Confirmed with Link: Devils Fire Lindy Ruff - Travis Green is an Interim

[glenwo2]

I love Sherry

Love Sherry, not so much her choice in Coaches but I think she's going by who is available RIGHT NOW.

I'm sure if Sullivan became available, she'd be all over that.

 

[TrufleShufle]

I do always laugh when they talk about new direction and new voice and then turn it over to the assistant of the failed coach. Like, does he walk in and go "Look, I really wanted to tell you guys this but the mean guy wouldn't let me say it?"

Yea, I'm with you on this. Getting rid of Ruff is a great first step, but what I wouldn't give to have seen what this team could do with a month or so run up to the trade deadline with a fresh face in front of this group. No grudges, bias, history. Come in, assess, do what you can with the tools at your disposal and not be influenced by anything that has gone on prior. But maybe next year.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Should’ve never been the guy but thanks for letting the kids play.

Too late for this year but at least we can move on from Green faster too.

Agreed, and honestly i don’t even know how much i buy the “development” angle. I mean we’re looking at a team full of kids who don’t play defense, don’t start on time, take 15-30 minutes off every game, and can’t score unless the opponent lets them skate with impunity.

If I’m the owner, i’m sitting down with Fitz and asking “what did you see over the last few weeks that you didn’t see over the last 3 months?” Cuz now you only have 20 games in a disaster season to figure out who’s good, who isn’t, and whether Travis Green has any clue what he’s doing.

Ruff needed to go but waiting this long AND not bringing in a goalie who could at least absorb some starts were horrible, horrible decisions by Fitz. And I mostly find his moves unimpeachable except for hiring Ruff in the first place.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Yeah and the point is Lindy sucks either way and needed to GTFO like months ago. Bringing up the injuries in a thread about the coach is apologism.

I think our goalies have been given a raw deal for years now with this shitty system. Doesn’t mean I’ll be going out of my way to point that out when Vitek finally gets shipped out, cuz I know he needs to go regardless.

Well I didn’t bring up injuries, you did. It’s interesting how we were very healthy last year and set the franchise points record. I’m thinking that may be a factor. Who knows how last year goes with Dougie gone and Jack a shell of himself for a long stretch (and the same with whoever the equivalent of Timo would’ve been).

 

[TrufleShufle]

Agreed, and honestly i don’t even know how much i buy the “development” angle. I mean we’re looking at a team full of kids who don’t play defense, don’t start on time, take 15-30 minutes off every game, and can’t score unless the opponent lets them skate with impunity.

If I’m the owner, i’m sitting down with Fitz and asking “what did you see over the last few weeks that you didn’t see over the last 3 months?” Cuz now you only have 20 games in a disaster season to figure out who’s good, who isn’t, and whether Travis Green has any clue what he’s doing.

Ruff needed to go but waiting this long AND not bringing in a goalie who could at least absorb some starts were horrible, horrible decisions by Fitz. And I mostly find his moves unimpeachable except for hiring Ruff in the first place.

They were in the perfect spot at the end of last year. Young kids, finally all breaking out, all the confidence in the world, Ruff had a lot to do with that. But this season needed someone to harness all that raw talent and make a well structured team out of it.

But how can you can a guy, especially a friend after a playoff run and record season? Tough call.

 

[Guttersniped]

3 months too late but whatever. Green is absolute garbage but he's only temporary, right?

Yes, someone has to coach the team right now.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Well I didn’t bring up injuries, you did. It’s interesting how we were very healthy last year and set the franchise points record. I’m thinking that may be a factor. Who knows how last year goes with Dougie gone and Jack a shell of himself for a long stretch (and the same with whoever the equivalent of Timo would’ve been).

I didn’t bring it up either. I was responding to a post, I just didn’t quote it.

As far as what would have happened last year…they probably would have fallen apart, because Ruff has no plan B and no structure and no accountability for the little things that can help mitigate the damage when things go south.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Agreed, and honestly i don’t even know how much i buy the “development” angle. I mean we’re looking at a team full of kids who don’t play defense, don’t start on time, take 15-30 minutes off every game, and can’t score unless the opponent lets them skate with impunity.

If I’m the owner, i’m sitting down with Fitz and asking “what did you see over the last few weeks that you didn’t see over the last 3 months?” Cuz now you only have 20 games in a disaster season to figure out who’s good, who isn’t, and whether Travis Green has any clue what he’s doing.

Ruff needed to go but waiting this long AND not bringing in a goalie who could at least absorb some starts were horrible, horrible decisions by Fitz. And I mostly find his moves unimpeachable except for hiring Ruff in the first place.

It’s like we share a brain.

Not only is his “development” of these players questionable…but people act like all it entails is “letting the kids play”. If that’s the case, I could have done the job, I’ll gladly take millions to simply sit back and give young players minutes and not have to do anything else.

 

[Guttersniped]

What is with that poor picture quality?

We have standards here sir.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I didn’t bring it up either. I was responding to a post, I just didn’t quote it.

As far as what would have happened last year…they probably would have fallen apart, because Ruff has no plan B and no structure and no accountability for the little things that can help mitigate the damage when things go south.

It’s hard to have a plan B for losing players like that. I think we absorb the Dougie loss this year if we had a healthy full power Jack and Timo all year. Luke getting knocked out by the rookie wall has really added to the shit storm.

I think Lindy was both not the guy to lead them to a championship and also victim of terrible circumstances. This was a strange year from the start knowing we were likely breaking in two rookies on D. When does that ever happen?

 

[MasterofGrond]

Ruff can have needed to be fired and also been unlucky.

 

[mort4345]

What's your guys' take on Rikard Gronborg as a potential head coach. Keep hearing his name pop up with every coaching vacancy but don't know much about him. Any thoughts either way?

 

[Bone Density]

No chance they hire Gronborg lol

 

[Edmonton East]

Just play Hughes with Holtz the rest of the season and let's see how it looks. Only issue being Hughes' laughably bad 37% from the dot, which is kind of an issue for a top 6 C. F it, let's get wild (partly serious):

Hughes - Mercer - Holtz
Bratt - Hischier - Meier
Palat - Haula - Toffoli

I know, I know. Hughes has to play C. Have Mercer just take the draws then. Man, 37 friggin % for a guy considered a top flight CENTER is insane in his 5th season. Gotta be low 40s next season...basically the threshold for a fulltime top 6 C.

Rambling aside, Holtz and Meier need to play in the top 6 alongside Hughes and Nico. The end. Front office needs visibility into if these guys fit/can play together prior to the offseason.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Well I didn’t bring up injuries, you did. It’s interesting how we were very healthy last year and set the franchise points record. I’m thinking that may be a factor. Who knows how last year goes with Dougie gone and Jack a shell of himself for a long stretch (and the same with whoever the equivalent of Timo would’ve been).

They've played bad hockey from just about day 1 of the regular season.

There hasn't been a time over the past three years where this team hasn't been talented, and also hasn't faced some injury problems.

Maybe we are a playoff team with Dougie and Jack healthy all year, but we would still be a profoundly broken, underperforming one, and Jack and Nico's robustness have been questioned since before we picked him, in Jack's case, and since Nico had been in the league.

Even with perfect luck, and no injuries, there needed to be an air change in that lockerroom, and the calculated signings, and nonsignings were a bigger problem - despite all being what seems like correct moves... I don't buy the 'aww, we were just unlucky' argument.

Love Sherry, not so much her choice in Coaches but I think she's going by who is available RIGHT NOW.

I'm sure if Sullivan became available, she'd be all over that.

Boudreau is out there, lol. I'd love to hear the lockerroom cursing after any period of the last like ten games.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Yeah that's why it would probably be good if we continue to tank.

Tanking would cause irreparable harm to the team, the players, ticket sales.

It's not an acceptable choice

 

[Edmonton East]

I was afraid of this lol…the fact this guy had his first big break because of Markstrom is thick with irony

Meh. I would take that guy's opinion with a huge grain of salt. I'm not a Green fan, but his argument doesn't make sense. Same goes for most of the Vancouver fans and some of our own board.

Green played the shit out of several youngsters. He got great immediate production out of Pettersson, Hughes, Boeser. Horvat played fine too. They were kids playing top minutes. This whole narrative that he favored grinders and was a detriment to the kids is ridiculous. Canucks had a very young team.

 

[Emperoreddy]

There were in control of their own destiny when it came to the playoffs like two weeks ago, that's in spite of the injuries.

Ruff and his system, his decision making, and his inability to inspire this team while running the one good goalie we had left into thr ground and being a failure of a special team's coach spoiled that.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Ruff can have needed to be fired and also been unlucky.

Absolutely, and I feel guilty thinking it but it might have been better in the long term to have so much adversity hit at once. With a mostly healthy lineup and/or better goaltending, the Devils might be comfortably in a wild card spot and who knows how much longer Lindy would stick around.

I said it awhile back but the biggest issue with Lindy Ruff is that he's NOT a terrible coach. But he's also not a good coach, and if the results were just barely good enough to keep him hired but not good enough to go all the way or even win two rounds, how much more damage is that in the long run?

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Just play Hughes with Holtz the rest of the season and let's see how it looks. Only issue being Hughes' laughably bad 37% from the dot, which is kind of an issue for a top 6 C. F it, let's get wild (partly serious):

Hughes - Mercer - Holtz
Bratt - Hischier - Meier
Palat - Haula - Toffoli

I know, I know. Hughes has to play C. Have Mercer just take the draws then. Man, 37 friggin % for a guy considered a top flight CENTER is insane in his 5th season. Gotta be low 40s next season...basically the threshold for a fulltime top 6 C.

Rambling aside, Holtz and Meier need to play in the top 6 alongside Hughes and Nico. The end. Front office needs visibility into if these guys fit/can play together prior to the offseason.

faceoff % is next to meaningless.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

faceoff % is next to meaningless.

part of the reason it's meaningless is because it's often used to compare a 48% player with a 51% player as if one of those is dramatically better than the other. If you're losing 2 of every 3 faceoffs, that's pretty bad.

 

[Devils Army]

Just play Hughes with Holtz the rest of the season and let's see how it looks. Only issue being Hughes' laughably bad 37% from the dot, which is kind of an issue for a top 6 C. F it, let's get wild (partly serious):

Hughes - Mercer - Holtz
Bratt - Hischier - Meier
Palat - Haula - Toffoli

I know, I know. Hughes has to play C. Have Mercer just take the draws then. Man, 37 friggin % for a guy considered a top flight CENTER is insane in his 5th season. Gotta be low 40s next season...basically the threshold for a fulltime top 6 C.

Rambling aside, Holtz and Meier need to play in the top 6 alongside Hughes and Nico. The end. Front office needs visibility into if these guys fit/can play together prior to the offseason.

If Jack isn't healthy enough to take faceoffs he shouldn't be playing

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

part of the reason it's meaningless is because it's often used to compare a 48% player with a 51% player as if one of those is dramatically better than the other. If you're losing 2 of every 3 faceoffs, that's pretty bad.

a 37% guy vs a 47% is the difference of like 2 faceoffs/period.

Its truly nearly meaningless.

 

[ZYXWVUT]

Hughes needs to do the Crosby thing where he goes crazy working on his face offs. Although pretty sure sid did it after like year one or two in the league. And I suppose he is also significantly stronger than Hughes will ever be.

 

[JrFischer54]

I do always laugh when they talk about new direction and new voice and then turn it over to the assistant of the failed coach. Like, does he walk in and go "Look, I really wanted to tell you guys this but the mean guy wouldn't let me say it?"

Agreed but on the flip side green is auditioning for the job so he should do the total opposite of what they were doing in practice