Predators hire ex-Devils head coach John Hynes to replace fired Peter Laviolette
John Hynes will behind the Nashville Predators bench for Tuesday night’s home game against Boston, one month after being fired as head coach of the New Jersey Devils.
The Predators, who are out of playoff position in the NHL’s Western Conference, made the announcement a little more than 12 hours after dismissing bench boss Peter Laviolette on Monday night along with associate coach Kevin McCarthy.
«This is a tremendous opportunity to join an organization with a history of success, a team with immense talent and a phenomenal fanbase,» Hynes, the third head coach in the Predators’ 21-year history, said in statement. «This organization has a strong foundation, from its ownership and executives to the entire front-office staff, and I’m excited to come in and try to maximize this team’s abilities.»
The Predators won 248 regular-season games under Laviolette and reached the playoffs each of his first five seasons.
Nashville lost to Pittsburgh in six games in the 2017 Stanley Cup final, won the Presidents’ Trophy and made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2018 and last spring was eliminated in the first round.
Poile traded away defenceman P.K. Subban, Nashville’s highest-paid player, and signed free-agent forward Matt Duchene to a $56 million, seven-year contract on July 1. But the Predators sputtered through the first half of this season. They hadn’t won more than two straight games since a four-game streak in late October.
This marked the sixth NHL coaching change of the season.
‘Bright young coach’
New Jersey fired Hynes on Dec. 3 after an embarrassing 7-1 loss to Buffalo dropped its record to 9-13-4.
After dismissing Hynes, Devils general manager Ray Shero said, «John is a respected leader [and] developer of talent.»
«John Hynes is bright young coach and great leader who has a track record of both effectively developing young players and successfully motivating veterans,» Predators GM David Poile said. «We love his coaching resume and are confident that he has learned from every stop during his career, and has the best skill set to get the maximum potential out of our team.»
2011 AHL coach of year
In New Jersey, Hynes helped 2017 first overall draft pick Nico Hischier become a bright young NHLer and assisted in the development of forward Kyle Palmieri, who established career highs in goals (30) and points (57) during his first season with the Devils in 2015-16.
John Hynes should be a good fit with <a href=»https://twitter.com/PredsNHL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw»>@PredsNHL</a> as they have the personnel particularly with a highly talented D core to play more of a puck possession game. Special teams need a facelift at 23rd PP & 29th PK which will be a priority. I expect a big uptick here! <a href=»https://twitter.com/NHLNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw»>@NHLNetwork</a>
—@brianlawton9
I like the fit in the <a href=»https://twitter.com/PredsNHL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw»>@PredsNHL</a> hiring of John Hynes… Runs high tempo practices that demand pace in the team game. Nash city has the talent to take it to another level, and (I believe) will under Hynes.
—@Rupper17
Before joining the NHL coaching ranks, Hynes was head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League from 2010-15. The native of Warwick, R.I., led the Pittsburgh Penguins’ affiliate to five consecutive Calder Cup playoff berths, including back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference final in 2012-13 and 2013-14, and earned AHL coach of the year honours in 2011.
Married with three daughters, Hynes began his coaching career at his alma mater of Boston University as an assistant under longtime Terriers head coach Jack Parker in 1997-98. The one-time forward helped BU to four straight Frozen Four appearances and was teammates with Predators assistant GM Jeff Kealty.
