Jacques Lemaire was only brought back to the Devils on an interim basis, which means he will coach out the rest of the year and not beyond that. Lemaire flew in to Jersey from Montreal today. Both Larry Robinson and Adam Oates will stay on as assistants. Now the question is, who will coach the Devils starting next year:
In no particular order of favorites:
Ken Hitchcock:
-He is an experienced NHL coach with one Stanley Cup in 1999 with Dallas. He is good friends with Lou Lamoriello and is similar to Jacques Lemaire in the sense that he preaches defensive responsibility. Hitch knows the Atlantic Division very well having coached the Philadelphia Flyers and can translate his success there to New Jersey. He would definitely be on Lou's top 3 list. The Knock on him is that he might not be a dynamic coach and that he can lose a locker room very quickly and that he might not be a long term solution. He coached very well in Columbus finally leading them into the playoffs, but he might not have been a good coach long term for a short tenured franchise like the Blue Jackets. Maybe with a veteran and world class franchise like the Devils, he can rediscover his coaching comfort zone.
Andy Murray
-Former St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings coach has same defensive philosophy of what Lou Lamoriello would preach. He is a no nonsense coach and always has a sense of urgency face behind the bench. He got the Blues out of their playoff funk and led there despite all the injuries. However, the negative is that he has little playoff experience.
Bob Hartley
-Former Avalanche and Thrashers coach. He actually got the best out of Ilya Kovalchuk offensively and led the Thrashers to their 1st ever playoff berth. His greatest accomplishments were with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 when he led them the Stanley Cup. However, he does have track record of losing control of the team.
John Anderson
-Former Thrasher coach, but unlikely for Devils. He know Ilya Kovalchuk, but the Devils need a team concept coach.
Mike Haviland
-Blackhawks assistant and New Jersey resident. He could be a perfect coach with no NHL head coaching experience. He works very well with young players and preaches an aggressive mentality. Obviously having won the Stanley Cup would help his resume. Actually wanted to be the Devils coach this past summer.
Ted Nolan
-Former Islanders coach, but he is very unpredictable as a coach.
Jay Woodcroft or Trent Yawney
-Current Sharks Assistants, Yawney is only one with NHL coaching experience with Blackhawks, but was fired in 2006. Woodcroft would be a fresh mind, but highly unlikely.
Paul MacLean or Brad McCrimmon
-Both Red Wings assistants, and with Todd McLellan, a former Red Wings assistant succeeding in San Jose, could be very good for the Devils. Paul MacLean could not be any worse than John MacLean and he coaches one of the best potent offenses in the NHL in Detroit and can get the best out of the most unexpected players. McCrimmon would also be a nice fit for the Devils.
Guy Carbonneau
-Former Canadiens coach and the Devils love the Montreal Connection when hiring a coach. But he has not proved much as a coach yet and could be very risky.
Mike Keenan
-One of the most respected hockey people around the NHL. He coached the Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup and has coached in Boston, Philly, Vancouver and Calgary among other places. He never considered himself to be a Devils coach in the future, but recently seemed to soften that stance. Definitely could happen. The knock on him could be his seriousness for the job. He seemed to have lost passion for coaching in Calgary. You never know what you can get with him.
Craig MacTavish
-A former Oilers coach and Rangers assistant. He knows the Atlantic Division very well and preaches defensive responsibility. Many thought he would already be hired somewhere and was one of the finalists for the Columbus job in the summer. He led the 8th seed Edmonton Oilers in 2006 to the Stanley Cup Finals, but lost in 7 games. That Oilers team had Chris Pronger on it, so he might be a viable option.
Other Candidates: (no order)
-Dave Lewis (former Red Wings and Bruins coach)
-John Torchetti (Thrasher Assistant)
-John Stevens (former Flyers coach and now Kings Assistant)
-Scott Stevens (long shot)
-Bob Francis (former Phoenix coach)
-Kirk Muller (Habs assistant)
-Kevin Dineen (Portland Pirates (AHL) coach)
-Rick Kowalsky (Devils minor league coach)
-Bob Boughner (Blue Jackets assistant)
-Scott Gordon (former Islanders coach)
-Benoit Groulx (Rochester (AHL) coach)
-Willie Desjardins (Dallas assistant)
-Craig Berube (Flyers assistant)
-John Paddock (former Sens coach)
-Craig Hartsburg (former Sens coach)
-Mike Sullivan (Rangers assistant)
-Jim Schoenfeld (Rangers assistant and former Devils coach in late 80s)
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