Offseason Notes: Devils, Waddell & More

The offseason keeps on providing news for hockey fans, at least for the fans who don’t care about the playoffs, which have been thrilling to put it lightly. More moves and deals have been made and it’s a good time to catch up on all the big things that happened recently.

Devils Hire Sheldon Keefe as Head Coach

It turns out, Sheldon Keefe isn’t taking a break from coaching after all. It’s classic for a head coach to say they plan to spend more time relaxing and with their family but then a contract is offered and they are back in the NHL. Keefe is back and it’s with the New Jersey Devils. 

The thing is that Keefe brings a lot to the Devils and is a great hire. He’s one of the best, if not the best coaches available, and a team with a lot going for them snatched him up. It’s important to keep in mind that Keefe wasn’t fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs because he was a bad coach. He was fired because the Maple Leafs needed a new look and couldn’t run it back. 

So, he’s with the Devils and the first thing he’ll do is fix the defense, something that must happen. They allowed 3.43 goals per game and need a coach who can bring stability to that end of the ice.

Keefe also knows what it’s like to work with young stars, something the Devils have a few of. He was with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner when they were developing into stars and now has Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier to work with. Sounds like a fun job ahead.

Don Waddell Steps Down as Hurricanes’ GM

When there’s smoke, there’s fire, and following their playoff exit, there was a lot of smoke in the Carolina Hurricanes’ front office. At first, general manager (GM) Don Waddell was granted permission to interview with other teams for a similar role. 

That’s nothing out of the ordinary, especially for the Hurricanes. They allow pending free agents to interview elsewhere and are willing to allow management to look around. Then Waddell stepped down as the GM and it’s only a matter of time before another team snags him.

He’s one of the best in the league and built the Hurricanes into a perennial contender. Yet they needed to let him go. This is a team that is looking to make changes and moving forward, it looks like it will be head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s team.

The Hurricanes were starting to enter a cycle and look like a similar team year in and year out. This is a sign that changes are coming. The coaching staff will be the same but the front office and the roster will look different next season.

Quick Notes

●      The Chicago Blackhawks made a trade, albeit, a minor one, with the New York Islanders. They moved up from 20 to 18 in the first round of the upcoming draft while giving up their extra second-round pick to do so. In simple terms, the move helps the Blackhawks add quality to their farm system (they need it) while the Islanders add quantity (they really need it).

●      The Los Angeles Kings hired interim head coach Jim Hiller, a move that made all the sense in the world. Hiller got off to a good start with the KIngs and has a promising tenure ahead of him.

●      The Winnipeg Jets took a similar approach with their hire, going with Scott Arniel who was an assistant for the past two seasons for the Jets.

●      In other coaching news, Rick Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award, awarded to the league’s best coach of the year. He transformed the Vancouver Canucks into a contender in his first full season behind the bench and this news makes everyone in the city forget about their playoff exit to the rival Edmonton Oilers (right?).