Answer: Probably.

The New Jersey Devils just completed a four-game roadtrip in which they went 1-2-1. They managed to score 7 goals in total (including 4 in one game) while allowing 10 to the opposition (including a blown lead against Calgary where they went on to lose in a shootout). They made multiple lineup changes that didn’t really seem to do much (rotating Brunner and Josefson in-and-out of the lineup + playing Peter Harrold over Eric Gelinas). Coach Peter DeBoer made some attempts at playing around with his forward lines whenever his team was down… but is this alone enough to save his job?

In my opinion — No.

It looks like it’s finally time for Lou Lamoriello to consider letting DeBoer go. While he has had some success in his 4 seasons in New Jersey, including a playoff run that brought the Devils to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Los Angeles Kings back in 2012, the low-points have probably outnumbered the high-points (essentially, that one Cup run).

In the lockout-shortened season following the Devils’ trip to the Cup Finals in 2012, DeBoer led his club to a dismal 19-19-10 record. Yes, they reached NHL .500. However, their 10 overtime losses would end up being costly in the race to qualify for the playoffs.

The 2013-2014 season brought more of the same “luck” for the Devils. They started the season off terribly (1-5-3) and, although that start only encompassed a total of 9 games, they couldn’t rebound from it and failed to qualify for the playoffs [again] with a final record of 35-29-18… Yes, 18 overtime + shootout losses. That’s an issue coming as a result of coaching plus players failing to perform in pressure situations.

It’s now the 2014-2015 season. As of today, November 26th, the Devils stand in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a 9-10-3 record (21 points). With the team’s offseason acquisitions of Martin Havlat and Mike Cammalleri, in addition to having Damon Severson playing in the NHL at age 20, the Devils seemed ready to make it back to the playoffs after a 2-year hiatus.

Right now — that doesn’t seem likely, at all. The Devils don’t look like a complete team. It’s almost as if their group of forwards consists of a bunch of third liners in addition to a few players who may be capable of playing on another’s team’s second line. Their defense has been inconsistent, which was expected with an average age less than 28 years-old. The team’s goaltending has been fantastic for the most part; probably because the same guy has started 21 out of 22 games for New Jersey. Cory Schneider is a solid number 1 goaltender, but he needs goal support from his teammates. Right now, the Devils sit at 26th in the NHL scoring only 2.36 goals per game. That’s not going to cut it. They scored 13 goals in the first 3 games of the season to start off 3-0-0…. what happened?

Sure, injuries have been an issue. Injuries have always been an issue for every team, though. The Devils have played multiple games without Mike Cammalleri, Martin Havlat, Adam Henrique, Ryane Clowe, Bryce Salvador and Jon Merrill. The only injury from that list that hasn’t seemed to “hurt” the Devils’ chances on a nightly basis has been Salvador. Since Salvador has been out of the lineup, the team’s penalty kill has been completely rejuvenated — they actually look good again. They are now killing off almost 75% of the opposition’s power plays after sitting at the bottom of the league at 68% not too long ago. It’s an improvement, albeit a very slight improvement. But with this Devils team, you have to find a silver lining somewhere.

Everything goes full circle and brings us back to the topic of this blog post. “Is it time for the Devils to make a coaching change?” It seems as if that’s the only legitimate option General Manager Lou Lamoriello has at this point. It doesn’t make much sense to trade for a forward, unless they’re going to be on the receiving end of a trade for a 1st-line winger. They currently have 14 forwards on their NHL roster, in addition to having potential NHL talent in Reid Boucher, Stefan Matteau and Mike Sislo, among others, playing in Albany (their AHL affiliate). It also doesn’t make sense to trade for a defenseman, as the young D-men haven’t been a glaring problem for New Jersey. The Devils have only allowed 36 goals at even-strength this season, which is actually good for 10th overall in the entire league.

So what needs to happen? The Devils need to find ways to SCORE more goals with their current group of forwards. Pete DeBoer has had multiple years to try many different options to lead his players towards finding the back of the net, but to this point has not really succeeded. He’s working with the same group of forwards this year as he was last year, besides the additions of Martin Havlat, Mike Cammalleri and Jordin Tootoo. And those first two guys aren’t going to hurt your team’s chances of scoring goals.

Something else that I’ve noticed about Pete DeBoer throughout his stint as head coach of the Devils – he RARELY shows emotion on the bench.

His team could be leading by 10 goals and he won’t show any signs of smiling. His team could be losing by 2 goals and he won’t show any real signs of disappointment, fight or anger.

His team could be in the midst of a critical early-season roadtrip with the score tied in the third period of one of the games with only a few minutes remaining and he won’t show any sort of FIRE or DESIRE to grab 2 points when the final horn sounds.

Remember when this guy coached the Devils?

^^^ I miss that. ^^^

DeBoer also panics.

If his team is losing by as much as one goal, for whatever reason he still finds the need to mess around with his forward lines. Is that really going to make a huge difference in the outcome of the game? Probably not; especially when the forward lines he started the game with had been producing legitimate offensive scoring opportunities.

Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, it looks as if Pete DeBoer is attached to certain players at times, despite their current and/or past performances donning a New Jersey Devils uniform. I’ll just say Bryce Salvador’s name and I’ll move along.

Last year, he was obsessed with the CBGB line (Carter, Bernier, Gionta’s Brother). Sure – they looked good in the 2012 playoffs. But that was literally the only time this line was at their best. This season, Ryan Carter left via Free Agency to sign with the Minnesota Wild and reunite with former Devils’ captain Zach Parise. Steve Bernier didn’t make the team out of training camp and went to play in Albany of the AHL. Stephen Gionta was the lone survivor from the line, and DeBoer has managed to find any possible way to get the guy on the ice. That includes late-game situations where he will creatively slide Gionta in at right wing in place of Michael Ryder almost as if it was a “defensive substitution” in a late-inning situation of a tightly-contest Major League Baseball game. And that’s not all. Recently, Steve Bernier was called up as insurance for a couple of injuries. He found his way into the lineup as Gionta’s right wing… and he hasn’t looked back. DeBoer still seems to go back to his “old friends” at key points in games. And it never works.

Following up on that – why is Peter Harrold back up in the NHL? Jon Merrill seems just about ready to return from an injury. That would imply, based on the opening-day roster, that rookie Seth Helgeson would go back to the minors and Peter Harrold would be cut from the active roster as well. However, you have to remember that the Devils are coached by a guy who likes to go back to his “old friends” when he doesn’t know what else to do. For whatever reason, DeBoer decided to insert Peter Harrold into the lineup against the Vancouver Canucks in place of Eric Gelinas. I really can’t tell you why he decided to put a guy who hadn’t played in an NHL game this season into the lineup against a team ranked 6th in the NHL in goals per game (2.96). Doesn’t make much sense.

A lot of things Peter DeBoer does with this team don’t seem to make much sense. With the team struggling, it looks like it’s time for Lou Lamoriello to make a move. Firing DeBoer can’t be considered the “wrong decision” by any means… The team has failed to make the playoffs for the past two seasons, and under a GM who has typically had a short leash with head coaches, it seems like his time behind the Devils bench is just about over with. The Devils need a spark. Now.

#FireDeBoer?