New Jersey Devils 2021 Season Preview Part 6: The Coaching and Management Share this story Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images To be honest, writing up the “Coaching and Management” section is normally a bit of a drag for writers like me who favor the analytical side of things. Most seasons see only one or two assistants changes hands and there’s often not much data to go off when it comes to assessing value because so much boils down to whether the team made the admin look good or vice versa. This year is different for one big reason: Lindy Ruff. Given the significance of the add and the breadth of his resume, I’m going to dedicate about half of this piece to learning Ruff’s history. Then the rest of the piece will be business as usual so you can see who else is working behind the scenes to make the on-ice product what it is.