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This Season is an Important One for Lindy Ruff

Date: September 14, 2022

By: Ryan Henry

Lindy Ruff watching over his team.

Andy Marlin/NHL/Getty Images

Lindy Ruff is one of the most accomplished coaches in NHL history.

 

Since becoming a head coach in 1997, he has racked up 782 career wins, tied for the fifth-most in NHL history. During his time with the Buffalo Sabers and Dallas Stars, he led his teams to the playoffs a combined 10 times, which included a Stanley Cup Finals appearance with the Sabers in 1998-99.

 

When the New Jersey Devils hired Ruff in July of 2020, fan expectations were high. However, Ruff is still trying to find his footing in the Garden State.

 

Across two seasons, the Devils have gone 46-76-16. Injuries certainly haven’t helped as superstar Jack Hughes and key free agent acquisition Dougie Hamilton missed a combined 53 games last season.

 

The goalie situation has also been in a state of flux. Mackenzie Blackwood had a .916 save percentage his first two seasons before Ruff’s arrival. Last year, Blackwood only appeared in 25 games, posting a .892 save percentage as now questions are circulating as to whether he will be the starter for New Jersey going into next season.

 

Besides him, it’s been a rotating cast of characters that features Nico Daws, Jon Gillies, and Scott Wedgewood with no one really standing out when given the opportunity.

 

The goalie quandary shouldn’t go entirely on Ruff as health and management have played a part, but he definitely deserves some responsibility.

 

The biggest gripe against Ruff for most of his coaching career has been his defensive gameplan and philosophy. Despite surrendering the fourth-most goals last season, the analytics would suggest that the Devils’ defense is actually right around league average.

 

According to Money Puck, the Devils ranked 15th in expected goals against, 12th in shots on goal against, 11th in high danger shots allowed and 14th in penalty kill.

 

The offense was a strength for the Devils last season. Their 248 goals were the most in a season since the 2000-01 season. With young playmakers like Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, the talent is there.

When New Jersey had a man-advantage, the offense became stagnant. They were in the bottom five in power-play percentage last year alongside the basement dwellers of the NHL. Although Ruff was not personally responsible for running the powerplay, he did pick the assistants to facilitate it.

 

While Ruff didn’t receive his pink slip this offseason, his assistants Alain Nasreddine and Mark Recchi weren’t so lucky.

 

The Devils let them go and now house one of the best coaching staffs in all of hockey that features Jack Adams runner-up Andrew Brunette of the Florida Panthers, defensive specialist Ryan McGill formerly with Vegas Golden Knights, and longtime New Jersey Devil Sergei Brylin.

 

The front office has also added depth to the roster. The biggest offseason move, drafting Simon Nemec, won’t pay dividends on day one, but adding Ondrej Palat, John Marino, and Vitek Vanecek will help out a team that was burdened with injuries last season.

For the 2022-23 season, all eyes will be on Lindy Ruff to lead this team back to the playoffs. The Metropolitan Division is very weak outside the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers. While Ruff has the backing of GM Tom Fitzgerald and several star players right now, all that can change in a moment.

 

With one year left on his contract, to say Lindy Ruff is on the hot seat may be an understatement. He’s a legend who will make Hockey Hall of Fame when it’s all said and done, but as the old saying goes, “what have you done for me recently?” and over the past two years, the Devils have disappointed under Ruff.

Ryan Henry can be reached at ryan.henry@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, NHL, New Jersey Devils

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