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The New Jersey Devils have fired head coach Lindy Ruff, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com. Travis Green will step up as interim head coach. Green has served as an associate coach in New Jersey this season — his first coaching gig since being relieved from a five-year stint as the Vancouver Canucks head coach in 2021-22.
Ruff has been with the Devils since the 2020-21 season, relieving Alain Nasreddine from his 43-game stint following John Hynes’ departure. He led the Devils to their highest point total in club history last season, earning 112 points and New Jersey’s second playoff berth of the last decade.
But the Devils didn’t make much come from the historic season, getting booted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round. They’ve struggled to get their prowess back this year, falling to a 30-27-4 record largely thanks to their long list of injuries — including Dougie Hamilton, whose season was cut short by a torn pectoral in November and stars Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, who have played in just 45 and 50 games respectively.
Their circumstance would be challenging for any team to handle, though Ruff’s lineup choices have been called into question many times. His use of young forward Alexander Holtz has been particularly divisive, with Holtz averaging just over 11-and-a-half minutes and minimal power-play time despite scoring 13 goals and 24 points.
Holtz has expressed frustrations with his role, telling NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky, “I don’t know, it’s hard to say. … Some games I don’t play that much. I’m just trying to focus to get better every day and show them I’m able to play more.”
Holtz will now be commanded by Green, who had plenty of experience bringing up young players in Vancouver — serving as the head coach for Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes in their rookie seasons. Green totaled a measly .462 win percentage across his five years in Vancouver, though he did lead the team to the second round of the playoffs in the 2019-20 season.
The Canucks were Green’s first NHL coaching role, coming after he served four years as head coach for the AHL’s Utica Comets. He now steps into a new role with experience in hand, and may even have a chance to secure the job with the Devils on the cusp of the playoff race.
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Pierre LeBrun Reveals Details on Rangers' Potential Artemi Panarin Decision
The New York Rangers have stumbled out of the gate under new head coach Mike Sullivan, opening the season 5-5-2 and struggling to find consistency on offense. The slow start has renewed speculation around the futures of several veterans, including star winger Artemi Panarin. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the Rangers have not begun formal negotiations on a contract extension for Panarin, who is in the final season of his seven-year, $81.5 million deal and eligible for unrestricted free agency next July. LeBrun reported that while the Rangers have “a ton of respect and appreciation” for what Panarin has done, the front office plans to wait before engaging in serious talks. “For the moment, my sense of the situation is that it’s very early in the season,” LeBrun wrote. “The Rangers want to see how things go and therefore are not in a hurry to get going more seriously on talks to extend the pending UFA winger.” According to LeBrun, the term of Panarin's next contract is expected to be a key factor in talks for an extension, as Panarin is unlikely to consider a short-term deal, while the Rangers would prefer a shorter commitment because of his age. "If and when those talks get going again in a meaningful way, term may be the issue. Panarin turned 34 on Thursday,” LeBrun wrote. “I don’t think he’ll be open to a short-term deal, which would probably be the Rangers’ preference." Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has also discussed Panarin’s situation of late, noting that his performance this season will likely determine his chances of staying in New York. “If he’s gonna stay in New York, at what he wants, he’s gonna have to have the kind of year that makes them say we got to do this,” Friedman said. Through 12 games, Panarin has scored two goals and assisted on five more for seven total points, and it looks like his production and the Rangers’ results could shape whether the two sides explore an extension or part ways before free agency.
Charles Barkley knows the real problem with LeBron James
LeBron James may be out due to sciatica, but Charles Barkley is not buying it. He thinks he knows what is really going on with the Los Angeles Lakers star. Barkley was goofing around during “Inside the NBA” on ESPN Wednesday and talked about the Lakers, who had several players out for their game at the Minnesota Timberwolves. James was listed as out due to sciatica, which is a nerve issue. Barkley thinks the sciatica injury is a cover for something else. “First of all, LeBron doesn’t have a sciatica. They just put ‘old.’ O-L-D, with an extra ‘D,’ too,” Barkley joked. An update on James’ condition came out this week, saying that the Lakers forward could return in a few weeks. The Lakers have seemed to suggest that there is no urgency to rush James into action. However, Luka Doncic also getting hurt recently may have changed things for the team. For now, the Lakers are 3-2 and have been relying on Austin Reaves to do plenty of scoring. He is averaging 34.2 points per game this season. James is 40 years old and entering his 23rd NBA season. He’s allowed to have “old” or sciatica as an injury issue. As Barkley knows and often says, Father Time is undefeated.
Cowboys WR George Pickens has telling response to question about contract
George Pickens is having an outstanding first season with the Dallas Cowboys, and the career-best pace has come at a time when he is preparing for potential free agency. Is it possible the star wide receiver could sign an extension before he gets to that point? Pickens says that is up to his boss. Pickens, who was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, is in the final season of his rookie contract. He was asked on Thursday if he would consider signing a new deal with the Cowboys before he becomes a free agent after the season. He had a noteworthy response. "That’s kinda up to what (Jerry Jones) wants to do. All I can do is perform at my best," Pickens said. George Pickens has earned No. 1 wideout money Pickens has 685 receiving yards through the first eight weeks of the season, which ranks third in the NFL. His six touchdown catches are already the most of his four-year career. CeeDee Lamb missed several games this season with an ankle injury, and Pickens showed during that time that he is more than capable of being the featured wideout in a quality offense. That should go a long way toward setting his market, whether he re-signs with the Cowboys or becomes a free agent. With Lamb making an average of $34M per year, the Cowboys probably cannot afford to keep Pickens. For now, the 24-year-old is at least giving off the impression that he is open to the possibility. He also suggested recently that money is not the most important thing to him with his next contract, which could keep Dallas in the running.
Bengals' Joe Flacco gives promising injury update ahead of Bears game
A report earlier this week noted that Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Joe Flacco might miss Sunday's home game against the Chicago Bears (4-3). He suffered an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder during Cincinnati's Week 8 loss to the New York Jets. Flacco later practiced in full on Thursday, and he sounded confident about his availability while speaking with reporters on Friday. How is Joe Flacco feeling ahead of Bengals-Bears clash? "I've never really talked about injuries before, so I don't know what to say, but yeah, I feel good," Flacco explained, per Russ Heltman of Sports Illustrated. The Bengals are expected to be without Week 1 QB1 Joe Burrow until at least "mid-December" after he had surgery to repair the toe injury he suffered in Week 2. Temporary fill-in Jake Browning played poorly across three starts, all of which he lost, and the Bengals subsequently acquired Flacco from the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 7. Flacco likely would've led Cincinnati to consecutive wins if he and his offense hadn't been let down by the Bengals' defense during the Oct. 26 game against the Jets. On Friday, he indicated that the idea of skipping the Bears game to recover during Cincinnati's Week 10 bye never crossed his mind. "I didn't really give it much thought," Flacco said. "You're the quarterback, you know, and then you take it from there. So I think my initial instinct is always whatever we can do to get there and then adjust." Joe Flacco felt "obligation" to try to keep Bengals in playoff hunt Whispers suggest the Bengals might part ways with veteran pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson before the Nov. 4 trade deadline if they drop to 3-6 this weekend and get "exorbitant draft-pick compensation" in exchange for him. Understandably, Flacco had other things on his mind. "There's always a sense of obligation to go out there and be there for your team," Flacco added. "I missed my second son's birth (Sept. 2013) because I thought it was important for the quarterback to be out there. I didn't know I was going to miss it, like, it just so happened that he came on that day, but I do feel a sense of obligation being out there for the guys that you play with." Shortly after Flacco wrapped up his remarks, ESPN BET had the 3-5 Bengals as 2.5-point home underdogs against the Bears.
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