Preds Hire Hynes

The Nashville Predators introduced John Hynes as their new head coach on Tuesday. The team announced former head coach Peter Laviolette was relieved from his duties on Monday.

The decision was a bit of a surprise considering Laviolette led the Predators to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance and back-to-back Central Division titles, but the coach was put on the hot seat after a 19-15-7 start. Laviolette is not expected to be out of work for long as the coaching roulette wheel continues to spin.

Trading Places?

Funny enough, Hynes’ old team, the New Jersey Devils, are thought to be one of the more likely landing spots for Laviolette. New Jersey has just six wins in 15 games under interim head coach Alain Nasreddine. Laviolette has three finals appearances with three different teams as a head coach (Nashville, Philadelphia, Carolina), and won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.

Hynes recently became available after being let go by the Devils on December 3. Hynes was unable to turn the corner with the Devils, who sat in last place in the Metropolitan Division with a 9-14-4 record at the time of his firing. He achieved a 150-159-45 record and a single playoff appearance in just over four seasons with the Devils. Hynes will be behind Nashville’s bench for Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Bruins.