The New Jersey Devils fired head coach Pete DeBoer on Friday, and they may be ready to name his replacement.

An announcement involving former Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean could take place as early as this weekend, according to Rich Chere of NJ.com.

From the report:

With teams set to resume play after the NHL's Christmas break, speculation among Devils players is that Paul MacLean will be introduced Saturday morning as the team's new coach.

The Devils need permission to speak with the former Senators coach, but sources told the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch that it hadn't been granted as of Thursday evening.

MacLean won the Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach in 2013, but the Senators got off to a 11-11-5 start before he was fired on Dec. 8.