It gets worse for newly fired Pete DeBoer and the Stars!

Earlier on Friday, the Dallas Stars announced that they have relieved head coach Peter DeBoer.

In a statement, team general manager Jim Nill explained the decision, saying:

“After careful consideration, we believe that a new voice is needed in our locker room to push us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,” Nill said. “We’d like to thank Pete for everything that he has helped our organization achieve over the past three seasons and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

While everyone assumed that DeBoer lost hos job because of the comments he made after Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers when he stunned everyone when he pulled goalie Jake Oettinger just seven minutes into the contest, general manager Jim Nill said in his press conference on Friday that while what he said after the Stars’ elimination and postseason media was a component that played into the decision, it was not THE reason for this decision.

However, insider Mark Lazerus pointed out something even worse for DeBoer at this time, following the Stars’ decision. As he puts it in his latest article of The Athletic:

“The timing is cruel because there are no other job openings left in the NHL.”

“He’ll be all right,” said Panthers head coach and close friend Paul Maurice. “He’s a good coach. I think you get elite teams, you’ve got to push them real hard to get to where they get to, and then at some point, you get a summer off. Pick your spot. He’s going to be OK.”

I’m sure DeBoer will be fine, but his reputation probably took an awful blow with how he handled his last game in Dallas.

The Stars however also face problems that run deeper, with the team failing in the postseason for the past several springs, but now I guess that’s not DeBoer’s problem anymore.

Lazerus writes: “Wholesale changes aren’t coming. The Stars will continue to be trendy picks to win the Stanley Cup for years to come, and they’ll do so with largely the same core they have now. Rantanen is signed for eight more years, as is Oettinger. Hintz is signed for six more years, Johnston and Lindell for five, Miro Heiskanen for four. Nill was adamant that Benn and Duchene, both unrestricted free agents, would be back next season, but you have to wonder if the way things ended will prompt Nill to shake things up — if just for the sake of shaking things up.”

Will the Stars be fine too... ? 

DeBoer earned a 149-68-29 record in 246 regular-season games over three seasons with the Stars, leading the club to three consecutive Western Conference Final appearances. He posted a 29-27 record in 56 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

And good news from Lazerus:

“But you can be sure DeBoer will get another job, and soon. Despite being fired so often, he’s had a head-coaching job every year since the 2008-09 season. At just 56 years old, he’ll get another. And then another after he wears out his welcome and gets fired from that one.”

But I’m pretty sure he will be careful with how he handles his next star goalie…