Devils 2020-21 team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part XIV

[My3Sons]

We’ll, It’s been fun.

If he does have it we can only hope it’s asymptomatic and he’s back in roughly ten days or whatever the protocol is. Fingers crossed. I’d expect more of this as the season unfolds, not less. Those vaccines can’t get rolled out fast enough.

 

[My3Sons]

He isn't dead and every team is going to face major players going down to this or random injuries due to the short season.

If they can't overcome that then they weren't going anywhere anyway.

Wait, so Nico gave his gangrene to MBW and now he’s dead too? You are just the grim reaper around here.

 

[StevenToddIves]

You can list all these things that Boqvist is supposedly better at but none of that matters if he can’t produce. He’s looked good defensively but we are still in a place where it is certainly a good outcome if he becomes a Johnsson-level player. That is definitely not a floor scenario.

Kuokkanen has shown nothing but it’s only been a few games. Again, a Johnsson-level player would be closer to a ceiling scenario than a floor.

Again, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. Boqvist and Kuokkanen are 22. At 22, Johnsson was in Sweden, still two years away from the NHL. Ruff's job is to win as many games as possible and to develop the young Devils players in order to assure a stronger future.

I know it's just three games, but Boqvist is certainly the better player right now. This would make a pretty good case for him also being a better option for the future. With Kuokkanen? Nothing has separated him from the pack, but the jury is still out. As far as Johnsson goes, it's a pretty bad contract for a bottom-6 winger but maybe he can chip in 15 goals this year. But you certainly don't risk threatening Jack Hughes' early success by taking Sharangovich off his wing to get a depth player "going", that's absurd.

If Sharangovich got injured or something, then we could have this debate. But Boqvist would be the clear option to me. His speed and ability to think and anticipate the game are clearly significantly ahead of Johnsson. Boqvist can also help Hughes more defensively and in the face-off circle than Johnsson, who has no centering experience and -- while by no means a liability -- is not a notable defensive player. I'm forced to dispute the idea that Johnsson's production is something Boqvist should aspire to -- again, Boqvist is going on 23 and Johnsson is going on 27. If Boqvist entered 2025 with less than 67 career points, I think it would be a shocking disappointment. I just have a tough time fathoming that this should be some noble aspiration for a player of Boqvist's ability and talent.

 

[Nubmer6]

OH COME THE f*** ON

Oh FFS.

 

[Nubmer6]

I’m sure Wedgewood will play well. He’s got that recent NHL experience to draw on.

STANLEY

CUP

CHAMPION.

 

[Guttersniped]

If he does have it we can only hope it’s asymptomatic and he’s back in roughly ten days or whatever the protocol is. Fingers crossed. I’d expect more of this as the season unfolds, not less. Those vaccines can’t get rolled out fast enough.

Worse things could happen to Blackwood but I would’ve liked the magic spell to have at least lasted longer than 3 games and until Dell got shipped here. I’m aware I’m stating the very obvious.

Hopefully Wedgewood can be propelled by adrenaline into have a couple good games before reality sets in. At least with Dell eventually coming we’ll have numerous goalies to throw out there. Variety is the spice of life.

 

[LeedsMonster]

Koukkanen has shown nothing? Now granted, I couldn't watch the last game because of stupid black out rules, but he looked solid to me getting into the corners and being physical. Not what I was hoping to see offensively, but I wouldn't say hes shown nothing.

 

[Xirik]

McLeod is a center with very solid two-way ability, so I'd remove him from this argument. Bastian is not expected to be a 20-goal top 6 guy -- we're happy with him as a power 4th line winger with a bit of scoring pop and physicality, so we should probably take him out, too.

So this narrows down the question to: can Kuokkanen or Boqvist become superior players to Johnsson?

Kuokkanen is a different player, for certain. He lacks Johnsson's shot and nose for the net, but he is far better at distributing the puck and anticipating the play. Statistically, Kuokkanen's final AHL season (at 22 years old) saw him score 48 points in 56 games. While Johnsson's final AHL season (at 24 years old) saw him score 54 points in 54 games. So, is the question -- can Kuokkanen ever hope to match Johnsson's accomplishment of 67 career points going into his 27-year old season? I'd say the idea of Kuokkanen having accumulated 68 career NHL points entering the 2025-26 campaign is not extremely far fetched.

As far as Boqvist.. well, to me this argument is flat out silly. Boqvist is faster, smarter, plays harder on and off the puck, is light years superior with passing, vision and anticipation, and has the ability to slot in at center or the wing. He creates chances, whereas Johnsson's job is to finish chances. I'm not going to get ahead of myself and say Boqvist is a can't miss top 6 stud, but I think most of us would be downright shocked if he did not have 68 career NHL points entering the 2025-26 campaign.

What Johnsson did in 2018-19 was certainly an accomplishment. He scored 20 goals -- not an easy thing to do -- acting as the finisher/net-crasher for Hall of Famers like Matthews and Tavares.

I'm not sure where the myths were created that 1) the Devils prospects and young players are not that good; and 2) that Andreas Johnsson's move to New Jersey was somehow going to give him the vision and anticipation to be a first-line caliber winger.

I'm not trying to insult the kid, or bemoan his trade acquisition. He's certainly an NHL-er who can contribute some offensive pop for your bottom 6, maybe play at the net front on your 2PP. He's a nice depth acquisition, and though he's certainly overpaid for what he brings, the Devils had the cap room and the prospect depth at RW to deal Joey Anderson and still be able to consider the position a major organizational strength.

But again, the ideas I'm reading that we should drop Sharangovich from the top line to "get Johnsson going" are ridiculous. You do not move depth players to your top line to "get them going". You "keep Jack Hughes going" by keeping him alongside the player he is excelling alongside.

I think Johnsson doesn't really mesh with Hughes style of play. I do want to try him on a line with Nico and bratt eventuall, For some reason I feel they would mesh well together.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Again, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. Boqvist and Kuokkanen are 22. At 22, Johnsson was in Sweden, still two years away from the NHL. Ruff's job is to win as many games as possible and to develop the young Devils players in order to assure a stronger future.

I know it's just three games, but Boqvist is certainly the better player right now. This would make a pretty good case for him also being a better option for the future. With Kuokkanen? Nothing has separated him from the pack, but the jury is still out. As far as Johnsson goes, it's a pretty bad contract for a bottom-6 winger but maybe he can chip in 15 goals this year. But you certainly don't risk threatening Jack Hughes' early success by taking Sharangovich off his wing to get a depth player "going", that's absurd.

If Sharangovich got injured or something, then we could have this debate. But Boqvist would be the clear option to me. His speed and ability to think and anticipate the game are clearly significantly ahead of Johnsson. Boqvist can also help Hughes more defensively and in the face-off circle than Johnsson, who has no centering experience and -- while by no means a liability -- is not a notable defensive player. I'm forced to dispute the idea that Johnsson's production is something Boqvist should aspire to -- again, Boqvist is going on 23 and Johnsson is going on 27. If Boqvist entered 2025 with less than 67 career points, I think it would be a shocking disappointment. I just have a tough time fathoming that this should be some noble aspiration for a player of Boqvist's ability and talent.

Johnsson is 26. Just turned 26 a couple months ago.

These guys have combined for four (4) points in 53 games. I’m not shitting on them I’m just being realistic. They have proven absolutely nothing and if they become 40 point players, that is a good outcome.

 

[KovalSNIPE]

Who ever says McLeod has a strong two way game is blind. Can't call him two-way if he can't produce any offense.

 

[Xirik]

The Teams main goal shouldn't be making the playoffs. Its should be about throwing our prospects and other players to the wall and seeing what sticks. I think by the end of the season everyone will have had a chance to show that they belong on the team or not.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

The Teams main goal shouldn't be making the playoffs. Its should be about throwing our prospects and other players to the wall and seeing what sticks. I think by the end of the season everyone will have had a chance to show that they belong on the team or not.

That is what they are doing. Fitz basically came right out and said that.

 

[theoptimist]

Little things like dumping the puck for a line change confuse Palmieri and its been the case for years

 

[billingtons ghost]

Koukkanen has shown nothing? Now granted, I couldn't watch the last game because of stupid black out rules, but he looked solid to me getting into the corners and being physical. Not what I was hoping to see offensively, but I wouldn't say hes shown nothing.

Um. In the three games I watched - he has shown NOTHING. Even less than Johnsson, who's shown nothing.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Tennyson has logged 36 minutes on the season total. Subban logged 30:18 in a single game.

I’m not killing Tennyson, I don’t really care about corsi in tiny samples, and he hasn’t been egregiously terrible. But he is just not a good player whatsoever. They’re different roles and I understand why you’d want a “gritty” guy like him, but it is beyond absurd to say he’s superior to Butcher. You didn’t say that, but others have. That is just ridiculous.

He's superior because we need someone to be strictly defensive minded with our dodgy RHDs - so that they can contribute on offense.

Corsi scores for defensemen are fairly silly - especially so for a guy who is just there to introduce a little muscle and to clear the crease. Comparing him to a guy making $9m who is supposed to be Norris-quality is a joke - especially since the latter is pretty much 30 minutes of warmed over mediocre garbage every night.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Gusev has not impressed me one bit so far this season. 0 points in 4 games for someone that's supposed to be one of our reliable offensive weapons? He wasn't all that great last year until garbage time when the season was basically over. Getting a bad feeling he's not part of our future.

PK sucks too. Guy has the weirdest career arc I've ever seen. Wins a Norris at age 24, then has a huge decline at age 30? How many Norris caliber d-men start shitting the bed that early in their careers?

Ty Smith, Blackwood, and Hughes have been bright spots.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Gusev has not impressed me one bit so far this season. 0 points in 4 games for someone that's supposed to be one of our reliable offensive weapons? He wasn't all that great last year until garbage time when the season was basically over. Getting a bad feeling he's not part of our future.

PK sucks too. Guy has the weirdest career arc I've ever seen. Wins a Norris at age 24, then has a huge decline at age 30? How many Norris caliber d-men start shitting the bed that early in their careers?

Ty Smith, Blackwood, and Hughes have been bright spots.

Gusev had 30 points in the final 37 games last year....thats way more than "garbage time"

not saying hes been good...he hasn't. But we need to relax with this weird revisionist history.

 

[Emperoreddy]

You wouldn't know they were playing for big pay days.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Gusev had 30 points in the final 37 games last year....thats way more than "garbage time"

not saying hes been good...he hasn't. But we need to relax with this weird revisionist history.

That's less than half a season...in a year when the games became meaningless basically a month in. It absolutely was garbage time.

 

[Triumph]

That's less than half a season...in a year when the games became meaningless basically a month in. It absolutely was garbage time.

This idea that seasons have garbage time in them - you do realize that the implication is that the team is worse over that time, right? The Devils traded Taylor Hall in December. So yes, Gusev was given more of an offensive role in the time after that trade was made, but he also earned that role by producing.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Palmieri being shit is doubly bad because his trade value could drop. Let’s hope this slump ends soon.

 

[Emperoreddy]

This need to justify current bad play by erasing a players past good play is baffling.

Its like you want these guys to fail sometimes.

 

[guitarguyvic]

This idea that seasons have garbage time in them - you do realize that the implication is that the team is worse over that time, right? The Devils traded Taylor Hall in December. So yes, Gusev was given more of an offensive role in the time after that trade was made, but he also earned that role by producing.

He got more ice time so he produced more...ok? Besides the fact that he didn’t start producing until essentially there were zero expectations for him and team, 37 games is also a pretty darn small sample size.

4 games down, 0 points accumulated. Let’s see how the rest of the season plays out.

 

[guitarguyvic]

This need to justify current bad play by erasing a players past good play is baffling.

Its like you want these guys to fail sometimes.

All I’m saying is that he has looked like shit for the first four games of the season. Combined with a mediocre first half of last season....I’m not erasing what he did in the second half last year, simply offering up that the jury is still out on just how reliable of an offensive weapon this guy is.

 

[Triumph]

He got more ice time so he produced more...ok? Besides the fact that he didn’t start producing until essentially there were zero expectations for him and team, 37 games is also a pretty darn small sample size.

4 games down, 0 points accumulated. Let’s see how the rest of the season plays out.

His ice time did not go up a crazy amount. He was never really given a lot of ice time.

He's an unusual player and he may not fit here anymore, but 4 games and 0 points isn't really going to convince me.