Brad Shaw did not stay unemployed for very long.
The former Philadelphia Flyers assistant coach and interim head coach has found his new home in the NHL. According to a report, he will be joining the New Jersey Devils organization as an assistant coach.
The coaching carousel extends well beyond the Head Coach openings. Lots of team are retooling their staffs. I'm hearing Brad Shaw, former Flyers Asst Coach/Interim HC, is joining the Devils bench.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) May 21, 2025
Shaw was reportedly fairly upset after he was considered a strong finalist for the Flyers’ head coach job, but did not end up getting the position that eventually went to Rick Tocchet. He “really wanted” the head coaching job in Philadelphia and instead of re-joining the Flyers as an assistant once again but under Tocchet, he opted to not return to the organization.
And it took just a few days since it was confirmed that he would not be coming back as one of Tocchet’s assistants for him to find another job. And of course it’s with a division rival.
Shaw is considered one of the top-tier assistants in the NHL. When working under John Tortorella in both Columbus and Philadelphia, he was able to bring a whole lot of defensemen to the next level of play and have the overall team playing very sound hockey. His reputation as someone who can work extremely well with young defensemen was evident when Jamie Drysdale improved throughout the season in Philadelphia, and previously someone named Zach Werenski was able to reach his ceiling and become one of the best defensemen in the entire NHL.
And now, he will get the same chance in New Jersey. The Devils have a crucial amount of young defensemen. Luke Hughes obviously already establishing himself as a very good top-pairing blueliner. Simon Nemec needs some stability and if he is able to get Shaw’s magic touch and care about the defensive side of the puck, he will become extremely impactful. And even younger, recent top pick Anton Silayev is eventually going to come to North America and if he is coached by Shaw, the giant blueliner will be guaranteed as a massive threat. This is not even mentioning someone like Seamus Casey as well.
Bringing Shaw in to be under a more offensively oriented coach like Sheldon Keefe could bring a real strong balance to their approach.
It feels nasty to think about the Devils being good once again, but if he is able to do what he did to this Flyers team, then the ceiling of what this team in New Jersey can do just got raised.
Best of luck, Brad.
