NHL.com recently caught up with Ruff to talk about the Devils and his thoughts on the upcoming season, as well as the passing of his friend Rick Jeanneret, the voice of the Sabers for five decades.
You spent 10 seasons as a player (1979-89) and 15 more as a coach in Buffalo (1997-2013), and know Rick Jeanneret well. What are your memories of Rick, who died on August 18?
“The way he called the game … there were so many amazing calls he made. I mean, he’s really a Buffalo guy. Over the years talking to him in the team hotel, we’d talk little about the game before and in conversations, I always bust him about, ‘Oh wait, you’ve been waiting to say that for about 30 games now.’ And he says, ‘No, it’s coming to me.’ He’s a really good guy to be around. I always say this about Rick … even after a game you think is bad and don’t really want to, by the time you’re done talking to Rick’ thought, ‘Well maybe we didn’t play as bad as I thought.’ He is a very positive person, focused on many good aspects of the game.
What do you know about the Devils last season in the playoffs?
“I think the fact that we were able to play under a lot of pressure. We fell in two games to the New York Rangers in [Eastern Conference First Round] immediately, came back with three solid games and pushed it to seven games. And what I liked was how well we played in Game 7 (4-0 win). We played a solid defensive game, showed patience, stuck with it and got rewarded.”
You mentioned Luke Hughes as an important part of the defense this season after the departures of Damon Severson and Ryan Graves. Who else needs to get on the blue line?
“We felt we had a good year from Kevin Bahl last season and we’re looking at him as Graves’ replacement, maybe. Look, there’s no guarantee. He’s had a good camp, he should be plays well, but I think he’s gained a lot of confidence over time. He also has some hiccups, like any young defenseman.
Are you worried about goaltending entering this season? Are you expecting a fight for the No. 1 spot between Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid?
“Look, before [Vanecek’s] first year playing in more games (NHL career-high 52). Undoubtedly the physical strain and perhaps more than the mental strain of going through a year like that, caught up with him. I think there’s a point to be made about almost every team needing two good goalies. I don’t know if you can tag a man in No. At the end of the year, they should probably be within 10 games of each other, but I think we will have a good year from ‘Vee.’ I know he was disappointed (in the playoffs). Akira came in, gave us what we needed to get through that first series against the Rangers, but you have to put that behind you, look at it as a growing year. You need to put the negativity behind you and focus on all the positives throughout the year. “
What will associate coach Travis Green, who was hired on June 22, add to your staff?
“He’s going to focus a lot on the offensive side of it. I think he’s done a lot of great things about managing his players as the coach of the Vancouver Canucks (2017-22), and his energy is just amazing. wants to talk hockey … non-stop. He wants to understand how we play, wants to understand what each player can bring. At the same time, he’s already said, ‘I think we can do it better,’ and I think anytime you bring in a guy who has head coaching experience, and has coached the number of years he has, he’s going to be a valuable asset to me.
Timo Meier signed an eight-year contract to stay in New Jersey in June. How excited are you to have the 26-year-old power forward for a full season in the tough Metropolitan Division?
“He’s given us a big, strong guy who can dominate physically, who can come in. to play the type of hockey we want to play. He’s had some big opportunities that, if you look at it, we’ve played against one of the best goalies (Igor Shesterkin of Rangers) in that first seven-game series and we know it’s difficult to score goals. Other guys are struggling, but I think that Timo will come lab -as and we know what he can bring. I think he knows what to expect now in the way we want to play The game.”
Will forward Dawson Mercer continue to play multiple roles within the lineup, or would you consider playing him more at center?
“I just see him as versatile … still. You look at what we have in the middle with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Erik Haula, and Michael McLeod. We have options and guys who can go on the wing. Jack goes to the wing and plays with Haula. He’s the guy that, all of a sudden, if we need an extra guy for the draw, we can slide guys around and do [Mercer] out there. I just look at him having the same role that he does now and where we are as an organization. Dawson plays a center and he plays a wing.
Do you think the Devils will surprise anyone like they did last season?
“I don’t think there are any surprises. I think around the League, there’s a lot of respect for parity. I think there were five or six playoff teams last year from last year, so that’s telling It’s just that in order to stay consistent, you have to play well. The thing is, we knew from Day One that we had to play well to get to where we want to go, which is the playoffs.”