Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green has been appointed interim head coach of the New Jersey Devils.

Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green has been appointed interim head coach of the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils just announced that they have relieved Lindy Ruff from the head coaching position after the team has struggled mightily this season. Ruff and the Devils have Stanley Cup aspirations after the team went to the second round of the playoffs in 2023 and looked even better on paper this season. 

"I hold our entire organization to the highest levels of accountability to focus on being a competitive team that expects to be a perennial playoff contender. Unfortunately, we are not currently at that level, and I needed to make this decision," Devils' President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald said in the release. "This was an extremely difficult conversation to have with Lindy based on the relationship that he and I have. He was the right coach to develop our young players on the ice, and above all else, he is a tremendous person."

Ruff was the head coach in New Jersey for four years. In 281 games behind the bench, he finished with a team record of 128-125-28. He had just signed a four-year extension during the 2023 offseason. 

"Travis has key experience running benches at the junior, AHL and NHL levels and knows that there are no shortcuts to success. He is a high-demanding individual who is familiar with the group and excited about working to get us back on track," Fitzgerald said.

Green was the head coach of the Cancuks from 2017-2022, with a record of 133-147-34. After coaching Quinn Hughes in Vancouver, Green becomes the first coach in league history to have all three Hughes brothers play for him as he adds Luke and Jack Hughes to his resume.

Green has a challenging task ahead of him, with the Devils seven points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Divison and eight points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Green will officially start as head coach of the Devils tomorrow morning when they take on the Florida Panthers. 

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