Three games in, Devils coach Sheldon Keefe is already hearing a name no coach wants floated near his bench: John Tortorella.
Arthur Staple raised it Wednesday on the Morning Cuppa Hockey Podcast. He wondered aloud whether this thing runs 10 games or 15 before New Jersey starts looking elsewhere.
"Does John Tortorella come in?" Staple asked, adding that Jack Hughes has a good relationship with him from the Olympics.
It's podcast speculation. Nothing more, for now. But a 1-2-0 start gave him plenty of room to run with it.
The Devils have surrendered 13 goals across three games. Only Philadelphia, Calgary and Chicago own a worse goal differential in the league right now.
The low point came October 3 against the Islanders. A 6-0 loss, with the Devils held scoreless for the full 60 minutes.
Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Utah didn't calm anyone down. It extended the losing streak to two and left New Jersey at 1-1-0 on home ice.
Dougie Hamilton's rough start puts the Devils blue line on notice
Hamilton carries a $9 million cap hit and sits at minus-5 through three games. Nobody on the roster has a worse mark.
Jonas Siegenthaler went minus-4 over the same stretch. Evan Rodrigues matched him up front, which tells you the problems aren't limited to the back end.
And the crease hasn't bailed anyone out. Jake Allen owns an .875 save percentage, while Nicolas Daws sits at .813.
The top six isn't carrying the load either. Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer and Anthony Mantha are all still looking for their first point of the season.
Luke Evangelista leads the team with 3 points, including a power play goal. Hughes has a goal and an assist, and his goal is the only game-winner on the roster.
Here's where Bob plants a flag. Firing a coach over three games is like selling your house because the first heating bill came in high. Bad idea.
Tom Fitzgerald hired Keefe in May 2024. This is his third season behind the bench, and he's earned more runway than a rough first week.
So why tie Tortorella to Hughes specifically? That's the detail that should make people in the front office uncomfortable, because it frames this around the franchise's biggest star.
Vancouver visits Saturday afternoon. Ottawa follows Monday, and then the Devils head to Detroit Tuesday on the second half of a back-to-back.
Staple floated 10 games as a checkpoint. After Detroit, New Jersey will be at six, and the noise won't wait for the math.
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Should the Devils move on from Sheldon Keefe if this slide is still going at the 10-game mark?
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