Report: Former Canucks head coach Travis Green joins New Jersey Devils as assistant coach

According to a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Travis Green has joined the New Jersey Devils’ coaching staff as an assistant in the spot vacated by Andrew Brunette. Friedman also mentioned that the former Vancouver Canucks bench boss had “several options” and that he chose the Devils. The Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs were among the teams interested in Green.

Green was hired by the Canucks following his WHL championship win with the Portland Winterhawks in 2012-13. He became the Utica Comets’ head coach in the AHL in 2013-14, with the highlight being a Calder Cup final appearance in 2014-15.

Following the firing of Willie Desjardins as the Canucks’ NHL head coach, Green took over behind the big bench and amassed a 133-147-34 record while coaching the Canucks. The highlight of Green’s NHL coaching tenure came in 2020 during the playoff bubble in Edmonton. His Canucks team beat the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference semi-final.

Green’s most recent coaching gig saw him running Canada’s Spengler Cup entry in December. Canada finished the tournament without a win for the first time ever, scoring just four goals in three games.

On top of his coaching career, Green’s NHL career spanned 14 years with stops in Anaheim, Arizona, Toronto, Boston, and Anaheim. He finished his NHL career with a second stint in Toronto before playing his final pro hockey season with EV Zug in 2007-08, putting up a respectable 20 points in 29 games in Switzerland’s top league.

Green replaces Andrew Brunette on the Devils’ bench, as Brunette joined the Nashville Predators to replace John Hynes as their head coach.