It appears Sunny Mehta has gone through his process of identifying the New Jersey Devils' weaknesses, and he has broken up with the dead weight.
Thus, Devils GM fired Dave Rogalski on Tuesday and is rehiring Sergei Brylin within the organization. He will not be in a coaching capacity.
Sheldon Keefe will remain as head coach of the Devils, and Keefe hired Brad Shaw and Jeremy Colliton to remain as his assistants.
However, the Devils need to replace Braylin behind the bench and hire Rogalski – widely known as the Martin Brodeur hire – as a goaltending coach.
The search to replace both is currently ongoing. Starting at the goaltending coach position, who could Mehta and Keefe pursue for the position?
Leo Luongo-Florida Panthers/Charlotte Checkers
Well, now that Mehta is in charge and Braden Birch as his right-hand man, why not go back to the Florida well that has worked so far?
Leo Luongo, younger brother of Hall-of-Fame goaltender Roberto Luongo, has played two NHL roles with the Florida Panthers. He was previously their goaltending development coach in 2020-21 – where he helped Sergei Bobrovsky have a strong year and helped Chris Dreigger turn in a stellar performance. He then graduated to Director of Player Development, and is now Director of Goaltending for Florida's AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
Luongo is a member of a first-of-its-kind goaltending excellence department in Florida that has helped develop netminders such as Dreigger, Joey Daccord and Spencer Knight.
Part of Luongo's responsibility as Director of Goaltending is to streamline the structure between Florida and Charlotte so that NHL and AHL goaltenders can receive similar development and mentorship.
In fact, he has been a key part of Florida's organization that has helped Luongo and Florida win two Stanley Cups.
This would certainly bode well for NHL goaltenders and developing netminders like Mikhail Yegorov and Jakub Malek.
Luongo could also help develop his own goaltending excellence department in New Jersey and ultimately end the revolving door of weak goaltenders in the Devils organization.
Hannu Toivonen-Toronto Marlies
If we're looking for a goaltending coach to match Keefe, look no further than Hannu Toivonen, who overlapped with Keefe for three seasons in the Toronto organization.
Former pro goaltender turned goalie coach Toivonen has been labeled the Toronto Marlies goaltending guru after helping bring Ilya Samsonov back to NHL standard and successfully develop Dennis Hildeby early in his career.
With Samsonov in particular, Toivunen's task was to get him back on track as a goaltender after taking a leave of absence for a "physical and mental reset".
Toivonen's role in Samsonov's resurgence when he returned on January 14 after a 10-day reset was instrumental in his return to the Maple Leafs on the tail end of the 2023–2024 season. Samsonov posted a well below average .862 SV$ and 3.94 GAA in his first 15 games. He was assigned to the AHL Marlies to work on himself, and Samsonov received dedicated one-on-one mentoring from Toivonen.
Through focused sessions on the ice and support from the team's development and performance staff, Toivonen helped Samsonov rebuild his confidence, refine his technique, and restore his mental intensity. The results were shocking. Upon his return, Samsonov delivered a much-improved .904 SV% and 2.70 GAA over his final 25 games, demonstrating the profound impact of Toivonen's guidance in helping the Russian netminder regain his form and stabilize the Maple Leafs' crease.
Now, it appears Toivonen is grooming another young goaltender in Toronto, named Artur Akhtyamov, who finished his first season as the starting goaltender for the Marlies with a 2.88 GAA and .904 SV% in 37 games. Akhtiyamov carried his strong regular season performance into the postseason where he has posted a 2.25 GAA and .916 SV% in eight games so far.
A source told New Jersey Hockey Now that Toivonen is "deserving of a promotion" and would be an excellent choice to take over the Devils' vacant position.
Curtis Sanford-Toronto Maple Leafs
It seems more like the Devils could take Toivonen from Toronto rather than displace Curtis Sanford, who is already the goaltending coach in Toronto.
However, the Maple Leafs are going through changes of their own, and the arrival of a new head coach does not guarantee Sanford will remain in his position.
Sanford is a former NHL goaltender turned coach who has spent his coaching career in the Maple Leafs, Utica Comets and Abbotsford Canucks organizations.
In Toronto, Craig Berube inherited Sanford, who was hired by Keefe as goaltending coach in 2022–23.
Their most recent results don't jump off the page in terms of their goaltenders' performance. However, this is a result of the team's poor performance overall.
In recent seasons, Sanford has put up some solid numbers from goaltenders such as Martin Jones, Joseph Woll, and Anthony Stolarz.
Depending on his luck in Toronto, Sanford's familiarity with Keefe could attract him to New Jersey as the 46-year-old goalie coach looks to continue his career in the NHL.
