The New Jersey Devils fired head coach Peter DeBoer earlier in the day. The criticism for the club’s underwhelming and aging roster and its position in the Eastern Conference standings has quickly spread to general manager Lou Lamoriello.
The Devils sit seventh of eight teams in the Metropolitan Division with a 12-17-7 record. They have some of the oldest players in the league and have plenty of pending unrestricted free agents on their roster.
DeBoer may not have done a brilliant job coaching this team the last 2 1/2 seasons, but he is not solely to blame for the fact that the Devils likely will miss the playoffs for a third straight season and for the fourth time in five years.
The blame should be directed at Lamoriello, who has made a series of bad decisions signing free agents, at the draft table and handling the organization’s few top prospects. He has also held back a progressive new ownership group that looks to create more revenue and bring the Devils into the 21st century when it comes to promoting and marketing the team.
The Devils resume their schedule following the NHL holiday break against the New York Rangers, winners of seven in a row, on Saturday.