A busy list of scouts took in the Devils and Senators yesterday, while the early noise in New Jersey is already turning toward the bench.
Jim Biringer reported that representatives from the Buffalo Sabres, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks, and Washington Capitals were listed to attend the game. Among those noted were Red Wings AGM and Pro Scout Overseer Kris Draper and Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones.
The bigger conversation, though, is what happens if the Devils keep sliding.
New Jersey has opened 2-3, and Daily Faceoff asked whether Sheldon Keefe could already be moving toward the hot seat if the losses continue to stack up. Jonny Lazerus said the reaction from fans was immediate: “All I’m seeing last night on my timeline is Fire Keefe, Fire Keefe, Fire Keefe.
The Devils fans are already out of patience, and I know most of us had picked Sheldon Keith to be the guy who’s most likely the first coach on the hot seat this year. But Pags, is it coming sooner than you thought it would?”
Pagnotta pointed to the next stretch as the key factor.
“I mean, excuse me. I mean, it’ll really come down to you know what their next stretch is. They, they lose four in a row, five in a row, you’re almost forcing the hand.
Same in Philly, right? Like Philly’s not planning to make a change behind the bench, but if you force management’s hand by losing game after game, I mean, what do you expect?
Now, Sheldon Keefe has another year on his contract after this season, so you know, there’s, it’s not like there are, you know, several years of term still on his deal. But you know you have to you know make sure that you’re making the right move.
And obviously, he’s not Sonny Meta’s guy, but at the same time, you’ve got to be, you know, giving your team, you know, the opportunity to get things rolling here on a, on a more consistent basis. So we’ll see kind of what does happen with New Jersey, but it really comes down to the overall play. Yeah, and if they start piling up L’s, you’re pretty much forcing the GM’s hand.”
The Devils’ start has put the pressure on early, and if the results keep breaking the wrong way, the conversation around Keefe figures to only get louder.
In Other News...
Senators Rough Night At Home Just Raised A Bigger Concern
A three-game winning streak disappeared in a hurry at home Tuesday night, and the Senators never found much of a foothold in a 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Ottawas offense was limited to goals from Claude Giroux and Fabian Zetterlund, part of a night in which the club generated only 17 shots and spent too much time chasing the game.
The bigger concern, though, was at the other end, where Samuel Ersson made his first home start for Ottawa and was quickly overwhelmed. The backup goaltender gave up seven goals on 26 shots, leaving the Senators with an unsettling result that went well beyond a single bad outing and into the kind of performance that can start asking harder questions about the overall direction of the team. [Read more 🡒]
Ottawa Letting Leevi Merilainen Go Looks Tougher By The Week
Leevi Merilainen keeps giving Vancouver a reason to lean on him, and the latest example came in a game against the New York Islanders. With Thatcher Demko sidelined, the young goaltender stepped into a bigger role and helped keep the Canucks competitive even after they gave up two quick goals late in the first period.
Merilainen finished with 35 saves as Vancouver clawed back to tie it in the second period before the Islanders pulled away in the third. For Ottawa, which let Merilainen get away, the early returns keep making that decision look harder to justify each time he gets a meaningful chance to play. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Blue Line Still Has A Problem As Injuries Keep Lingering
In a stretch where injuries keep reshaping lineups across the Atlantic Division, the Senators are watching their own health picture closely after Ridly Greig exited a recent game with a strain. Ottawa has not offered a firm update on his status, which adds another layer of uncertainty at a time when the club is already tracking absences elsewhere around the division, including Buffalo being without Rasmus Dahlin, Tyson Kozak and Alex Lyon for its next game against Toronto.
For Ottawa, Greigs availability matters because he has been a regular part of the mix this season, taking on meaningful minutes and contributing in a supporting role. The concern now is less about one game than about whether the Senators will be able to keep their forward group intact as Philadelphia continues to deal with blue-line injuries and the ripple effects of these lineup holes keep growing. [Read more 🡒]