Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - offseason edition

[mtnet]

Then he better make a BIG SPLASH this offseason in the goalie department.

One that ensures Ruff don't start throwing Blackwood out there once the new guy starts struggling. Ruff seems to really get it up for Blackwood the same way Pete did for Marty in 13-14 and Martin Jones which definitely got him fired a little bit quicker in San Jose.

So true on getting a goalie. Unless we can acquire someone solid, expect yet another lottery year. Fitz made the lazy decision on Ruff, so he needs to impress when it comes to addressing team deficiencies this offseason.

If we're circling the drain again by the end of November they better have a HC replacement ready to step in.

 

[RangerDoggo]

Certainly less positive than the Bratt comments

 

[Eggtimer]

Ya Zacha is a goner unless Fitz cannot find a dance partner to trade with .
Ruff - Stays on if they cannot find anyone better .
If they can find someone better , Ruff is gone. I’m not worried about the Ruff situation . Either we get a bette coach or we stick with one that helps develop our studs. I’d say it’s 65% Ruff is gone , he stays on if Bruce B and other coaches are not available.

 

[Devils731]

I didn’t take Nico’s exit interview as very supportive.

I didn’t take it as an attack on Ruff but it seemed like Nico wanted a different philosophy.

 

[RangerDoggo]

The noncommittal answer to Ruff makes me think they're taking their time with a final decision, which will almost certainly be dependent on whoever is available. If they smell blood in the water for any team's coaches, they'll do it.

 

[Bleedred]

So true on getting a goalie. Unless we can acquire someone solid, expect yet another lottery year. Fitz made the lazy decision on Ruff, so he needs to impress when it comes to addressing team deficiencies this offseason.

If we're circling the drain again by the end of November they better have a HC replacement ready to step in.

I'd be willing to forgive this Ruff stuff, if he went out and got a REALLY GOOD goalie, punted Blackwood the f*** out of town and picked up James Reimer to be the backup and Bernier is the catastrophe policy. The Sharks need to get rid of a goalie because they have three for next year and they just got Kahkonen, so it probably won't be him. But NONE of them are good enough to acquire to bring here and stick in front of Blackwood. We'd maybe be slightly better off than this year, considering Jon Gillies and Andrew Hammond wouldn't be seeing any ice time.

There used to be an adage that changing your goalie is almost as big of a franchise changing move as firing the head coach is and I really don't have ANY interest in seeing any of these shit head goalies (including Blackwood) play a second of ice time here next year.

And I still think worst case scenario, Blackwood gets Cory'd early next year and sent to the AHL, which probably means Daws comes back (unless it's Schmid) or that's when Bernier is activated. There's also the worry for me that when whatever we goalie we acquire starts struggling, Ruff pops a Blackwood boner pill and starts playing him a whole bunch, just like when Vanecek struggled and Samsonov was starting all those games late in the season for Washington, which were mostly wins in spite of him or losses mostly because of him. If we got a REALLY GOOD goalie that's already established, I think the chances of Blackwood playing more games than he should are very low. Even with the Ruff boner for him.

 

[FinnishDevil]

I'm fine keeping Ruff.. for now.

But if lets say someone like Sullivan comes available and were not gonna make a call..

Ruff was never the guy to take this team to a next level. He came here to develop our young players and has done that. I hope they can identify the coach they see as the one who can push us over the edge.

 

[NJDevs26]

I didn’t take Nico’s exit interview as very supportive.

I didn’t take it as an attack on Ruff but it seemed like Nico wanted a different philosophy.

I believe Fitz meant the organization exit meetings behind closed doors rather than the exit interviews for media and fans.

It’s possible Nico was just more noncommittal in public to A) not put public pressure on the organization or B) to avoid the appearance he has zero influence if the decision went the other way

 

[OmNomNom]

 

[Devils731]

I believe Fitz meant the organization exit meetings behind closed doors rather than the exit interviews for media and fans

I agree but I’d be surprised if Nico was more honest and positive behind closed doors than in the public interview.

The public interviews are normally all roses and behind the scenes you give your honest assessment; not the other way around.

It would be very weird to give a mixed opinion in public but give full support privately to a coach.

 

[OmNomNom]

 

[R8Devs]

I agree but I’d be surprised if Nico was more honest and positive behind closed doors than in the public interview.

The public interviews are normally all roses and behind the scenes you give your honest assessment; not the other way around.

It would be very weird to give a mixed opinion in public but give full support privately to a coach.

if you watch the video it erases the tone that people have taken with it on twitter. and he was talking about all the coaches not just lindy

 

[Oneiro]

Could take this one a few different ways.

 

[Bleedred]

The noncommittal answer to Ruff makes me think they're taking their time with a final decision, which will almost certainly be dependent on whoever is available. If they smell blood in the water for any team's coaches, they'll do it.

Did he definitely not say Ruff is coming back? Because most of this reads like he is being brought back, but I'm sure the entire presser will be posted later.

If he didn't specifically say he is coming back, it would appear he's waiting for the true offseason to begin to see who might become available once teams start getting eliminated from the playoffs or the playoffs end.

I heard something how Boudreau is free to talk to anybody until June 1st and then he has to just take his one year in Vancouver and go back there?

 

[Mgd31]

Could take this one a few different ways.

What a ridiculously cagey response, holy crap lol

 

[RangerDoggo]

Could take this one a few different ways.

I don't know whether this is an endorsement or an underhanded way of saying Ruff has betrayed him

 

[Darkauron]

Whelp. That 100% means Ruff is staying

 

[OmNomNom]

questions are done

 

[Whaddagoal]

I don't know whether this is an endorsement or an underhanded way of saying Ruff has betrayed him

Sounds like Ruff endorsement, and Fitz has an eye for Ruff moving up to management at some point ...... if things succeed, lol.

But it is cryptic. So Ruff holds some dotted-line advisory position to Fitz and also is HC. So if next season goes sour, I guess Fitz will have to go for sure because he's going all in on Ruff.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm fine keeping Ruff.. for now.

But if lets say someone like Sullivan comes available and were not gonna make a call..

Ruff was never the guy to take this team to a next level. He came here to develop our young players and has done that. I hope they can identify the coach they see as the one who can push us over the edge.

I'm gonna be really f***in annoyed if Sullivan or Boudreau are coaching for a different team next year than the ones they coached this year (that aren't ours) and we still have Ruff out there.

We should be able to land ONE of them if they're available.

That said, I don't think Pittsburgh is gonna get rid of Sullivan after this year. I just don't see it happening under any circumstance.

I can't really make a prediction on if I think Boudreau will stay in Vancouver or be coaching somewhere else.

Detroit could be in the Boudreau sweepstakes, but there's too much Lane Lambert at this point. Philly? They're lazy and stupid if they go to the Rick Tocchet well, but they make a whole lot of lazy and stupid decisions there.

I expect San Jose to be in on Boudreau. I doubt the new GM is gonna come in there and do what Yzerman did by keeping Blashill leftover from the previous regime. Not to mention that San Jose wants to be a win-now team (they really shouldn't be) and Detroit and Yzerman knew they were gonna be bad for a while.

 

[MauDevils]

Lindy Ruff is a weird hill to die on.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I agree but I’d be surprised if Nico was more honest and positive behind closed doors than in the public interview.

The public interviews are normally all roses and behind the scenes you give your honest assessment; not the other way around.

It would be very weird to give a mixed opinion in public but give full support privately to a coach.

He never said anything bad in his interview. He was asked about the whole coaching staff (not Ruff specifically) and said he didn’t want to comment. He may have already knew that Nas and Recchi were gone too.

He very well may have given full support to Ruff behind closed doors. Maybe he had mixed feedback on the other guys. So many people took way to much from what he said in his interview.

 

[Eggtimer]

I take it as they can / might still hire a new HC. But Ruff will probably still be employed in some capacity

 

[mtnet]

I would like to believe in people who think like me so that we both believe in the same line of thinking, if you think you can believe that.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I take it as they can / might still hire a new HC. But Ruff will probably still be employed in some capacity

It seems very likely that Ruff is coming back. I’m fine with it. The young players and Fitz clearly believe in him and he seems to be good at developing young players.

So Mukhammadullin is coming to Utica right now. Does this mean he’s gonna be in North America to start next season? Does that hurt Smith’s outlook even more?