“I don’t know if I have that mastered yet, but going to work on it,” Ruff said. “… Just trying to keep everybody involved, and that’ll be probably the biggest part of the numbers we have. The guys that haven’t played or are not in the lineup right now have been a big part of getting us to where we’ve gotten to, and I have a lot of respect for that.”
Consider forwards Josh Dunne and Tyson Kozak, who’ve played impactful two-way hockey whenever they’ve slotted into the fourth line. Or defenseman Michael Kesselring, whose game was progressing nicely after earlier injuries; now, he’s eagerly awaiting to get back in the lineup. Or veteran trade pickups Tanner Pearson and Luke Schenn, who’ve played one and two games, respectively, since the deadline.
Timmins has missed 36 games since breaking his leg in December. When healthy, he was a stalwart on the league’s best penalty kill, and he averaged more than two shot blocks per game at all strengths. He’s just about ready to re-enter the lineup – or be available to, at least.
With 13 games still remaining until the playoffs, those six could all get some chances down the stretch. In the meantime, it’s a collective effort to keep them game ready.
“We keep really close tabs on their practice numbers and how much extra to get them and how much work they’ve got to do in the gym,” Ruff explained. “Guys that don’t play are doing a lot of extra work. Guys that don’t play a lot in the game, they have to do extra work after games to catch up to the guys that did play.
“I’ve got to give our strength staff a great big thank you, because they’ve kept their hands on all these guys, game in and game out and practice.”