I may need to consult a doctor
I think Ruff has to get some credit here, at least. I think many sports fans assume if results improve, there had to be a change in process. But if you can appreciate how loosely tied results normally are to the process, particularly in sports like hockey, you can appreciate that these changes can be overrated a bit.
The system they're playing is not that different compared to what they were doing last year. They just haven't had players executing at nearly this level. The players definitely get credit for continuing to improve, learning the system better. The assistants get credit for the tweaks they have made and for the clear improvements they've made with special teams. And the goaltending definitely gets credit (including Blackwood when he has played), for being more dependable, which allows the team to stick to what they do better. All of these things are interconnected and therefore all and none of them deserve as much credit or blame directly as they get for results.
It's very easy for coaches and management in sports to be reactionary to appease fans, and much more difficult to stick to their plan. Another way of saying this is, it's easy for coaches to look bad when they're coaching bad teams.
So let's give some credit to Ruff for sticking to his plan and knowing the results would come. Let's give credit to the players and assistants, both old and new, for giving him a better team and support system to work with, and let's give credit to Fitz for making some damn solid moves this offseason to bolster a group he believed in.