The St. Louis Blues have a 32-26-3 record through 62 games this season. Since interim head coach Drew Bannister took over for former head coach Craig Berube in December, their record is 19-14-2. Bannister has fixed some of the issues the team was struggling with – Berube’s record was 13-13-1 before he was let go by the Blues.
Right now, the Blues have an opportunity to get one of the top coaches in the NHL after the New Jersey Devils fired head coach Lindy Ruff on Monday, March 4. Here’s a look at why Ruff would be a great head coach for the Blues.
Ruff Ranks Fifth All-Time in Wins
This may be ironic, considering the Devils hadn’t been succeeding this season under Ruff, but he had pushed them to a winning record (128-125-28) through four seasons with the franchise. Last season, the Devils finished with the third-best record in the league and made it past the first round for the first time since 2011-12 when they lost in the Stanley Cup Final. Ruff is also fourth all-time in the NHL in wins (864) – however, Paul Maurice, who currently has 860 wins, will likely pass that mark, given the tremendous season the Florida Panthers are having.
Ruff was also a Jack Adams Award winner in 2005-06 as the best coach in the league after taking the Buffalo Sabres from just short of a playoff spot in 2003-04 (2004-05 was a lockout year) to the Conference finals that season; they returned to Conference finals in 2006-07. Although he made the Stanley Cup Finals with the Sabres in 1998-99 and lost, he’s a coach with deep playoff experience. The Blues need his winning attitude at a time when they are just inches away from a playoff spot and are experimenting with young players from their prospect pool.
Ruff Can Set the Tone for the Future
In his best season with the Devils — 2022-23, when they captured a 52-22-8 record — Ruff was able to unlock the potential of several young players. Under Ruff, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt went from 20- to 30-plus point players to NHL All-Stars. Even Nico Hischier had a career-high in points (80), goals (31), and assists (49) last season. Meanwhile, Hughes could have been a star for the Devils in 2021-22 had he not been injured, and he could have hit 100 points sooner, considering he had 56 points through 49 games that season.
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This just goes to show how important Ruff can be for young talent looking to grow and step up their game. He could unlock the potential of the Blues’ top three forward prospects in Zachary Bolduc, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Dalibor Dvorsky.
Of those three, Bolduc has been the first one blessed with an NHL opportunity and through his first seven games with the team, has already scored his first NHL goal. He could also benefit Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, who still have much room to grow in their career.
Kyrou has hit a bit of a slump this season compared to his last two seasons when he recorded 70-plus points. Maybe a coach of Ruff’s expertise is just what he needs to break through and possibly push for an 80-point season — there’s still a lot of potential for the 25-yaer-old to grow with the talent in the Blues’ franchise.
What’s Next for the Blues Coaching
It doesn’t look like the Blues will change their head coach anytime soon, but they shouldn’t shy away from the many experienced coaches like Ruff who are awaiting another opportunity to lead a team from behind the bench. Bannister has done a fine job as interim head coach, and he didn’t seem to be overwhelmed after moving up from the American Hockey League. It’s also shocking how much he’s improved the team on the power play and slowly molded the younger players who have joined the NHL lineup.
While having a young coach such as Bannister could be good for the team’s future — and while Ruff may seem like a coach who more successful in the 1990s and 2000s than over the past few years — he could still do a lot to develop the next generation of Blues players through his experience and expertise. For the Blues, if a coaching change is in order, it will most likely be after the season is finished.
