New Jersey Devils fans had their hearts set on hiring Gerard Gallant but gladly would have settled for Peter Laviolette for their vacant head coaching position. When Elliotte Friedman noted that Lindy Ruff was a strong candidate for the job, many Devils fans scoffed at the notion of it really happening. On Wednesday, Kevin Weekes broke the news that the Devils would hire Ruff as the franchise’s 19th head coach in team history.
The Devils’ hiring of Ruff has ruffled the feathers of the fan base for much of the last 72 hours. Take a moment and just breathe. Relax for a second. Deep breathe. Are we good now? The sky is not falling and yes, Lindy Ruff is a good hire for where this team is currently.
The Devils needed a coach with NHL experience who could teach the game to their talented young roster. The key here is teaching. We all know that the Devils are not going to be competing for Stanley Cups in the near future, but Ruff could plant the seed in building a winning culture.
Lindy Ruff has 736 career victories (6th most all-time) as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars. Ruff also has another 66 playoffs wins, making the Stanley Cup Finals with an overachieving Sabres squad and reaching the conference finals two more times. He was also an assistant coach for Team Canada that won the gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
You may be asking yourself, “why are the Devils hiring a coach who may have trouble adapting in today’s NHL?”. Well, after the lockout in 2004, he had no problems adapting to the new rules that catered to offense. Subsequently, the Sabres won 52 and 53 games the following two seasons with one of the top offenses in the league. He has coached and had success in both the Dead Puck Era and the offensive, open style of hockey over the course of his 19-year coaching career.
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Ruff is the type of coach that knows how to get the most out of his players. Most importantly, he puts his players in the best situations to succeed. He holds players accountable, communicates effectively, and has earned the respect from his players. He is known for developing and getting the best out of his young teams with success in both Buffalo and Dallas.
Young players who have had much success under his tutelage include Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, and more recently got the best out of promising young players in Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and John Klingberg. Ruff also plays his best players quite often. So sorry Kevin Rooney, your playing time is diminishing.
This plays right into the hands of the Devils’ strength moving forward with their talented young forwards. The Devils have a young core that includes Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt, along with Kyle Palmieri, Nikita Gusev, and a plethora of talented prospects. Ruff would be smart to cater to the team’s strength by possessing the puck, dictating the tempo with their speed, and playing aggressive. Basically the Devils need to be everything that John Hynes wanted them to be but wasn’t in playing ‘fast, attacking and supportive.’
If the Devils were on the cusp of winning, I could see how fans would be underwhelmed by the Lindy Ruff hire. Is Ruff a home run hire? No, but he doesn’t need to be. Ruff is exactly the kind of coach that you want on a rebuilding team.
As much as some of the Devils brass has emphasized winning now, it is simply not realistic. The Devils are years away from realistically being a contender. In the meantime, the Devils need to develop the young core that they have and develop a winning culture. All he needs to do is plant the seed. As his resume indicates, he should bring a winning culture back to New Jersey. At the very least he’ll bring exciting hockey back. Are you still with us Devils fans? Breathe. Everything is going to be alright.