New Jersey Devils: If Lindy Ruff Does Get Fired, Who Are Replacement Options?

Alain Nasreddine

The New Jersey Devils have been here before. Back in 2019, they were in a position where they had to fire John Hynes. Not everyone agreed with it then, and they are using this situation to point fingers and say “told you so”, but Hynes needed to go. He might be a good coach, and he’s in a better position in Nashville. However, when Alain Nasreddine took over for the rest of that season, the Devils played better.

The Devils were 19-16-8 that season. That includes a time when the Devils traded everyone they possibly could, including Taylor Hall, Blake Coleman, Wayne Simmonds, Sami Vatanen, and Andy Greene. Things did eventually fall by the wayside, but he did a good enough job to be considered for the full-time role. The Devils went with a veteran coach in Lindy Ruff, but the Devils made it a point to keep Nas on the roster.

There are a lot of people who aren’t happy with Nas but give credit where credit is due. He’s changed his philosophy when it was absolutely necessary. His penalty kill unit is crushing it this season. It might be the one good thing about this season. After struggling at the start of the year, the PK has turned around completely thanks to some good performances by Michael McLeod and Jimmy Vesey.

He’s the most sensible option right now. The Devils don’t want to go with someone like Boudreau because it limits their long-term options. They went for big fish in 2020 and struck out. It happens. Peter Laviolette wanted too much money and Gerard Gallant wanted too much power (if he wanted the job at all). Lindy Ruff made sense to the team at the time, but if he doesn’t make sense for the team anymore, Nas is a good option to give the Devils time to make the next decision.