The New Jersey Devils announced on Thursday that they have agreed to a multi-year extension with head coach John Hynes.
New Jersey Devils executive vice president/general manager Ray Shero announced on Thursday that they have agreed to a multi-year extension with head coach John Hynes.
OFFICIAL: The #NJDevils have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Head Coach John Hynes.
?: https://t.co/DerApjJPU9 pic.twitter.com/jat2XRkZ2g
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 3, 2019
Earlier this season, Hynes became the second-winningest head coach in New Jersey Devils history. In 2017-18, Hynes led the club to a 44-29-7 (97 points) record and a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in just his third season.
Hynes was hired by the Devils in 2015 after coaching for five seasons for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He finished his tenure with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a record of 125-122.
Hynes has been a big part of the Devils plan to rebuild the team, as he and Shero have been putting the pieces together that led to Taylor Hall taking home the NHL Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP last season.
The extension for Hynes bodes well for Hall as will be able to negotiate a new contract at the end of this season. Hall has credited Hynes with making him more accountable last season as he has grown as a leader and a hockey player.
Hall has had his best season as a hockey player under coach Hynes. The Devils should be able to use this advantage when talk of a new contract begins. Hall has previously mentioned it would take something big for him to leave New Jersey.
The Devils are currently on a four-game road trip. They lost the first game of the trip to the Dallas Stars 5-4 on Wednesday night. The team has struggled this season as they are 15-7-7, with 37 points. They currently sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division.
New Jersey is 10 points behind the second wild-card position as they visit Arizona on Friday night.
