Devils fire coach Pete DeBoer

— -- Los Angeles Kings in six games.

The Devils missed the playoffs the next two seasons.

There was plenty of speculation at the end of last season about DeBoer's future with the organization amid rumors that the Maple Leafs had interest in him as coach. Lamoriello squashed those rumors in an uncharacteristic move, publicly announcing that DeBoer was under contract for the 2014-15 season, though it was widely believed DeBoer was nearing the end of a three-year deal at the time.

ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun and Katie Strang contributed to this report.