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

[titans04]

1 hour ago, mfitz804 said:

Most likely Laviolette picked a price he knew they wouldn’t pay because he didn’t want the job, unless they paid him a boatload. 

I don’t think a $5m coach is what we need right now, what’s the point with our roster being what it is? Give him 3-4 years at $5m and he would accomplish nothing. 

That's one way to look at it for sure, the other is similar to like draft picks you take the best guy available, I would do the same with a head coach. I don't think you can ever go wrong by taking the best one. 

If the best coach out there (whoever it is) would accomplish nothing in 3-4 years what the heck is Ruff supposed to accomplish?  

He (again the best one whoever that may be) may want no part of coming here but discounting the value of having that guy here because he would accomplish nothing is weird to me. I guess I'm just tired of writing off season after season, and now it seems like we're still doing it in "years" at a time. Especially if the Ruff choice thought process is he isn't the coach when this team gets good. 

#sh!tshow

Oh well it is what it is, there's more important things to actually care about. 

 

Edited July 10, 2020 by titans04

[mfitz804]

7 minutes ago, titans04 said:

That's one way to look at it for sure, the other is similar to like draft picks you take the best guy available, I would do the same with a head coach. I don't think you can ever go wrong by taking the best one. 

I agree, but the difference is glaring. You can’t control who drafts you, but you can sure as hell pick and choose where you want to coach. 

Maybe Laviolette was purely about money, and he was willing to come here. But I don’t believe that’s the case. 

[titans04]

20 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

I agree, but the difference is glaring. You can’t control who drafts you, but you can sure as hell pick and choose where you want to coach. 

Maybe Laviolette was purely about money, and he was willing to come here. But I don’t believe that’s the case. 

Could be.

Just tiring more and more of treading water year after year, I seem to lose interest earlier every season and start searching for the best game of the night to watch rather than sub-par Devils hockey.  This longer than normal off season will either kill of even more of my interest or maybe even bring some of it back especially IF they don't fall out of the playoff race 2 months in. 

[CommonDreads]

Again, Ruff is not who I would have ideally chosen and I wish they would have just paid Laviolette the money he was allegedly asking for, but I don't know how Ruff wasn't the 3rd best option out of what was reported (Nas, Ruff, Gallant, Lavy, Stevens).

What has John Stevens done in his entirely mediocre career that would have made him a better option than Ruff? It's also entirely disingenuous to suggest he's been bad since 2015, the 2015 Stars missed the playoffs as the 10 seed because of the league's 3rd worst save percentage despite having optimistic underlying numbers, the 2016 Stars won 50 games and finished in 2nd in the NHL that season during the regular season, 2017 was admittedly rocky, and then he was hired to be an assistant coach in a role that didn't suit his strengths as a coach.

Again, I'm not jumping for joy over this, but forgive me for trying to be optimistic instead of trying to see the worst in every situation when it comes to this team.

[vadvlfan]

Ruff's # 1 goalie in Dallas: Lehtenen & his back-up Niemi. (Get the duck boats ready.) Dead in the water. I don't care how offensively "gifted" your team is.  They were easily one of worst tandems ever.  

[mfitz804]

We’re already an abortion defensively. But that won’t stop people from saying it’s Ruff’s fault, any more than it was Hynes, or Nas...

[mikepeluso8]

We love it yet?

[NJDevils1214]

Something that stood out to me on the video conference was Fitz responded to a question about "Why Lindy" and one of the first things he said about the coaching search was he wanted HC experience. That confirms to me what most of us suspected that Nas was never really a consideration for the job.

[HellOnICE]

7 hours ago, NJDevils1214 said:

Something that stood out to me on the video conference was Fitz responded to a question about "Why Lindy" and one of the first things he said about the coaching search was he wanted HC experience. That confirms to me what most of us suspected that Nas was never really a consideration for the job.

Marty said looking for a Father Figure, and we’ve had great success here with those types. 

[mfitz804]

8 hours ago, NJDevils1214 said:

Something that stood out to me on the video conference was Fitz responded to a question about "Why Lindy" and one of the first things he said about the coaching search was he wanted HC experience. That confirms to me what most of us suspected that Nas was never really a consideration for the job.

Now we just have to see if he will still be on the coaching staff.

[DevsMan84]

Elliotte Friedman reporting that the Devils were in negotiations with Laviolette but couldn't strike a deal so they went with Ruff.

 

Owners cheaped out.

[HellOnICE]

35 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

Elliotte Friedman reporting that the Devils were in negotiations with Laviolette but couldn't strike a deal so they went with Ruff.

 

Owners cheaped out.

That's such a limited perspective, we have no idea what was going on. For all we know LAvi was like "Yea sure, I'll do it for 5 years/5M" and the entire team, Fitz/Mart/Ownership included were like "ehhhhhh". 

Did Lavi really want to come here or was it "I can be a part of a rebuild for XXX money" - how invested would've he been knowing he could go anywhere to a team on the cusp.

[DevsMan84]

2 minutes ago, HellOnICE said:

That's such a limited perspective, we have no idea what was going on. For all we know LAvi was like "Yea sure, I'll do it for 5 years/5M" and the entire team, Fitz/Mart/Ownership included were like "ehhhhhh". 

Did Lavi really want to come here or was it "I can be a part of a rebuild for XXX money" - how invested would've he been knowing he could go anywhere to a team on the cusp.

Which teams are on the cusp and are looking for new coaches?  Maybe Tampa if they bomb out again and can Cooper, but that's all I can really think of.

Owners who step into a press conference 6-7 months ago and say that the primary reason that they fired Shero was they were disappointed at the slow progress of the team.  However, their unwillingness to put their money where they mouth is and the constant belief about "maximizing value" is just a thin veil that they are operating on an internal budget.  With these schmucks running the show, be prepared to accumulate draft picks until the end of time with decisions made by a committee that values advanced stats over difference-making players and winning games.

[Devils Pride 26]

The last time we hired a coach that was moaned and groaned about - Lemaire, 10 years ago now - we won the division and begged him to come back the next year to clean up Johnny Macs mess.

 

Lemaire ended up setting the table for Deboer in 11/12. 
 

My initial reaction was not positive. However, track record matters and so does experience. 

[DevsMan84]

16 minutes ago, Devils Pride 26 said:

The last time we hired a coach that was moaned and groaned about - Lemaire, 10 years ago now - we won the division and begged him to come back the next year to clean up Johnny Macs mess.

 

Lemaire ended up setting the table for Deboer in 11/12. 
 

My initial reaction was not positive. However, track record matters and so does experience. 

I am looking at track records from the past 5 seasons.

I really don't know why we constantly have to go back a decade or more to find examples.  Lemaire also bombed out in the first round in 2010 with a team that looked a full-step behind the Flyers in all 5 games.  Does the DeBoer mention mean we are hoping Ruff gets fired in a couple years so we can finally get a better coach? 

[HellOnICE]

26 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

Which teams are on the cusp and are looking for new coaches?  Maybe Tampa if they bomb out again and can Cooper, but that's all I can really think of.

Owners who step into a press conference 6-7 months ago and say that the primary reason that they fired Shero was they were disappointed at the slow progress of the team.  However, their unwillingness to put their money where they mouth is and the constant belief about "maximizing value" is just a thin veil that they are operating on an internal budget.  With these schmucks running the show, be prepared to accumulate draft picks until the end of time with decisions made by a committee that values advanced stats over difference-making players and winning games.

LAvi doesn't need to work right now - let's assume he's been good with his money, and I believe he's still being paid no? He can take his time and wait for a team to move coaches, he has his pick of jobs whenever that do. 

Dude, they've spent a ton of money on this team on/off the ice, I don't see any proof they've been stingy. It doesn't do anything for the value of the team if they lose all the time and erode fans and sponsors. This would be antithetical to growing the value.

[Satans Hockey]

29 minutes ago, Devils Pride 26 said:

The last time we hired a coach that was moaned and groaned about - Lemaire, 10 years ago now - we won the division and begged him to come back the next year to clean up Johnny Macs mess.

 

Lemaire ended up setting the table for Deboer in 11/12. 
 

My initial reaction was not positive. However, track record matters and so does experience. 

I'd have to go back and look but I'm sure there were people complaining about Hynes pretty loudly as well, more Pittsburgh members, never won anything before, etc etc etc.

[HellOnICE]

I wonder if Boyle would come back as a part of a staff/office.I am assuming he's winding down the player life, smart guy, lots to offer. 

 

[DevsMan84]

38 minutes ago, HellOnICE said:

LAvi doesn't need to work right now - let's assume he's been good with his money, and I believe he's still being paid no? He can take his time and wait for a team to move coaches, he has his pick of jobs whenever that do. 

Dude, they've spent a ton of money on this team on/off the ice, I don't see any proof they've been stingy. It doesn't do anything for the value of the team if they lose all the time and erode fans and sponsors. This would be antithetical to growing the value.

Devils have the most cap space in the entire NHL, so I don't know where you are getting the spending a ton of money on and off the ice nonsense from.  PK (as well as Simmonds) were needed to reach the cap floor.  Yes, they paid Nico, but that was a no-brainer and fans would have revolted.  More examples than not the team keeps saying they want to compete and spend, but then their actions are the opposite.

I don't care if Laviolette needed the job or not.  If he is demanding x money in order for him to sign on then you pay the man.  I don't want to keep seeing the owners feed us garbage about doing everything they can to be competitive sooner rather than later only for them to cheap out.

[DevsMan84]

31 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

I'd have to go back and look but I'm sure there were people complaining about Hynes pretty loudly as well, more Pittsburgh members, never won anything before, etc etc etc.

And Hynes won exactly nothing with us.  He didn't do anything magical in 17-18 either.  That was due to KK having the best 40 games of his career and Hall having a Hart-trophy winning season.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

30 minutes ago, HellOnICE said:

LAvi doesn't need to work right now - let's assume he's been good with his money, and I believe he's still being paid no? He can take his time and wait for a team to move coaches, he has his pick of jobs whenever that do. 

Dude, they've spent a ton of money on this team on/off the ice, I don't see any proof they've been stingy. It doesn't do anything for the value of the team if they lose all the time and erode fans and sponsors. This would be antithetical to growing the value.

With you on the bolded.  

And it really could be a case where if you truly believe what Fitz says, that Ruff was simply the guy that they wanted to hire because they like him the best, even if the fans would rather have had Lavi or Gallant.

If this doesn't work out, and Ruff fails in relatively short order, then you can criticize Fitz & Co plenty.

Though I think DM84 is overdoing it and off-base with the "Cheap Owners" take (I think the lower payrolls of late were much more by design on Ray's part), I definitely understand his concern with where the team might be headed.  Right now these owners still have my support and I don't equate them with the Wilpons, but I really REALLY hope they're not slowly but surely turning into meddlers with the on-ice product...if they are, I think it might be a case of "Well, we let Lou do whatever he wanted, and then we let Ray do whatever HE wanted, and where did that get us?!  We need to start getting a lot more involved!" 

And I REALLY hope that's not their new thought process here.  Fitz has been a potential NHL GM candidate for a while now...it seems like he's pretty highly thought of.  I just hope he not only has a vision, but that he's allowed to try to see it through without too much interference.  I am going to be far less supportive of this ownership if they suddenly start believing that they're "Hockey Men". 

I'm also not so sure how I feel about Marty having been involved in selecting the coach...wasn't he brought back to be more involved with the business side of the franchise?  

[HellOnICE]

10 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

Devils have the most cap space in the entire NHL, so I don't know where you are getting the spending a ton of money on and off the ice nonsense from.  PK (as well as Simmonds) were needed to reach the cap floor.  Yes, they paid Nico, but that was a no-brainer and fans would have revolted.  More examples than not the team keeps saying they want to compete and spend, but then their actions are the opposite.

I don't care if Laviolette needed the job or not.  If he is demanding x money in order for him to sign on then you pay the man.  I don't want to keep seeing the owners feed us garbage about doing everything they can to be competitive sooner rather than later only for them to cheap out.

They brought in Simmonds, Subban and Gusev last off season at what 20M? Come on with this. 

You don't spend money for the sake of it, if you think there's a better fit out there, money aside - or at least a similar fit. 

I wouldn't sign anyone to a 5 year deal coaching right now, in fact, I'd likely not sign any coach to a five year deal who wasn't already in the org.

Edited July 10, 2020 by HellOnICE

[Jerzey]

7 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

With you on the bolded.  

And it really could be a case where if you truly believe what Fitz says, that Ruff was simply the guy that they wanted to hire because they like him the best, even if the fans would rather have had Lavi or Gallant.

If this doesn't work out, and Ruff fails in relatively short order, then you can criticize Fitz & Co plenty.

Though I think DM84 is overdoing it and off-base with the "Cheap Owners" take (I think the lower payrolls of late were much more by design on Ray's part), I definitely understand his concern with where the team might be headed.  Right now these owners still have my support and I don't equate them with the Wilpons, but I really REALLY hope they're not slowly but surely turning into meddlers with the on-ice product...if they are, I think it might be a case of "Well, we let Lou do whatever he wanted, and then we let Ray do whatever HE wanted, and where did that get us?!  We need to start getting a lot more involved!" 

And I REALLY hope that's not their new thought process here.  Fitz has been a potential NHL GM candidate for a while now...it seems like he's pretty highly thought of.  I just hope he not only has a vision, but that he's allowed to try to see it through without too much interference.  I am going to be far less supportive of this ownership if they suddenly start believing that they're "Hockey Men". 

I'm also not so sure how I feel about Marty having been involved in selecting the coach...wasn't he brought back to be more involved with the business side of the franchise?  

Apparently his role was changed to or expanded to Advisor to Hockey Operations after Shero was canned.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/sports/hockey/devils-shero-fired.amp.html

I think he eventually gets the role of GM but he said for now his kid is settled in in St. Louis so that’s where he spends most of his time.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Jerzey

[Satans Hockey]

Only posting this here cause of the owners being talked about in this thread but looks like they are out of the running for the Mets at the moment... 

 

 

[DevsMan84]

1 hour ago, Jerzey said:

Apparently his role was changed to or expanded to Advisor to Hockey Operations after Shero was canned.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/sports/hockey/devils-shero-fired.amp.html

I think he eventually gets the role of GM but he said for now his kid is settled in in St. Louis so that’s where he spends most of his time.

I really don't get any warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that Marty may one day be GM.  If he does, and he turns out to be a dud in the role, will these owners have the guts to fire him?  I can imagine the fan meltdown over that.  This is why I don't want former players in anything higher than assistant coaching positions (especially after MacLean).