Weekes: Devils to retain Fitz as GM, hire Ruff as coach

['7']

Happy about this. He's a good veteran coach who has won before. He's managed all kinds of players over the past several decades, every kind of ego and headcase you can imagine. He's not too old to where he may not have the energy for the job (60 years old) he's never won a Cup before so you know the fire burns for that. He's got a Jack Adams trophy. Not a lot to dislike about this hiring.

[mfitz804]

2 minutes ago, '7' said:

Happy about this. He's a good veteran coach who has won before. He's managed all kinds of players over the past several decades, every kind of ego and headcase you can imagine. He's not too old to where he may not have the energy for the job (60 years old) he's never won a Cup before so you know the fire burns for that. He's got a Jack Adams trophy. Not a lot to dislike about this hiring.

Honestly that’s a pretty good perspective. Certainly an upgrade over Nasreddine. I don’t get excited or upset about stuff like this until we see what he does.

I’m not well versed enough to say “this is the 4th best guy available”, but even if he is, I feel like the one of the worst teams in the league getting the 4th best available coach is a pretty good get. 

[SterioDesign]

Found this article that was written before he started coaching in Dallas. Some good takes in there.. some encouraging.. some not encouraging...

https://www.defendingbigd.com/2013/6/24/4459282/lindy-ruff-dallas-stars-head-coach-history-analysis

[titans04]

He's not Nass, I'm gonna call it a night on that high note. 

Edited July 9, 2020 by titans04

[devlman]

What an awful hire in Ruff. His teams have been defensive nightmares. Severson better get ready for some more of that good minus action.

A team in a very desirable location with two young first overalls, tons of cap space and a good young goalie, has a very promising future and should be able to attract better than this. I don’t think he was ever even known for developing young talent either. Hoping I’m dead wrong and he surprises us all with some late career magic.

Edited July 9, 2020 by devlman

[SterioDesign]

What scares me the most is if this is the result of a bigger problem. Which would be that the owners are really trying to be involved too much and forcing their way on management and coaching staff and that the better candidates were like... "no i'm not dealing with this sh!t" on top of not having a really impressive lineup to offer just yet. And that Ruff was the most desperate to get a gig so he accepted it. Obviously i'm not saying this is it, i'm just speculating based on some reports that we've got. 

We Know Gallant, Lav at the very least will likely be in the NHL next season. Honestly though... instead of settling with Ruff now... if possible i would have preferred to play hard ball and wait after the play-in or the season... see if any coaches get fired... if none does... that's putting more pressure on those coaches. And if they do get a job.. it means someone was fired, which could be a good fit for us.

 

[Jerzey]

From what I understand Ruff runs a pretty entertaining brand of hockey which is what I think ownership is looking for. Gotta get asses on those seats so they can stop comping so many of them.

[HellOnICE]

4 hours ago, SterioDesign said:

What scares me the most is if this is the result of a bigger problem. Which would be that the owners are really trying to be involved too much and forcing their way on management and coaching staff and that the better candidates were like... "no i'm not dealing with this sh!t" on top of not having a really impressive lineup to offer just yet. And that Ruff was the most desperate to get a gig so he accepted it. Obviously i'm not saying this is it, i'm just speculating based on some reports that we've got. 

We Know Gallant, Lav at the very least will likely be in the NHL next season. Honestly though... instead of settling with Ruff now... if possible i would have preferred to play hard ball and wait after the play-in or the season... see if any coaches get fired... if none does... that's putting more pressure on those coaches. And if they do get a job.. it means someone was fired, which could be a good fit for us.

 

I don't see how the hiring of Ruff signifies what you're saying. It's like the owners have a thing for Ruff, Lindy Ruff, of all people? If they wanted cheap or the easy way out, Nasreddine is already there. Could it be, Tom, Marty, Ownership agrees Lindy maybe the right guy at the right time. 

Tom is a smart hockey guy, been around a long time, he's done a good job so far. He knows everything about this team, even from being on the bench - he knows what's working and what's not working systemically, player wise, scouting wise, etc. So maybe Lindy has something this team can mesh with for the next couple years. 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by HellOnICE

[MadDog2020]

8 hours ago, '7' said:

Happy about this. He's a good veteran coach who has won before. He's managed all kinds of players over the past several decades, every kind of ego and headcase you can imagine. He's not too old to where he may not have the energy for the job (60 years old) he's never won a Cup before so you know the fire burns for that. He's got a Jack Adams trophy. Not a lot to dislike about this hiring.

Good perspective. I hope you’re right bro.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

8 hours ago, '7' said:

Happy about this. He's a good veteran coach who has won before. He's managed all kinds of players over the past several decades, every kind of ego and headcase you can imagine. He's not too old to where he may not have the energy for the job (60 years old) he's never won a Cup before so you know the fire burns for that. He's got a Jack Adams trophy. Not a lot to dislike about this hiring.

Agree with you and others on your take.  At the very least, only fair to at least give the guy a chance; if anything, now that I've had a chance to digest this, at least he's a guy with considerable experience.  Shero tried the "Grow the Young Coach with the Team" approach, and though I certainly understand why he went that route, I'm fine with "OK, let's try a vet".  I know some will just dismiss Ruff as a retread...oh well.  

And even if there were "sexier" names out there, the good news is that he's Not-Nas.  If Nas had been retained, I would've found it impossible to put a positive spin on that.  Just about any success he had was based on getting absolute top-level netminding once Blackwood got hot (and even Cory turned in some good games once he came back up).  

[Aitchmack]

5 hours ago, Jerzey said:

From what I understand Ruff runs a pretty entertaining brand of hockey which is what I think ownership is looking for. Gotta get asses on those seats so they can stop comping so many of them.

After the crap we've been watching the last few seasons I'll take entertaining hockey for a while. Let's face it, if Ruff doesn't get results he'll get the bullet anyway.

[NJDfan1711]

I didn't see this news until this morning, but I don't understand the initial disappointment and hate from many people.  It's not really what we expected given some of the guys that became available early on, but there could be a ton of reasons why they weren't chosen (they didn't wanna come, we didn't want them, too much money, etc), and regardless of what those reasons are, we still got a guy who not only has a lot of experience, but has at least had success in the past, even if it has been some time since that success occurred.  The last few guys that were behind our bench didn't really have much of a resume with Nas, Hynes, hell, even DeBoer didn't when he came to us.  I'm happy to have an older guy behind the bench who I'm sure will have certain expectations and a way of doing things.  I feel like he's going to hold guys accountable and run a tight ship, in a good way.  This team lacked an identity and system for quite a while, and maybe we'll finally get something like that under Ruff.  

Regarding Fitz, I'm glad he's getting an opportunity to be the GM without having to answer to anyone else or share responsibilities, not to mention the wait and suspense is finally over for him - it can't be easy to do your job knowing that it might only be temporary, but despite everything, I think he did fine and deserves the chance to continue to build upon what he's started.  

I know there were a lot of candidates out there so there's lots of room for people to have wanted something different then a Ruff/Fitz combo, but all things considered I think this is leaps and bounds better than the Devils either A) reaching for some random and inexperienced candidate, or B ) going with the incumbent and someone justifying the idea of giving Nas the job - either of those scenarios would have been complete disasters and reason to be fired up.  Having Ruff and Fitz I think are reasons to celebrate, so I'm going to do that and look forward to next season. 

[T0asterleav1ns]

Not thrilled given some of the other coaches who are available. Fitz has earned his shot at the GM job so thats good. 

 

My limited understanding of Ruff is he is an offensive minded coach. Dallas had arguably the best offense in the league with Ruff in charge. What I have never understood is why the Rangers hired him to coach their D. He's obviously not very good at it. 

 

IF IF IF we get a good coach for the D, this could be ok?

 

Still not thrilled. Definitely wanted Gallant or Laviolette. Time to hope for the best. LGD!

 

 

[NJDfan1711]

9 hours ago, '7' said:

Happy about this. He's a good veteran coach who has won before. He's managed all kinds of players over the past several decades, every kind of ego and headcase you can imagine. He's not too old to where he may not have the energy for the job (60 years old) he's never won a Cup before so you know the fire burns for that. He's got a Jack Adams trophy. Not a lot to dislike about this hiring.

 

9 hours ago, mfitz804 said:

Honestly that’s a pretty good perspective. Certainly an upgrade over Nasreddine. I don’t get excited or upset about stuff like this until we see what he does.

I’m not well versed enough to say “this is the 4th best guy available”, but even if he is, I feel like the one of the worst teams in the league getting the 4th best available coach is a pretty good get. 

In addition to what I just posted, having not read much of the thread besides the first page or two, I will echo both of the posts above as well.  

[DevsMan84]

Rangers fans on social media were offering to drive Lindy Ruff to NJ yesterday after the news broke.  That's all you need to know about Lindy Ruff in 2020 and I frankly don't care about what Ruff did 20, 10 or even 5 years ago.  He just sucks and Dallas fans also couldn't have been happier to see him go.  Devils had a choice between 5 coaches and they picked either the worse or second worst of the bunch.  

I have been a big defender of the current owners for quite some time now.  They improved the arena overall, they seem committed to NJ, and they have deep enough pockets where threats of moving/insolvency under JVB were a thing of the past.  However, when I saw that they didn't choose Lavi simply because he cost too much, I am done defending these schmucks.  These guys spend $9M on an over-the-hill D-man who cares more about looking good on social media than playing well but balk at a coach who has been to the SCF 3 times in the past 15 years and winning it once.  It has become more obvious the Subban trade was more about reaching the cap floor than anything else and talk about "weaponizing cap space" is just baloney they feed to fans.

Maybe things will go well with Ruff and I am wrong.  However, I will always remember yesterday as solid proof that the team cares more about lucking their way into contention than actually investing and putting as much resources towards contention.

[smelly]

Sure, if you want to you can find reasons to be concerned about the hire; it definitely might not work out.

But then again, maybe it will . . . 

 

[Devs1965]

Not sure how this pick was made, Maybe Fitz's relationship in Fla? Just seems like Devils are making me prove my Hardcore fan status... I guess its a wait and see and maybe this works out just seems like there were better choices. Who knows!

I just feel most fans will have a very short leash if any leash at all if Ruff does not produce. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

54 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

Rangers fans on social media were offering to drive Lindy Ruff to NJ yesterday after the news broke.  That's all you need to know about Lindy Ruff in 2020 and I frankly don't care about what Ruff did 20, 10 or even 5 years ago.  He just sucks and Dallas fans also couldn't have been happier to see him go.  Devils had a choice between 5 coaches and they picked either the worse or second worst of the bunch.  

I have been a big defender of the current owners for quite some time now.  They improved the arena overall, they seem committed to NJ, and they have deep enough pockets where threats of moving/insolvency under JVB were a thing of the past.  However, when I saw that they didn't choose Lavi simply because he cost too much, I am done defending these schmucks.  These guys spend $9M on an over-the-hill D-man who cares more about looking good on social media than playing well but balk at a coach who has been to the SCF 3 times in the past 15 years and winning it once.  It has become more obvious the Subban trade was more about reaching the cap floor than anything else and talk about "weaponizing cap space" is just baloney they feed to fans.

Maybe things will go well with Ruff and I am wrong.  However, I will always remember yesterday as solid proof that the team cares more about lucking their way into contention than actually investing and putting as much resources towards contention.

In fairness, I never got the impression that Shero was under some mandate to keep spending down so that he could be complicit in some lie that ownership is feeding to fans.  Shero's plan obviously never came to full fruition, but had more of his moves worked out (and if Cory hadn't been such a zilch for too much of the past couple of seasons) and the team was able to build off 2017-18, I think the payroll would've gone up.  I think it was Shero's plan to keep payroll flexibility for as long as he could, while trying to rebuild the team...I'm not debating the merits or issues with that plan, just that I think if Shero had decided to add a lot of payroll via UFA signings or trades, ownership wouldn't have stood in his way.  

I'm not sure what "cost too much" means, as far as Lavi goes.  Forget the per-year cost...how many SEASONS did he want?  (On this note, I'm curious to see how long Ruff's term will be...more on this below).  I wouldn't have minded Lavi as the coach and yeah, I likely take him over Ruff...but when you look at their results and records, is one really SO much better than the other?    

But the reason I'm curious about Ruff's term is how open it leaves the Devils to going after Gronberg next season (the Swedish coach who won't be released from his current deal with one year to go...Devils reached out to him, as well all know).  If Ruff is signed to 2 or 3 years at not a whole lot of cash (think a "Show Me" contract, but for a head coach), and the Devils don't like what they see out of him after one season, this could very well be a one-and-done type of arrangement, where they don't mind eating some money as long as it's not TOO much money (and being that Ruff had to take an assistant gig after losing the Dallas job and that there were sexier candidates out there, he probably didn't have a ton of leverage in negotiations).  Should he come in here and turn the team around (or show legit signs of being able to do that) in his first year, then safe to say if he's on a two-year gig, he'll get an extension, and that will put an end to any Gronberg talk.  But this could all be a way for the Devils to give themselves some flexibility...and that could very well be because they weren't sold enough on ANY of the available candidates to feel like they should spend top dollar and term for any of them.  

 

All of the above said, I'm hopeful that Ruff works out, but I feel like there's not going to be a whole of in-between here.  We'll find out.  

 

[mfitz804]

Honestly, if some people on NJDevs weren’t upset, did the Devils even make a move?

[Devilsfan118]

Chiming in late here, but I was disappointed initially.  /r/Devils seems to be on suicide watch, and /r/hockey was hugely critical of the move as well.  So, naturally, I'm assuming this is probably a decent move because it seems like most folks on reddit don't have a clue and tend to react in the wrong direction almost every time.

The guy is 60 years old - he's probably not the solution for the next decade.  Let's hope he serves as a solid 'bridge coach' while the kids develop and learn how to be professionals.  I know it sounds crazy to be talking about the next head coach when we've just hired Ruff but.. let's see where we're at in 3-4 years when Nico, Jack and the surrounding cast are in their true primes.  Maybe Ruff will have everything rolling and we'll stick with him.. or maybe we part ways and look for the coach that will "get us over the hill".

Laviolette seems to fall into the latter category to me - a guy that will take a competitive team and make them contenders.  I don't know if he's the guy to lead a rebuild.. and at 5M per I don't necessarily blame the owners for scoffing a bit.

ALL THAT SAID - Gallant was who I wanted.

11 hours ago, '7' said:

Happy about this. He's a good veteran coach who has won before. He's managed all kinds of players over the past several decades, every kind of ego and headcase you can imagine. He's not too old to where he may not have the energy for the job (60 years old) he's never won a Cup before so you know the fire burns for that. He's got a Jack Adams trophy. Not a lot to dislike about this hiring.

Nailed it with this, I agree.  We have tons of kids and, perhaps, a lack of true structure right now.  We need a "program runner", not a rookie HC who's figuring it out as he goes.  

I just hope he's able to develop our young kids well and doesn't resort to favoring veterans.  Or put another way - I hope he's not your typical "old school" head coach who hands sh!t to veterans on a silver platter and keeps the kids nailed to the bench in crunch time.

12 hours ago, SterioDesign said:

you also forgot Mila Kunis

Oh man, Mila Kunis in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.. top-tier.  Doesn't get better.

[DevsMan84]

8 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

In fairness, I never got the impression that Shero was under some mandate to keep spending down so that he could be complicit in some lie that ownership is feeding to fans.  Shero's plan obviously never came to full fruition, but had more of his moves worked out (and if Cory hadn't been such a zilch for too much of the past couple of seasons) and the team was able to build off 2017-18, I think the payroll would've gone up.  I think it was Shero's plan to keep payroll flexibility for as long as he could, while trying to rebuild the team...I'm not debating the merits or issues with that plan, just that I think if Shero had decided to add a lot of payroll via UFA signings or trades, ownership wouldn't have stood in his way.  

I'm not sure what "cost too much" means, as far as Lavi goes.  Forget the per-year cost...how many SEASONS did he want?  (On this note, I'm curious to see how long Ruff's term will be...more on this below).  I wouldn't have minded Lavi as the coach and yeah, I likely take him over Ruff...but when you look at their results and records, is one really SO much better than the other?    

But the reason I'm curious about Ruff's term is how open it leaves the Devils to going after Gronberg next season (the Swedish coach who won't be released from his current deal with one year to go...Devils reached out to him, as well all know).  If Ruff is signed to 2 or 3 years at not a whole lot of cash (think a "Show Me" contract, but for a head coach), and the Devils don't like what they see out of him after one season, this could very well be a one-and-done type of arrangement, where they don't mind eating some money as long as it's not TOO much money (and being that Ruff had to take an assistant gig after losing the Dallas job and that there were sexier candidates out there, he probably didn't have a ton of leverage in negotiations).  Should he come in here and turn the team around (or show legit signs of being able to do that) in his first year, then safe to say if he's on a two-year gig, he'll get an extension, and that will put an end to any Gronberg talk.  But this could all be a way for the Devils to give themselves some flexibility...and that could very well be because they weren't sold enough on ANY of the available candidates to feel like they should spend top dollar and term for any of them.  

 

All of the above said, I'm hopeful that Ruff works out, but I feel like there's not going to be a whole of in-between here.  We'll find out.  

 

IIRC, heading into this past season the Devils were well under the cap floor before the Subban trade.  With FA not exactly lining up to sign with NJ, it seems almost like a calculated move for that reason.  That, along with Nashville willing to let him go for pennies on the dollar so they could sign Duchene, makes more sense than why Shero made that move.  Same goes for offering Simmonds $5M one-year deal.  I get the term was very friendly, but even that reeked of a signing to meet the cap floor even though he showed solid evidence of being finished as a hockey player.

Even if it is a show-me deal with Ruff and he is gone after 1-2 seasons, we run the risk of there not being coaches of the same caliber as Lavi .  If this all hinges on Gronberg, then this is an awful risk to take since he could easily be swayed to go to another team when the time comes.  How many times in our own personal lives where we wish we would have acted on the moment, even if it cost more upfront, so that we wouldn't be miserable or pay more down the line?

Any way you slice it, this hiring has cheapness written all over it.  Also, yes, Lavi's results and records are much better than Ruff's.  Ruff's defense in NY has stunk, even with a corps that stronger than ours and the fact that the Rangers were willing to let him go right before they step out of the COVID break speaks volumes.

[DevsMan84]

8 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

Chiming in late here, but I was disappointed initially.  /r/Devils seems to be on suicide watch, and /r/hockey was hugely critical of the move as well.  So, naturally, I'm assuming this is probably a decent move because it seems like most folks on reddit don't have a clue and tend to react in the wrong direction almost every time.

The guy is 60 years old - he's probably not the solution for the next decade.  Let's hope he serves as a solid 'bridge coach' while the kids develop and learn how to be professionals.  I know it sounds crazy to be talking about the next head coach when we've just hired Ruff but.. let's see where we're at in 3-4 years when Nico, Jack and the surrounding cast are in their true primes.  Maybe Ruff will have everything rolling and we'll stick with him.. or maybe we part ways and look for the coach that will "get us over the hill".

Laviolette seems to fall into the latter category to me - a guy that will take a competitive team and make them contenders.  I don't know if he's the guy to lead a rebuild.. and at 5M per I don't necessarily blame the owners for scoffing a bit.

ALL THAT SAID - Gallant was who I wanted.

Nailed it with this, I agree.  We have tons of kids and, perhaps, a lack of true structure right now.  We need a "program runner", not a rookie HC who's figuring it out as he goes.  

I just hope he's able to develop our young kids well and doesn't resort to favoring veterans.  Or put another way - I hope he's not your typical "old school" head coach who hands sh!t to veterans on a silver platter and keeps the kids nailed to the bench in crunch time.

Oh man, Mila Kunis in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.. top-tier.  Doesn't get better.

Laviolette turned a terrible Islanders team into a playoff team when he was with them.  He also won a cup with Carolina into Cup champs right out of the lockout when they probably shouldn't have had any business being in there.  

The owners are just being cheap here.  To think that there will be a better pool of available coaching candidates in a couple of years is wishful thinking.

[EdgeControl]

9 hours ago, SterioDesign said:

What scares me the most is if this is the result of a bigger problem. Which would be that the owners are really trying to be involved too much and forcing their way on management and coaching staff and that the better candidates were like... "no i'm not dealing with this sh!t" on top of not having a really impressive lineup to offer just yet. And that Ruff was the most desperate to get a gig so he accepted it. Obviously i'm not saying this is it, i'm just speculating based on some reports that we've got. 

We Know Gallant, Lav at the very least will likely be in the NHL next season. Honestly though... instead of settling with Ruff now... if possible i would have preferred to play hard ball and wait after the play-in or the season... see if any coaches get fired... if none does... that's putting more pressure on those coaches. And if they do get a job.. it means someone was fired, which could be a good fit for us.

 

This is my take , everything by committee... screw that

[Steadevils]

 

11 hours ago, '7' said:

Happy about this. He's a good veteran coach who has won before. He's managed all kinds of players over the past several decades, every kind of ego and headcase you can imagine. He's not too old to where he may not have the energy for the job (60 years old) he's never won a Cup before so you know the fire burns for that. He's got a Jack Adams trophy. Not a lot to dislike about this hiring.

I was SHOCKED to see that he was only 60 years old. I figured he was 75 at least. Really don't get all of the hate. It has been a while since he was successful sure, but it's not like the Rangers teams he has been assistant on have been stacked rosters that under-performed. Two longish coaching stints (i consider 4 years to be long at this point in the coach firing world we live in) show he must have been doing something right. 

Seeing some takes along the lines of "Rangers fans are happy to see him go therefore he is a bad coach!"...Yeah and as we all know Rangers fans are the top hockey minds in the world! Seriously get the hell out of here with that take. 

[Aitchmack]

29 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

 

But the reason I'm curious about Ruff's term is how open it leaves the Devils to going after Gronberg next season (the Swedish coach who won't be released from his current deal with one year to go...Devils reached out to him, as well all know).  If Ruff is signed to 2 or 3 years at not a whole lot of cash (think a "Show Me" contract, but for a head coach), and the Devils don't like what they see out of him after one season, this could very well be a one-and-done type of arrangement, where they don't mind eating some money as long as it's not TOO much money (and being that Ruff had to take an assistant gig after losing the Dallas job and that there were sexier candidates out there, he probably didn't have a ton of leverage in negotiations).  Should he come in here and turn the team around (or show legit signs of being able to do that) in his first year, then safe to say if he's on a two-year gig, he'll get an extension, and that will put an end to any Gronberg talk.  But this could all be a way for the Devils to give themselves some flexibility...and that could very well be because they weren't sold enough on ANY of the available candidates to feel like they should spend top dollar and term for any of them.  

 

All of the above said, I'm hopeful that Ruff works out, but I feel like there's not going to be a whole of in-between here.  We'll find out.  

 

I definitely wondered about the Gronberg situation. He may well have expressed an interest in the team but wanted to wait until it was vaguely competitive to give himself the beast chance of succeeding. It could explain his extension and the hiring of a not so high profile coach like Ruff.