Confirmed with Link: Lindy Ruff hired as head coach of NJD

[Thirty One]

Greg Brown is already the scapegoat.

"He only has one season of NHL experience! Of course he's not good!"

Lack of experience is considered a huge plus here.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

NJ is going to give up all the goals.

his Dallas teams were abysmal defensively.

 

[bobbop]

I would imagine the Rangers have known about this for a while. They have a plan.

 

[TheWhiskeyThief]

Once they ran the gum chewer off the D sorta turned the corner, got better as partner communicating improved and Hank’s D preference quirks went away.

But he’s not a guy who adds 5% to a squad, let alone 10%. That is a squad that is lacking in talent that needs every boost it can get.

 

[nyr2k2]

I’ve never seen ever in the NHL a guy coaching one team while having been formally announced as the new head coach for another. Never. Actually in no sport have I seen a formal announcement during the season. So he can’t come back If NJ makes it official tomorrow

Well, none of us have ever seen a five-month pause of the season followed by this play-in shit before. So it would figure that you'd see some unusual things.

It does happen in college football pretty frequently.

 

[nyr2k2]

I would imagine the Rangers have known about this for a while. They have a plan.

Of course. I think the second NJ approached and asked for permission to talk to Ruff, the Rangers started planning for the potential that he's not around to finish this out.

 

[Irishguy42]

Ruff was out of a contract this offseason, so of course the Rangers had to have known this was coming.

 

[bbny]

 

[coz21]

I’ve never seen ever in the NHL a guy coaching one team while having been formally announced as the new head coach for another. Never. Actually in no sport have I seen a formal announcement during the season. So he can’t come back If NJ makes it official tomorrow

Scott Frost did it in 2017, coaching UCF to their win over Auburn, after Nebraska had hired him a month earlier.

 

[Richard Banger]

Unbelievably happy with this news. The guy was straight Ass for our D.

 

[egelband]

I’ll guarantee you one thing for certain. No one happier about this than David Quinn. You know Old boys club Lindy was forced on him. Now he can work with someone that knows what they’re doing.

While I like Lindy, I do agree with this too.

 

[Gospel of Prospal]

Three candidates that come to mind to replace Ruff:

1) Greg Brown
2) Steve Greeley
3) Scott Stevens

 

[Gospel of Prospal]

 

[bobbop]

Three candidates to replace Ruff:

1) Greg Brown
2) Steve Greeley
3) Scott Stevens

Big vote for Stevens here. I expect Greeley will show up in the front office any day now.

 

[egelband]

Once they ran the gum chewer off the D sorta turned the corner, got better as partner communicating improved and Hank’s D preference quirks went away.

But he’s not a guy who adds 5% to a squad, let alone 10%. That is a squad that is lacking in talent that needs every boost it can get.

I agree a position coach is only going to impact a team’s performance minimally. 5% sounds right to me.
What Ruff adds or subtracts, though, is hard to say.
We naturally tend to magnify the errors. But I’d also credit him, likewise, with the progress we saw later in the season after a lot of growing pains and personnel adjustments.

 

[Crease]

It would be way weird having Stevens behind the Rangers bench. Weirder than Trottier.

 

[Leetch3]

It would be way weird having Stevens behind the Rangers the bench. Weirder than Trottier.

only if he's terrible at his job like trottier

 

[nyr2k2]

Three candidates to replace Ruff:

1) Greg Brown
2) Steve Greeley
3) Scott Stevens

Why Greeley? He's a front office guy now. I know he has the Quinn ties, but still.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Why is Scott Stevens even being mentioned here? He hasn't coached in years and its not like its realistic or he has an amazing track record or something.

Hes being hired for the offense and transition game, which the Devils are built around

Crazy to say but the Devils of the future will be a far cry of the Devils from the past. High octane offense with a lot of transitional speed vs defensive grinders who hold teams in their zones for hours

He also comes with a track record of coaching some of the worst defensive teams of our time so yeah, bring on the new Devils.

Blackwood is straight up going to quit.

 

[Levitate]

I don't think all the Rangers struggles on D this past year were just on Ruff...it was a young D with guys having to play above their heads often

That said I dont think Ruff particularly helped or was a huge asset back there either. Who knows, maybe the Rangers will suffer without his experience behind the bench but...maybe not, maybe it's a chance to get someone who can make more of a difference in there

 

[Gospel of Prospal]

Why Greeley? He's a front office guy now. I know he has the Quinn ties, but still.

That's what I'm basing it off of. The fact that he was on Quinn's coaching staff at BU.

 

[Kovalev27]

Well, none of us have ever seen a five-month pause of the season followed by this play-in shit before. So it would figure that you'd see some unusual things.

It does happen in college football pretty frequently.

yes I’m sure somewhere in the galaxy it’s happened but the major pro sports an official announcement before a team finishes? No way

 

[Kovalev27]

Write Laviolette a 5 mil check to coach the defense why the F not Dolan has spent more money on worse investments

 

[Thirty One]

Alain Nasreddine will probably be available. Former defenseman, assistant coach of 5 seasons, short stint as interim head coach.

 

[IamNotADancer]

Call me crazy but Ruff should not be behind the bench in any capacity for the Rangers this season now that it's set in stone he will be coaching another team (regardless of rivalry).