The New Jersey Devils raised some eyebrows in late December when GM Lou Lamoriello declined to name a head coach to replace fired bench boss Peter DeBoer. Instead, Lamoriello brought on Adam Oates and Scott Stevens and put them in charge of the team’s offense and defense respectively.
Lamoriello also joined the coaching staff to oversee the transition, but the intention was always that he would step back eventually. It looks like that day is likely coming sooner rather than later.
“At this point, yes, but it’s a day-to-day situation,” Lamoriello said, per NJ.com. “That’s the intention right now, but it could change.”
How Oates and Stevens will be able to coordinate the co-coaching duties once Lamoriello steps back will be a big test for the unconventional setup. So far the trio has done alright as the Devils have gone 5-5-1 since DeBoer left the team with a 12-17-7 record.
Meanwhile, former Devils Arena Entertainment President Rich Krezwick recently filed a $2.3 million lawsuit against Lamoriello. The Devils GM insists the matter won’t distract him.