Brent Sutter has left the building and with so many candidates available,it is hard to say just who will be the new skipper of the SS Devils for next season.
Before I mention the candidates that seem to be the hottest on the rumor mill and before I discuss my personal selection(Ted Nolan) for the job,I would like to pound out a few words about Brent Sutter.
Brent Sutter did quite a few positive things for the Devils franchise and at the top of the list was changing the style of play.
Oh,I know-many never bothered to notice that and just hung onto the stereotype of the "trappin Devils",but the Devils fans that watched over the two years of the Sutter reign know the truth.
The Devils became a much more offensive minded squad under Sutter and whether or not this was due to a system that Sutter preferred or that Sutter saw through the weaknesses of the Devils defensive corps (that was so painfully visible against Carolina) and knew that things needed to be changed is open to question.
But the point is the Devils were able to change systems and still be successful and I attribute a large part of that to Brent Sutter.
I also loved his intensity and willingness to tell the truth to the media even if it wasn't popular in his locker room and I think that he would have only grown more in the job as time went by.
However,I hated his questionable line shuffling (to be fair,that reduced last season from the first year),his refusal to try Petr Vrana early in the season and disliked that certain players received chance after chance (Mike Mottau and Dainius Zubrus) while others were buried (Vrana,Jay Pandolfo and Andy Greene) on the bench or scratched list.
I have trouble getting too fired up about Sutter quitting to be closer to his family in Calgary,although his decision that his family and his junior team in Red Deer is more important than the Devils might rule him out from any team considering him down the road with the exception of Calgary or Edmonton.
I wish him well and hope that his decision is what he wants and works out for the best for him and his family.
The three names that have come to the forefront for the Devils head coaching job are former Devils and Wild boss Jacques Lemaire,current Devils assistant John MacLean and former Islanders and Hurricanes boss Peter Laviolette.
Other names that have been mentioned have been former Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau,former Colorado and Atlanta coach Bob Hartley and former Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish.
Many Devils bloggers/fans are very negative on a possible return of Lemaire,siting the defensive nature of his teams and that this team is not suited for a return to defensive based hockey.
I would not have Lemaire at the top of my list,but I would not have a huge problem with a return.
He would not be able to play that type of hockey at this time,as it would not take long for him to figure out that this Devils squad is missing the blueline talent that he had when he left.
I am not sure if MacLean is the right fit either although he could be the perfect mix of the traditional Devil system with the puck possession style of Sutter.
Carbonneau would be Ok,especially if he brings assistant and former Devil captain Kirk Muller along with him to groom.
I want no part of Laviolette at all,the same with Hartley and no opinion really on MacTavish,I see the Oilers so rarely that I am not really sure about him.
But one name that only comes up in passing may not be in consideration,but he should be is this man-Ted Nolan.
Ted Nolan is a winner and has the respect of his players without being a tyrant.
Both Buffalo and the Islanders were winners under Nolan,who led the Islanders to the playoffs with little talent and has watched them struggle ever since his firing by the less than stellar Islander management.
From the outside looking in,Nolan appears to be an awkward fit with Lou Lamoriello,but critics said the same things about Pat Burns,who only brought the Devils a championship.
Nolan was known to have power struggles with general managers at both of his previous NHL stops,but that wouldn't happen in New Jersey.
There would be no doubt on who has the final say-in New Jersey it has always been Lou Lamoriello and that would be known from day one and that would set the tone for Nolan doing what he does best-coach.
Therefore,we give our highest endorsement to the potential hiring of Ted Nolan as the next head coach of the New Jersey Devils...
Photo Credit
Nolan:Ted Nolan Foundation
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