New Jersey Devils fireplace Lindy Ruff, promote Travis Inexperienced

The New Jersey Devils, struggling to contend in a clogged Jap Convention a season after successful a playoff spherical final season, fired coach Lindy Ruff on Monday, the workforce introduced.

Travis Inexperienced, an assistant for Ruff and the previous coach of the Vancouver Canucks, was named the membership’s interim coach. The announcement was made by Devils normal supervisor Tom Fitzgerald, a day after New Jersey misplaced to the Los Angeles Kings 5-1.

Inexperienced will begin in his position at Tuesday’s morning skate prematurely of a house sport vs. the Florida Panthers. The remaining present assistants — Ryan McGill, Chris Taylor, Sergei Brylin and goaltending coach Dave Rogalski — will all stay on employees.

“I maintain our complete group to the very best ranges of accountability to deal with being a aggressive workforce that expects to be a perennial playoff contender,” Fitzgerald mentioned. “Sadly, we aren’t presently at that stage, and I wanted to make this determination.”

Ruff was employed with the target that he might take what was thought-about to be a promising future that was centered round stars resembling Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, amongst others, and parlay it into long-term success.

“This was an especially troublesome dialog to have with Lindy primarily based on the connection that he and I’ve,” Fitzgerald mentioned. “He was the proper coach to develop our younger gamers on the ice, and above all else, he’s an incredible individual.”

The Devils gave Ruff a multiyear extension earlier than the beginning of the season, which was his final below his earlier contract. However as time wore on — and chants of “Fireplace Lindy!” continued to be heard at house video games — the change appeared prefer it was inevitable. The Devils have misplaced three of the final 4 video games, and have been outscored final weekend, 9-4, in an 0-2 swing by the Los Angeles space. Two days earlier than the loss to the Kings, they dropped a 4-3 determination to the Anaheim Geese.

“Travis has key expertise operating benches on the junior, AHL and NHL ranges and is aware of that there are not any shortcuts to success,” Fitzgerald mentioned. “He’s a high-demanding particular person who’s conversant in the group and enthusiastic about working to get us again on monitor.”

The Devils, with a number of younger stars below long-term contracts, entered the season among the many league’s extra talked-about golf equipment. They topped 100 factors final season and defeated the rival New York Rangers within the first spherical.

Within the offseason, they acquired extra scoring punch within the type of winger Tyler Toffoli, and have been clearly attempting to construct off the optimistic momentum round a membership that hadn’t made the postseason, earlier than final spring, since 2018.

However New Jersey has struggled defensively, after dropping veterans Damon Severson and Ryan Graves in free company final summer season, and people woes have continued on into the crease. The Devils have used three goaltenders this season, none of whom has proven the consistency wanted to be a full-time starter.

Inexperienced, 53, was employed as an assistant in June of final yr, and changed Andrew Brunette, who left to take the head-coaching place with the Nashville Predators. Inexperienced was Vancouver’s coach for elements of 5 seasons, amassing a 133-147-34 document.

Inexperienced, a former teammate of Fitzgerald with the New York Islanders, led the Canucks to the second spherical of the 2020 postseason, which was performed within the Edmonton bubble amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ruff, 64, departs the Devils after teaching the workforce to a 128-125-28 document in 281 regular-season video games over three-plus seasons. New Jersey went 5-7 within the playoffs final season with Ruff, having misplaced in 5 video games to the Carolina Hurricanes in Spherical 2. Ruff was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award after final season.

With the Devils transferring on from Ruff, they’ve develop into the seventh NHL workforce to make an in-season teaching change this season. They be part of the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders and Kings.

The Devils will enter Tuesday’s sport with 64 factors, eight away from the No. 2 wild-card spot within the East. With the commerce deadline this week, Inexperienced’s membership may look a lot totally different by Friday than it can at Tuesday’s morning skate.

Data from ESPN NHL reporter Ryan S. Clark and the Related Press was used on this report.