The Minnesota Wild have made a big move in an effort to turn their fortunes around, appointing John Hynes as the team’s new head coach. Hynes comes to the Wild after spending the past five seasons as head coach of the New Jersey Devils, where he compiled a 150-159-45 record.
Hynes, 45, was originally hired by the Devils in 2015 and led them to the playoffs in 2018. He was fired by the Devils in December 2019. Prior to his time with the Devils, Hynes spent four seasons as head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, where he won two Calder Cup championships.
The Wild have been struggling for some time now, missing the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. They are currently in last place in the Central Division and have the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
The team is hoping that Hynes can help turn things around. He has a proven track record of success and is known for his ability to develop young players. He also has experience coaching teams that have struggled, having taken over a Devils team that had missed the playoffs in four of the previous five seasons.
Hynes will be tasked with getting the most out of the Wild’s young core of players, which includes forwards Kirill Kaprizov, Kevin Fiala, and Joel Eriksson Ek, as well as defensemen Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba. He will also need to find a way to get the team back into playoff contention.
It will be a tough challenge for Hynes, but if he can get the Wild back on track, it could be a great move for the franchise. The team is hoping that his experience and leadership can help them turn things around and get back into contention.
