Enough is enough

If the Devils are not going to make a coaching change, Lindy Ruff needs to at least alter how he is operating. Status quo is indefensible.

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The New Jersey Devils rightfully entered the season as one of the leading Stanley Cup favorites.

They had just put together the best regular season in franchise history and there was every reason to expect even more this year (at least in terms of playoff success).

Although the Devils did have to absorb some losses on the backend, it was reasonable to suggest a full season of Timo Meier, a full season of Luke Hughes, the addition of sniper Tyler Toffoli, the continued development of Alex Holtz, the promotion of Simon Nemec (who has been better than imaginable), and a functional power play (in theory), among other things, would more than compensate.

Fast forward a handful of months and the Devils are in as bad of a spot as realistically possible.

They have completed nearly 70% of their schedule (68.3%, to be precise) and they are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They own a negative goal differential. They don’t have answers in goal. The power play is horrendous. And the team couldn’t start a game on time if the fate of the world depended on it.

While injuries and poor netminding – to a level far beyond what even skeptics would’ve thought – factor in heavily to the Devils sitting where they do, I think it’s fair to say coaching does as well.

The Devils have struggled out of the gate all season long. They have scored the opening goal of the game just 16 times while allowing it 40. 40!

No team has come even close to their level of ineptitude. I mean, the rebuilding San Jose Sharks – who finished last in wins last year and moved on from their two best weapons in Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson – have scored the opening goal of the game 22 times.

The Devils are the only team that’s fared worse; and we’re seeing no sign of improvement even as the team gets healthy. Some of the blame has to fall on coaching.

You know what else has to fall on coaching? The power play.

Few teams can match the Devils in terms of high-end talent. On paper, their power play should be elite. And it’s garbage. Flat-out garbage.

The Devils have scored 4.17 goals per 60 minutes of power play time since December 1st. That is dead last in the NHL.

They have scored only 12 times (31st) while giving up six (tied for last) at the other end. No team has posted a worse power play goal differential than the Devils (+6) in that span.

Oh, and that’s over a 35 game sample. The power play is getting a lot of attention for more obvious struggles of late but the reality is it has been embarrassingly bad for months.

Injuries have factored in but, even still, there’s more than enough talent to do a lot better.

That the Sharks and Blackhawks, for example, have out-performed the Devils with Joe from the corner store on the top unit is honestly pathetic.

The coaches simply aren’t getting the most out of the personnel on hand. And don’t even get me started on player usage.

Timo Meier was one of the league’s best chance generators and 5v5 producers for years in San Jose. He has spent the entire season playing the left side – maybe trying right wing could help – and the vast majority of it in the bottom-6.

Meier has perhaps shown his best flashes alongside countryman Nico Hischier. They own a 55 xGF% together (that climbs above 60% with Hischier+Bratt) and Meier has generated attempts and shots on goal at a higher rate with Hischier than anybody else. Scoring goals is his calling card and he needs to shoot to score. Maybe time with Hischier could be the Meier elixir.

We don’t really know, though, because Meier has played less than 100 minutes with Nico nearly 70% of the way through the season.

Or what about some reps with Jesper Bratt? No. 63 leads the team in 5v5 scoring efficiency. Meier has produced 5v5 points at his highest rate with Bratt on the opposite wing. And Meier’s had the pleasure of sharing the ice with Bratt for a whopping 52 minutes.

How about giving Meier some top unit power play time to try and get more out of the unit and the player?

What the coaching staff is doing is clearly not working anyway and Meier ranks 3rd among Devils – behind only Jack Hughes and Bratt – in power play points per 60.

Nope, better to have Tyler Toffoli and even Dawson Mercer play ahead of him. Toffoli has three power play points the past 35 games and kills more plays than he creates, after all. Can’t take him off!

I mean, we already know the top power play can’t work with Timo. That was obvious in the *checks notes* one minute of PP time he’s gotten with the trio of Hughes, Hischier, and Bratt this season.