The New Jersey Devils are not the only organization looking for a head coach this summer, as there are two teams with vacancies and four teams without a permanent bench boss.
The New Jersey Devils are not the only organization scouring high and low for a new head coach.
This week, the San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken fired David Quinn and Dave Hakstol, respectively, and a vacancy behind the bench now needs to be filled.
Hakstol became the 10th NHL coach fired this season, joining Craig Berube (St. Louis Blues), Dean Evason (Minnesota Wild), Don Granato (Buffalo Sabres), Lane Lambert (New York Islanders), Todd McLellan (Los Angeles Kings), Quinn (Sharks), Lindy Ruff (Devils), D.J. Smith (Ottawa Senators), and Jay Woodcroft (Edmonton Oilers).
As my colleague Jonathan Tovell wrote, only four NHL teams are without a permanent head coach: the Kings, Blues, Senators, and Devils. Each has had interim coaches since making their respective coaching changes.
During his end-of-season media availability, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald stated that he would like a head coach in place by late June.
"I'd like to have something in place before the draft. That gives me flexibility with the candidates, including Travis (Green)," he said. "You don't know what could shake out after the first round either. I want to take my time with this. But I have specific boxes I want checked."
Some of those boxes include a candidate who is an excellent communicator who will hold all his players accountable and collaborate with different people and departments throughout the organization.
One of, if not the biggest, questions surrounding New Jersey this summer is what direction Fitzgerald will go with his head coach.
Many on the outside are looking at this future hire as a make-or-break for the 55-year-old general manager, believing if he gets it wrong, it could cost him his current position.
Will Fitzgerald stick with what is familiar and remain with Green? Move on to a coach with a Stanley Cup championship on his resume, or risk it all on an up-and-comer with no NHL experience?
On a recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that Berube, who led the Blues to their 2019 Stanley Cup championship, is at the top of many teams' lists for a head coach.
"I think it in Ottawa. I think it potentially in New Jersey," Friedman said. "I gotta think that if you're one of these teams that really like Berube, how long are you going to wait until maybe somebody who is in the playoffs gets eliminated and says, 'hmm, we might want to join this race.' I am curious to see if some of these teams that are looking at him are saying we have to move quick."
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