Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - offseason part II

[Forge]

Perhaps I don't understand the meaning of "open window"?

To me that means we are ready to compete for a cup now.

Anyone that thinks this organization is ready to compete for a cup now is delusional....Fitz included.

Wrap it up. Season over. Fast forward to 25 draft lotto

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Perhaps I don't understand the meaning of "open window"?

To me that means we are ready to compete for a cup now.

Anyone that thinks this organization is ready to compete for a cup now is delusional....Fitz included.

Who else will “compete for the cup” in the east next year? The Rangers, who we eliminated the year before? Can’t compete with them? The team with Pavel Zacha as their 1C? The Canes that fail every single year and will have significant roster changes and the same questions at goalie?

You should let Vegas know that we will not be competing for the cup next year. Their algorithm doesn’t agree.

 

[JimEIV]

Wrap it up. Season over. Fast forward to 25 draft lotto

No...we have to become a competitive team again. We simply weren't last year. And we really haven't been for a very long time.

Yeah there were a plethora of reasons but this team is full of holes and inexperience... not only inexperience in games played but inexperience in being professionals and knowing how to win.

The team needs a lot of help and it needs time to learn how to win.

 

[MartyOwns]

Perhaps I don't understand the meaning of "open window"?

bingo

 

[JimEIV]

Who else will “compete for the cup” in the east next year? The Rangers, who we eliminated the year before? Can’t compete with them? The team with Pavel Zacha as their 1C? The Canes that fail every single year and will have significant roster changes and the same questions at goalie?

You should let Vegas know that we will not be competing for the cup next year. Their algorithm doesn’t agree.

Did you watch the East playoffs? We couldn't play the style of game that was played in any one of the Eastern series games....they were all brutal with little time and space and extremely physical to the point of violent.

We aren't prepared to play in those games in any shape way or form.

bingo

Feel free to explain. But as of the this moment we are a bottom 10 team in the league.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Sitting on your hands constantly waiting for a window in 2 years is how you never win a cup.

I respect the GM out in Vegas because he isn't afraid to throw caution to the wind to try and win. It worked for them two years ago. Didn't this year

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Did you watch the East playoffs? We couldn't play the style of game that was played in any one of the Eastern series games....they were all brutal with little time and space and extremely physical to the point of violent.

We aren't prepared to play in those games in any shape way or form.

If I wanted to beat the Florida Panthers, I would want to rely on rush offense with speed through the neutral zone. That is why the Rangers got dominated at 5 on 5 — simply weren’t capable of that. Even on the PP they struggled mightily to even enter the zone. Focusing on the rough stuff is missing what happened in that series. Florida didn’t even goon it up all that much.

Regardless of that, there’s no guarantee we’d even have to go through Florida. There are injuries every year that change the complexion of things. Something like Jack Hughes missing a shoulder for the whole season.

Edmonton didn’t tough their way to the cup either. There’s no one way to win.

 

[Better Call Sal]

We're a year removed from being in the final 8 teams competing for the Cup with a wealth of young talent in our core. Every single possible thing that could have gone wrong last year did.

Forgive me for being optimistic that last year was the anomaly. And that with a revamped supporting cast plus a cleaner bill of health, we should have no problem getting back in the mix for the playoffs.

 

[JimEIV]

If I wanted to beat the Florida Panthers, I would want to rely on rush offense with speed through the neutral zone. That is why the Rangers got dominated at 5 on 5 — simply weren’t capable of that. Even on the PP they struggled mightily to even enter the zone. Focusing on the rough stuff is missing what happened in that series. Florida didn’t even goon it up all that much.

Regardless of that, there’s no guarantee we’d even have to go through Florida. There are injuries every year that change the complexion of things. Something like Jack Hughes missing a shoulder for the whole season.

Edmonton didn’t tough their way to the cup either. There’s no one way to win.

It wasn't just Florida...Boston, Carolina even Toronto and the Rangers played a much heavier game than we are capable of...it was literally every series guys were bleeding and taking runs.

And the thing is, there is no doubt that what happened this spring in the playoffs is going to force teams in the East to get even grittier.

We're a year removed from being in the final 8 teams competing for the Cup with a wealth of young talent in our core. Every single possible thing that could have gone wrong last year did.

Forgive me for being optimistic that last year was the anomaly. And that with a revamped supporting cast plus a cleaner bill of health, we should have no problem getting back in the mix for the playoffs.

And half of that team is gone and it didn't really even compete against Carolina.

 

[MartyOwns]

Feel free to explain. But as of the this moment we are a bottom 10 team in the league.

by your definition, there’s like 5 teams whose window is open right now. i don’t really think i have to explain any further lol

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

It wasn't just Florida...Boston, Carolina even Toronto and the Rangers played a much heavier game than we are capable of...it was literally every series guys were bleeding and taking runs.

And the thing is, there is no doubt that what happened this spring in the playoffs is going to force teams in the East to get even grittier.


And half of that team is gone and it didn't really even compete against Carolina.

Great, they can play a heavier game. And they can’t skate like a Hughes or Bratt. Also we don’t even know what our roster will look like next year. How far we go in the playoffs (hopefully we’re there again) will be determined by health, goalie play, and how special teams perform. The other stuff matters a bit, but nowhere near the big stuff.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I also trust our new coach to get playoff performances out of our roster then our last one.

Keefe is a guy hired to get this team both into and go deep into the playoffs

If the idea was just to develop for another 3 years he most likely doesn't even take the job

 

[JimEIV]

by your definition, there’s like 5 teams whose window is open right now. i don’t really think i have to explain any further lol

Yeah... maybe not even 5. Look at the Vegas odds at the beginning of each year. After the top 4 or 5 there is a serious drop. Every year....

That's anecdotal but the reality is there are only a few team from each conference that are serious contenders.

Great, they can play a heavier game. And they can’t skate like a Hughes or Bratt. Also we don’t even know what our roster will look like next year. How far we go in the playoffs (hopefully we’re there again) will be determined by health, goalie play, and how special teams perform. The other stuff matters a bit, but nowhere near the big stuff.

"We don't even know what the roster will look like next year"

With this statement in mind how the hell is our window open?

We don't know the roster, the coaching effects, Dougie's status...the level of improvement from Luke and Nemec...yet our window is open?

Nonsense.

 

[MartyOwns]

Yeah... maybe not even 5. Look at the Vegas odds at the beginning of each year. After the top 4 or 5 there is a serious drop. Every year....

That's anecdotal but the reality is there are only a few team from each conference that are serious contenders.

sooo in terms of windows we're not in the bottom 10, we're actually in the bottom 26. not too shabby

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

"We don't even know what the roster will look like next year"

With this statement in mind how the hell is our window open?

We don't know the roster, the coaching effects, Dougie's status...the level of improvement from Luke and Nemec...yet our window is open?

Nonsense.

…because the bulk of the team that broke the franchise points record is still there. Except for the major downgrade of Graves and Severson to year 2 Luke and Nemec. What a shock it would be if we’re very good again.

 

[JimEIV]

…because the bulk of the team that broke the franchise points record is still there. Except for the major downgrade of Graves and Severson to year 2 Luke and Nemec. What a shock it would be if we’re very good again.

We have to be good again BEFORE the window opens.... that's my point.

Our window wasn't open in 2023 and we took a major step backward...I know no one wants to hear that but that's the reality.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

We have to be good again BEFORE the window opens.... that's my point.

Our window wasn't open in 2023 and we took a major step backward...I know no one wants to hear that but that's the reality.

This isn’t a thing that exists. The window isn’t real, you are speaking meaningless words lol.

 

[JimEIV]

This isn’t a thing that exists. The window isn’t real, you are speaking meaningless words lol.

Ok then let's get rid of meaningless words. This team is 5 or 6 players and two years of experience for our young defenders to be serious contenders

 

[Emperoreddy]

Fitz can plug any forward holes with ease depending on how aggressive he is with leveraging futures.

It's a question of what arbitrary thing needs to happen where someone feels comfortable with Fitz building a roster to win a cup now.

Also the way the playoffs are formatted we will almost always play the Rangers and Hurricanes, so if you build a team that can beat those two teams then you are 8 wins away and anything can happen.

We beat the Rags two years ago, is it really that absurd to believe we can't do it again with a healthy and tuned up roster?

 

[Better Call Sal]

"Is it a clock or is it a window?"

"Both. And neither."



The Loop, for the uneducated. But seriously, I'm enjoying the window discourse on whether it's actually open or not as if it's a real, actual window. Don't any of you sons of bitches even put it open a crack.

 

[My3Sons]

Fitz can plug any forward holes with ease depending on how aggressive he is with leveraging futures.

It's a question of what arbitrary thing needs to happen where someone feels comfortable with Fitz building a roster to win a cup now.

Also the way the playoffs are formatted we will almost always play the Rangers and Hurricanes, so if you build a team that can beat those two teams then you are 8 wins away and anything can happen.

We beat the Rags two years ago, is it really that absurd to believe we can't do it again with a healthy and tuned up roster?

NJ lacks in the sociopath arms race. Unless the team adds a couple of them they won't adequately cheap shot the opponents.

 

[JimEIV]

We beat the Rags two years ago, is it really that absurd to believe we can't do it again with a healthy and tuned up roster?

I don't think that is out of the realm of possibilities....but winning a round in divisional playoff system is not a serious contender by any means.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I don't think that is out of the realm of possibilities....but winning a round in divisional playoff system is not a serious contender by any means.

If you can beat the Rangers, then you should also be good enough to beat the Canes, and you are in the ECF at that point.

You don't need a perfect team when the sample size gets that small

 

[Emperoreddy]

Throw caution to the wind and take as many stabs at a cup as you can.

Wasting star players prime years on good deals for more development years risks this theoretical window never opening at any point.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Perhaps I don't understand the meaning of "open window"?

To me that means we are ready to compete for a cup now.

Anyone that thinks this organization is ready to compete for a cup now is delusional....Fitz included.

did this team not win 50+ games last year and a round of the playoffs...........?

so what are you saying, its gonna be another 3 years before they even START to compete?

yeah, that is nonsense. Full stop.