Jacques Lemaire Returns to New Jersey Devils

Talk about a blast from the past! The New Jersey Devils, never one to make big noise in the free-agent market, have opened up the gates to one of hockey’s better coaching talents. Infamous for developing the strategy referred to as the neutral zone trap, Lemaire returns to the team where he won his one and only Stanley Cup Championship as a coach in 1995. Lemaire has been coaching the underachieving Minnesota Wild for the past eight seasons, having gone as far as the conference championship in 2002-03.

What exactly does this do for the New Jersey Devils? Besides familiarity, I’m not so sure. The president and general manager of the Devils, Lou Lamoriello, has been lambasted for making the Devils’ coaching position a revolving-door. But Lemaire, who has 11 Stanley Cups as a player/coach/executive, is the kind of grizzled coach and hockey wizard that the Devils need.

Lemaire has a gift for developing young talent, and the Devils are in a tough spot when it comes to considering the future. In net, they have the best goalie of all time in Martin Brodeur. However, at age 37, and having played just 31 games last season, Brodeur’s health remains a concern. When Lemaire and Brodeur were first united during Lemaire’s previous tenure as a Devils coach, they made history together and put Brodeur in the position he enjoyed last season, passing Patrick Roy on the all-time wins list to assume the mantle as greatest all-time.

Now Lemaire’s task will be similar to the one he assumed in 1993 when he first joined the Devils. He’ll have to take a young team and find the right mix to make things work in the playoffs. Zach Parise scored 94-points for the devils last year, and four players after that scored more than 60-points. To make things even more promising, Lemaire boasts a crop of young talent on the minor league affiliate that will help restore some youth and grit to a Devils lineup that was lost last season.

Notorious for moving players up and down lines during games, Lemaire’s coaching strategy will bring cohesion to a unit that lost its way last season. It didn’t help that Lamoriello has been made the coaching position in New Jersey a hot-seat. After Brent Sutter left to go coach the Calgary Flames, Lamoriello did what he had to do to instill some consistency and faith in the coaching staff, especially given the youthful age of the roster – he went out and found the only man he could trust.

With Lemaire behind the bench, the Devils will be making noise once again. They are rarely a team that rattles the cages in the free-agent market, or partakes in massive, jaw shattering trades. They are a team which conserves funds and builds from the inside. Bringing back Lemaire is the first-step in to ensuring Game 7 collapses, and first round exits, don’t become a part of the Devils’ storied past of success.