It has probably taken me longer to come to this decision than most Devils fans. I still believe that he is one of the best coaches a team could have in a seven game playoff round. However, the evidence against him being the right fit for the Devils franchise moving forward has finally reached the critical level in my estimation. New Jersey is clearly a team in transition to a new, younger core of players, and there is reason to be hopeful about this transition with young defensemen such as Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas, Jon Merrill, Damon Severson, Steve Santini, and Reece Scarlett in the system. DeBoer, however, is not the coach the Devils need to lead this transition.
DeBoer has made it rather clear that he is not a great coach when it comes to dealing with younger players. Notably, a complete botching of the development of Dmirty Kulikov during Pete's previous coaching stint in Florida, who revealed that some players were terrified to make mistakes. This has carried over into DeBoer's time in New Jersey, where he has consistently benched young players over one mistake, while allowing veterans to make many mistakes and face no consequences. Young forwards Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby - who both looked quite promising in their rookie years before DeBoer came along - have now both been healthy scratches and both have completely lost their scoring confidence and regressed under DeBoer. For a team that is desperately in need of young offensive skill, the Devils cannot afford to have more promising forward prospects bust because of a harsh coach.
DeBoer's treatment of young players seems to extend from a devotion to his veterans. A particular recent example is the use of enforcer Cam Janssen, who has played fourteen straight games since being called up from Albany. DeBoer has been quoted recently as saying he wants more scoring from his bottom six, but then scratches players like Tedenby and Damien brunner in favor of Janssen and Tim Sestito. Janssen and Sestito are fine as call-ups and can be a spark plug for a few games, as evidenced by Janssen's outburst of two goals in his first three games this season, but their effectiveness only goes so far, as evidenced by Janssen's subsequent eleven game pointless streak since. Janssen is once again in the lineup tonight over Tedenby and Brunner. If ever there was a game in which Janssen could be scratched in favor of more offensive firepower, it is against the Detroit Red Wings, who have only four fighting majors this year and almost no sense of rivalry with the Devils. This is a textbook game in which a coach would sit their enforcers to give young goal scorers a chance, but instead Janssen is in, denying Brunner a chance to face his old team and Tedenby a chance to earn more ice time.
If the Devils stand any hope of capitalizing on their current young players, they need to move to a Coach better at teaching and encouraging them. DeBoer is a good coach, but he is not a good coach for this team.
