Sweet Lou

Lamoriello makes quick, not rash, move

Like Ken Hitchcock before him, Larry Robinson’s Stanley Cup ring didn’t buy him the privilege of turning the Devils around on his own. CNNSI.com spoke to Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy about the firing and where New Jersey goes from here.

CNNSI.com: In less than four days, we've seen two Stanley Cup finalist coaches -- Ken Hitchcock with Dallas and now Larry Robinson -- were fired. How similar are the situations?

Kennedy: Obviously, the pressure to be a head coach in any sport is huge, we saw that in the NFL over the past few weeks, and it’s the same story in the NHL. But the NHL is dependent on ticket revenue. There’s almost no money locked in, so you have to have a team that makes the playoffs. You have to have a team that brings in people. If that doesn’t happen, or if management thinks a coach has lost the team, you make a move. While these were dramatic changes, they weren’t rashly made. In neither case was this an overnight thing. It was calculated. But more than in other sports, hockey is quicker to make the change, before the downward spiral sets in.

CNNSI.com: Considering that the Devils are under new ownership, where does this decision come from?

Kennedy: I doubt one has much to do with the other. Lou Lamoriello has distinguished himself as someone who isn’t afraid to make big changes. Remember, he fired Robbie Ftorek and brought in Robinson while the Devils were leading the division. It was a totally abrupt thing, and what does Robinson do, he leads them to the Stanley Cup. In some ways Lamoriello is even more gutsy than Pierre Lacroix, largely because many of Lecroix’s moves are no-brainers -- if you have the money to sign Rob Blake, you sign Rob Blake. I feel like this is Lou seeing that there’s something systemic, that he's trying to do something before it's too late. It’s very much like Lou to take a step too early than it is for him to take a step too late.

CNNSI.com: We’ve heard since the beginning of this season that the Devils might make some trades -- Scott Gomez early, Ken Daneyko lately -- could this mark the beginning of many changes in New Jersey?

Kennedy: Over the next year, between now and next season’s playoffs, we’ll see a dramatically different team. I don’t see them overhauling, necessarily, but they may make some moves. Look to the beginning of next year and through that season, and by then we’ll see a new Devils team. Lou isn’t going to sit around and wait for this team to get old. They’re not there yet, but they aren’t far. I could see them trading Daneyko for that reason.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy covers the NHL for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. To send a question to his Mailbag, click here.

 

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