Devils 2018-19 team discussion (news and notes) - camp begins!

[Call Me Al]

I'm surprised Randy has not helped get a deal done.

The Devils let Miles play that one game to start the clock too.

this is a very good point. they've already earned the goodwill that he would still be playing on an entry level contract for this season if not for that just sign the contract jesus

 

[Zippy316]

Should be interesting to see how Zajac looks this year.

Its easy to forget how he didn't have a healthy off-season last year. Then had to adjust to a much quicker style of play and that took him like two months to finally start to fit in.

Honestly, same goes for Boyle here too.

 

[My3Sons]

As much as it risks, NJ should let Cory rehab as slowly as he needs to. He’s on the wrong sign of 30 and any injury that is chronic will stay with him for the remainder of his career. If the surgery fixed his injury than he needs to heal completely and then worry about playing after wards even if that is Thanksgiving.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Kinkaid showed last year he clearly is capable of shouldering the load for a lengthy period of time. Is it reasonable to expect him to do the same thing this year? Maybe, maybe not. But, because of that, the above quote is correct and we should give him as much time as needed to get to 100%.

 

[Quest for Stanley]

Seney would bring Taylor’s Pt 2

 

[glenwo2]

Melnyk: "We can find a way through this deal but you'd need to give me Wood"

Shero: "Well..............that's a tall order Gene, any chance you could soften your stance?"

It's not just McKenzie; if you separate out the E5 frauds of the world from the legitimate hockey insiders with connections, pretty much all the legitimate folks say he's going west.

Now, HTH could they possibly know that? Only thing I can think of is Ottawa is politically motivated to not see EK on the ice 100 times per season.

"The Sens are reportedly asking for a top young defenseman, a top prospect, a roster player, and an additional pick."

 

[MadDevil]

Maybe Melnyk is just pulling a Rachel Phelps from Major League and trying to make them so bad they can move.

 

[hayen]

Keith can do it. Maybe not for an entire season but one game at a time he can do it. Hopefully Cory comes back in his old form.

 

[Triumph]

this is a very good point. they've already earned the goodwill that he would still be playing on an entry level contract for this season if not for that just sign the contract jesus

He would still be playing on an entry-level deal, but at that deal's conclusion he also would've been arbitration-eligible and therefore eligible for a much larger raise.

 

[glenwo2]

Rick can't be any worse than Ward, right? RIGHT??

Translation :

"I'm really pissed off at Wood(or rather his agent) right now. Hopefully, he wakes the hell up and signs the damn contract. I'm not getting any younger here"

Dano gonna Dano.

 

[AveryQuietMan]

Dano gonna Dano.

does eat=drink

 

[glenwo2]

Kinkaid showed last year he clearly is capable of shouldering the load for a lengthy period of time. Is it reasonable to expect him to do the same thing this year? Maybe, maybe not. But, because of that, the above quote is correct and we should give him as much time as needed to get to 100%.

Speaking of Kinky :

Just re-read my tweet, Kinky, and you'll be rolling again.

Can't wait for the season to start and watch these three on the ice again!

(btw, I apologize for the large size but I have zero clue how to make the image smaller. )

 

[billingtons ghost]

Kinkaid showed last year he clearly is capable of shouldering the load for a lengthy period of time. Is it reasonable to expect him to do the same thing this year? Maybe, maybe not. But, because of that, the above quote is correct and we should give him as much time as needed to get to 100%.

Just realized that if Kinky ended up playing 60 games, and won at the same rate he was winning at, he would've had 40 wins - even despite the weak start and the slide. 36 games is a relatively decent sample set too - not like just cherry-picking at backup with 10 starts going 9-1-0...

Interesting to chew on - and interesting to see if he can continue

 

[Nubmer6]

For those with a subscription:
Devils training camp preview: Your A-Z guide on the quest to...

 

[Better Call Sal]

Part of me loves that we didn't make any moves solely for the fact that the experts are going to be doubting us again.

This team was more than motivated enough to shove it back in their faces. They made the playoffs and showed they can hang and be a tough team to play against. Yet here we are again, being doubted because we didn't make any splashes in the offseason.

Inject that doubt as motivation straight into my veins. Let our guys feed off of it. It will only make us hungrier.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Part of me loves that we didn't make any moves solely for the fact that the experts are going to be doubting us again.

This team was more than motivated enough to shove it back in their faces. They made the playoffs and showed they can hang and be a tough team to play against. Yet here we are again, being doubted because we didn't make any splashes in the offseason.

Inject that doubt as motivation straight into my veins. Let our guys feed off of it. It will only make us hungrier.

A bigger Nico with an improved shot and a stronger, motivated Zacha would do a lot to push this team towards the playoffs.

 

[njdevils1982]

Maybe Melnyk is just pulling a Rachel Phelps from Major League and trying to make them so bad they can move.

but will they have a life sized cardboard likeness where they can feel off pieces of melnyk's clothes with every win?

 

[Better Call Sal]

A bigger Nico with an improved shot and a stronger, motivated Zacha would do a lot to push this team towards the playoffs.

There are a number of things that could help replace the production we lost:

1. A full season from Marcus Johansson
2. A significant jump in offense from Pavel Zacha
3. A healthier Kyle Palmieri
4. Consistency from Jesper Bratt for a full season
5. Will Butcher taking on heavier minutes effectively.
6. A jump in minutes for Miles Wood.

That doesn't even cover everything, but are major pieces that realistically could keep us on the upswing.

 

[MadDevil]

but will they have a life sized cardboard likeness where they can feel off pieces of melnyk's clothes with every win?

I apologize to everybody for my post. This is an mental image nobody should have to live with.

 

[Emperoreddy]

There are a number of things that could help replace the production we lost:

1. A full season from Marcus Johansson
2. A significant jump in offense from Pavel Zacha
3. A healthier Kyle Palmieri
4. Consistency from Jesper Bratt for a full season
5. Will Butcher taking on heavier minutes effectively.
6. A jump in minutes for Miles Wood.

That doesn't even cover everything, but are major pieces that realistically could keep us on the upswing.

Full season of healthy Zajac too. He didn’t find his legs until January, but he was a big help when he did.

We also barely lost any production. Gibbons and Maroon’s production is easily replaceable internally.

Moore’s offensive numbers will have to be picked up, but he will not be missed defensively at all.

 

[MadDevil]

I really want to see a full season of Zajac with the Texans.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Full season of healthy Zajac too. He didn’t find his legs until January, but he was a big help when he did.

We also barely lost any production. Gibbons and Maroon’s production is easily replaceable internally.

Moore’s offensive numbers will have to be picked up, but he will not be missed defensively at all.

Absolutely. I'd argue he was one of our top 3 forwards in the Lightning series also behind Hall and debatably Coleman.

Much of Maroon's production here could be replicated from giving more minutes to Wood. Corey from the Athletic mentioned that they had Wood watching and learning from him on his work on the PP and using his size along the boards. It's why I'm a big fan of holding onto Wood because he's such a unique player in what he has the potential of becoming.

 

[My3Sons]

There are a number of things that could help replace the production we lost:

1. A full season from Marcus Johansson
2. A significant jump in offense from Pavel Zacha
3. A healthier Kyle Palmieri
4. Consistency from Jesper Bratt for a full season
5. Will Butcher taking on heavier minutes effectively.
6. A jump in minutes for Miles Wood.

That doesn't even cover everything, but are major pieces that realistically could keep us on the upswing.

I’d put consistent goaltending on that list as well. Maybe also development from Sevs in the D zone.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I’d put consistent goaltending on that list as well. Maybe also development from Sevs in the D zone.

We should be seeing development from all the D not named Greene, LJ, or Vats.

Sevs, Santini, Butcher, and Mueller should all be taking steps forward.

 

[My3Sons]

We should be seeing development from all the D not named Greene, LJ, or Vats.

Sevs, Santini, Butcher, and Mueller should all be taking steps forward.

No disagreement but I see Sevs development as more crucial given his age and experience. If the younger defenders showed marginal improvement over the course of the season that wouldn’t shock me or discourage me. I think Sevs needs to start showing more than that in his own zone. Him taking a step forward to become a consistent leader of a legit second pair would really help settle the defense this season.