Revisiting 5 Biggest New Jersey Devils Storylines of 2020
By Nick Villano
Hiring Lindy Ruff
The hiring of Lindy Ruff as head coach was not a popular choice by the New Jersey Devils. The veteran bench boss didn’t have the best endings in Dallas or Buffalo, and he was the defensive coach of the Rangers. The Rangers’ defense was awful. Yet, the Devils were adding him to be the head coach. It was a puzzling move.
The saga went on just like the GM search. There were a lot of names tied to the job. Gerard Gallant seemed to be the one most people were looking for them to hire. Peter Laviolette was a fine second choice. Going for someone outside the box like European coach Rickard Gronberg would be a welcomed addition. Instead, they went back to the well with someone no one was asking for.
Most Devils fans are over their initial hatred of the move and are willing to see what happens. It can’t be denied what Ruff was able to do with Tyler Seguin in Dallas. He can produce offensive stars. Maybe the Rangers just miscast him. There’s no point in hating on the move now. Ruff is 60 years old. His time behind an NHL bench is limited. There’s clearly a long-term plan here. Well, hopefully there’s a long-term plan.
Ruff will be forced to put in a new system on a shortened training camp, but most fans are just happy to have hockey back.