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Devils Make Changes to Coaching Staff

The Devils announced today via a press release that there will be some changes behind their bench for the 2022-23 season.

So far, head coach Lindy Ruff will be retained, but his staff will look drastically different.

First up, assistant coach Alain Nasreddine, who had been with the team since the John Hynes regime and had in fact served as interim head coach between Hynes’ firing in 2020 and Ruff’s hiring in the 2021 offseason, “has mutually agreed to part ways with” the Devils.

Nasreddine’s contract will not be renewed by the Devils.

As well, “Mark Recchi has been relieved of his duties” as an assistant coach.

In another piece of news around the Devils, PK Subban has been nominated by the team for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for 2021-22.

The announcement was made in a post on the team’s app and website by writer Amanda Stein.

The award is given to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.” Stein said that the “winner will be chosen by a committee of senior NHL executives led by commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly.”

Subban continued his work within the Newark community, particularly through his Blueline Buddies program, which helps “to bridge the gap between law enforcement and underserved children” which Subban adapted for the Covid pandemic to become digitally based when in-person meet-and-greets were not feasible, which Stein notes in her article.

Stein said that the virtual meet-and-greets were done “in a designated Devils Zoom room” and be held prior “to the start of every home game.” Subban was available to the participants to answer questions and interact with the participants.

Subban has also worked tirelessly to create awareness for causes and people outside of his programs.

Congratulations to PK Subban on his nomination for the King Clancy Trophy and good luck to him on winning the award.

In one other noteworthy accomplishment to two members of the Devils’ television broadcast team, congratulations to both studio and ice level analyst Bryce Salvador and rink side reporter and studio reporter Erika Wachter, both of whom will be working first round playoff series for the NHL on TNT and TBS.

Salvador will be working the Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers series while Wachter will be working the Dallas Stars-Calgary Flames series.

Both will be working the same roles for Turner that they perform for Devils games on MSG.

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Subban One of Three King Clancy Finalists

According to Amanda Stein on the “Inside the Devils Blog,” Devils’ defenseman PK Subban is a finalist for the King Clancy Award, “given to a player ‘who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.’”

Former Devil Kurtis Gabriel, now of the San Jose Sharks and Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne are the other two finalists.

Stein mentions that Subban “expanded his Blueline Buddies program to incorporate healthcare workers who have been on the front-lines of the Covid-19 pandemic. Subban worked around the pandemic and inability to host fans in person to take his program virtual to make sure he was still connecting with the New Jersey community, particularly in this time of need.”

As in past years, as when he started the program in Nashville, it also linked “members of law enforcement with New Jersey’s youth.” Subban was also a finalist for this award last year as well according to Stein.

Stein reports that the winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy will also “receive a $25,000 donation to benefit the charity or charities of his choice.” The runners-up will receive $5,000 for the same purpose.

The NHL Awards will not be a show this year, but rather, Stein says, the awards winners “will be revealed during the Stanley Cup Semifinals and Stanley Cup Final, with further details to follow.”

Congratulations to PK Subban for this great honor. He was the Devils’ nominee last year but came up short to Mat Dumba of the Minnesota Wild. Good luck to him as the awards are announced, he certainly deserves it.