The Blues are expected to hire Lindy Ruff as their next head coach.
The St. Louis Blues have a 32-26-3 record in 62 games this season. Since interim head coach Drew Bannister took over from former head coach Craig Berube in December, the team has a record of 19 wins, 14 losses, and 2 draws. Bannister fixed some of the problems the team was having. Berube’s record before being released by the Blues was 13 wins, 13 losses, and 1 draw.
The Blues now have a chance to sign one of the best coaches in the NHL after the New Jersey Devils fired head coach Lindy Ruff on Monday, March 4th. This is why Ruff would be a great head coach for the Blues.
This may be ironic considering the Devils lack of success under Coach Ruff this season, but he led the team to a winning record (128-125-28) in his four seasons with the franchise. ). The Devils finished last season in third place in the league, making it past the first round for the first time since the 2011-12 season, when they lost in the Stanley Cup Final. Ruff also ranks fourth in NHL history in wins (864), although Paul Maurice, who currently has 860 wins, will likely surpass that record considering his outstanding season with the Florida Panthers. Ruff also won the Jack Adams Award as the league’s top coach in the 2005-06 season after leading the Buffalo Sabers out of the playoffs in the 2003-04 season (2004-05 was the year of the lockout). .
The final game of that season. ;They returned to the conference finals in 2006-2007. Although he reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Sabers in 1998-99 and lost, he has plenty of playoff experience. The Blues need his winning attitude at a time when they are so close to making the playoffs and are testing promising young players.
In his best season with the Devils, 2022-23, when he finished with a record of 52-22-8, Ruff was able to tap into the potential of several young players. Under Ruff’s leadership, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt were selected as NHL All-Stars among players who scored between 20 and 30 points.
Even Nico Isier set career highs in points (80), goals (31) and assists (49) last season. Hughes, on the other hand, could have been a star for the Devils in 2021-22 had he not been injured, reaching 100 points much sooner considering he had 56 points in 49 games that season. Maybe.
This shows how important the rough is for young talent looking to develop and improve their game. He will be able to tap into the potential of the Blues’ three best attackers: Zachary Bolduc, Jimmy Snagaard and Dalibor Dvorski.
Of the three, Bolduc was the first to appear in the NHL and had already scored his first NHL goal in his first seven games with his team. This could also be a boon for Robert Thomas and Jordan Kia, who still have room to improve in their careers.
Kilo has shown a slight decline this season compared to the past two seasons in which he scored over 70 points. Perhaps a coach with Rough’s experience is exactly what he needs to be successful and perhaps post an 80 point season. At 25 years old, he still has plenty of potential to grow with the team’s talent.
The Blues aren’t likely to change head coaches any time soon, but they shouldn’t ignore the many experienced coaches like Ruff waiting for a new opportunity to lead the team behind the bench.
Bannister has done a great job as interim head coach and doesn’t seem to be daunted by his departure from the American Hockey League. What’s also shocking is how much he improved the team’s power play and gradually developed the young players on NHL rosters.
While having a young coach like Bannister may be beneficial for the team’s future (and Ruff may look more like the successful coach of the 1990s and 2000s than he has in recent years), he may be able to educate the next generation of players. There is still much work to be done. generation. Thank you blues players for their experience and knowledge. If the Blues need a coaching change, it will most likely happen after the season ends.
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