Part of the reason I find some of the Lindy discourse so disingenuous from the media is that…had Buffalo hired Gallant the same people would have been clapping seals applauding the move. It’s like the same guy with less questions about work with young players. Do you know what Gallant’s last game coached was? Losing to Lindy’s Devils, a younger but better coached team. What happened the Rangers once they changed coaches? How’d they end up this year? Oh…best team in the league with massive contributions from players Gallant couldn’t reach? Cool.
That is recent success. That’s fit. That’s not a joke. So yeah…laugh it up Puck Soup podcast. You’d be cheering a worse hire.
Ryan's take on this seems to be that Ruff is bad because he was mean to Holtz and with a nod to Vanecek having "the worst 5-on-5 HDSV% of any heavily used goalie in the league" as though that second point isn't the reason they floundered all while ignoring how the Devils XGF ratio tanked under Green after Ruff was canned. Almost like maybe, despite the big meanie being mean to an EP wunderkind, Green is kind of shit and Buffalo might want to see if the guy who got those fancy xG stats out of the Devils might want to see if they can get a bump in their own xG stats WHILE NOT getting "the worst 5-on-5 HDSV% of any heavily used goalie in the league".
The articles in question -
Arrival of Lindy Ruff only raises more questions than answers for Buffalo Sabres
and
The New Jersey Devils weren't necessarily wrong to fire head coach Lindy Ruff, but there are clearly bigger problems afoot.
eprinkside.com
Oh, he played Bahl too much. Oh, that's right, I see. He had a
defenseman who defended better than a defenseman who defends by creating defense. OOOOOOOooooookaaaaay. Weird. Edit - maybe it was the other 2-way defenseman who also is excellent at transition but maybe he didn't play as well in his own zone. Double weird.