Lindy Ruff was officially named as the Devils' coach today and has left the Rangers. In his stead, Gord Murphy, who was an assistant coach in Hartford, is replacing Ruff on New York's staff. The NHL Board of Governors will walk through the RTP/CBA and it's possible we could have their approval as well as that of the NHLPA rank and file by the end of the day tomorrow.
Ironically,
Murphy played for Ruff, who was an assistant coach on the Panthers. His role on the team is unclear at the moment. Murphy could be the eye in the sky with Greg Brown, currently handling that responsibility, moving down behind the bench, or Murphy could end up on the bench with Ruff. Years ago, he coached the Philly D, though unsure I would characterize it a success. Murphy has reportedly done good work under Kris Knoblauch with the Wolf Pack defense.
Don't expect many changes with the play-in round looming. In addition, way too early to say that Murphy will fill this role next season. Remember, as much as we blame Ruff, part - or a large portion - of the defense's issues was the system. The hybrid man/overload was Alain Vigneault's system and we see how well that worked out. Falling back and ceding the blue line, another questionable strategy, is Quinn's system. The assistant coach can aid in positioning and pairings, but the system and talent play just as much or more of the success of the group. We will see if a new coach can convince Quinn to change or get the defense, which should be improved by the upcoming talent, to play better. If not, well you can fill in the rest of the sentence.
Monday starts Phase 3, the kickoff of official training camp. All the players that are supposed to be in camp have arrived, With the new CBA hopefully approved shortly,
Kappo Kakko, who has Type-1 diabetes and celiac and is at a higher level of risk of infection, will need to pass another exam before he is cleared to play and there is a possibility he will not be cleared, as seen in the below from Page 6 of the Phase 3 protocol:
Players who, after consultation with the Club doctor who conducted the PPME, and the Club’s infectious disease expert, are determined to be at substantial risk of developing a serious illness as a result of exposure to the novel coronavirus shall be deemed to be unfit to play and shall not be permitted to participate either in Phase 3 or Phase 4. A Player may initiate a Second Opinion concerning his fitness to play status pursuant to Paragraph 5 of his Standard Player’s Contract.
Kakko has said he plans to play. The Rangers also believe that he will be able to play but originally viewed the decision as up to Kakko. As seen above, the league will play a part, but Kakko does have some say since he can obtain a second opinion. If that opinion gives Kakko the go-ahead, then it appears as if he will be able to suit up.
I laid out the full timeline for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and start of the 2020-21 season
yesterday. Chris Johnston showed just how
tight the timeframes are for each round. Remember the play-in round is five games while the rest are best-of-seven.
Games are scheduled for 12, 4 and 8 pm, meaning six games in a 15-hour span, a hockey fan's dream. The start times in Edmonton, which is in the Mountain Time zone, so two hours behind Toronto, could be tweaked mildly, meaning starting 30 to 90 minutes later than the times above if needed, especially if games in the East go long or for TV. McKenzie added that most games will have a day off in between, but each series will have at least one back-to-back situation, which is doable since there is no travel with all teams from each conference in their respective hub cities.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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