Devils 2019-20 Preseason/Season team discussion (news and notes)

[DVision44]

NHL network has Hall at #41 of top 50...****ing disgraceful.

Shero needs to use that at the negotiating table...

 

[The 29th Pick]

NHL network has Hall at #41 of top 50...****ing disgraceful.

I'm sure they have Artemi Panarin way way up now that he's a Rag

 

[Wolf Stansson 30]

Zacha has to make the same move Elias did early in his career. Move to LW.

 

[MadDevil]

I can't wait for my son to prove you all wrong this season

I will eat that crow with a smile on my face and ask for another helping.

 

[captainscott]

Zacha's lineup placement this year is going to be very interesting. I really don't see the point in having him C the 4th line. He does not strike me as the type of guy who would excel in that role.

Feel like he would coast and be demoralized. Some of you might laugh at that, but his crazy inconsistent play + numerous reports/quotes concerning his father + his general demeanor make me believe he is pretty fragile mentally.

Even coaching teens you come across players like this all the time. Usually (not always) ends up you either help them grow to where they think they need to be...or they flame out.

It's no secret on here that I never liked Zacha, but based on where he is at in his development, I think you need to at least give him the chance to build upon his finish to last season and start him in the top 9.

Zacha is a really good player. he is a big part of this team one way or another.. he will be a big solid pretty cheap player for this team.. just the type of player and salary teams need

 

[Cheddabombs]

I will eat that crow with a smile on my face and ask for another helping.

I'll prepare my finest crow meal for everyone

 

[glenwo2]

I'll prepare my finest crow meal for everyone

I remember how he and Bratt seemed to have some good chemistry, though with the new additions, that combo won't be used much(if at all) since Bratt will be back on the Kids-&-The-Hall line again.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I'll prepare my finest crow meal for everyone

Don't need it. I love Zacha. He will find his game and I sincerely hope it is here. He fits this roster like a glove right now, even if he doesn't improve, which he will.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Don't need it. I love Zacha. He will find his game and I sincerely hope it is here. He fits this roster like a glove right now, even if he doesn't improve, which he will.

You'll be singing a different tune once you hear how delicious my crow is from everyone else

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

if Zacha plays the whole year, I think 15 + 25 is in the cards

 

[glenwo2]

You'll be singing a different tune once you hear how delicious my crow is from everyone else

What type of sauce will you use?

 

[My3Sons]

What type of sauce will you use?

I’d probably soak it in milk to reduce the gaminess then brine it then go with a light smoke using a mixture of apple and cherry wood and finish it off under a gas broiler to crisp the skin. Maybe a raspberry lingonberry compote reduction on the side if you want to serve some sort of a sauce with it.

 

[Blackjack]

if Zacha plays the whole year, I think 15 + 25 is in the cards

And people will still bitch about it, but that would be a good year, and those would probably be mostly 5v5 points.

 

[ThePrideofStockholm]

I still believe in Zacha, he's gonna be a important player for this team going forward, lw or c.

 

[devilsblood]

Hynes has his work to cut out and sew this lineup together. We have the raw material here to be a very competitive team but IMO it’s unusually unsettled to see just how you will put a number of these pieces together, including how to use Zacha, Smith, et al., who plays on the left of Subban and half a dozen other things I would think of if I wanted to go on typing with one finger.

Basic system issues as to how to get the most out of this roster are very much the first issue. I expect we will want to run and gun and that Hynes - based on past behavior - will want to see if we can be Tampa, Toronto or Calgary redux and just try to outscore folks - but I am personally unsure that this is the best idea.

I don’t have the answers here, just the questions. It should be an interesting camp. But I really do think how we do this year depends on coaching to a very unusual degree.

Hynes def wants to play uptempo but I don't think it's fair to say he just wants to outscore people. He has a defensive philosophy that is very aggressive and involves an abundance of switches, and I'm not sure it's a winning style, but I think defense is very much a part of his game plan.

 

[GameSeven]

The Bruins announced their Prospect Challenge roster about 2 hours ago, leaving only the NJD roster as TBD. I imagine it has to come in shortly, or tomorrow if they *really* want to push it.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

 

[Billdo]

My child, Pavel Zacha, will shut a lot of people up this year. I'm guaranteeing 20 goals with elite PKing and defensive play.

 

[Blackjack]

Pronman puts the Devils prospect pool at 3rd, which leaves the Rangers and Avs as the top two prospect pools, we'll see which is which (Avs should really be 1st.) I don't know how much I'm allowed to post, but I'll put the intro, his comments on Boqvist because they kind of surprised me, and his top 5 Devils prospects. Hopefully that's not too much.

2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 3 New Jersey Devils

The Devils’ farm system was one of the toughest for me to rank. In Jack Hughes they have a foundational piece of their future. Defenseman Ty Smith is also a great player. But after those two, the top of the system doesn’t resemble a lot of the best systems around the league. The Devils’ depth is quite good, but it’s a lot of players on the bubble. The Devils high ranking mostly comes down to how much I value Hughes and, to an extent, Smith.

3. Jesper Boqvist, LW, Brynas-SHL
Oct. 30, 1998 | six-foot | 181 pounds
Tier: Very good/legit bubble
Boqvist had a successful season in the SHL. He had a torrid first half where he was among the leaders in scoring but cooled off in the last few months. Speed is Boqvist’s defining trait. He’s a very good skater who can regularly push the pace and be relied on to gain the zone with control of the puck. He’s a skilled offensive player who can play through defenders and create on the flank. I don’t think his skill level will wow you, but he can create offense in the NHL. He’s not the most physical or best defensive forward, though; and given he’s not a game breaker offensively, he will need to be very consistent with his compete level.

Top 5:

1. Hughes
2. Smith
3. Boqvist
4. McLeod
5. Misyul

Pronman likes Misyul and seems to echo what others have said, good set of tools that could translate to a good NHL career, may have fallen because of his 3 year KHL contract. He doesn't really like our other prospects too much, thinks Studenic could be a sleeper.

 

[devilsblood]

Pronman puts the Devils prospect pool at 3rd, which leaves the Rangers and Avs as the top two prospect pools, we'll see which is which (Avs should really be 1st.) I don't know how much I'm allowed to post, but I'll put the intro, his comments on Boqvist because they kind of surprised me, and his top 5 Devils prospects. Hopefully that's not too much.

2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 3 New Jersey Devils

The Devils’ farm system was one of the toughest for me to rank. In Jack Hughes they have a foundational piece of their future. Defenseman Ty Smith is also a great player. But after those two, the top of the system doesn’t resemble a lot of the best systems around the league. The Devils’ depth is quite good, but it’s a lot of players on the bubble. The Devils high ranking mostly comes down to how much I value Hughes and, to an extent, Smith.

3. Jesper Boqvist, LW, Brynas-SHL
Oct. 30, 1998 | six-foot | 181 pounds
Tier: Very good/legit bubble
Boqvist had a successful season in the SHL. He had a torrid first half where he was among the leaders in scoring but cooled off in the last few months. Speed is Boqvist’s defining trait. He’s a very good skater who can regularly push the pace and be relied on to gain the zone with control of the puck. He’s a skilled offensive player who can play through defenders and create on the flank. I don’t think his skill level will wow you, but he can create offense in the NHL. He’s not the most physical or best defensive forward, though; and given he’s not a game breaker offensively, he will need to be very consistent with his compete level.

Top 5:

1. Hughes
2. Smith
3. Boqvist
4. McLeod
5. Misyul

Pronman likes Misyul and seems to echo what others have said, good set of tools that could translate to a good NHL career, may have fallen because of his 3 year KHL contract. He doesn't really like our other prospects too much, thinks Studenic could be a sleeper.

Ya I thought Boqvist is known for having high level puck skills.

But I wonder how much any of these guys have seen him play.

 

[Blackjack]

But I wonder how much any of these guys have seen him play.

He definitely should have seen Boq play since he was one of the top forwards in the SHL last year. If he's not watching the CHL, SHL, KHL, and NCAA pretty closely he shouldn't be writing about prospects.

 

[Scooooooooooooot]

Pronman puts the Devils prospect pool at 3rd, which leaves the Rangers and Avs as the top two prospect pools, we'll see which is which (Avs should really be 1st.) I don't know how much I'm allowed to post, but I'll put the intro, his comments on Boqvist because they kind of surprised me, and his top 5 Devils prospects. Hopefully that's not too much.

2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 3 New Jersey Devils

The Devils’ farm system was one of the toughest for me to rank. In Jack Hughes they have a foundational piece of their future. Defenseman Ty Smith is also a great player. But after those two, the top of the system doesn’t resemble a lot of the best systems around the league. The Devils’ depth is quite good, but it’s a lot of players on the bubble. The Devils high ranking mostly comes down to how much I value Hughes and, to an extent, Smith.

3. Jesper Boqvist, LW, Brynas-SHL
Oct. 30, 1998 | six-foot | 181 pounds
Tier: Very good/legit bubble
Boqvist had a successful season in the SHL. He had a torrid first half where he was among the leaders in scoring but cooled off in the last few months. Speed is Boqvist’s defining trait. He’s a very good skater who can regularly push the pace and be relied on to gain the zone with control of the puck. He’s a skilled offensive player who can play through defenders and create on the flank. I don’t think his skill level will wow you, but he can create offense in the NHL. He’s not the most physical or best defensive forward, though; and given he’s not a game breaker offensively, he will need to be very consistent with his compete level.

Top 5:

1. Hughes
2. Smith
3. Boqvist
4. McLeod
5. Misyul

Pronman likes Misyul and seems to echo what others have said, good set of tools that could translate to a good NHL career, may have fallen because of his 3 year KHL contract. He doesn't really like our other prospects too much, thinks Studenic could be a sleeper.

I would say he is very low on Reilly Walsh compared to how we feel and how some other people have said. I tend to agree with him on being lower on Walsh despite his offensive talent and success in college. I think the best case scenario for us realistically with Walsh is that he plays himself into being an adam fox like trading piece that we can either move in a deadline deal to boost the team or for a good return. I dont think Walsh is anywhere near being a steady NHL d man and he has a ton of work to do defensively.

 

[Blackjack]

I would say he is very low on Reilly Walsh compared to how we feel and how some other people have said. I tend to agree with him on being lower on Walsh despite his offensive talent and success in college. I think the best case scenario for us realistically with Walsh is that he plays himself into being an adam fox like trading piece that we can either move in a deadline deal to boost the team or for a good return. I dont think Walsh is anywhere near being a steady NHL d man and he has a ton of work to do defensively.

Agree, also seems pretty low on Talvitie and Zetterlund; a couple of guys that I thought were pretty strong prospects.

 

[RangerDoggo]

Pronman is harsher on the Devils prospect pool than most experts, but if nothing else, he's telling us something that's true even if we don't want to hear it and in direct contradiction of most of our fans: Shero just isn't that good at building a farm system. There was a person in the comment section who put it in a way that I completely agree with: he and Castron have tried and failed to get home runs in the second and third rounds, and if we're competing for the Cup in a few years, it'll have more to do with trades than with drafting and developing.

You can say that Shero's good at restocking the farm system, or you can say that he's not good at filling it with high end talent. It's a contradiction to say both at the same time, but that's what most fans I've seen have been saying.

 

[Call Me Al]

Shero just isn't that good at building a farm system.

lol and yet here we are ranked 3rd. also nico and bratt have already graduated from "prospect" status where a lot of other teams have players from that draft in their "prospect" pipeline. give me a break