Was former -- and posibly future -- Devils coach Jacques Lemaire at Prudential Center this morning to meet with general manager Lou Lamoriello about the team's head coaching opening?
Lamoriello wouldn't say when I spoke to him a few minutes ago.
There was word (which some of you may have seen) that Lemaire was seen entering the building this morning. When I asked Lamoriello for his reponse to this, he said, "I have no response. But don't misinterpret that as yes or no."
You can interpret that anyway you want, but if Lemaire was at the building this morning, it wasn't a sign that a coaching announcement is imminent.
In fact, when I asked Lamoriello if he expected to have a head coach in place by the time the free agent market opens at noon Wednesday, he said, "No"
He the said, "There is no time frame."
Lamoriello also said he does not think not having a head coach will be a factor in the team's proceedings before and after the free agent market opens.
Will the Devils be looking to fill any specific needs through free agency?
"If we can get better, we'll get better," Lamoriello said.
Will the Devils be looking to add a center and/or a defenseman?
"If we can get better, we're going to get better," Lamoriello repeated.
Will the team be looking to re-sign its own free agents or pursuing other players that become available at noon Wednesday?
"All of the encompassing that you're saying is being done at the same time with a priority order," Lamoriello said. "There's two people you have to deal with: not only yourself, but what the other people want to do."
Is Lamoriello hopeful of having any other potential free agents -- in addition to Johnny Oduya -- re-signed before noon Wednesday?
"I don't know," he said. "Unless something is done, you never know."
What are Lamoriello's feelings on the possibility of John Madden re-signing with the team?
"We always want to keep our own players or we wouldn't have had them here, but we also know the world and the realism and all of the above," he said.
When I asked the same question about Brian Gionta, Lamoriello replied, "everything is the same (as with Madden)."
I just threw up in my mouth.
The Lou Reunion tour continues with no success.
Posted by: Z-Man | June 30, 2009 at 11:35 AM
as much as i hate to think we will go back to boring hockey, lemaire will teach those young guys that sutter wouldn't give minutes to because he said 'they weren't strong in their own zone', and they will be better players in the future because of it. im assuming lemaire will be hired, and im trying to stay positive thinking of what he will do for guys like corrente, eckford, clarkson, bergfors, halischuk, and the future of our organization. and i guess just because we play solid team defense doesn't mean we still can't score 3-4 goals a game.
Posted by: maddening11 | June 30, 2009 at 11:41 AM
"I have no response. But don't misinterpret that as yes or no." I love it. I swear Lou is CIA.
Posted by: Brodie30 | June 30, 2009 at 11:42 AM
We've all known for several weeks that it's going to be Lemaire. Announcing it is just a formality at this point.
Posted by: Stan Fischler's Beard (AKA Moe) | June 30, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Ugh. Please God, no. Bringing back Lemaire is going to instantly erase all the progress we made under Sutter.
Posted by: FOTC | June 30, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Well if Lemaire was indeed there this morning, hopefully it was because Lou wanted to be classy and tell him face to face that he is going to hire someone else.
Posted by: frankied | June 30, 2009 at 11:43 AM
take it easy Z-man, show some respect to a coach that changed the franchise for the BETTER and has won a cup for us. The devs are a win now team and need a win now coach. Lemaire is a winner if chosen to lead this team, is hungry to win again and go out on top.... Enough with all the negative crap thrown at an honorable and tremendous coach.
Posted by: HF | June 30, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Lou is on ebay right now trying to find one of those mind erase things from Men in Black.
Posted by: BF | June 30, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Reading those answers from Lou, is there even a point of asking him any questions? LOL
Posted by: frankied | June 30, 2009 at 11:45 AM
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! come on lou fresh blood not expired blood. we have some young talent, learned a new system, and the league is different. please dont step in the time machine!!! make him a consultant, something, anything but the head coach! we are ready for a new direction. if he is hired as head coach my seat this year better come with a pillow!
Posted by: brian s | June 30, 2009 at 11:46 AM
I know old habits die hard, but if Lemaire is indeed re-hired, I have some small sliver of hope that he will use the players he has and maybe not pick up exactly where Sutter left off, but re-bolster the defense while not letting up on the forecheck.
Posted by: Pete | June 30, 2009 at 11:46 AM
yes progress we did make with quitter until we choked under pressure late in the games, which was a common theme under sutter, i mean quitter.
Posted by: HF | June 30, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Those answers are beautiful...I get a kick out of them. After almost 20 years, most of us have come to speak Lou's language pretty fluently. I've found myself talking to girls like that: (Her) "Do you love me?" (Me) "I have no response right now. But don't misinterpret that as yes or no."
Posted by: Stan Fischler's Beard (AKA Moe) | June 30, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Lou clearly can't let go of the past. Rolston, Holik, Shanny, and now Lemaire. Lemaire was great for this organization but IMO his time as coach are over. There is an old saying that goes, "you can't go home, again" and that is what this is....Just because Lemaire won once with the Devils doesn't mean he will be able to do it again. As a matter of fact I think this will be a total disater and tarnish Lemaire's standing in Devils history.
It's time for Lou to move on and let someone with some fresh ideas run this team.
I'm embarrassed to be a Devils fan today.
Posted by: A Local Fan | June 30, 2009 at 11:49 AM
TG - Just curious what Lou's demeanor is like when he gives the "If we can get better, we'll get better," and "don't misinterpret that as a yes or no" type answers. It almost seems like he's playing with the questioner. Is he serious when he does this or is he having some fun with it?
Posted by: MrNeutron | June 30, 2009 at 11:50 AM
ALF,
Your not a Devils fan so..yeah..go away.
Posted by: Scotty K | June 30, 2009 at 11:52 AM
@maddening
Unfortunately, Lemaire probably won't get a chance to work with most of the prospects.
I still think the Devils would be better off with a longer term solution.
Posted by: njhillbilly | June 30, 2009 at 11:56 AM
@Moe
Hahahaha. I love it!
Posted by: .B.C. | June 30, 2009 at 11:58 AM
njhillbilly, i party agree with you, but i think lemaire will teach them more about defensive responsibility and being a two-way player in 1 training camp than sutter could in 2 years. plus, if scotty stevens is going to be on the lowell coaching staff as it was intimated that he wanted to, that combo would be extremely beneficial to guys like eckford and corrente who are maybe only a year away from the big club.
Posted by: maddening11 | June 30, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Lamoriello wasn't playing around. That's his way of answering questions.
That's why it's so surpising when he actually says something (like he did about Oduya).
Posted by: TG | June 30, 2009 at 12:07 PM
maddening, point taken. Let's just hope that his system doesn't cause guys like Parise and Zajac to take a step backwards. Sometimes, when introduced to a new system, players get so hung up on learning it that they forget what made them successful to begin with.
Posted by: njhillbilly | June 30, 2009 at 12:10 PM
TG, any word on who the Devils qualified? I'd assume Zajac and Greene, but I was wondering about Davis and Vrana.
Posted by: Dan D | June 30, 2009 at 12:12 PM
hillbilly, couldn't agree more, this is just the rationale i've been using to convince myself lemaire would be an ok option. i would prefer someone younger, more long-term (like haviland), and willing to build upon what sutter did. but i don't think we'd be outcoached in a playoff series with jacques, and i also think that he could help our very average defensive core and be beneficial to the younger players i hope to see make the team.
Posted by: maddening11 | June 30, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Hopefully we have a coach before the season starts! I tell you though, if it is indeed Lemaire, the first time the Devils lose 1-0 I'm gonna lose my mind ! Whats left of it after Game 7 anyway.
Posted by: devilstown | June 30, 2009 at 12:16 PM
"If we can get better, we'll get better," Lou really knows how to bring the LOLs.
I was more of a Laviolette fan myself but I'm not put off by Lemaire being back. I find it a little funny we keep referring to the 'progress' that Sutter made and how we dont want to head in a different direction but I personally felt our D was weak at the end of last season. I actually thought that was our biggest problem, inconsistency at the blue line. With Lemaire, I would think that would be a non-issue. I want desperately to picture a rock solid D with a speedy, quick-to-strike, two way offense.
Posted by: dubnoxious | June 30, 2009 at 12:21 PM