Peter DeBoer to stay as Devils coach

I didn't watch the finale' of the New Jersey Devils against the Boston Bruins as I was graphing the Lynchburg Hillcats and Frederick Keys (I also missed the final round of the Masters,which didn't especially please me either),but I plan to watch what could be the last game of Martin Brodeur as a Devil with Rachel today.
If I can do that,I'll have some notes on the game later today.

The bigger news is this-Lou Lamoriello called a hasty press conference between periods to announce that Peter DeBoer would be returning as head coach for the 2014-15 season to fulfill his contract which expires after that season.
Rumors were abound that had the Devils firing DeBoer or having the Maple Leafs interested in hiring him for next season.
DeBoer himself had stated to the media that he was unsure of his status and of course the media played off of that report.
The Devils rarely (as in almost never) discuss management decisions or maneuvers and this says just how the team took the chaos.

I'll be doing a look back on the season in a few days,but I will say this-I think this is a mistake.
For all the players "we like Pete" talk,this team needs a new voice.
DeBoer plays favorites,which all coaches on all levels do,but he does it in a way that hinders the objective-winning games.
It seems more important to have his favorites play than to develop the bigger picture.
The botched handling of Adam Larsson,the way that Jon Merrill can screw up and play forever and Eric Gelinas can make a mistake and sit for two games (I think all three need to be playing) and the general lack of improvement in the younger players make me believe that Peter DeBoer is not the right coach for a team that needs to get younger.

As I'll detail more and yet another future post,the New Jersey Devils were the oldest team in hockey this season.
When you have the oldest team in hockey,you expect to be a serious title contender or at minimum a playoff team and to miss the postseason two years in a row,that says something to me.
This will need to get younger and with a coach that seems to struggle with younger players,this is very likely a mistake.
Some retooling is needed in the off-season and I would hate to see players brought in have problems adapting to what DeBoer runs for a system.
One would have to believe that a slow start would doom DeBoer,but that would leave another season of playoffs in jeopardy and the franchise cannot afford that result.

One thing is for sure-Lou Lamoriello is gambling that Peter DeBoer is the man that can return the team to the postseason.
He just may be rolling the dice on more than just one season with this decision...