The Devils disappointing 2023-24 season can't be blamed on one individual.

New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff stood at the podium after his team's 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and took responsibility.

"I take full responsibility," he said. "You want to win. We've dealt with a lot, players want to win. I'm responsible for the wins and losses."

From the outside, it appears the Devils have crumbled under the expectation of being a Stanley Cup-contending team, but to Ruff's credit, the team has dealt with a lot.

Injuries have and continue to affect the team, and while they are never an excuse, they are a reality. As general manager Tom Fitzgerald previously explained, injuries complicate the evaluation process.

"It's hard for me to really evaluate when there's a number of quality bodies missed that we count on every single day," he said. "Look at last year's success and man-games lost we had. It wasn't many. Having Hughes, Hamilton, Hischier, and Bratt in the lineup all last year, that's not the reality this year. That's not an excuse. We still do have talent."

A season that began in mediocracy is quickly becoming a disappointment as the club sits in the third wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the Lightning for a playoff spot.

When a team underperforms, the blame does not fall solely on one person, and it is never as simple as it seems from an outside perspective.

It is the job of the general manager and the front office to provide their coaching staff with a competitive roster. Reports have repeatedly surfaced that GM Tom Fitzgerald has inquired and tried to make deals to improve his team, but nothing has transpired as February comes to a close.

"I can't force teams to trade people to me. My phone is constantly working and calling teams," Fitzgerald said. "That's what we do this time of year to gauge each other's thoughts and interests, what they're thinking, what we're thinking, and if there's a match in there somewhere. That's part of the process of being a general manager. It's always staying connected to the other teams and what they're trying to do and where we are at that point."

No one will know what conversations are being had behind closed doors, but the NHL is a result-based league, and that should apply to more than the players on the ice, who get benched and waived if they are not performing to standard.

When it comes to managing players and getting the team prepared for a game, that comes down to coaching and falls into the responsibility of Ruff and his staff.

This season, the Devils surrendered the game's opening goal 42 times through 58 games (72.4%). New Jersey is all too familiar with playing from behind, as the club led the NHL with 26 comeback wins last season, a new franchise record. This season, their 19 comeback wins rank first in the NHL.

Whether it is early mental errors or not having game speed in the early minutes, it is a staggering statistic that questions how mentally and physically prepared the team is when the puck drops to start a game.

When things are not going well, players will quickly say it is up to them to turn things around, and the answer is within the room.

There is a saying that you can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink.

When the team plays within their structure, they have found success and can limit their opponent to earn a 3-1 or 4-1 victory. That lack of consistency has continued to burn the Devils, as they have not been able to string more than three wins together at any point this season.

Everyone knows coaches are hired to be fired, and history would say most have a shelf life when it comes to their message and influence over a team.

Ruff was hired in 2020 because of his experience developing young talent, and he successfully accomplished that throughout his tenure. Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier have all broken out under the veteran coach.

After last season's success, the organization transitioned from a team rebuilding to a team ready to be competitive. The focus becomes what pieces and voices are needed to take this young, talented team to the next level, whether it's adding a goaltender, a physical stay-at-home defenseman, a depth forward, or a new voice.

The 2023-24 season has been discouraging, but it is unfair to blame one individual for the club's regression when so many pieces are involved.

The bottom line is in sports, if the results aren't there, a change is most likely on the horizon; it is just a matter of what that change will be. 

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