It appears the head coaching search in New Jersey is over. According to Kevin Weekes, Lindy Ruff is going to be announced as the new head coach of the team, while interim GM Tom Fitzgerald will have the interim tag removed from his title.
The Devils were in the news regularly as they searched for a new bench boss. It was mentioned at the end of June that Ruff was getting serious consideration for the job, potentially being considered a favorite over candidates like Peter Laviolette, Gerard Gallant, Mike Babcock, John Stevens, and Bruce Boudreau. That turned out to be accurate, if Weekes post is on point.
Considering the names available, to many, Ruff seems like a bit of a head scratcher. Still, he’s a veteran coach who spent time with the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars organizations and he’ll leave the New York Rangers to join the Devils for the 2020-21 season.
There were some questions as to why the Devils would choose a coach before naming a permanent GM, but it appears the organization is going to tackle both items at the same time. As the New Jersey Devils continue to search for a new general manager, Matt Larkin of the Hockey News writes wrote that former Devils’ goaltender Martin Brodeur was a candidate, but ultimately was not interested in the job.
Whether you love the hires or not, at least now the team can enter the draft and the offseason in October with a plan for free agency come November 1.
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