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

[Triumph]

A lot of text

The capper is the surprise appearance of our 3rd Belarusian draft pick on the last page, Danii Misyul. I guess some Belarusian parents get their kids Russian passports in hopes of getting into Russian juniors/KHL programs. In Misyul’s case he even plays for team Russia while his brother for team Belarus.

It clear to me why they do that, in terms of opportunity, but I guess when confronted on “betraying” their national team they blame their Russian KHL organizations for forcing them to play for team Russia. A poster who rips that cover story at length, but the whole process is sort an interesting Eastern European spin on hockey parenting.

Yeah this is all interesting stuff - what got me thinking about it was that I read that Amirov is Kazakh by birth but that in order to advance his hockey career, his family moved to Russia when he was a young teenager, and obviously now he played for Team Russia at the WJCs. Those former SSRs really don't have a whole lot - the amount of ice time against other top players his age and specialized coaching a guy like Yegor got versus someone like Jack Hughes is probably vastly different.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

MVP Hall was right there with him

I really liked Hall during that run, but he never had the toolkit Kovy did. Kovy was every bit as fast, if not faster, bigger, stronger, better hands, better shot, far more dynamic. At thier Devils best, I take Kovy over Hall every time no doubt.

 

[Billdo]

MVP Hall was right there with him

Respectfully disagree. Hall was a lot of motor and skill. Kovalchuks skill level was higher and when his motor was going he was an absolute force. That's not downplaying Hall at all, loved his MVP season, but Kovalchuk was just on a different level when he wanted to be.

 

[MadDevil]

MVP Hall was fun, but I don't think he was ever the scoring threat Kovy was.

 

[glenwo2]

I really liked Hall during that run, but he never had the toolkit Kovy did. Kovy was every bit as fast, if not faster, bigger, stronger, better hands, better shot, far more dynamic. At thier Devils best, I take Kovy over Hall every time no doubt.

One thing I respected about Kovy was his willingness to get down and dirty with the opposing players.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

One thing I respected about Kovy was his willingness to get down and dirty with the opposing players.

Remember when he knocked out Schenn? Kovy was so awesome.

 

[Hisch13r]

MVP Hall was fun, but I don't think he was ever the scoring threat Kovy was.

Funny enough 11-12 Hall actually had a higher G/60 than 11-12 Kovy did. 17-18 Hall bests both of them

 

[LeedsMonster]

Remember when he knocked out Schenn? Kovy was so awesome.

One of my all time favorite fights.

 

[Zippy316]

We should be on who the first Devils player to have to quarantine will be... my money is PK.

Most likely to either be a player with a family or a freak case where a player has no idea how they got it.

I would imagine players are doing little else besides going from home to the rink at this point. If I were them that would essentially be all I was doing aside from outdoor activities.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Annoying

 

[The Wumpus]

One thing I respected about Kovy was his willingness to get down and dirty with the opposing players.

That haymaker Kovy landed on Brayden Schenn was the hardest I've ever seen someone get hit in a hockey fight. Credit to Schenn for getting right up, but man did he get clocked.

 

[Devils731]

That haymaker Kovy landed on Brayden Schenn was the hardest I've ever seen someone get hit in a hockey fight. Credit to Schenn for getting right up, but man did he get clocked.

Kovy’s punch may have been harder but this was close and in the KO zone.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

Annoying

I am really not that annoyed about Bratt. While I am expecting improvement in his game, the Devils know what kind of player he is. I like seeing the other young players so the team learns more about them for the 21-22 season and beyond.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

 

[Devils731]

I am really not that annoyed about Bratt. While I am expecting improvement in his game, the Devils know what kind of player he is. I like seeing the other young players so the team learns more about them for the 21-22 season and beyond.

I’m hoping we do see Bratt and go “whoa, this is a whole different level”. For me, his level is already high but I’m hoping that will be more obvious under the new coach.

 

[glenwo2]

Annoying

Yeah it is.

But I'm not going to sweat it too much considering we're not expected to do anything Playoff-related this season.

When they arrive, they'll arrive.

I'm just glad Jesper signed that damn contract.

 

[britdevil]

Murray has seriously impressed me. He does everything right. Let's hope he can stay healthy.

 

[Triumph]

The thing about the Bruins is that they are not very fast and without Pastrnak they lack that game-breaking player. Given our D's speed issues they might be a decent matchup for us at this point.

 

[The 29th Pick]

Kovy’s punch may have been harder but this was close and in the KO zone.

stuff went flying, maybe teeth !!
I remember when Arron Asham was a Devil, he punched someone (I think an Islander) and his helmet went flying up in the air he was punched so hard !

 

[Guttersniped]

The thing about the Bruins is that they are not very fast and without Pastrnak they lack that game-breaking player. Given our D's speed issues they might be a decent matchup for us at this point.

They Bruins had a middling 5v5 offense last season, they were ranked 19th. It’s their perennial issue that gets blamed on a lack of secondary scoring from forwards but it also stems from the lack of offense their blue line. Krug’s 5v5 offensive was actually a bit underwhelming considering the money he wanted but losing him makes a bad situation worse.

The Devils have been in similar situation forever, we’ve generated very little offense 5v5 from the blue line for eons. It’s a hauntingly familiar problem.

Now we’re going face a team that generates all ton of offense from blue line, sometimes more offense than defense.

 

[Billdo]

Kovy’s punch may have been harder but this was close and in the KO zone.

what absolute trash camera work

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

They Bruins had a middling 5v5 offense last season, they were ranked 19th. It’s their perennial issue that gets blamed on a lack of secondary scoring from forwards but it also stems from the lack of offense their blue line. Krug’s 5v5 offensive was actually a bit underwhelming considering the money he wanted but losing him makes a bad situation worse.

The Devils have been in similar situation forever, we’ve generated very little offense 5v5 from the blue line for eons. It’s a hauntingly familiar problem.

Now we’re going face a team that generates all ton of offense from blue line, sometimes more offense than defense.

I said before the season that I thought Boston could finish near the bottom of the division. I did not see anything in the first 2 games to change my mind.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I said before the season that I thought Boston could finish near the bottom of the division. I did not see anything in the first 2 games to change my mind.

I have a hard time seeing them miss the playoffs. Even if Pitt has a good season and the Flyers have an excellent season, the Isles are mediocre enough that Boston can beat them out for a spot.

Pasta is going to come back and that will help their scoring issues. Their D is going to be an issue, but they have a really good goalie tandem that should see them to the playoffs.

 

[Triumph]

They Bruins had a middling 5v5 offense last season, they were ranked 19th. It’s their perennial issue that gets blamed on a lack of secondary scoring from forwards but it also stems from the lack of offense their blue line. Krug’s 5v5 offensive was actually a bit underwhelming considering the money he wanted but losing him makes a bad situation worse.

The Devils have been in similar situation forever, we’ve generated very little offense 5v5 from the blue line for eons. It’s a hauntingly familiar problem.

Now we’re going face a team that generates all ton of offense from blue line, sometimes more offense than defense.

At least from the Devils, I think part of this was by design - defensemen were really not involved in the offense under Hynes. Sure they took clappers from the point but beyond that, they seldom entered the zone with possession and it's really hard to get goals or assists if you're not doing that.

Judging by the games against the Bruins, they play similarly.

 

[hidek91]

I have a hard time seeing them miss the playoffs. Even if Pitt has a good season and the Flyers have an excellent season, the Isles are mediocre enough that Boston can beat them out for a spot.

Pasta is going to come back and that will help their scoring issues. Their D is going to be an issue, but they have a really good goalie tandem that should see them to the playoffs.

I could actually see them missing play-offs, their core aged out and 2 significant d-men left the team in the off-season. They still have elite goaltending and an elite coach but this division is going to be tough.