With the Devils Looking to Win Now, Questions Surround Second Overall Pick, Lindy Ruff
After another mediocre finish, New Jersey Devils fans grow impatient, and this offseason could be make-or-break for the current regime. Earlier this offseason Tom Fitzgerald & co. parted ways with Assistant Coaches Alain Nasreddine & Mark Recchi, yet they retained Head Coach Lindy Ruff while loads of Devils fans called for Ruff's dismissal. If it were not for Jack Hughes strong endorsement, it is likely Ruff would be yet another head coach looking for employment:
Between Jack Hughes' glowing review & the fact that Ruff has one season left on his contract, the Devils' GM ultimately decided to give Ruff another shot. That said, if the Devils get off to another slow start you could bet your bottom dollar he will get canned, fast. The Devils need to make a jump this season, they are out of excuses. Ruff will be coaching on a short leash, according to Elliotte Friedman, and the Devils still need to hire two assistant coaches to replace Recchi & Nasreddine. So odds are they will look to hire an assistant who could assume the head coaching role, should the need arise. Andrew Brunette, perhaps?
Further to Friedman's report via After the Whistle also suggests the Devils' apparent willingness to trade their #2 Overall Draft Pick means they want to win, and they want to win now. And if there was a summer to swing for the fences this might be the one. Alex Debrincat, Kevin Fiala & maybe even Timo Meier could be had in exchange for their top draft choice. They also have a plethora of prospects & young NHL ready forwards, so they have lots to offer a potential trade partner, plus $26 million in salary cap space. Furthermore, this summer's free-agent class features Johnny Gaudreau, Filip Forsberg, Nazem Kadri plus several others whose acquisitions would immediately make the Devils better. So Tom Fitzgerald & the Devils' Front Office, with all their resources, had better put them to good use.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 28 | 194 ANSWERS With the Devils Looking to Win Now, Questions Surround Second Overall Pick, Lindy Ruff Should the Devils trade #2 Overall or Keep It? | ||
| Trade it | 96 | 49.5 % |
| Keep it | 98 | 50.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||