On Monday, Devils' Associate Coach Travis Green was named Interim Head Coach in New Jersey, replacing Lindy Ruff. Hired in July 2020, Ruff led the Devils to a 128-125-28 record, which ranks 21^stin the league during that time. That overall record is a tad misleading as Ruff inherited a young team that struggled in his early seasons behind the bench, but took off last year, finishing third in the league.

This season, the Devils sit 21^stin league standings. Although they're on the outskirts of the playoff picture, they still have a small chance to qualify for the postseason if they go on a run here. What cost Ruff his job was the team's inability to keep pucks out of their net. New Jersey has scored the ninth-most goals per game (3.31) but has also conceded the seventh-most goals per game (3.49). It's hard to be too critical of Ruff in this regard, as top defenseman Dougie Hamilton has been injured all season, forcing a number of young inexperienced blueliners into more prominent roles than one might've liked. 

Many of the coaching changes we've seen this year have been prompted by poor goaltending – and this one is no different. Vitek Vanecek holds a .890 SV% through 32 games, Nico Daws has a .887 through 18, and Akira Schmid has an .897 through 18. Vanecek, who' seen the greatest workload, went from one of the league's top goalies last year – when he saved 13 goals more than expected – to one of the worst this season, allowingnearly 11 more goals than expected (via Evolving Hockey). Although the Devils have been playing much worse defensively this year compared to last, he hasn't played up to standard. 

As you probably know, new coach Travis Green had a recent stint as bench boss in Vancouver from April 2017 to December 2021. The team finished with a poor record during that time but winning wasn't necessarily an expectation as the franchise was transitioning out of the Sedin Era and in the early stages of the Elias Pettersson/Quinn Hughes Era. Although I'm not sure there's much to take away from how Green operated back then, an answer to a interview question after he was fired could provide some insight into his present-day philosophies. During an interview with The Athletic, when asked about his regrets as head coach of the Canucks, Green lamented that he didn't change penalty kill personnel despite the team's struggling PK. A newfound willingness to change when things aren't working might help this team succeed long term. Such a mentality is more likely to give new opportunities to young players that had been stuck in depth roles under Ruff (i.e., Alexander Holtz). 

It's worth noting that we don't usually see drastic changes immediately after an Associate Coach transitions into a head coaching role. However, unlike most making the transition, Travis Green has head coaching experience, so it should be easier for him to make his mark on the team. That said, the Devils only have 21 games left in their regular season, which probably isn't enough time for the effects of Travis' teachings to become evident. What we do have to look forward to: players putting in more effort over the next little while as they try to make a good impression on their new boss. It'll also be interesting to see what line combinations and power-play configurations Green implements early on. This roster has a lot of players with fantasy potential, it's all about who gets the deployment to realize that potential.

Players this might help:

Alexander Holtz

Timo Meier

Players this might hurt:

No one in particular