New Head Coach search

[Blackjack]

Travis Green

 

[None Shall Pass]

Welp, it won't be Travis Green.

 

[HoliksGhost]

When it comes to a coach I’m not big on analytics. Just light a fire under our young teams arses.

Welp, it won't be Travis Green.

Thankfully

 

[Emperoreddy]

Toronto is doing their wrap out pressers Thursday I think which i guess is the latest we learn if Keefe was fired or not.

And then he either becomes a candidate for us himself or creates the domino that gets Sullivan fired.

 

[Bcap88]

Toronto is doing their wrap out pressers Thursday I think which i guess is the latest we learn if Keefe was fired or not.

And then he either becomes a candidate for us himself or creates the domino that gets Sullivan fired.

Looks like it got pushed

Doesn’t sound like keefe will be there

 

[Triumph]

Still doesn’t explain the mediocre abysmal 5 on 5 play in 5 out of 6 years. Despite that having a couple 100 point season nestled in pretty much screams to me either

A. Hot goaltending
B.lucky shooting
C. Special teams reliance.

I just don’t see how you can be 15-20 in xgf at 5 on 5 essentially getting caved in nightly and still somehow come away with a couple 100 point seasons

The Blues definitely had the kind of offense that didn't take many shots but was scoring on a lot of them - a combination of luck and skill there, I think, with somebody like Robert Thomas near the top of scoring. We don't have many players like that in the league anymore and I think they throw people out of whack a bit, players who are pass-first and who maintain a high shooting percentage.

Part of it is that it seems like Berube encouraged this sort of offense given the team he was working with, and that's the thing that makes me like him as a coach.

 

[HoliksGhost]

Four teams are without a coach: the Devils, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets. Jim Hiller (Los Angeles Kings) is an interim coach.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Aw, Travis, please don't go.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Four teams are without a coach: the Devils, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets. Jim Hiller (Los Angeles Kings) is an interim coach.

What I would do if I'm Fitz: have Woodcroft in your back pocket. Woodcroft is 100% not taking any of those jobs imo, I don't think he'd want to go back to Canadian market and the other 3 teams are in listless positions. Could be argued we're there as well but we definitely have more roster pieces than any of those teams that would attract Woodcroft. That being said, you keep tabs on Sullivan + Brindamour. Obvious pipe dream on the latter but if the Keefe thing about him not being there at the presser is true then the Sullivan thing becomes more realistic.

 

[Patrik26]

I don't get what's so good about Keefe, other than he has experience coaching a roster like ours.

Between the history there while he was coach, those things he said last night and not sitting Samsonov until it was too late and they were down 3-1 in the series while the goalie that helped them get back in it was sitting on the bench healthy.

He kind of reminds me of Todd McLellan. He even went gray at a pretty young age like Todd and they even look alike back when Todd was younger and heavier.

He's a guy that could go somewhere and win a cup, I'm just not really sold on him right now.

His reputation was likely built from winning the Calder Cup. I remember talk about this on NHL Radio and then there's this. Winning in one league doesn't mean it will translate to the next level IMO.

https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/ahl-championship-bodes-well-for-marlies-coach-sheldon-keefe/article_ef8f0eae-7dcf-590f-9762-9e20ca81cae2.html

 

[guitarguyvic]

One championship in one league probably doesn’t mean a whole lot. Find a guy who has won in multiple leagues. That was the case with Bednar and Cooper.

 

[Bcap88]

What I would do if I'm Fitz: have Woodcroft in your back pocket. Woodcroft is 100% not taking any of those jobs imo, I don't think he'd want to go back to Canadian market and the other 3 teams are in listless positions. Could be argued we're there as well but we definitely have more roster pieces than any of those teams that would attract Woodcroft. That being said, you keep tabs on Sullivan + Brindamour. Obvious pipe dream on the latter but if the Keefe thing about him not being there at the presser is true then the Sullivan thing becomes more realistic.

Ideally this is what I would like to see happen

Hopefully Berube jumps over to Toronto quickly so we can avoid that disaster.

Woodcroft is young and can grow with this core but also has enough experience as a head coach to get this core where it needs to go

 

[My3Sons]

When it comes to a coach I’m not big on analytics. Just light a fire under our young teams arses.


Thankfully

The NJ group needs more than that though. They need some structure and some actual coaching to teach whatever new system is installed. They ran around like chickens without heads for much of Ruff's tenure with mixed results. I'd like to have an actual thoughtful coach who can adapt a system to the NJ personnel that makes sense.

 

[Bcap88]

When it comes to a coach I’m not big on analytics. Just light a fire under our young teams arses.


Thankfully

Makes sense, but New Jersey organization as a whole has invested a lot of resources and money into analytics. It seems like it would be a step backwards to hire a coach who isn’t really analytical sound. I think it would cause friction between both groups

 

[Unknown Caller]

A lot of smoke (though nothing definitive from reputable reporters) that Berube is in the lead if Sullivan doesn't leave Pittsburgh. Sounds like they'll give it another week to play out, probably seeing if the Keefe situation impacts Sullivan.

 

[njdevil26]

I haven't seen anyone talk about Keefe to NJ... He is most likely out of a job in Toronto.

It would be easy to assume he goes to Pitt and Sullivan to us but I just don't think it's going to happen that way.

Keefe had success in the AHL but I really don't know what to think of his NHL performance. He was handed a team that could not bolster defense and goaltending because their top guys took all the money and cap space... and those guys (Marner, Matthews, Nylander) became larger than life superstars and who knows how much control he even had over that team.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I don’t know how you can say those rosters weren’t good when Berube had winning percentages of .651,.662,.563 and .665 in his first four years. Yet, they were 15 or lower in xgf in 3 of those four years with all 3 years in succession after the cup In a loaded division, they had to have some skill right ?

Yes the blue have not been particularly good the last couple years but the decline in xgf started well before the roster started to deteriorate

I’m just looking at the rosters and they aren’t very good. Not surprised they didn’t have strong underlying numbers.

 

[Mgd31]

Don't understand why Fitz didn't cast his interview net out to at least Evanson and Woodcroft too.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

ugh

 

[njdevil26]

Don't understand why Fitz didn't cast his interview net out to at least Evanson and Woodcroft too.

How do you know he didn't? All I've heard is Friedman saying the Devils have talked to " a lot of people"

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Don't understand why Fitz didn't cast his interview net out to at least Evanson and Woodcroft too.

They talked more about Berube, but Friedman also mentioned Woodcroft's name in the Jeff Marek Show today.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Ideally this is what I would like to see happen

Hopefully Berube jumps over to Toronto quickly so we can avoid that disaster.

Woodcroft is young and can grow with this core but also has enough experience as a head coach to get this core where it needs to go

Edmonton is basically the same way they were under Woodcroft that they have under Knoblauch. For the people who say that Lindy got destroyed by goaltending are completely glossing over the fact what happened with Woodcroft in Edmonton. Skinner got him fired, no questions asked.

ugh

Welp, the next Devils GM is gonna have a good time with this roster if this is the hire.

 

[Davegarri]

Thanks Sensbros!

Haven't been this happy with a coach signing somewhere else since Scott Satterfield left Louisville for Cincinnati.

 

[Mgd31]

They talked more about Berube, but Friedman also mentioned Woodcroft's name in the Jeff Marek Show today.

Oh okay good. I was only going off of the article Novozinky wrote yesterday.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Crack pipe dream:

Rod

Very very happy:

Sullivan
Woodcroft

Meh/whatever:
Evason
Berube

Fold franchise:

Lindy's hologram
David Quinn out of left field