NEWARK — Devils general manager Ray Shero spent time with Dan Bylsma at the IIHF world championships in the Czech Republic. But Shero would not divulge whether Bylsma is the leading candidate to become the Devils' new head coach.

Shero spoke to NJ Advance Media Wednesday on a variety of topics, including the coaching search. (Shero said he did not have any contact with Ilya Kovalchuk at the world championships.)

"[The coaching search] is ongoing," Shero said. "The world championships was very productive for me. I'm not going to say if I interviewed any people over there. The process is ongoing and under way. Now that I'm back here, it will be a continuation of that.

"It was a great experience (at the world championships). You're around the U.S. team and get to know all the coaches. Of course, I know Todd Richards well, Dan Bylsma, Greg Carvel. The training staff was from Columbus. Different GMs and scouts were there. I talked to a lot of people between Ostrava and Prague. In terms of anything significant, spending time with hockey people and learning is significant to me. I asked a lot of questions about coaches and systems. That was a very productive thing for me."

The logical question is: If you hired Dan Bylsma once, why wouldn't you hire him again?

"Obviously, he's under contract to Pittsburgh. We've worked together, certainly. For both Dan and myself, it's been a year we haven't been together on a team. Our relationship is very good in terms of my respect for him, and vice versa. All I can say is I'm looking for certain things in terms of a coach for this team."

Mike Babcock will coach the Toronto Maple Leafs. Does his decision have any impact on your coaching search?

"No."

Adam Oates is talking to other NHL teams, including San Jose. Do Oates or Scott Stevens figure at all in the Devils' plans?

"In terms of Scott and Adam, I have spoken to both of them. Whether it was a formal interview or not, it doesn't matter. In all fairness, it was two days into the process. I said I needed some time and I think they understood."

Travis Zajac:

Anxious for Devils to hire new coach

The entry draft is about a month away. Will you keep the same draft team?

"I talked to David Conte for a couple hours last night. I'll be at a good portion, if not all, of the (NHL scouting) combine in Buffalo (June 1-6) so I can sit down with the scouts and do more listening to get to see exactly what they are thinking. This goes along with my evaluation of everything. I don't have any preconceived notions here on people or players. Certainly, every draft is important, but we have pretty high picks here."

Will we see any trades before draft?

"It's too early to tell. You just don't know. It's always hard to handicap that. I have to find out more about our team. I think you find out a lot about your team when you're talking to other GMs."

Do you see Patrik Elias as a key part of the team next season?

"I have no reason to believe otherwise. I have had a conversation with Patrik and look forward to sitting down with him. I certainly like him as a player. He's at a certain point in his career. I have to see what he's thinking. Let's be honest, we need Patrik Elias to be good next year. I need him to be motivated and buying in. He's got a year left on his contract. It will be great to sit down with him. There is nothing to read into, other than he's under contract and he's a real good player."

Do you envision Travis Zajac as a first-, second- or third-line center?

"I'm not sure in terms of first-, second- or third-line center. I don't think it really matters. I don't know how many No. 1 centers there are in the league. Look around. I need good players and good depth. And he is a good player. I think he has real value to this organization. Like a lot of guys, he needs to bounce back. He's not a kid anymore. He was a big part of a team going to the Final."

Your feelings on free agent Bryce Salvador?



"I need to find out exactly where he is medically and all that stuff."

What would be the plans as far as naming a captain?

"Teams have played without one. I'm not saying that's going to happen. That's on my agenda, a combination with the coach. I don't know about these guys and the (new) coach certainly wouldn't know about these guys. There's not going to be a rush on that. Once we get to know the players, the personnel, character and fabric of the team, maybe it's going to be apparent to us who it should be. We'll just see how it plays itself out."

Rich Chere may be reached at rchere@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ledger_NJDevils. Find NJ.com on Facebook.