On Monday afternoon, the New Jersey Devils announced they had relieved head coach Lindy Ruff of his duties, replacing him with Travis Green in the interim. This comes after the Devils lost two of three in what should have been an easy California road trip against the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks , and Los Angeles Kings. It comes as no surprise, as the team has struggled all season after being cited as a Stanley Cup favorite entering the 2023-24 campaign. No other coaching announcements were made, so it would seem as though the staff otherwise remains the same.
The Devils sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Divison, seven points back of the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the division and eight points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild-card spot. Ruff has gotten his fair share of slack this season for the Devils’ woes, from questionable line decisions to an overall lack of adjustments made with the team reeling. He recently took the blame for the lack of success in a press conference, saying that he took “full responsibility” for the way things have gone this season.
In his tenure with the Devils, Ruff coached the team to the tune of a 128-125-28 (.505) record, including a record-breaking season last year in which they totaled 112 points. Green, the Devils’ new interim coach, previously held the head coaching spot for the Vancouver Canucks, where he held a record of 133-147-34 (.478) from 2017-18 to 2021-22.
What Comes Next?
Usually, when a team has a coaching change, there is a surge in performance. Will the Devils still try to compete for a playoff spot with the knowledge that the Flyers will be selling at the trade deadline, or will they hang it up for the season and try to gain as many future assets as they can with expiring players? More importantly, who will become the Devils’ coach after this season?
With Green’s lack of success in his career, the Devils should consider all options in the off-season, especially considering who is available.
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