Confirmed with Link: Lindy Ruff named Head Coach, Press Conference at 1:00 PM EDT

[Dirty Dog]

I don't doubt he talked to some other candidates.

But the fact that he essentially described Lindy Ruff last week

Hired Lindy Ruff this week.

It'd be like me telling my wife "I'm going to get an electric truck with a unique triangle aesthetic that looks like a toddler designed' and then coming home with a Cybertruck and then telling her I did an extensive search for triangle electric trucks designed by toddlers, i must have test drove dozens!

Just really feels like he was told "we're hiring Lindy" and did some phone calls to cover his own ass so he doesn't just have to say "yeah I did what terry told me to do"

It's been one of the most annoying this about Adams, he constantly has to weave a BS narrative whenever the Pegulas tell him to eat a shit sandwich.

There’s so much wrong with that analogy I can’t even. And oh look! Your speculation matches your pegula theories, how convenient

 

[Ace]

Part of the reason I find some of the Lindy discourse so disingenuous from the media is that…had Buffalo hired Gallant the same people would have been clapping seals applauding the move. It’s like the same guy with less questions about work with young players. Do you know what Gallant’s last game coached was? Losing to Lindy’s Devils, a younger but better coached team. What happened the Rangers once they changed coaches? How’d they end up this year? Oh…best team in the league with massive contributions from players Gallant couldn’t reach? Cool.

That is recent success. That’s fit. That’s not a joke. So yeah…laugh it up Puck Soup podcast. You’d be cheering a worse hire.

 

[joshjull]

Kind of the opposite of what Kevyn said during the press conference.

Friedman asserted 3 possibilities

1) "I don't think the Sabres really contacted anybody,
2) or if they did it was very minimal
3) or it definitely didn't go down a process.

It’s pretty clear from those different options he doesn’t really know what took place and is speculating.

 

[toddkaz]

One day before Lindy was hired Friedman was saying he couldn’t even confirm if interest in Lindy was real or a rumor.

He’s the best. But he also knows nothing about what happens in this building. Literally the day before…couldn’t confirm if they even wanted a guy he now says was their only target. Ok.

There is always two parties though right so even though Adams is tight lipped Friedman can still speak with Berube, Gallant and such.

 

[Beerz]

The easy and more popular route would of been going with a Berube or Gallant .. it would of been seen as a win across the board from talking heads. Instead they went with Ruff knowing this type of ridicule would happen.

 

[Chainshot]

Part of the reason I find some of the Lindy discourse so disingenuous from the media is that…had Buffalo hired Gallant the same people would have been clapping seals applauding the move. It’s like the same guy with less questions about work with young players. Do you know what Gallant’s last game coached was? Losing to Lindy’s Devils, a younger but better coached team. What happened the Rangers once they changed coaches? How’d they end up this year? Oh…best team in the league with massive contributions from players Gallant couldn’t reach? Cool.

That is recent success. That’s fit. That’s not a joke. So yeah…laugh it up Puck Soup podcast. You’d be cheering a worse hire.

Ryan's take on this seems to be that Ruff is bad because he was mean to Holtz and with a nod to Vanecek having "the worst 5-on-5 HDSV% of any heavily used goalie in the league" as though that second point isn't the reason they floundered all while ignoring how the Devils XGF ratio tanked under Green after Ruff was canned. Almost like maybe, despite the big meanie being mean to an EP wunderkind, Green is kind of shit and Buffalo might want to see if the guy who got those fancy xG stats out of the Devils might want to see if they can get a bump in their own xG stats WHILE NOT getting "the worst 5-on-5 HDSV% of any heavily used goalie in the league".

The articles in question - Arrival of Lindy Ruff only raises more questions than answers for Buffalo Sabres

and

New Jersey Devils fire Lindy Ruff for some stuff that's his fault and even more that's not

The New Jersey Devils weren't necessarily wrong to fire head coach Lindy Ruff, but there are clearly bigger problems afoot.

eprinkside.com

Oh, he played Bahl too much. Oh, that's right, I see. He had a defenseman who defended better than a defenseman who defends by creating defense. OOOOOOOooooookaaaaay. Weird. Edit - maybe it was the other 2-way defenseman who also is excellent at transition but maybe he didn't play as well in his own zone. Double weird.

 

[sabremike]

The easy and more popular route would of been going with a Berube or Gallant .. it would of been seen as a win across the board from talking heads. Instead they went with Ruff knowing this type of ridicule would happen.

It's hilarious about Gallant. The guy lost a playoff series to f***ING FRED FLINTSTONE AKA JACK CAPPUANO!!!!!!!!

 

[Chainshot]

I would assume some in the analytics tribe would be upset about anything Buffalo does. It's easy to do a bunch of "told you so" crap, but man, I wish EPRinkside had comments on their articles because that one on Buffalo hiring Ruff is so poorly put together. WTF.

 

[CrazyWayne]

Ruf was fired for somewhat similar reasons granato was fired for

The young players let them down, young players get paid and get content for a minute (this applies to anyone that's young not just professional athletes)

Then they realize they need to work and put a ton of effort to get the next level and they do that

Ruff at the press conference even said something along the lines of getting lucky with this position because a bunch of talented players may have learned this season they need to work hard year round

 

[Chainshot]

Ruf was fired for somewhat similar reasons granato was fired for

The young players let them down, young players get paid and get content for a minute (this applies to anyone that's young not just professional athletes)

Then they realize they need to work and put a ton of effort to get the next level and they do that

Ruff at the press conference even said something along the lines of getting lucky with this position because a bunch of talented players may have learned this season they need to work hard year round

It's amusing to look at how the Devils slid in terms of chance shares under Green. Fitz did no one on that team any favors and I would assume he's now in the same position as Adams - get to the playoffs or else. At least he knows he has the talent based on '22-23.

 

[KrakenSabresMike]

Friedman asserted 3 possibilities

1) "I don't think the Sabres really contacted anybody,
2) or if they did it was very minimal
3) or it definitely didn't go down a process.

It’s pretty clear from those different options he doesn’t really know what took place and is speculating.

Or he heard from agents of coaches didn’t get hired or an in person interview and this is assuming there was no “ process” bc they may have wanted the job but didn’t get as far as they liked

Ruf was fired for somewhat similar reasons granato was fired for

The young players let them down, young players get paid and get content for a minute (this applies to anyone that's young not just professional athletes)

Then they realize they need to work and put a ton of effort to get the next level and they do that

Ruff at the press conference even said something along the lines of getting lucky with this position because a bunch of talented players may have learned this season they need to work hard year round

His goaltending was a like of steaming poo and his gm replaced 3 great vet D with 2 x 21 yo abd worse players - and then they lost Hamilton for the year. They also were without their number one center and number two player for a large part of the year. Despite that they were still ahead of Buffalo until the end when their new coach made them even worse.

 

[KrakenSabresMike]

I would assume some in the analytics tribe would be upset about anything Buffalo does. It's easy to do a bunch of "told you so" crap, but man, I wish EPRinkside had comments on their articles because that one on Buffalo hiring Ruff is so poorly put together. WTF.

Which is weird bc Sam Ventura is one of the best and Adams verbatim said that they did analytical work on whose style would work the best with the team. And Lindy is surprisingly apparently very into analytics as per the press conference

 

[Ace]

Which is weird bc Sam Ventura is one of the best and Adams verbatim said that they did analytical work on whose style would work the best with the team. And Lindy is surprisingly apparently very into analytics as per the press conference

My theory is all coaches are into them. They just don’t tell people that because their numbers are bad. Analytics tell a story that Lindy did a good job this year and was let down by things out of his control. I’d bring up how useful they are too lol

I’ve just always found it impossible to believe that the men who commit their lives to understanding this sport more than anyone in the world…would be like…nah…not interested.

 

[KrakenSabresMike]

My theory is all coaches are into them. They just don’t tell people that because their numbers are bad. Analytics tell a story that Lindy did a good job this year and was let down by things out of his control. I’d bring up how useful they are too lol

Good point : )

 

[Chainshot]

Which is weird bc Sam Ventura is one of the best and Adams verbatim said that they did analytical work on whose style would work the best with the team. And Lindy is surprisingly apparently very into analytics as per the press conference

And one of my biggest beefs when people would compare the Devils and the Sabres prior to this year is how much better the Devils are at generating sustained higher danger chances vs how Buffalo is a rush team that relied on outscoring their shooting percentages instead of something sustainable. And here's the guy who was coaching the one with the sustainable offense coming into the team that didn't have it... and I wonder if he can get that shift in how the Sabres play.

Like, how does not Lambert not see this or is he just PO'd that darlings like LHughes and Holtz had a coach be mean to them by not playing them as much? I haven't felt this perturbed by them since they were trying to dunk on *shockingly* the Devils at the draft for the Mukhamadullin pick after they landed Holtz and one-time analytic darling Mercer.

I don't know, sometimes that crew just makes me think they have to poop on things like some sort of preppy '80's clique being mean to just be mean so they maintain their own self-image of superiority. Or something.

 

[Chainshot]

I'm sure there will be shots fired about HF in general or me in particular, and I full expect heels to be dug in but this needed to be said:

 

[joshjull]

I'm sure there will be shots fired about HF in general or me in particular, and I full expect heels to be dug in but this needed to be said:

Drag him!

 

[Chainshot]

Drag him!

The lack of ability to see even mild nuance in if Buffalo is able to shift toward how Jersey generates offense instead of how Granato's Sabres generate offense while having Luukkonen and Levi as tenders would *shockingly* be a good thing. I'm just... *blink* WTFing at that.

 

[Zman5778]

I'm sure there will be shots fired about HF in general or me in particular, and I full expect heels to be dug in but this needed to be said:

Please post his response.......if you can read it.

 

[Chainshot]

Please post his response.......if you can read it.

I doubt I get anything. The article tweet was a day old and so my old ass didn't see it until today. It's like they want to drag the hire for not going out to interview *checks notes* Jay Woodcroft or Dean Evason or Craig Berube AND drag them for whatever process they went through AND want to drag them for being not a destination where those guys might want to go. I won't even get into the rumbles that Berube may already be ready to step behind another bench (I've heard both Philly and Ottawa in what I regard as reputable hockey pods). So it's that they suck for not hiring him AND they suck so they can't hire him AND that they suck that he's already spoken for. It's in every lane at once.

 

[joshjull]

The lack of ability to see even mild nuance in if Buffalo is able to shift toward how Jersey generates offense instead of how Granato's Sabres generate offense while having Luukkonen and Levi as tenders would *shockingly* be a good thing. I'm just... *blink* WTFing at that.

He seems like some of the Sabres twitter analytics guys who fall in love with certain players they feel analytics darlings. Then blame everyone but the player when they struggle.

 

[Zman5778]

He seems like some of the Sabres twitter analytics guys who fall in love with certain players they feel analytics darlings. Then blame everyone but the player when they struggle.

Or PHam with his Guhle love affair.

 

[joshjull]

Or PHam with his Guhle love affair.

Or his hatefest on Sam

 

[joshjull]

It’s kind of crazy to me that there are actually posters who don’t think he could talk to 10+ people over six days. He was making phones calls from early in morning to late at night per the presser. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t contact that many people by the end of the day of the Granato firing presser.

 

[beerme1]

I'm a bit tired of the organization always looking for hires with connections to the team. It almost always happens. I was sincerely hoping for more of an outside hire this time. I pounded for Boudreau back when Granato was hired and have mainly stayed away from the boards since Don was hired because it was just more of the same BS. I'd love to be wrong. I was just telling my gf about the goalie fights with the Flyers back in the day(I got to see one live). I love me some nostalgia. But I like winning more. Yes, Lindy had a great year with the Devils. But that obviously didn't last. I'll pay attention more than I have the past 3 seasons, but unless they actually start winning, I'll stay lurking.

Hey, just so you know, that comes across as a fair weather, band wagon fan. I get your feelings, but get on board man! It's on! Is this mike on?