Michel Therrien To Be Named New Coach Of New Jersey Devils?

Are the Devils ready to announce their new head coach?  There are rumors around on the Internet indicating they have offered a three-year contract to former Montreal and Pittsburgh head coach Michel Therrien. 

To the contrary, the Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that there has been no decision made yet, per GM Lou Lamoriello.

So, who do you want to believe?  It is possible that both can technically be right.  Therrien may very well be on his way to New Jersey with the expectation of receiving an offer.  Lamoriello indicated no offer had been made, but he hadn't ruled out one being given soon either.  Maybe it's for us to decide until after the Finals end later this week.

The top candidates for the job at this point seem to be Therrien, John MacLean, Ken Hitchcock, Kirk Muller, and Mike Haviland.

In my opinion, Therrien may very well be the guy, as it is well documented that Lamoriello likes coaches that have ties to the Montreal Canadiens.  Look at the recent past, when guys like Jacques Lemaire (twice), Pat Burns, Larry Robinson, and Claude Julien all came in with previous head coaching experience in Montreal.  The one major exception to this was Brent Sutter, and while in some respects he worked as head coach, he obviously didn't finish the task. 

This is a very important selection for Lamoriello and the Devils, as stability at coach should be something the Devils are after.  Also, it's documented that guys like Paul Martin are waiting to hear who the head coach will be before they talk contract with the Devils, making the decision all the more significant.  I would also have to agree with the Bergen Record's Tom Gulliti, that we are getting to a point where time is of the essence for the Devils to make their decision.

With a critical offseason coming up for the Devils, and impact players like Paul Martin and Ilya Kovalchuk pending free agency, the players are less likely to re-sign without knowing who their coach would be.

If I had the ability to do so, I would strongly consider Mike Haviland, who has ties to New Jersey, has some minor league head coaching experience, and has been a huge help to the success of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Maybe he will get it, but whoever the Devils are going to have as their head coach, the sooner they decide, the better off for everyone involved.  My prediction is it will be Therrien, but with Lou Lamoriello, you can never bank on anything involving a coach until the press conference.