Lemaire Interested in Return to Devils

To the surprise of precisely no one, Brent Sutter stepped down after two years as head coach of the New Jersey Devils. Between his desire to be closer to family and the potential interest in joining brother Darryl in Calgary, Brent Sutter had every reason to leave.

As Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello searches for a replacement, an old friend seems to be emerging as a serious candidate. This, too, should come as a surprise to nobody.

When Jacques Lemaire stepped down as coach of the Wild on the last day of the season, it was clear he had no intention of retiring on the spot. While many assumed that he wanted the job in Montreal, where Lemaire played, Lemaire talked at his press conference about how tough it is to work with the media there.

With Brent Sutter gone in Jersey, it's possible that Lemaire could return to his old stomping grounds. He won a Cup with the Devils in 1995.

Asked if he's returning to the Devils as coach (he coached them from 93-98 and won a Cup there in 95), Lemaire said, "I can't talk about that. There's nothing done yet. There's nothing that I can talk about right now."

I told him I bet Brian Rolston wishes he comes there and Lemaire laughed and said, "Problem is he's not the guy that decides."

There's no doubt though that Lemaire is interested in going back. He said he realized during the playoffs that instead of just taking any consulting job that came down the pike, maybe he does still want to coach in the right situation.

For Lemaire, the question isn't whether he works in 2009-2010, but instead where. Michael Russo notes that Lemaire has offers to do consulting work, so he could always do that if he decides not to coach.

While the fit in Jersey appears to be a slam dunk (Lemaire is a respected winner, and he and Lamoriello are very good friends), there are no guarantees. Steve Politi lays out part of the case against Lemaire, while also propping up assistant coach John MacLean as a solid candidate for the Devils gig.

He also would return the Devils to their trap-happy defensive roots, and do so at a time in the NHL when the teams with the most firepower are having the most success.

The Devils proved this year to have plenty of skilled offensive players. Why squash that with a coach like Lemaire, who at 63 is nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career anyway?

This is an important off-season for the Devils. They've been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round two years in a row, and the window of opportunity to win with Martin Brodeur in goal is not going to stay open forever. Getting this coaching hire right is a significant task for Lamoriello, who cycles through coaches like crazy.