Devils 2021 team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part XXIX

[billingtons ghost]

wood is good and definitely has a key role both in the locker room and on the ice

the problem i think is that if he was just a little smarter and more skilled he’d be a bonafide star, he creates so many opportunities and chances that if his passing awareness was a little better and he had better stick handling he’d be a point per game player

so if he was putting up the goal numbers he has right now without the number of chances that he misses or doesn’t create when he was the opportunity we’d be satisfied

I think it is coming. He took a pass last game that he tripped over 20x times in the last three years. His game has just skyrocketed this year - especially the patience and decision-making. It is hard to find someone on this team not named Ty Smith who has so exceeded expectations, and who's game has grown so exponentially from just raw speed and size to legitimate hockey player.

The guy has gotten his speed by doing insane jumping reps (one of those behind the scenes vids from a few years back). It is clear he's been dedicating his time to other facets. Not sure he'll ever be an elite stick-handler, but if he points himself in that direction I wouldn't question his work ethic.

I'm fine with him being a 4th line secret weapon forever, actually.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I think you need to have multiple negative tests to come off the list.

At this point, I don't think anyone knows the behavior of this thing - and whether you can actually get people sick while asymptomatic, vaxxed or otherwise. In any case- I agree with others - it's a bad look.

 

[Zippy316]

Tend to disagree with you here. I think mcleod bastian and wood are all protected from seattle. Perhaps this leaves kuok left out. Kuok has been the third guy on each line he has played on. Goal saturday was nice ( on a bad goalie though) but his other goals have been gimmes. I think we have many choices to fill his role moving forward. Clarke could do it right now IMO.
Devils have spent considerable time developing mcleod and bastian into very good PK guys. I think this was done with an eye to the future.
I find the expansion draft fascinating. I have different thoughts than most but we can check back later and see who is right

Kuokkanen has put up .5ppg in his 22 year old rookie season with little to no PP time. Giving up on that for energy line players in McLeod or Bastian would be incredibly stupid asset management.

With Kuokkanen, Devils finally have a forward that forechecks extremely well and constantly wins puck battles with enough poise to quickly make plays. Just focus on him this next game and watch how many times he holds up opposing players until he has support or pressures opposing players into areas where Devils turn the puck over or wins his board battles and makes a quick decisive play to move the puck up the ice or generate a scoring chance.

 

[HersheyBob27]

Kuokkanen has put up .5ppg in his 22 year old rookie season with little to no PP time. Giving up on that for energy line players in McLeod or Bastian would be incredibly stupid asset management.

With Kuokkanen, Devils finally have a forward that forechecks extremely well and constantly wins puck battles with enough poise to quickly make plays. Just focus on him this next game and watch how many times he holds up opposing players until he has support or pressures opposing players into areas where Devils turn the puck over or wins his board battles and makes a quick decisive play to move the puck up the ice or generate a scoring chance.

Nice description of kuok’s game. I might contend that Bastian plays a similar style and is bigger and stronger. Calling the BMW line an energy line is really a misnomer. They are much more than that on most nights. Everyone will lose a good player in the expansion draft so you just have to suck it up and move on. Best to lose someone from a position of strength IMO

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I'll just throw this out right now....if we lose Kuokkanen and protect Bastian, I will be v. mad online

 

[Blender]

I'll just throw this out right now....if we lose Kuokkanen and protect Bastian, I will be v. mad online

Entire management staff deserves to be purged from the team if that happened.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I could easily see McLeod and Bastian having longer and better careers than Kuokkanen. I don’t dislike him at all but he’s exceedingly “okay” most of the time in my eyes. Each of these guys have some plus attributes but don’t shoot the puck nearly enough.

 

[Blender]

I could easily see McLeod and Bastian having longer and better careers than Kuokkanen. I don’t dislike him at all but he’s exceedingly “okay” most of the time in my eyes. Each of these guys have some plus attributes but don’t shoot the puck nearly enough.

See I think McLeod is developing very nicely into a shutdown center who can eat hard minutes and kill penalties, though his offensive game still needs to improve if he is to have a better career. Bastian looks like a 4th line energy guy to me, and it's a nice to have but you can find those fairly often.

 

[Nico Hischier]

I like kuokanen but I like bastian and McLeod more. Kuokanen has been playing very well but there was one play very early in the season against the sabres where he had a chance to hit jack eichel in the high slot and he let up and stopped and eichel scored immediately after. Ever since that play he has been better but he is still a soft player to me

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I like kuokanen but I like bastian and McLeod more. Kuokanen has been playing very well but there was one play very early in the season against the sabres where he had a chance to hit jack eichel in the high slot and he let up and stopped and eichel scored immediately after. Ever since that play he has been better but he is still a soft player to me

what an odd thing to make a judgment on a player about....sheesh

 

[Blackjack]

Jack Eichel has two goals all season and they were both scored against the Rangers.

edit: Jack Eichel Stats and News

 

[Better Call Sal]

Yeah if I had to expose one of the 3, it’s Bastian.

Like his physicality and energy, but come on, Kuokks is a better player.

Am very happy with McLeod’s progress as well.

 

[HBK27]

An article on AJ Greer that gives some appropriate context to him as a person and what he struggles with.

‘It’s all in his head’: On A.J. Greer and the mental stress that comes with pursuing an NHL dream

Everytime I watch him play I see at the very least, a 4th line NHLer. A lowkey part of the NYI/NJD trade.

EDIT: I see he was called up just as I was making my two posts. This kid is an NHL talent from my eyes, at the very least a 4th liner.

Interesting - I had just assumed both players were contract dumps from the Islanders perspective as they're currently at the 50 contract limit, but it appears that Greer may have a bit of a future with this team. Interested to see what he has to offer down the stretch.

 

[Hisch13r]

Fitz singled out Kuokkanen as the Canes best prospect when he traded for him and Kuokkanen has played very well. It’s not even worth putting any thought into because he’s not getting exposed.

 

[Guttersniped]

Bastian is a good player folks, he plays brutal minutes too. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was exposed in the draft, we have a glut of nice young forwards, but I will defend his value.

 

[Ryaduesu]

Bastian is a good player folks, he plays brutal minutes too. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was exposed in the draft, we have a glut of nice young forwards, but I will defend his value.
View attachment 429033

Would the comparison even be fair?

id have to imagine McLeod gets tougher matchups plus the 4th line is usually used to keep pressure, not when were getting caved in

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Kuokkanen is a guy Fitz brought in, Bastian and McLeod are Shero guys. I believe Bastian as the 4th line winger will be the one to be exposed.

 

[HBK27]

Yeah if I had to expose one of the 3, it’s Bastian.

Like his physicality and energy, but come on, Kuokks is a better player.

Am very happy with McLeod’s progress as well.

Yeah, I'd expose Bastian out of the 3 as well. ATOI this season seems to back that as well, as Kuok (14:38) and McLeod (13:40) all have higher times than Bastian (12:19) despite being the oldest of the 3 (albeit by just a few months).

I don't want to lose Bastian and I think the cost would be relatively low to protect him, so ultimately that's what I would like to see Fitzgerald do. May not even be necessary as there's a chance Seattle would just take Butcher or Johnsson instead, but if the cost if a mid/late round pick and/or maybe retain Butcher at 50% then Fitz should jump all over a deal to protect Bastian and Merkley.

 

[Guttersniped]

An article on AJ Greer that gives some appropriate context to him as a person and what he struggles with.

‘It’s all in his head’: On A.J. Greer and the mental stress that comes with pursuing an NHL dream

Everytime I watch him play I see at the very least, a 4th line NHLer. A lowkey part of the NYI/NJD trade.

EDIT: I see he was called up just as I was making my two posts. This kid is an NHL talent from my eyes, at the very least a 4th liner.

It would be amusing to see him on a line with Bastian and McLeod because Greer is 6’3” and 210 lbs and he’s quite a hitter too. (Wood is obviously physical but he hits a lot less then you think.)