The Devils have struggled to find consistency on defense and in goal. They are tied for 26th in the NHL in goals against per game (3.49) and tied for 17th in penalty kills (79.2 percent). New Jersey ranks 31st in team save percentage (.882), ahead of only the Ottawa Senators (.880).
Goalie Vitek Vancic, who has been out since Feb. 10 with a lower-body injury, is 17-9-3 with a 3.18 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in 32 games (29 starts). Nico Daws is 8-10-0 with a 3.47 GAA and .887 save percentage in 18 games. Akira Schmid is 5-8-1 with a 3.09 GAA and .897 save percentage in 18 games (14 starts).
Green was hired on June 22 to help coach the forwards and manage the power play after Andrew Brunette was named head coach of the Nashville Predators on May 31. The 53-year-old coached the Vancouver Canucks from 2017 to 2021 (133-147-)(34), helping them advance to the second round of the Western Conference in 2020. He was fired on December 6, 2021, after 25 Match (8-15-2).
New Jersey has finished 26th or worse in the standings in five of the previous seven seasons and has won the NHL Draft Lottery twice, selecting center Nico Hischier No. 1 in 2017 and center Jack Hughes No. 1 in 2019. It selected forward Alexander Holtz with the No. 7 pick in the draft. NHL 2020 defenseman Luke Hughes with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and defenseman Simon Nemec with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
The Devils lost veteran defensemen Damon Severson (via trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 27) and Ryan Graves (via free agency to the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1) but signed key free agents who made significant contributions this offseason.
Timo Meier signed an eight-year contract on June 28. The 27-year-old forward would have become a restricted free agent, but he bought out the Devils and everything they had to offer after acquiring him in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on February 26. Before retaining Mayer, the Devils signed forward Jesper Brat to an eight-year contract on June 15, and forward Erik Haula to a three-year contract eight days later.
New Jersey acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames on June 27, and defenseman Colin Miller from the Dallas Stars on July 1. Toffoli has one season remaining on a four-year contract. Miller has one season remaining on a two-year contract.
Striker Tomas Nosek signed a one-year contract on July 19, and defender Kevin Pahl received a two-year contract on July 31.
The core group of strikers, which includes Jack Hughes, Hischier and Ondrej Palat, and defenders Dougie Hamilton, John Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler, have all previously been signed to long-term contracts. Hamilton will be out indefinitely after having surgery on a torn left pectoral muscle on December 1.
Injuries limited Jack Hughes and Hischier to 45 and 50 games, respectively.
Ruff replaces Alain Nasreddine, who was 19-16-8 with New Jersey before the NHL season was paused on March 12, 2020, due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. Nasreddine was appointed coach when John Hynes was fired on 3 December 2019.
Ruff coached 23 seasons in the NHL, including 15 with the Buffalo Sabres and four with the Dallas Stars. He was also hired as an assistant by the Rangers on July 10, 2017. He ranks fourth in NHL history in wins (864) and games coached (1,774).
The Sabers advanced to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, losing in six games to the Stars, in Ruff's second season. He won the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year in 2005-06, and was runner-up to Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks in 2006-07. As an assistant to Doug McLean, Ruff helped the Florida Panthers reach the Cup Final in 1996, when they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Raff is the seventh coach to be fired this season, joining Todd McLellan (Los Angeles Kings), Len Lambert (New York Islanders), DJ Smith (Ottawa Senators), Jay Woodcroft (Edmonton Oilers), and Dean Evason (Minnesota Wild). . Craig Berube (St. Louis Blues).
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