Breaking: Lindy Ruff hired by Devils

According to a report from NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes, the New Jersey Devils have signed long-time NHL coach Lindy Ruff as the team's new head coach. The Devils have yet to confirm the report but will will reportedly make an official announcement sometime tomorrow.

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Colin Stephenson of Newsday has also confirmed Weekes' report saying, "Ruff, who has been an assistant with the Rangers since 2017, had been identified as a candidate for the Devils job two weeks ago, when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the former Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars coach had joined a group that included current interim coach Alain Nasreddine, former Islanders coach Peter Laviolette, and Gerard Gallant and John Stevens being considered for the job."

It remains to be seen what happens with Nasreddine, but it's probably safe to assume that he will be a part of Ruff's new staff in Jersey.

Ruff had most recently been part of the New York Rangers' coaching staff but has a long history as a head coach in the NHL.The 60 year old spent 10 seasons in the NHL playing for the Buffalo Sabres and later went on to coach the team for 15 seasons. While behind the Sabres bench, Ruff had a 571-432-78-84 record.

After he was relieved of his duties by the Sabres in 2013, Ruff spent four years as the head coach of the Dallas Stars. Since then he has served as an assistant coach with the Rangers, biding his time and waiting for a full-time NHL head coaching job. When the Rangers fired former head coach Alain Vigneault, Ruff was considered a frontrunner to take over the head coaching job but ultimately he lost out to current Rangers head coach David Quinn. Ruff was kept on staff even after Quinn's hiring along with Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire.

It's important to note that neither the Devils nor the Rangers have confirmed today's report, so stay tuned for official confirmation sometime today or tomorrow. But, at this point all indications are at this point that Ruff will indeed be the new bench boss in Jersey. Thoughts, Devils fans?