The New Jersey Devils appear to have their replacement for Andrew Brunnette. On Monday afternoon, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that former Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Travis Green would be joining the Devils' coaching staff as an Associate Coach under Lindy Ruff.
"There is word Travis Green will join New Jersey’s staff in the position vacated by Andrew Brunette. Green had several options — believed to include Calgary and Toronto, and chose the Devils."
Green is set to be the one to replace Andrew Brunnette on the Devils' staff after Brunnette, after one season in New Jersey, left earlier this offseason to become the Head Coach of the Nashville Predators.
So, who is Travis Green? I'm sure that's the question of some Devils fans. Let's dive in.
First, Travis Green was most recently the Head Coach of Vancouver Canucks for almost 5 seasons from 2017-19 to 2021-22. He was fired in early December of 2021. In his time in Vancouver, Green coached 314 games posting a record of 133-147-35. He made the playoffs once in his time there and that was the 2019-20 Covid shortened season. Once the bubble began, Green guided the Canucks to the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Green also has Head Coaching experience in the AHL with the Utica Comets when they were still the Canucks affiliate. He coached the Comets from 2013-2016 where in the 2014-15 season, he led the Comets to the Calder Cup Finals where they ultimately lost in five games to the Manchester Monarchs.
Lastly, Green has some coaching and front office experience in the Western Hockey League with the Portland Winterhawks. After being an assistant, he was named the Interim Head Coach of the Winterhawks midway through the 2012-13 season. He posted a 37-8-0-2 record and not only won a WHL title, but earned a spot in the Memorial Cup playoffs where they were ousted by Halifax Mooseheads in the Memorial Cup Final.
Travis is also a former NHL player. He played from 1992-2007 with the New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. He finished playing in 970 games scoring 193 goals, 262 assists for 455 points in 16 seasons. He also was teammates with Devils' GM Tom Fitzgerald with the Islanders, Bruins and Maple Leafs during their playing careers. So clearly this is a familiar face for Fitzgerald joining the staff.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Green spoke about his time in Vancouver and he wants to do differently moving forward.
“You go through a little adversity and you work on things to get better, and I think I’ll be better in all areas of coaching right now, just because of natural progression, but also having the time to evaluate and look back,” Green said via The Athletic. “It’s taking stock of the things you’re good at and working on the things you’re not as good at — because everyone has their strengths and weaknesses."
“I’ve spent a lot of time watching a lot of hockey, how teams play, studying different systems,” Green told The Athletic. “I’m a bit of a hockey nerd, so that was easy. It wasn’t just watching systems either, but thinking about how different things can be incorporated with different teams and teams at different stages of their development, too. I think that’s really important when you’re talking about systems and how you want to play.”
“I’m a guy that loves challenges, I love coaching, that’s the competitive part of us. I’m looking forward to hopefully getting another opportunity.”
Green will now get that new opportunity in the Garden State.
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So well written. I look forward to learning more about this new coach.