Reports say Lindy Ruff was not Devils first choice for head coach

Lindy Ruff is the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils but, apparently, he was not the team's first choice. There are several reports that the team wanted someone else but was unable to negotiate a contract with him.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, an excellent source for insider information, recently appeared on the podcast Writers Bloc, where he told the hosts that the team actually wanted former Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette but could not come to terms with him on a contract. That's when Ruff landed the job. There are rumours that Laviolette wanted $5 million per season, although those are unsubstantiated.

Laviolette was fired as the head coach in Nashville in January of this year after a slow start for the Predators. He was replaced by John Hynes, who had been fired by the New Jersey Devils just one month prior. Yes, the NHL really does love recycling head coaches. Before being bench boss in Nashville, Laviolette coached in Philadelphia, Carolina and served as coach for the New York Islanders. That all followed a 15 year hockey career, although very little of it was in the NHL.

Ruff, meanwhile, has served as head coach in Dallas and Buffalo. Before taking the job with New Jersey, he was serving as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers. It is also rumoured that New Jersey was Gerard Gallant for the position and he was interviewed but ultimately told the team he wasn't interested.

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