NHL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Devils' GM, Head Coach Searches

It's shaping up to be an interesting offseason for the New Jersey Devils, who own three first-round draft picks and could be active on the free-agent market while trying to fill the holes on their roster. Not to mention, they could also have a new general manager and head coach by the time the 2020-21 season arrives.

In December, the Devils fired head coach John Hynes and promoted Alain Nasreddine to the role on an interim basis. A month later, they fired general manager Ray Shero and named Tom Fitzgerald the interim GM.

While it's possible Nasreddine and Fitzgerald will lose their interim tags and continue to lead New Jersey, there's also a chance the team will hire a new head coach and/or a new GM this offseason.

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Devils "are not yet ready to make any proclamations" about who their general manager will be moving forward. While Fitzgerald continues to operate in the role, Friedman is unsure what direction New Jersey could be heading with a potential GM search.

"I do think ownership is continuing its search at the executive level," he wrote. "Admittedly, I find it hard to read and am not sure about where this will go. Personally, I feel that, at some point, you have to make your call and end the uncertainty."

Fitzgerald was hired by the Devils to serve as assistant general manager in July 2015, so he has history with the organization. He also had a 17-year playing career and won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.

Friedman also weighed in on the Devils' search for a head coach, noting that the team is eyeing at least four candidates: Nasreddine, Gerard Gallant, Peter Laviolette and John Stevens. He also noted there might be a fifth candidate as well.

"The wrinkle here is that Fitzgerald did the initial interviews, and will any of them want him as their boss should they be the choice?" Friedman wrote. "It's also possible ownership will want a conversation before any decision is made. It's a unique time to try and hire someone."

After taking over from Hynes, Nasreddine led the Devils to a 19-16-8 record. It marked his first stint as a head coach after he had previously served as an assistant coach for New Jersey since June 2015.

However, the other three candidates Friedman listed have much more NHL head-coaching experience than Nasreddine.

Gallant has had a trio of three-season stints as a head coach, leading the Columbus Blue Jackets (2003-07), Florida Panthers (2014-17) and Vegas Golden Knights (2017-20), although he was fired during his third season by each team. He led Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season in 2018, but the team fired him in January.

Laviolette has been the head coach of four NHL teams: the New York Islanders (2001-03), Carolina Hurricanes (2003-09), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-14) and Nashville Predators (2014-20). His most successful season came when he led the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006. His most recent head-coaching stint came to an end when he was fired by the Predators in January.

Stevens was the head coach of the Flyers from 2006-10. He spent four games as the Los Angeles Kings' head coach during the 2011-12 season, then later was promoted to the position full-time ahead of the 2017-18 season. He was fired 13 games into the 2018-19 season. This season, he's been an assistant coach for the Dallas Stars.

If the start of the 2020-21 season is pushed back so the 2019-20 season can be resumed and finished, perhaps the Devils won't be in too much of a rush to make decisions on the GM and head coach positions.

They are one of the seven teams that wouldn't be included in the expanded playoffs in the NHL's return-to-play plan, so they likely won't have many moves to make until the offseason arrives.