from Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice,

If Lamoriello is thinking about getting rid of DeBoer, however, Devils right wing Jaromir Jagr says he should think again.

“That would be one of the biggest mistakes they could make,” the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer told The Record. “To be honest with you, without our coaches and the system we play, it would be a lot worse.”

Heading into Monday night’s game against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, the Devils have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and have only two wins in their last 11 games (2-6-3). With one game remaining on this difficult stretch in which they play 15 out of 20 on the road, they are just 5-11-3.

They appeared in disarray defensively for much of the first two periods of Saturday’s 4-3 loss in Dallas, giving up multiple odd-man rushes to a Stars team that thrives off of them. That DeBoer warned his players before the game that was exactly what could happen if they didn’t play smartly within the defensive system indicated a lack of execution, not a lack of preparation.

“It would be a shame if it fell on the coaches because they’re giving us the X’s and O’s and it’s up to us to execute,” said goaltender Cory Schneider, who was pulled after giving up four goals on 33 shots in the first two periods Saturday. “So, I’m not really sure what’s going to be done or what needs to be done, to be honest.”

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