Lindy Ruff isn't going anywhere.

New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald confirmed the veteran bench boss will return as the team's head coach next season.

"I've always said that Lindy Ruff was the right coach for this group," Fitzgerald said Wednesday, per team reporter Amanda Stein. "So here we are today. He's still the right coach for this group, he's earned that right. He deserves that, we deserve him to be quite honest."

Fitzgerald added: "Those kids love him."

Ruff's contract expires June 30, but he's already in the midst of negotiating a new deal, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The veteran bench boss guided the Devils to their first postseason appearance since 2018 with a 52-22-8 record. New Jersey defeated the rival New York Rangers in Round 1, marking the team's first playoff series win since they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. They fell in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 2.

Ruff was named one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given to the coach of the year, for his efforts. He won the award previously in 2006 with the Buffalo Sabres.

The 63-year-old owns a 98-98-24 record in three seasons with the Devils. He ranks fifth on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list with 834 career victories.

Signing Ruff to a new deal will just be the first order of business for Fitzgerald. He has lots on his plate this offseason, including new deals for restricted free-agent forwards Jesper Bratt and prized trade deadline pickup Timo Meier.

Fitzgerald is optimistic a deal will get done with Bratt.

"We paused the talks prior to the playoffs which I think was the right thing to do," Fitzgerald said regarding Bratt. "There's definitely progression for sure. There's framework for a deal long-term if Jesper wants that. Jesper knows exactly what that framework looks like. I know Jesper wants to be a Devil long-term and so do we."

The GM has already reached out to Meier's agent about an extension.

"Meier knows that I believe this is the right place for Timo," Fitzgerald said. "He and his agent and I will talk and go through this and hopefully figure something out long-term."

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Residents of Tempe, Arizona, voted Tuesday against building a $2.1-billion entertainment district that would've included a new arena for the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.

"We are very disappointed that Tempe voters did not approve propositions 301, 302, and 303," Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said in a statement. "As Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said, it was the best sports deal in Arizona history."

Gutierrez added: "What is next for the franchise will be evaluated by our owners and the National Hockey League over the coming weeks."

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also released a statement:

"The National Hockey League is terribly disappointed by the results of the public referenda regarding the Coyotes' arena project in Tempe. We are going to review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward."

The Coyotes needed a majority to vote in favor of all three propositions. Ultimately, 56% of residents voted no for propositions 301 and 302, while 57% voted no for 303.

Tempe City Council voted unanimously in favor of the project back in November, but a vote from the residents was required to seal the deal.

The results of the vote could spell the beginning of the end for the NHL team in the desert. The Coyotes have two seasons remaining on their agreement to play at Mullett Arena, a 4,600-seat rink in Tempe on the campus of Arizona State University. After that, the Coyotes will again be without a home.

Mullett Arena is already the Coyotes' third arena since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg in 1996. The club first played out of America West Arena in downtown Phoenix before moving to Glendale's Gila River Arena in 2003, then to Mullett Arena last season.

The proposed Tempe Entertainment District would've included a 16,000-seat rink for the Coyotes, a 3,000-seat music venue, and a 19,000-unit residential complex, plus restaurants, hotels, and luxury retail shops.

The Coyotes have ranked bottom-five in the league in average attendance every season since at least 2011-12. Forbes ranked Arizona as the NHL's least valuable franchise in December.

In 26 seasons since moving to Arizona, the team has undergone seven ownership changes and made the playoffs nine times - just once in the past 11 years. The Coyotes have only advanced past Round 1 once, making it to the Western Conference Final in 2012.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have spoken to veteran free-agent bench bosses Mike Babcock and Peter Laviolette about their head coaching vacancy, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

The club also reportedly interviewed Pascal Vincent, who served as the team's associate coach the last two seasons under Brad Larsen before the latter was fired in April.

Babcock hasn't coached in the NHL since the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him in November 2019. Since his departure, he's taken volunteer gigs as an advisor for the University of Vermont's hockey program and as head coach of the University of Saskatchewan's hockey team. He said last summer that he was "retired" from coaching.

The 60-year-old ranks 12th all time on the NHL's head coaching wins list with 700 career victories. He spent two years with the Anaheim Ducks, leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2003. He then led the Detroit Red Wings for 10 campaigns, winning the Stanley Cup in 2008 and making another Cup final appearance a year later. He joined the Leafs in 2015 and coached them for parts of five seasons, making three playoff appearances.

Babcock was highly successful on the international stage, coaching Team Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014 and a World Cup of Hockey title in 2016.

However, he also came under fire shortly after his tenure with the Leafs for his treatment of players. When Mitch Marner was a rookie, Babcock made him rank his teammates based on work ethic and then shared the list with the team. Former Red Wings forward Johan Franzen called Babcock "the worst person I have ever met."

Laviolette, meanwhile, coached the Washington Capitals for the last three seasons, making playoff appearances in each of his first two years with the club. He ranks eighth on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list with 752 victories and is the winningest American head coach in league history.

The 58-year-old won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and made two more Cup final appearances with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Nashville Predators in 2017.

The Blue Jackets were hampered by injuries last season and finished with the league's second-worst record at 25-48-9. However, they have ample star power with Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, and Zach Werenski, and they hold the third pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

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The Dallas Stars defeated the Seattle Kraken 2-1 in Monday's Game 7 to march on to the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Roope Hintz pickpocketed Jamie Oleksiak to open the scoring for the Stars late in the second period. Rookie Wyatt Johnston went upstairs with a slick backhand for a key insurance tally midway through the third period that turned out to be the eventual game-winner.

Johnston, who turned 20 on Sunday, became the youngest player in Stanley Cup Playoff history to score a series-clinching goal in Game 7. Jaromir Jagr, who did so at 20 years, 76 days with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1992 division semifinals, previously held the distinction.

Oliver Bjorkstrand made things interesting, getting the Kraken on the board with 17 seconds left in regulation. But it was too little too late, as Dallas held on for the victory.

Both goalies played excellently, but Jake Oettinger earned the victory for Dallas by stopping 22 of 23 shots. He wasn't tested often, as Seattle generated just seven high-danger chances in the game compared to Dallas' 17, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"It's great," Oettinger said of his team's defensive effort, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "Just, you know, hangin' out."

Miro Heiskanen shined bright on the Stars' blue line, logging a game-high 32:06 in the contest. The Stars controlled 66.57% of the expected goals when Heiskanen was on the ice at even strength.

The Western Conference Final will be a revenge series of sorts for Stars bench boss Pete DeBoer, who coached the Golden Knights the previous three seasons.

"There's a lot to unpack there," DeBoer said, laughing. "I think we'll just enjoy tonight and talk about that as we go forward."

Dallas and Vegas met in the 2020 Western Conference Final, with DeBoer's Golden Knights falling to the then Rick Bowness-led Stars in five games.

DeBoer now owns a career 7-0 record in Game 7s and has advanced to at least the conference finals during his first year on the job in each of his last four NHL stops. He took Vegas to the West final in 2020, the San Jose Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, and the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. He's yet to win a ring, though.

Dallas' lone Stanley Cup victory came in 1999.

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Marc Bergevin, Peter Chiarelli, Jason Karmanos, and Eric Tulsky are among the first wave of 10-12 candidates to interview for the Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager vacancy, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Bergevin spent parts of three seasons with the Penguins to close out his 20-year playing career. He served as GM and executive vice president of hockey operations for the Montreal Canadiens from 2012-21, leading the team to a Stanley Cup Final berth in 2021. He's been working as a senior advisor with the Los Angeles Kings over the last couple of seasons.

Chiarelli boasts 13 years of experience as an NHL GM - nine with the Boston Bruins from 2006-15 and four with the Edmonton Oilers from 2015-19. He was maligned for trades during both tenures, most notably dealing away Tyler Seguin with Boston and Taylor Hall with Edmonton. However, Chiarelli led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title in 2011 and another Cup Final appearance two years later. He's worked in the St. Louis Blues front office for the past four seasons.

Karmanos is most familiar with the Penguins organization among the reported candidates. He spent six-plus years as the team's assistant GM under Jim Rutherford from 2014-20, helping the Pens win back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017. Karmanos was also Rutherford's right-hand man with the Carolina Hurricanes for 14 seasons from 1998-13. The 48-year-old spent the last three campaigns as the Buffalo Sabres' assistant GM.

Tulsky owns the least NHL front-office experience among the reported candidates but is considered one of the brightest minds in the game. He's spent nine seasons in the Hurricanes' front office, working his way up from analyst to director of analytics to assistant GM over the last three campaigns.

The Penguins fired GM Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke in April after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Members of Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate and Pens head coach Mike Sullivan have been making hockey operations decisions in the interim.

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Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl was choked up Sunday after his team's season ended in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights.

"It hurts. It's tough to find words right now," Draisaitl told reporters postgame. "Obviously, when you start a season, you're in it to win it, and we're at that stage. If you don't complete that then it feels like a failure or a wasted year almost. It hurts."

Draisaitl put together an excellent postseason, recording 13 goals and five helpers in 12 games. He slowed down as the playoffs wore on, though, mustering just one assist in his last four contests.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid agreed that the season was a missed opportunity, but believes it'll make the team stronger moving forward.

"I really feel that you got to go through some of this to win. I think we've seen that all the way through," McDavid said. "Let's hope it's the last time."

After the leading the NHL in goals, assists, and points during the regular season, McDavid put together a stellar playoffs, pacing the league with 20 points in the postseason. He put together four multi-point efforts during the series against Vegas, and scored one of his team's two goals in the 5-2 loss in Game 6.

The Oilers made the Western Conference Final a year ago - the furthest the team has gone in the McDavid-Draisaitl era.

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Jonathan Marchessault recorded a natural hat trick in the second period and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in Game 6 to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Final.

It marks the fourth time in the Golden Knights' six-year history they've advanced to the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Vegas will take on the winner of the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken, who meet in a Game 7 on Monday in the other conference semifinal.

Adin Hill turned in a tremendous performance in goal for Vegas, making 39 consecutive saves after allowing the first two shots of the game to get by.

The same can't be said in the Edmonton crease. Stuart Skinner was pulled for the third time in the series after allowing four goals on 17 shots through two periods. Jack Campbell entered in relief and stopped all four shots he faced in the third period.

Edmonton's elimination ensures a Canadian team won't win the Stanley Cup for the 30th straight year.

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The New Jersey Devils may have recently been eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes, but Jack Hughes can still take solace in the fact that he silenced his critics with a huge breakout season.

"I think I had a really good year, established myself as a really good player in the league," Hughes said Saturday when asked what personal accomplishment he's most proud of. "Maybe the goal-scoring a bit, I don't know if anyone expected me to score 40 in my career, let alone three years after everyone was calling me the biggest bust ever."

Hughes shattered all of his previous career highs with 43 goals, 56 assists, and 99 points in 78 games this past season.

The 2019 first overall pick struggled out of the gate to begin his career, leading many skeptics to view him as a bust. He tallied just 21 points in 61 games during his rookie year and 31 points in 56 contests during his sophomore campaign.

But after his fourth season, Hughes is now regarded as one of the game's brightest young stars. And while he may still be a better playmaker than a shooter, he showed he's not a one-dimensional threat after firing 336 shots on net, good for fifth in the league.

Hughes is also proud of the steps his team made this season. While they didn't reach the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup, the Devils made the playoffs for the first time with the current core and even beat the rival New York Rangers in Round 1, which was extra sweet for Hughes.

"Winning Game 7 against the Rangers, I think that was really special," Hughes said. "To beat those guys, we wanted to do that. That was definitely the best moment (of the season)."

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Dallas Stars defenseman Esa Lindell wasn't pleased with his outing in his team's 6-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken in Game 6 on Saturday night.

"I'm just so disappointed at myself, too," Lindell said postgame, according to The Athletic's Saad Yousuf. "Only thing now is to move on and get prepared for Game 7 and be way, way better in that one."

Usually a steady, reliable shutdown defender, Lindell posted a game-worst minus-four rating in the contest.

"I don't know if I've played that bad for a long time," Lindell continued. "It felt they got odd-mans, won battles, all the things we've been good at before went sideways today."

Lindell's underlying numbers were much stronger in the contest, as the Stars controlled 56.26% of the expected goals while he was on the ice at five-on-five.

Dallas head coach Pete DeBoer doesn't believe the blame should fall on Lindell and his partner Jani Hakanpaa, who posted a minus-three rating in the contest himself.

"They weren't worse than anybody else," DeBoer said.

He added: "I mean, we won Games 4 and 5. Those two guys both dressed and played, and played pretty well. Again, I know what the numbers say, but they weren't any worse than anybody else in our group tonight."

Game 7 is set for Monday in Dallas.

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It's no secret that the Edmonton Oilers have made a conscious effort to finish their checks on multiple Vegas Golden Knights players, including veteran defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.

However, Pietrangelo, who was just suspended one game for slashing Leon Draisaitl, believes the Oilers are targeting him to the point that it warrants supplemental discipline.

"It's pretty obvious what's going on. I mean, there's premeditated stuff, I'm pretty sure, coming at me," Pietrangelo said Saturday. "(The department of player safety) didn't really seem to care in the meeting, but I'll get up and take it."

Pietrangelo also hinted that some Oilers players have been embellishing.

"You know, I'm not going to lay on the ice like what's going on and we've been seeing," he said. "So, I'll get up and play the game the way it needs to be played."

Pietrangelo was notably cross-checked from behind into the boards moments before he slashed Draisaitl.

The punishment he's been taking may have led to him uncharacteristically losing his cool, with the slash resulting in Pietrangelo's first suspension of his 15-year NHL career.

Pietrangelo believes the overall feistiness of the series gives the Golden Knights more motive to win.

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Pietrangelo said when asked if there's extra motivation. "I'm sure the rest of the guys do, too. I'm sure the guys had a little extra motivation last night. We're a tight group in there. We got each other's back. Sitting there last night watching the game, I was sweating. It's not fun to watch."

Pietrangelo, who leads all Golden Knights defensemen in points (six) and average time on ice (24:37) during the playoffs, will get back into the lineup for Game 6, where Vegas will have a chance to eliminate the Oilers to advance to the Western Conference Final for the fourth time in the franchise's six-year existence.

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