Devils Coaching Search Profile: Travis Green

Though Travis Green has done some good things as interim coach, the New Jersey Devils need a fresh start behind the bench.

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With just two games left in the regular season, including today's tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers, and the New Jersey Devils eliminated from playoff contention, I figured we begin shifting to offseason content. 

One of the most important things facing general manager Tom Fitzgerald is getting the coaching hire right. Pierre LeBrun reported a couple of weeks ago that Travis Green is a serious candidate for the Devils' job, meaning he would get the interim tag lifted off him. 

But even with LeBrun’s report, Green should have long odds of claiming the job full-time. Let's look at what he has and hasn't done well in his short time as the Devils' head coach in our first of many coaching candidate profiles. 

What Green Has Done Well

Jump Starting Luke Hughes

Luke Hughes had gotten off to a solid start to his rookie campaign, but there was about a month-long stretch toward the end of Lindy Ruff's tenure where Hughes struggled quite a bit.

Part of that was how Ruff deployed Hughes, as he gave him some difficult defensive minutes. But Green has changed Hughes' deployment, sheltering him more and getting him in positions to succeed. The best example of that was when Green placed Hughes alongside Nick DeSimone. In 113 minutes together, Hughes and DeSimone posted a 55.25 expected goals share (xG%).

Hughes and DeSimone played sheltered, offensive minutes, which seemed to get Hughes going. He's playing with more confidence and has gotten past his struggles toward the end of the Ruff era; he has 16 points in 19 games under Green. This strong close to the season should put him back in the Calder convo, so Green deserves some credit here. 

Locking in Timo Meier

Before getting into Timo Meier, I want to be clear that he began playing well before the Devils made the coaching change. His playing well is more about being healthy, though he seemed to downplay that in an interview with Ryan Novozinsky. 

Still, I think Green has used Meier a bit better than Ruff. Meier has consistently played alongside Nico Hischier since the coaching change, with the other winger alternating between Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer.