Pete DeBoer aware of consequences should Devils miss playoffs

Pete DeBoer knows how this whole NHL coaching thing works. 

He was fired after missing the postseason for the third straight season with the Florida Panthers in 2011, so after back-to-back seasons on the periphery with the New Jersey Devils, DeBoer is well aware of the potential "consequences" that loom.

"There’s no hiding from that," he said via Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. "It doesn't matter whether you have a 10-year contract or a one-year contract. I approach every year like we have to get this team to overachieve and play to its potential or there’s consequences.

"That’s the reality of pro sports."

DeBoer, who coached the Devils to a Stanley Cup appearance in his first season back in 2011, is entering the final season of his contract.