Following the Rangers’ hiring of Lindy Ruff as the defensive assistant in July of 2017, we offered up a scathing analysis of the decision. To summarize the argument, it was evident that Ruff’s hiring was more about his relationship with others on the Rangers’ coaching staff rather than the result of a blind, intensive search for the best candidate. Furthermore, his credentials were severely lacking. Ruff’s teams in Dallas were consistently below average (to put it mildly) in most defensive metrics. They bled shot attempts. The penalty kill was atrocious. It’s probably not a coincidence that Dallas has dramatically improved in those areas over the last two seasons since Ruff’s departure.
It Is Time For The Rangers to Move On from Lindy Ruff
