Devils GM: Lindy Ruff will return as head coach next season

New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff will return behind the bench for the 2023-24 season, general manager Tom Fitzgerald announced Wednesday.

"He'll be back behind the bench," Fitzgerald said of Ruff, whose current contract expires on June 30.

"He's still the right coach for this group. He deserves that. We deserve him. He's a great partner for me and those kids love him."

Ruff, 63, guided the Devils (52-22-8, 112 points) to franchise records in wins and points during the regular season. The 112 points marked a 49-point gain from 2021-22.

New Jersey defeated the Hudson River rival New York Rangers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second.

A Jack Adams Award finalist for the fourth time for a third different franchise, Ruff won the honor with the Buffalo Sabres in 2005-06.

Ruff is 98-98-24 during his three seasons with the Devils. He is 834-652-149 with 78 ties in 1,713 career games with the Sabres, Dallas Stars and Devils.