Devils interim Head Coach Travis Green stood behind the postgame press conference podium on Tuesday night following his club’s 5-2 loss to visiting Toronto, its fifth in the last six games.
New Jersey was outplayed badly, with the Maple Leafs posting an expected goals for percentage of 70.6% at five-on-five, per NaturalStatTrick.com. Toronto pulled away with a pair of third period goals, upping the Devils’ cumulative deficit in third periods to 15-1 during this tailspin.
Green’s takeaway from the evening: “I like the way our team is competing right now,” he said.
Just leave your Prudential Center keys at the door on Monday night, Mr. Green. For when this miserable season concludes with a home tilt against the Islanders, your services will no longer be necessary.
To every seething fan’s dismay, Green served up a “process over results” argument on a night when the Devils were mathematically eliminated from the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a bitter disappointment considering the lofty expectations from the massive leap the franchise took last season. And it wasn’t a strong argument.
This slump wasn’t borne from the usual suspect of bad goaltending—Jake Allen posted a .923 save percentage against opponents’ high danger scoring chances at all strengths, the sixth-best mark in the league since March 29, per NST. Nor was this a case of bad puck luck at the worst time, with the Devils registering a fourth-ranked 26.7% shooting percentage on their own glorious opportunities.
No, what’s killed them down the stretch has been the same things that killed them all season—horrific mistakes, by both youngsters and veterans. Turnovers and lax defensive zone coverage have continued to rear their ugly heads. The switch last month from Lindy Ruff to Green didn’t stop the bleeding one bit.
And other than third-year forward Alexander Holtz, neither HC has seemingly held anyone accountable.
I thought this team was past this stage. For over a decade, the Devils acted as if the forgiving mentality was the price to pay for development during what seemed like a neverending rebuild. That was supposed to have changed, fortified by last year’s run to the Eastern Conference semifinals after a record-setting regular season.
And guess what? This team isn’t as young as Green (and other Devils stakeholders) would like you to think. Other than Holtz and rookie defensemen Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, top-picks in their respective Draft classes, no one else in Tuesday’s lineup was under 22. (The team announced before Tuesday’s contest that All-Star Jack Hughes, 22, would be shut down for the season to get shoulder surgery.) When Green was asked about giving other younger players opportunities over these last three meaningless games, he responded that he had been, pointing to forward Shane Bowers. He’s 24, seven months younger than captain Nico Hischier.
As a Devils fan looking at the big picture, there’s a part of me that hopes this team loses out for better 2024 Draft position. A couple of wins would place them out of the top 10 in the lottery odds. However, I can already see the losing culture seeping back into them, and I find it sickening.
And Green’s public posturing that nothing is wrong isn’t helping. It’s not like he is, well, green when it comes to understanding the fine lines that win hockey games. He piloted Vancouver for four-plus seasons, reaching the Western Conference semifinals during the 2020 COVID-19 tournament. Upon his exit, his coaching reputation remined intact, which is why Ruff hired him as a replacement for Andrew Brunette, who is now working miracles as the HC for playoff-bound Nashville.
When Green was elevated, I thought the Devils had a chance to right the ship and make a playoff push. It didn’t happen, and it shouldn’t be deemed acceptable.
Sorry, but no one should like the way this team competed with the season on the brink.
Man I'd like to see them take a swing at someone who isn't a typical retread. Or at least fill the assistant or associate coaches with new faces or at least somewhere within the coaching system. Or at least taking a long look at a Pandolfo, Pecknold or even a Leach, Ward, Shaw. Or really shock the NHL world and promote Megan Duggan and hire Jessica Campbell. But somehow I don't see that happening 😁
Great article Steve. Extremely disappointing from everyone involved. Players, coaches, front office. Unfortunately, I find myself on Tankathon every morning now. Green has done nothing to impress me. Any thoughts on which coaches the FO would be interested in in the off-season? I'm scared of the retread that they'll hire to somehow make this team "tougher" but I'm not sure what type of coach would actually get through to the players.