Gerard Gallant
The New Jersey Devils aren’t waiting around to get a jump on their coaching search, despite the NHL still holding out hope that the rest of the 2019-20 season will be completed at some point. Pierre LeBrun reported on today’s Insider Trading for TSN that the Devils have interviewed several candidates for the position including former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant. As LeBrun points out, that interview was conducted by GM Tom Fitzgerald, who is also only operating under an interim tag after Ray Shero’s dismissal earlier this season.
Alain Nasreddine, who took over as interim head coach when John Hynes was fired, is also still a candidate for the full-time position. Nasreddine has actually posted a 19-16-8 record with the Devils since taking over, much better than his predecessor and perhaps a reason he should be considered moving forward.
Gallant though is a big fish on the market, as we discussed in one of our recent PHR Panels. He was fired after just two and a half seasons with the Golden Knights, despite taking them to the Stanley Cup Final in year one and the playoffs again in year two. Gallant has a career .550 winning percentage as a head coach, which is actually brought down considerably by his first stint behind the bench with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Landing a coach of that stature would certainly be a big step for the Devils who appear to be on the right track towards competitiveness once again, even though their chance at making the playoffs this season faded quite quickly. With two first-overall selections down the middle in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, three first-round picks to make this season and several high-end prospects ready to soon make an impact there are hopefully better times ahead in New Jersey.
Bill Peters Hired In KHL
After Bill Peters‘ resignation was accepted by the Calgary Flames, following their investigation into racial slurs he used in the past against former player Akim Aliu, it was hard to see a way for him to return to coaching in the NHL. That doesn’t mean Peters’ career behind the bench is over however, as he has been hired by Avtomobilist in the KHL.
The team announced a two-year deal for the former head coach of the Flames and Carolina Hurricanes, who has also led Team Canada at the World Championship. The incident with Aliu took place when Peters was head coach of the Rockford IceHogs in the 2009-10 season.
In six seasons as an NHL head coach, Peters had a 199-175-64 record and made the playoffs only once.