The New Jersey Devils fired Head Coach John Hynes after leading the team to only a 9-13-4 and last place in the Metro Division through 26 games this season, the second worst record in the NHL.
Since Hynes took over in 2015, NJD managed only one playoff appearance in 2018, losing to the Tampa Bay Lighting in five games during round one.
Besides that one early exit, the highest the Devils placed in the Metro was seventh in Hynes’ first season—all other years his squad finished dead last in eighth.
“We are collectively disappointed in our performance on the ice and believe changes were needed, starting with our head coach,” Devils General Manager Ray Shero said.
New Jersey assistant head coach Alain Nasreddine will become Interim Head Coach and Peter Horachek, currently a pro scout for the Devils will join the coaching staff as an assistant under Nasreddine, the team announced earlier today.
“Nas has a long history as a respected leader both as a player and a coach in the respective roles he has served for his teams,” Shero said.
Nasreddine will be behind the bench when the Devils face off against the Las Vegas Knights in Newark at 7:00 p.m. tonight.
