Ruff on Competition, Special Teams & More I BLOG

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff met with the media Wednesday afternoon and had a few insightful insights to say regarding the upcoming season.
NEW SEASON, WHO DIS?
Many of the Devils young players took big steps forward in their growth and progression during the 2020-21 season. The team looks to build on that, however, nothing will be guaranteed this time around in 2021-22.
"Don't take anything for granted," was Ruff's message. "Just because you played last year, and given X amount of ice time, (this year) you're going to have to earn your ice time. That goes for (Janne) Kuokkanen, (Yegor) Sharangovich. That goes for a whole list of players."
And speaking of growth and progression, the same is expected this season for the group as a whole and team success. That means competing for a playoff spot down the stretch. After all, the club did bring in some key big-name free agents in defenseman Dougie Hamilton, forward Tomas Tatar and goaltender Jonathan Bernier over the summer.
"If you look at the commitment that our ownership has made to this team with the players that they brought in," Ruff said, "they sent a message that it's really important when we're going down the stretch, we need to be in a position where we're competing hard for that playoff spot."

3C
One of the storylines coming into camp will be which center will claim the third-line role. Obviously, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes will be the 1-2 punch down the middle. But the third position has a number of contenders. Pavel Zacha, who played center and wing last season, is expected to get an early look as the pivot.
"Zacha will be a center," Ruff said. "Doesn't mean he won't be a winger. He has to be ready to play both positions."
Zacha will see time at wing and center in training camp and the preseason.
Other players looking to grab onto that position are Michael McLeod, Jesper Boqvist, 19-year-old rookie Dawson Mercer and PTO signees Mark Jankowski and Freddy Gauthier.

SPECIALTY
When it comes to special teams, both the power play and penalty killing units will have a drastically different look this season.
For starters, power-play specialist Dougie Hamilton, who has 104 career power-play points, will be manning the blue line. That should provide an immediate boost to the unit. The Devils will also have Jesper Bratt in the fold from Day 1, a healthy Nico Hischier and the addition of Tatar. There will be lots of competition for ice time.
On the PK side, look for two defensemen to get a good early look in Ryan Graves (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) and Jonas Siegenthaler (6-2, 218).
"They have size. They have reach," Ruff said of the duo." I'm looking at those two guys helping us out right off the bat."
The Devils may continue to utilize Hischier on the PK, something he did late last season, and McLeod will be relied upon heavily after his growth last season as a PKer.
TRYOUTS
There will be more competition for playing time and spots with the addition of a few player-tryout contracts (PTOs), though the name that has the most recognition is forward Jimmy Vesey. The dynamic forward began his NHL career by posting seasons of 16, 17 and 17 goals respectively.
However, his last two seasons combined he only produced 14 goals. "He knows he's desperate to earn a job on this team," Ruff said, "and he has to earn it."
Earning it may mean adapting his game to a high-flying skilled player into a more defensively sound and well-rounded forward.
"His role would be different than when he entered the league," said Ruff, who coached Vesey while both were members of the New York Rangers organization. "If he's playing in a bottom-six role the he has to reinvent himself. He has to be good defensively. He has to be a good special teams player. He has to bring physicality."