Former Canucks head coach Travis Green is back behind the bench in the NHL!

According to a report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the New Jersey Devils have signed former Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green to replace the now departed Andrew Brunette on the Devils' assistant coaching staff.

Interestingly enough, Friedman reports that Green turned down offers from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames, opting instead to sign with the Devils:

Green does have ties to the New Jersey area, having played five seasons in the NHL with the New York Islanders back in the mid to late 1990s. He was also head coach of the Canucks' AHL affiliate Utica Comets for four seasons, as well. Suffice it to say that Coach Green is well associated with the New York and New Jersey area.

Green was fired by the Canucks just 25 games into the 2021-22 season and replaced with Bruce Boudreau... who has now also been fired. Green had a pretty spotty record with the Canucks, guiding them into the Stanley Cup Playoffs just once, in the shortened COVID-19 season where the team played 'in the bubble' and ended up making the post-season due to a play-in round. Frankly, that season was kind of wonky so I'm not sure it should even be counted as a playoff run, but technically he did get the Canucks into the 2nd round that season. He had some success in Utica however, taking the team to the Calder Cup Finals in 2014-15 before ultimately losing in five games to the Manchester Monarchs. In his lone season as a head coach in the WHL, he coached the Portland Winterhawks to a league championship when he was pressed into action following the suspension of head coach Mike Johnston.

Green now joins a coaching staff in New Jersey that features head coach Lindy Ruff and assistant coaches Ryan McGill, Chris Taylor, Sergei Brylin and goaltending coach Dave Rogalski. The Devils are a young, energetic team with a ton of speed and skill. It'll be up to Ruff, Green and company to get this team over the hump in 2023-24 and beyond, taking them from a pretender to a contender.