Lindy Ruff could have rode off into the sunset when his tenure leading the New Jersey Devils coaching staff ended in 2024. He was already one of the winningest coaches in NHL history on top of a successful 12-year playing career.
Instead, Ruff returned to where it all started with the Buffalo Sabres. The organization selected him with the No. 32 overall pick in the 1979 NHL Draft. He spent his first 10 years as a player in Western New York and his first head coaching job came with the franchise in 1997.
His goal? Get the long-suffering Sabres back on track and maybe, just maybe, hunt down an elusive Stanley Cup championship.
In the second season of his second tenure behind the Buffalo bench, the Blue and Gold embarked on a remarkable turnaround. They sat in the Eastern Conference basement in early December before winning 39 of their last 53 regular-season games to capture the Atlantic Division title.
Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said Ruff, who was named a Jack Adams Award finalist on Friday, has struck a perfect tone for the club this season.
"When it's time, he turns it on, and there's no f-ing around," Dahlin told Jourdon LaBarber of Sabres.com. "You really have to bring it, otherwise you have to hear it, and that's what I love. There's no days off with him as coach, that's for sure."
Fellow defenseman Mattias Samuelsson echoed that sentiment, adding Ruff knows when to amplify the pressure and when to bring the locker-room barometer back down.
"He'll come in and tell you he's gonna share the morning coffee and then let a couple guys hear it," Samuelsson said. "It's not like he's personally going after guys, but he definitely puts the group on notice about the standard around here. I think he's been great this year just with feeling what the group needs that day, whether it's a kick in the ass or just some support."
It's no coincidence that once Buffalo started buying into Ruff's approach of an up-tempo, forecheck-heavy style of play that things finally started to turn around.
As for the 66-year-old Canadian, who was previously honored as the NHL's Coach of the Year in 2006, he had no interest in talking about the accolade amid the team's ongoing first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
"I really don't want to talk about the Jack Adams right now. I want to talk about Game 6," Ruff said, per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.
The Sabres hold a 3-2 series lead heading into Friday night's game at TD Garden in Boston.
Lindy Ruff's coaching future remains unsettled amid Jack Adams Award candidacy
Ruff's contract with the Sabres expires at the end of the 2025-26 season. The general manager who hired him, Kevyn Adams, was fired in December and replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen.
So far, there's been no public indication the sides are close to an agreement on an extension.
In March, Ruff appeared to hint he's hopeful of staying in the role for at least a few more years during an interview with NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, referencing the coaching staff's "just one more" mentality throughout the current campaign.
"When we get to that 'Just one more,' we'll see if it's just one," Ruff said.
Around the same time, Kekalainen told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic he doesn't typically comment on personnel matters and wouldn't change that stance to discuss his coach's future.
Although it's been noted on several occasions the new GM has full autonomy over hockey-related decisions — an important distinction after endless speculation about the input of team owner Terry Pegula during Adams' time leading the front office — the Ruff situation is a bit tricky.
That's because Pegula, a lifelong Sabres fan, struggled with the decision to let the Buffalo legend go the first time around in 2013. It's hard to imagine he'd green light allowing the coach's contract to lapse, especially considering how things have gone for the organization this season.
Yes, it's possible Ruff is promoted to a role within the front office, but if he wants to keep coaching, it's hard to imagine Pegula won't push to give him that opportunity in Buffalo.
Another possible explanation for the lack of an extension is Ruff waiting to see how the playoff run ends before making a final decision. It's realistic to believe if the Sabres pull off a shocker to win the Cup that he'd want to call it a career on the ultimate high note.
In the big picture, Buffalo definitely has to start thinking about a succession plan at head coach, whether implementation comes this summer or a few years down the road.
Assistant Seth Appert was viewed as the heir apparent during the last few years of the Adams Era, but his significant struggles trying to get the team's power play going raise serious questions about whether he's the right choice.
Kekalainen may be best served looking outside the organization to fill the void, but Ruff should get a say about when it's time for him to step away.
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