Will the firing of Hynes spark a Devils turnaround?
On Monday, New Jersey Devils General Manager made the change everyone was waiting for, relieving head coach John Hynes of his duties. Shero lamented the fact that Hynes firing was more for the poor effort of his players
than anything else. The situation actually represents a plus for New Jersey sports bettors, as any coaching change provides money making opportunity.
Hynes was in his fifth season as the Devils bench boss. Under his leadership, the Devils went 150-159-45, with their lone playoff appearance resulting in a gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hynes isn’t a bad coach, as Shero pointed out, the Devils “can’t even make a five foot pass” this season. Yet, he did very little to improve his teams’ chance of success. The Devils best players were simply not put in a position to succeed.
The Devils off-season acquisitions of P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev along with drafting Jack Hughes first overall, led to high expectations for this squad. Unfortunately, those well laid plans have yet to come to fruition. New Jersey has been wholly unimpressive this season, with a 4-3 loss to the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday dropping their record to 9-14-4. P.K. has played more than 22 minutes a night and has 5 points.
New Jersey will begin anew under interim coach Alain Nasreddine. It’s likely Hall will be dealt for future draft picks, and the Devils will hope for some luck in the draft lottery. Make sure to capitalize on the short term turnaround the Devils are likely to go on under a new bench boss. Luckily for bettors, the trend is a short spurt of success usually follows new coaches in any sport. Bet on the Devils as underdogs in their upcoming games, and follow the value in hockey betting. Remember, at this time last year, the Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues were in dead last place in the NHL.
A Devils comeback is not of the question. Bettors should be on high alert for a motivated Devils squad in the coming weeks. Take a chance on New Jersey on your betting slips this week. Momentum most definitely plays a part in players’ minds and day to day processes. If Nasreddine is able to make a trip to the rink fun again for this roster, the potential of this team will start to shine through.
by Nick Holz
