New Jersey Devils fire head coach John Hynes amid middling season

The New Jersey Devils have fired head coach John Hynes in the midst of a disappointing 2019-20 NHL season that has not lived up to expectations.

John Hynes has officially been fired from his position as head coach of the New Jersey Devils, the team announced on Tuesday. The announcement comes off the heels of New Jerseys’ 7-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres a night before.

Assistant coach Alain Nasreddine is set to replace Hynes behind the benches as the Devils’ interim coach for the remainder of the season. NJ.com originally reported the story on Tuesday that the Devils were expected to fire Hynes within 24 to 48 hours.

Devils’ general manager Ray Shero released a statement to the media on the firing of Hynes two months into the 2019-20 NHL season:

"John played an integral role in the development of this team in establishing a foundation for our future and we are grateful for his commitment, passion and unmatched work ethic… We are collectively disappointed in our performance on the ice and believe changes were needed, starting with our head coach. I have been consistent in my desire to build something here in New Jersey that earns the respect of teams throughout the league and pride in our fans. That is not where we were heading and for me to tolerate anything less was not acceptable."

This season, the Devils have wildly underperformed expectations after what amounted to a strong offseason just a few months ago. Over the summer, the Devils added No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 Entry Draft Jack Hughes to their roster, while trading for P.K. Subban and adding Wayne Simmonds in free agency. New Jersey was projected to be a contender in the Metropolitan Division with their young core lead by Taylor Hall and the previous No. 1 overall pick in 2017, Nico Hischier.

The 2019-20 season, however, has not gone the Devils’ way. New Jersey started the year losing their first six games of the season and had just two wins overall in the month of October. In 26 games this season, the Devils have gone 9-13-4 with the league’s second-worst record, effectively ending their playoff hopes this season.

Hynes has been with the Devils since the 2015-16 season, when he replaced the coaching tandem of Scott Stevens and Adam Oates in New Jersey. Before this season, Hynes’ record with the Devils was 141-146-41, with his highest placing team finishing fifth in the Metropolitan Division in the 2017-18 season.

That year, the Devils lost in the first round of the playoffs and have yet to be back since.

New Jersey is scheduled to play the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday evening.