"What's transpired around the league really hasn't affected me." — Ray Shero, New Jersey Devils general manager
For a guy whose team is seeking a coach, that's a fairly cool (as in, nonplussed) statement. Shero gave it to NorthJersey.com on the day he watched:
— Dan Bylsma, his former coach with the Penguins, become Buffalo Sabres coach
— Peter DeBoer, the man the Devils fired in December, become coach of the San Jose Sharks.
Speculation grows about what Shero has up his sleeve. Observers expect the Devils will have a new bench boss next season. Can they really go back to Scott Stevens sharing duties with Adam Oates? Surely Lou Lamoriello is out of the threesome.
We're left with more questions than answers about Shero's plans. The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., asked this one: Are Devils losing out to other teams in coaching search?
Two names you might had heard or seen keep percolating: Todd Reirden and John Hynes. Both are seen as rising young coaches, and both have ties to Shero through the Penguins organization.
It's not hard to imagine one or both of them behind the Devils' bench next season.
Here's how, according to Tom Gulitti of NorthJersey.com:
One scenario that is looking more likely is current Washington assistant Todd Reirden and Wilkes Barre-Scranton head coach John Hynes both coming to New Jersey with Reirden as head and Hynes as his assistant. That duo worked together in Wilkes Barre-Scranton with Reirden as the head coach before Reirden was promoted by Shero to Pittsburgh to be Bylsma's assistant.
Reirden joined the Capitals staff for the 2014-15 season. He handled their defensemen (that's his stock and trade, having played the position), and was lauded for his help with Karl Alzner and John Carlson, and his puck retrieval system.
As coaches for the Penguins' top affiliate, Reirden and Hynes had notable success. Hynes was 231-126-27 over the past five seasons. Hynes and his defensive-oriented philosophy would, according to the Times Leader of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., be a fit for the Devils.
With several veteran coaches still available, including Paul MacLean and Guy Boucher, taking a newcomer might seem odd. But then, we are talking about the Devils.