Stevens not returning to Devils coaching staff

Scott Stevens, who served as a co-coach for part of this season with the New Jersey Devils, will not be back as an assistant under John Hynes in 2015-16.

Devils general manager Ray Shero told Northjersey.com he doesn't know if Stevens will remain with the organization in another role. Stevens met with Hynes regarding the position of assistant coach; Shero announced the hiring of Alain Nasreddine and Geoff Ward as assistants on Wednesday.

"The decision with Alain (who will coach the defensemen) wasn't about Scott; it was more about Alain," Shero told reporter Tom Gulitti. "I don't want to speak for Scott moving forward because his focus was his coaching. So, in terms of that moving forward, we just want to give Scott some time to if he wants to [pursue coaching elsewhere]. That [coaching] is what he had talked about with John, that's what he talked about with me, so [rather than] move forward in any other direction at this point, we'll just give it some time to see where he'd like to go with his career."

Stevens, a Hockey Hall of Fame member who captained the Devils to three Stanley Cup championships, interviewed for the Devils' coaching job, which was given to Hynes on June 2.

Shero said he hasn't spoken to Stevens about if he'd be interested in coaching the Devils' American Hockey League affiliate in Albany or working in some other capacity for New Jersey.

"That's a conversation I haven't had because it was more NHL assistant and there certainly are openings around the League still," Shero said. "That's a different conversation with Scott that I'll have to have or he'll have to have with me in terms where he wants to go with his career. Then, like with anybody, you have to make career choices and go from there. He would be a valuable addition to any staff I'm sure, but it's a matter of what direction he wants to go and what's important to him, whether it's in New Jersey or somewhere else.

"Again, I don't want to speak for Scott or get too far ahead in anything because it was more about the Devils' job and the assistant job. That's what he was focused on and what we were focused on."

Stevens was co-coach with Adam Oates and Lou Lamoriello after Peter DeBoer was fired on Dec. 26. New Jersey has not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past three seasons.

Nasreddine, 39, spent the past five seasons as an assistant under Hynes with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL.

Ward, 53, this season coached Adler Mannheim to the championship of the German Ice Hockey League and was named the coach of the year. His 22-year career included seven seasons (2007-08 through 2013-14) as an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins.