Devils News Rewind: Ruff, Merzļikins & More
Notes on Lindy Ruff's job status, Elvis Merzļikins being available and if there's a fit with the New Jersey Devils and more in this news rewind.
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It's been a while since publishing New Jersey Devils News Rewind, so let's get to it ahead of the NHL roster freeze, which begins tonight at 11:59 P.M. In this edition, we'll go over Lindy Ruff's job status and why he's likely safe for the time being, Pierre LeBrun's notes on the Devils in the trade market, and if Elvis Merzļikins is a fit for an upgrade in net.
Ruff Likely Safe for Now
On last Thursday's episode of DFO Rundown, Frank Seravalli wondered about Ruff's job status and if he could be in trouble since the Devils began the season as Cup favorites but have failed to meet expectations so far. He reiterated this on an episode of SN Central last week, too:
It's fair to say that the Devils are underperforming preseason expectations with a 16-12-1 record just a few days before the three-day Christmas break.
Having said that, they're 8-3-0 in their last 11 games and are just two points out of a playoff spot in the Metro with games in hand on the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. When the Devils aren't in the second half of a back-to-back, they're winning games.
Injuries were also a significant reason for their struggles early in the season. But Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier are back and making an impact, especially Hischier; the Devils are 12-5-1 with him in the lineup this season.
Losses like the Ducks game are why questions about Ruff's job status will come up. I don't think Seravalli would put that out there without some substance, but I don't think Ruff is in any immediate trouble unless things really go south. Perhaps losing all three games this week would put him on the hot seat, but that seems like a stretch.
Ruff is probably safe for the time being, even with recent coaching fires and teams getting the coaching bump. It's something to monitor because Seravalli put it out there, but don't expect a change anytime soon.
What to Watch for Devils on Trade Market
In LeBrun's latest article for The Athletic, he wrote about four hot spots to monitor at the holiday roster freeze, with the Devils being one of them. Here's what he had to say about the team and general manager Tom Fitzgerald:
"All of which is why I believe Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald is carefully exploring the trade market, although I don’t believe anything is imminent. He’s doing his due diligence. But I would say there’s a decent chance of a blue-line upgrade before the March 8 trade deadline (either Noah Hanifin or Chris Tanev from Calgary would make sense) and possibly a goalie addition, too, but that’s less certain."
There isn't necessarily anything new here, but LeBrun saying there's a decent chance of a blue-line upgrade before the trade deadline was notable. We know the Devils had interest in Nikita Zadorov before he got dealt to the Vancouver Canucks, and they have interest in Tanev too.
It also wouldn't surprise me if the Devils seriously pursued Hanifin. When you look at the left side of their defense, it's much more of a concern than the right. Jonas Siegenthaler is having the worst season of his career, and Kevin Bahl has been inconsistent.
A left-handed shot would be the way to go, in my opinion. And Hanifin, being 26 years old, would fit into the team's timeline quite well. That's especially true if Dougie Hamilton doesn't return this season, which LeBrun said the Devils will have a better idea of in a month or so. What they do in the trade market will be something to monitor coming out of the roster freeze.
Merzļikins May Be Available, But Is There a Fit?
Yesterday on 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman had an interesting nugget on Merzļikins, stating:
“I wonder if the opportunity was right, if the Blue Jackets would deal Merzļikins. I had a couple of people on Sunday say that they can see the possibility of that, that maybe both the Blue Jackets and Merzļikins feel that it’s time for him to try somewhere else. But again, in the middle of the season, that’s not an easy number for a lot of teams to absorb. So there’s a few things that might have to happen.”
Merzļikins has been one of the few bright spots for the Blue Jackets this season, posting a .909 save percentage in 20 games played. His underlying metrics are pretty solid, too, as he's saved 1.2 goals above expected at all strengths.
He would probably be an upgrade on Vitek Vaněček, though not necessarily Akira Schmid, whose underlying numbers are similar to Merzļikins' this season. But as a tandem, Vaněček and Merzļikins could work.
Aside from the 2022-23 season, Merzļikins has been at least an above-league-average netminder. He's finished with an SV% above .906 in three of his four seasons and, as mentioned, is at .909 in 2023-24. He's also had a positive goals saved above average in every season but 2022-23.
The problem with Merzļikins is his contract. He's signed through the 2026-27 season at a cap hit of $5.4 million, which would take some cap creativity from the Devils to make it work. They could put Hamilton on LTIR, but that'd only provide temporary relief. The Blue Jackets could retain salary, but that seems unlikely, given the remaining term left on Merzļikins' deal.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period mentioned Devils among teams looking for help in net in an article about Merzļikins. At 29 years old, he would be a fit for the Devils. I think they'd consider him if it weren't for his contract. He's an above-average netminder and would help the team, but his deal is too problematic, given the years and money left on it.
That wraps up this edition of Devils News Rewind. We're running a 63% discount for Christmas — $2.20 per month or $22.20 one-time fee. Link to subscribe is below if you haven't already.