Sitting at fifth in the Metropolitan Division and sporting a 9-10-3 record, the New Jersey Devils are nowhere near where they expected to be going into the year. Could the early season malaise spell potential doom for head coach Peter DeBoer?
That is the very question Todd Cordell of Hockeybuzz.com posed in an article today.
After a bad Western Canada trip where the Devils managed just one win in four games (against Edmonton) and looked lifeless through stretches of every game, it's beginning to feel like the beginning of the end for Pete DeBoer's tenure in New Jersey.
DeBoer brought the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final his first year on the job, but has missed the playoffs the last two seasons. The current projection for this year looks to be much the same as the last two.
They're currently only one point out of a playoff spot but the Metro Division is arguably the league's worst and they've already played two more games than the team sitting ahead of them in the playoff rankings, the New York Rangers. Cordell, while acknowledging that he still believes in DeBoer's talents as a leader, thinks that what it may come down to for the organization is the ease of changing the coach versus the difficulty of turning over an entire roster.
I still believe DeBoer is a good coach and New Jersey's lack of success over the last few seasons is hardly his fault - they have been a bottom-5/10 team in terms of talent since 2011/12 - but it's easier to replace a coach than changing half of the roster.
Injuries and lack of talent aside, the team, even with the addition of some extra offensive firepower, still struggles to put up points on a consistent basis - they're 26th in the league in goals per game, according to ESPN.
Their shot attempts are down and their possession numbers are down.
When a team struggles several seasons in a row it usually means that changes are soon to occur. For the Devils, whenever that change comes, it seems most likely to begin at the top.
