Post-Game Talk: Devil VII

[PuckLuck3043]

Yes, Laf and Kakko were underwhelming, but if anyone truly watched that series and decided that Laf, Kakko and Gallantwere the issue and that firing the coach and trading the 22 and 21 year old 2nd and 1st overall picks will "fix" this roster, they are braindead.

Our top guys didn't come to play, plain and simple. Kreider exlcuded. Mika was electric last playoffs, so I'm willing to not be so hard on him based off his Game 6 performance and improved Game 7 play despite no results.

As for Panarin, he's the achilles heel for this team. 2nd highest paid player in league and did register a single primary even strength point in 7 games. 1 PP assits and 1 secondary assist.

This team will sink with Panarin and his contract, or they will soar without it. But that choice needs to be made this summer.

In 3 years when his deal is up, kreider, Mika, trocheck, trouba are all 3 years older. We will have wasted their better years left on their contracts, all for a useless highly paid player.

Panarin is an 82 game player, not a 16 win player. Can't win paying that type of player 11.6 million

I have defended Gallant for 2 years now but he is definitely part of the problem. Panarin needs to go if possible and we need more speed.

 

[Machinehead]

It's one thing when it was Andersson and Kravtsov. OK, not "can't miss" guys. Obviously disappointing nonetheless.

Then they get the "can't miss" guys and it's just not working out relative to expectations.

Organization is rotten at player development. Again, can they be late bloomers? I have no idea. All I know is up to this point, I'm disappointed.

Even if they are, it shouldn't take this long.

Matty Beniers is like seven years old (and looks 43 apropos of nothing) and is already an impact player.

 

[NickyLongLegz]

trouba aint the problem, he's not going anywhere and shouldn't. you need guys like him, kandre hung him out to dry far more than trouba made any mistakes. kandre should continue to improve, and he needs to, because that pairing needs to be a monster for this team if it's going to win a cup. trouba does his job well. he was one of the few who showed up tonight, he was the only guy on the right side who was consistently holding the blue line and helping generate some offense. he was fine defensively and delivered a massive hit that almost no one in the league can do and do it clean. he's a leader, the entire team knows it which is why he has the c.

everyone is emotional tonight but this team isn't far off. tampa went to a conf final then got humiliated in the first round before they broke through. col couldn't break through the 2nd round. look at toronto's 2 decade rivarly with the first round they finally defeated. a lot of teams that win cups go through multiple heartbreaks before they break through.

this team needs very little done in terms of pieces, though i will admit drury will have to thread needles to do it right. he needs to stay patient with the young players or risk looking like an idiot, but find roles to let them fly now. and that means figuring out how to do so. the roster has to be a little bit more defined where there's a team identity. it was worth the risk this year bringing in the pieces he did, but ultimately they didn't end up finding roles where they upgraded the team overall. personally i think the most effective way forward is finding some way to get out from the panarin contract, i don't hate him, but he's simply not worth nearly what he makes and he doesn't fit what the rest of the core's strengths are.

kreider/mika/trouba/kakko/laf/kandre/schneider/fox/lindgren/chytil/trocheck are your core pieces to build around. that's a team that plays north/south, skilled possession hockey. panarin is a wildcard that's loose with the puck and responsibility and outside any structure. that core needs 1-3 high speed/high pace menace types (ideally one with high end skill) players added to give it the juice it needs to maximize it's talent. it's also what would prevent being bogged down in a game like tonight. the rangers are far from a slow team, but they don't have anyone outside motte who has the motor to frustrate a team like the devils all over the ice. that's all we're missing. most of the big pieces necessary are in place. need a minor facelift up front numbers wise to assemble the right balance and roles. to do that most effectively though might present a significant challenge, and i really hope drury doesn't instead choose to reinvent the wheel galaxy braining this thing. he could destroy the entire rebuild and put us back in line to blow it all up again after 2 years of pretender status or have us truly primed for a cup run next year this summer depending on his decisions.

Thank you. This post actually made me feel significantly better lol

 

[I Eat Crow]

You have to give the kids more ice and see what you have. I mean powerplay and top 6 mins. Period

Panarin gone at 50% discount somewhere (and I’m sure he’ll be quite happy to go at this point)

Lindgren gone need a real dman that can contribute more than being fox’s friend.

You’re essentially locked into this group. A coaching change is really all you can do.

But yes if I’m drury I’m doing whatever I can to move Panarin.

I've seen enough of the kids. They stink. Lafreniere is a bust. Cut bait and get something useful back.

 

[Brutananadilewski]

Yes, Laf and Kakko were underwhelming, but if anyone truly watched that series and decided that Laf, Kakko and Gallantwere the issue and that firing the coach and trading the 22 and 21 year old 2nd and 1st overall picks will "fix" this roster, they are braindead.

Our top guys didn't come to play, plain and simple. Kreider exlcuded. Mika was electric last playoffs, so I'm willing to not be so hard on him based off his Game 6 performance and improved Game 7 play despite no results.

As for Panarin, he's the achilles heel for this team. 2nd highest paid player in league and did register a single primary even strength point in 7 games. 1 PP assits and 1 secondary assist.

This team will sink with Panarin and his contract, or they will soar without it. But that choice needs to be made this summer.

In 3 years when his deal is up, kreider, Mika, trocheck, trouba are all 3 years older. We will have wasted their better years left on their contracts, all for a useless highly paid player.

Panarin is an 82 game player, not a 16 win player. Can't win paying that type of player 11.6 million

I'm not absolving our paid players, and I think the main objective this off-season will be to try to move Panarin.

You could make an argument for KK, but what did Laf and Chytil show in this series, or the games proceeding this series that made you actually go "if only they had more minutes."

Chytil was invisible, Laf was brain dead with the puck. Last season, they were putting up points and were a reliable line. They regressed.

 

[kinger8998]

Anyways, I can digress, while lots of you may disagree with me on Gallant:

Gallant is likely the first domino to fall, someone has to wear a team this talented losing after going to Conference Finals last year. To me, its unfortunate that it is him, to other, maybe you think its fortunate. Agree to disagree.

I just hope the 2nd damn domino to fall is Panarin. I firmly will state now, and I'll keep the receipt and I hope youguys do too:

We will not win the Stanley Cup with his contract on the roster. Either he goes, or the next 3 years will be 1st and 2nd round outs, depending on the draw of opponent in the 1st round.

 

[Whoot Whoot]

Some of you lumping Kreider in the pile, he was outstanding.

 

[will1066]

Would love to be able to get inside Panarin's head. Is it age? Tom Wilson? General unwillingness to risk the body for post-hockey life?

 

[PuckLuck3043]

You have to give the kids more ice and see what you have. I mean powerplay and top 6 mins. Period

Panarin gone at 50% discount somewhere (and I’m sure he’ll be quite happy to go at this point)

Lindgren gone need a real dman that can contribute more than being fox’s friend.

You’re essentially locked into this group. A coaching change is really all you can do.

But yes if I’m drury I’m doing whatever I can to move Panarin.

Panarin at 50%? No way. I'm not paying nearly 6 mil in salary for the next 3 years AND lose a 90 point regular season player. If you can trade the entire salary or most of it then sure. Also I'm not sure why you hate Lindgren so much. He's been a good player for us and a warrior and makes only 3 million next year. Replacing competent cheap Dmen like that is not easy.

 

[Machinehead]

Would love to be able to get inside Panarin's head. Is it age? Tom Wilson? General unwillingness to risk the body for post-hockey life?

He's just a moron.

 

[duhmetreE]

Is that a bad thing? You always complain about structure and X's and O's. You will have your guy.

I'm indifferent. It depends on how it's implemented. It can't be the only way to play.

It was shutdown by Tampa last season in the playoffs. We arguably had similar opportunity this playoffs but we shit the bed in game 3 and 4.

The end goal is to win a cup. Moving the puck out of our zone and transitioning will go a long way. Attacking as a unit like it's 2023 will help.

At this point, what are we going to lose? We're not winning a cup with how this team is currently coached.... I've been saying that nearly all season.

 

[Brutananadilewski]

Panarin is a 12 million dollar Russian living it up in NYC. He wants to go nowhere.

He could also be a 12 million dollar Russian living in Florida or California. He could go to another team entirely and get to keep more of that money.

 

[Machinehead]

If they do clear Panarin's space (or Trouba's for the love of God - not enough talk about that!) I wouldn't be in a rush to spend it.

See who earns it.

Strike in free agency if/when this group of players shows you something at 5v5.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

So if they fire Gallant who are the potential coaches out there that could come in and change the system?

This could be very similar to the 2013 off-season when we fired Torts and brought in AV who inherited basically the same exact roster and had them playing a totally different style.

That was also coming off a similar playoff pattern. 2012 lost in ECF then a step back in 2013 we lost in round 2 after we were oilutclassed by Boston and it was obvious a strategic change was needed. And firing Torts there was actually a bold move by Sather, credit where it’s due, because I feel like most front offices keep the coach who got them 3 series wins the last two years.

But they pulled the trigger and this situation is eerily similar to that. ECF last season and a step back this season with a round one loss where we were outclassed and it’s apparent a strategic change is needed. Both teams had veteran talent that they were basically locked in to because of the cap. It’s an extremely similar situation.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

Some of you lumping Kreider in the pile, he was outstanding.

They are morons. He and Tarasenko were the best forwards. The two 90 point players Bread and Mika were ass.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Amen.

Something is rotten at the organizational level for what happened in the last 6 years to happen with the draft picks to happen. I thought it was literally statistically impossible for what happened to happen until I've seen it with my own two eyes.

If I'm a rich guy that has a rooting interest in this team, I buy the f***ing team and shitcanning Sather is the first move I make within 60 seconds from the time the paperwork is signed.

You know what it was?

SIGNING f***ING ARTEMI PANARIN BEFORE ANYONE KNEW WHAT THE f*** THEY HAD. It angers me to no end because I KNEW this would happen. I wasn't alone in it, but it was clear as f***ing day that he would be a dud by the time this team was ready to do anything. The 2018-19 team was miserable but they should have let it get worse instead of hitching their wheel to the wagon of this f*** shit.

Worse than that, you've basically allowed the guy to play GM and head coach. They assembled his best friend squad this year, they allowed him to hand pick his line mates before. He's literally the only player in the top 6 who hasn't been benched/scratched/demoted. Now that hes shat his pants, again, it better spell the end for him here. Dude is the poison pill of all poison pills and arguably the worst UFA contract that this franchise has handed out when you consider where they were as a team when he was signed.

Even a move like Trouba (which was well intentioned and at least he was young-ish when they got him) probably doesn't happen if they waited a year and found out what they had in Fox.

Kreider (and god bless him, hes actually over delivered on his contract) should have probably been moved as well. Guarantee that they don't bring him back if they knew they were landing the 1 OA in the draft and while you can't exactly plan for that, they should have made more of an effort to work the young guy in (this applies even more so to Kakko, who was completely bungled by Quinn.)

Speaking of Quinn, he was an asshat of the highest regard (for many reasons) and one of the worst coaches we could have had when we had him, but he was only so bad because he had to placate all of these veterans that the organization either brought in or decided not to move.


Long story short - Move Panarin and the healing process can start. It's not as dire as some think it is but it has to start with getting him the f*** out of here. Much better ways to use those dollars and if we have to start over again then so be it.

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

Would love to be able to get inside Panarin's head. Is it age? Tom Wilson? General unwillingness to risk the body for post-hockey life?

He went to Deion Sanders’ business decision university

 

[duhmetreE]

If they do clear Panarin's space (or Trouba's for the love of God - not enough talk about that!) I wouldn't be in a rush to spend it.

See who earns it.

Strike in free agency if/when this group of players shows you something at 5v5.

PIG FACE KILLAH

 

[RickChartraw]

Panarin needs to go. not sure how it happens. can't spend that much cap on a playoff no show.

 

[Machinehead]

PIG FACE KILLAH

This is the typa shit I'm talking about.

You just made the list.

 

[Row I Goon]

Some of you lumping Kreider in the pile, he was outstanding.

Agree - stood up and one of the few top 6 who deserves applause

 

[duhmetreE]

This is the typa shit I'm talking about.

You just made the list.

AM34 isn't enough talent for you?

or it's too much taleent for you?

 

[kinger8998]

Personally, I thought Trouba was fine, and despite his 8 million contract being unfortunate, him, Schneider, Shetserkin and Kreider looked like the only guys who gave a shit for the entire series.

Trouba should play with Jones next year, give him a natural puck mover, Miller isn't that. Miller and Schneider, neither are great puck movers, but both had good foot speed. Fox and Lindgren run it back.

Kane, Tarasenko and Kreider were the only impressive forwards all/at any part of series. Mika was good last playoffs, willing to give benefit of doubt. Panarin a heaping pile of garbage.

 

[PalmCoastRanger]

Yup but Fox basically gift wrapped that entire play for them. Just totally unforced decision to casually double back and wait until he has no play. He had tons of time for like 5 solid seconds to make a play and he just waited. You can’t do that against a team like the devils, or any playoff team for that matter.

Just such a stupid sequence by him. Never thought Adam Fox would be the direct cause of a playoff loss because of a turnover like that. Any other D on this team I could see, but not Fox.

Bigger issue is this is nothing new with Fox. Good defenders/coaches know to just bullrush him and ignore his feints. Fox has yet to adjust to this tactic. It is a guaranteed turn over when defenders just play the body on him.

 

[LionsHeart]

If they do clear Panarin's space (or Trouba's for the love of God - not enough talk about that!) I wouldn't be in a rush to spend it.

See who earns it.

Strike in free agency if/when this group of players shows you something at 5v5.

That was a huge mistake when the rebuild started. Gorton cleared a ton of space just to spend it again, which led to us unable to fill in depth and keep guys like Buchnevich.