Devils 2021 training camp thread (news, notes and speculation) - Part III [MOD warning in OP]

[Tundra]

This relates to Blackwood's status playing in Canada? Why can't the NHL get the same National Interest Exemption?

Unvaccinated NBA players eligible to play in Toronto under national interest exemption

Are hockey players simply thought of in a lower regard? Or is their union leadership not on the ball?

 

[JimEIV]

Islanders won't allow any unvaccinated players this season, GM says

New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said he won’t allow any unvaccinated players on his team, adding that a minor leaguer who refused to get vaccinated will be assigned to another league.

Lamoriello did not say which minor leaguer declined the vaccine but said the team is hoping to relocate him.
"We will try to help progress his career. We’re looking into possibly assigning him to Europe, but that has not been finalized yet," the general manager said. "We will not allow any player in our organization to participate unless they are vaccinated."

 

[NJDevs26]

I saw a quote on Instagram from Lou that said no one will be allow top be a part of the team that isn't vaccinated.

Easy to say and be more hard line when you know all your important players already are vaccinated.

 

[MartyOwns]

Btw when I say it’s over in a week I generally meant the EVERYDAY, boiling pot over the stove part of this stuff. Cause it has been everyday code reds here for the last week since we found out there was an unvaccinated player. There will be subsequent flare ups for sure, especially if Blackwood doesn’t play well. But if he’s playing well and vaccinated before December it’d be pretty draconian to still be bashing him at that point.

yeah i guarantee nobody here will give a shit any more if he gets vaccinated.

 

[Guttersniped]

We don’t know how Lou would have handled Blackwood other than somehow finding a way for this not to come out at all. Little different publicly banishing a rando AHL player compared to your starting goalie. Shoot, Lou gave Mike Danton a second chance after a year suspension.

Lou said no unvaccinated player could play with the Islanders or Bridgeport. Say what you will about Lou but he doesn’t play games with players.

A team rule is a team rule for everybody or it isn’t a team rule.

 

[TrufleShufle]

Parise is a piece of Pooh . No I don’t blame him for wanting to be with friends and family but that’s not what made him a dink sack.
Him leading on about resigning with the Devils while he has no intentions of doing that is why I dislike the guy as a hockey player.

Thanks.

 

[NJDevs26]

This relates to Blackwood's status playing in Canada? Why can't the NHL get the same National Interest Exemption?

Unvaccinated NBA players eligible to play in Toronto under national interest exemption

Are hockey players simply thought of in a lower regard? Or is their union leadership not on the ball?

They can, they just don’t want to per Bill Daly

 

[Darkauron]

They can, they just don’t want to per Bill Daly

Which is good imo

 

[Guttersniped]

yeah i guarantee nobody here will give a shit any more if he gets vaccinated.

I certainly wouldn’t, unless he became really publicly vocal on this issue, and then I would respond to what he said. It’s not like expect all these guys to be geniuses.

I just want the problem to go away.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Zacha lost his boy fat and gained man meat.

Incoming career year.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Putting Zacha at 3C in what appears to be for no other than to get Boqvist in the lineup would be a real stick in the eye.

While I agree I would VERY much prefer Zacha at LW, who else would you trust as the 3C for the team then? The only guy I would trust would be Mercer, but as I said I think it can't hurt to start him in the AHL. I suppose you could put McLeod as the 3C, Jankowski as the 4C, and scratch Boqvist. But at this point in Boqvist development he's almost reaching bust territory. I think it can't hurt to throw him on the top line with 86 and 17 for a few games and see what happens.

Not a fan of your lines outside maybe for the 4th line, but the first three, ewww..... sorry man.

As I said in the paragraph, I am an advocate of a balanced lineup. Each of the 3 top lines has a weak link - Boqvist, Johnsson, Kuokkanen(not really weak) - teamed with two strong pairs - Hughes + Sharangovich, Tatar + Hischier, Zacha + Bratt.

 

[Billdo]

as someone (I think @Triumph) said yesterday- if there was a legit medical reason, the Devils would be sure to release that information. There isn't one.

Exactly and anyone with a brain can see right through his quotes. Listen, if he gets his shot and is good to go I couldn't care less about what is happening right now. If he doesn't it'll be an ongoing issue that will be exhausting for me to read about.

 

[MartyOwns]

I certainly wouldn’t, unless he became really publicly vocal on this issue, and then I would respond to what he said. It’s not like expect all these guys to be geniuses.

I just want the problem to go away.

same. no matter where you stand on the issue, i think we can all agree it's annoying as f*** to talk about.

 

[Eggtimer]

Anyways - pending preseason results, I wouldn't mind seeing all 3 of Foote, Mercer, and Holtz start in the AHL. I would like to see both Vesey and Jankowski signed. I am a fan of balanced lines offensively so I would love to see this lineup on opening night. This would be kind of a make it or break it for Boqvist. Throw him in the fire. Let him stay there for 3-5 games, if he doesn't produce, call up whoever is playing the best out of Foote/Mercer/Holtz/Clarke and send Boqvist down. He has a few games left of waiver ineligibility.

Boqvist - Hughes - Sharangovich
Tatar - Hischier - Johnsson
Kuokkanen - Zacha - Bratt
Wood - McLeod - Zetterlund
Vesey, Jankowski

Graves - Hamilton
Smith - Severson
Siegenthaler - Subban
Jaros

Blackwood
Bernier


Foote - Mercer - Holtz line 1 in AHL.

Maybe effective but boring lol .
I am not Boqvist’s #1 fan and I hope he improves and become an effective player. I wouldn’t want Johnsson and Boqvist in the top 6.

 

[Guttersniped]

Btw when I say it’s over in a week I generally meant the EVERYDAY, boiling pot over the stove part of this stuff. Cause it has been everyday code reds here for the last week since we found out there was an unvaccinated player. There will be subsequent flare ups for sure, especially if Blackwood doesn’t play well. But if he’s playing well and vaccinated before December it’d be pretty draconian to still be bashing him at that point.

If he said I would be vaccinated by December, I would be annoyed but over it because again, the problem would be solved.

I don’t know why some people think this there is all is this uncontrollable rage, and it’s “political”, towards him as opposed to frustration.

And the frustration is because he is acting against public health policy and team policy. And this is going to make it much more harder for him to do his job on my hockey team plus I don’t want the big dummy to get sick.

I don’t even feel like I’m particularly “bashing” him. Shocking, I know.

 

[JimEIV]

While I agree I would VERY much prefer Zacha at LW, who else would you trust as the 3C for the team then? The only guy I would trust would be Mercer, but as I said I think it can't hurt to start him in the AHL. I suppose you could put McLeod as the 3C, Jankowski as the 4C, and scratch Boqvist. But at this point in Boqvist development he's almost reaching bust territory. I think it can't hurt to throw him on the top line with 86 and 17 for a few games and see what happens.



As I said in the paragraph, I am an advocate of a balanced lineup. Each of the 3 top lines has a weak link - Boqvist, Johnsson, Kuokkanen(not really weak) - teamed with two strong pairs - Hughes + Sharangovich, Tatar + Hischier, Zacha + Bratt.

My concern is Zacha has been shuffled from line to line and situation to situation his entire career. I'd like to see have some stable linemates in a stable role that maximizes his abilities. I don't think 3C does that.

 

[OmNomNom]

My concern is Zacha has been shuffled from line to line and situation to situation his entire career. I'd like to see have some stable linemates in a stable role that maximizes his abilities. I don't think 3C does that.

unless he's on a playoff team

 

[Satans Hockey]

It’s impossibly pathetic and @Satans Hockey ‘s front office rants, which are pretty spot on, can be inserted here. I don’t even have the energy to complain about them not trying while they take my money at this point.

They’re really f***ing lucky I love this dumb team more than most things on earth so I’ll just roll with how they insult their paying customers with this crap. It’s a bad business model that doesn’t translate outside of major US sports franchises and the idiots who support them though.

I know I always have a lot to say about how the front office handles things off the ice but this is one I simply don't care about, maybe if it was a normal year but I have so many other issues with them right now that this is low on the totem pole for me lol

 

[TrufleShufle]

If he said I would be vaccinated by December, I would be annoyed but over it because again, the problem would be solved.

I don’t know why some people think this there is all is this uncontrollable rage, and it’s “political”, towards him as opposed to frustration.

And the frustration is because he is acting against public health policy and team policy. And this is going to make it much more harder for him to do his job on my hockey team plus I don’t want the big dummy to get sick.

I don’t even feel like I’m particularly “bashing” him. Shocking, I know.

You either skipped a bunch of posts or missed out on the deleted ones.....

 

[OmNomNom]

You either skipped a bunch of posts or missed out on the deleted ones.....

@NJDevs26 doesn't get paid enough

 

[Stephen Gionta]

My concern is Zacha has been shuffled from line to line and situation to situation his entire career. I'd like to see have some stable linemates in a stable role that maximizes his abilities. I don't think 3C does that.

I agree with this completely.

In an ideal world, I want Zacha - Hischier - Bratt kept together. Doesn't seem like Ruff is going to do that to start this season though :/

 

[Beetlebum]

Do you think that Blackwood questions the medical professionals when he gets treatment, meds, etc for other injuries? How about the ankle surgery he had this offseason, wonder how much he "researched" that?

yeah. Exactly.

Villanova provided us with good critical thinking skills.

 

[TrufleShufle]

My concern is Zacha has been shuffled from line to line and situation to situation his entire career. I'd like to see have some stable linemates in a stable role that maximizes his abilities. I don't think 3C does that.

In my opinion players with abilities to maximize don't need stable linemates or a stable role. They just maximize their abilities.

 

[JimEIV]

In my opinion players with abilities to maximize don't need stable linemates or a stable role. They just maximize their abilities.

I agree mostly. But playing as a top 6 winger or a 3rd line center just isn't the same thing.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

In my opinion players with abilities to maximize don't need stable linemates or a stable role. They just maximize their abilities.

What?

So Jack Hughes should have no problem maximizing his abilities playing 4th line with Zetterlund and Jankowski then?