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

[devilsblood]

No goaltender would have made the difference for us this season. None. Not a single goaltender in the league could have hid the deficiencies of our team.

If your skaters don't perform, both offensively and defensively there is nothing a goalie can do.

A goalie can only stand on his head for a certain amount time without support, the other team ALWAYS eventually breaks through....just look at Seshtetkin in these playoffs.

With Shesterkin, they swept Wash, beat a good Carolina team, and then lost in 6 games to what looks like will be the Stanley Cup champs. . He was 10-6(with one of these being OTL so a loser point there), with 12 of those games vs teams that have better skater groups and for the most part outplayed the Rags.

Don't think that's a great example.

We definitely had our issues early, and by the end given injuries, trades and schematic changes, we were a bad team, but I think solid goal tending early changes the trajectory of the season entirely.

 

[devilsblood]

Bad attitude, and he's apparently addicted to video games...? Forget an NHL player you're trying to win with, that's a red flag for any grown man.

*ducks*

I know you are joshing, but really an addiction of any sort, unless it's to hockey itself, is going to get in the way of a players career.

 

[Forge]

I know you are joshing, but really an addiction of any sort, unless it's to hockey itself, is going to get in the way of a players career.

Damn, I haven't heard the term "joshing" in like 30 years.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I love playing video games. Play a few hours a week to decompress.

 

[Ripshot 43]

 

[NJDevs26]

With Shesterkin, they swept Wash, beat a good Carolina team, and then lost in 6 games to what looks like will be the Stanley Cup champs. . He was 10-6(with one of these being OTL so a loser point there), with 12 of those games vs teams that have better skater groups and for the most part outplayed the Rags.

Don't think that's a great example.

We definitely had our issues early, and by the end given injuries, trades and schematic changes, we were a bad team, but I think solid goal tending early changes the trajectory of the season entirely.

Plus the Rangers won the President's Trophy in the regular season and people would have absolutely taken that and a semifinal loss to the Panthers this season for us, especially compared to having one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.

 

[NJDevs26]

I do think that whole 'what if' game people like to play about how if the goaltending was only league average early the season might have gone differently is a bit silly - I mean maybe that wouldn't have been such a good thing anyway? Like okay they make the playoffs and get punted by the Rangers in an easy four or five because we still DO have other issues and most of the team's not healthy by the end of the season? And/or Fitz has made some foolish trade at the deadline cause we were still realistically in it and not at 13% or whatever he said after the trade deadline as his rationalization for not doing anything days after making a coaching change.

Might as well have crashed out and give everyone in the organization a reality check that there's still a way to go here rather than just have the panacea of 'but injuries, but xG!' Maybe Travis Green and/or Lindy is still here if the at least they made the playoffs season happens in an alt universe.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I do think that whole 'what if' game people like to play about how if the goaltending was only league average early the season might have gone differently is a bit silly - I mean maybe that wouldn't have been such a good thing anyway? Like okay they make the playoffs and get punted by the Rangers in an easy four or five because we still DO have other issues and most of the team's not healthy by the end of the season? And/or Fitz has made some foolish trade at the deadline cause we were still realistically in it and not at 13% or whatever he said after the trade deadline as his rationalization for not doing anything days after making a coaching change.

Might as well have crashed out and give everyone in the organization a reality check that there's still a way to go here rather than just have the panacea of 'but injuries, but xG!' Maybe Travis Green and/or Lindy is still here if the at least they made the playoffs season happens in an alt universe.

Markstrom trade probably happens if they make it because they weren't making it with the peanut gallery they were trotting out nightly + Travis Green stays (LOL). Making the playoffs this year specifically would've been a bad thing even though I've been lambasted on this board for saying it and specifically said it when Lindy was behind the bench back in December/January. They need a big self reflection how to get back to the 22/23 roster that they got away from in 23/24. I'll give the injuries and losing McLeod as passes but everything from the speed getting slower as a team unit and trusting the goalies with a younger defense as a mistake by Fitz/management.

 

[Guttersniped]

Laine was more well-rounded in Columbus but he played 17 games last year because he had a couple of injuries and then entered the NHLPA’s Players’ Assistance Program in December.

I don’t know what for but I assume it was more than video game addiction.

 

[Andre Palot]

Bad attitude, and he's apparently addicted to video games...? Forget an NHL player you're trying to win with, that's a red flag for any grown man.

*ducks*

video games stopped being fun when they went hyper realistic. Same with superhero movies.

back in my day we had Tertis on a blurry green screen and we liked it!

 

[CalamityX23]

Why no one wants Stillman in part of a trade package? lol

the most useless 1st rd pick I can recall in a long time....

 

[JimEIV]

The skaters weren’t nearly as bad as you’re making out. Yeah they were worse than the year before, no question. The defense in particular did a pretty bad job preventing chances through the back half of the year.

But even with injuries the Devils were a pretty good team offensively. Anything better than what they had in net, and there’s a decent chance they sneak into the playoffs. League average goaltending gets the team pretty close to an even GD, for example.

Our forwards as a group are very bad defensively.. maybe Keefe can coach some of that away? I don't know but they are very bad...

and these problems compound themselves. Poor defense from forwards with 3 young defenders in the lineup full time equals the goaltender had no chance...and from the offense perspective our scoring is very top heavy, easy to defend against, small and soft

The personnel of the defense is a a big problem. Our PK wasn't terrible, it was actually decent and it finished the regular season ranked 10th in the league...but to do that we had to play Smith basically full time when he should've been a 7th D. Without Smith our PK is missing a Dman. We absolutely have to have another PKer that can play regularly....but where does he go? Siegenthaler/Marino. Bahl and? Would seem that you need a righty for the PK ...but there is no room for one with Hamilton who doesn't kill penalties and Nemec who isn't ready to kill penalties. A better LHD to replace Bahl leaves the same PK gap unless you're rolling with Nemec as top 4 PKer... personally think that's a bad idea

 

[devilsblood]

Markstrom trade probably happens if they make it because they weren't making it with the peanut gallery they were trotting out nightly + Travis Green stays (LOL). Making the playoffs this year specifically would've been a bad thing even though I've been lambasted on this board for saying it and specifically said it when Lindy was behind the bench back in December/January. They need a big self reflection how to get back to the 22/23 roster that they got away from in 23/24. I'll give the injuries and losing McLeod as passes but everything from the speed getting slower as a team unit and trusting the goalies with a younger defense as a mistake by Fitz/management.

If we are saying they made it because the goal tending was good, then they don't look to acquire Markstrom, and they don't fire Lindy.

I do wonder if this season changes Fitz's mindset in terms of getting bigger and more physical vs's faster. If he's watching Florida, that may reinforce our move towards bigger and more physical.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't play video games anymore. I used to play Super Nintendo/Game Boy/Sega/PS1/original Nintendo and Atari waayyyyyy back in the day. I'd still play those old games today. I tried a few years ago with my friend's kids. I think it's some of those games (the old Mario bros games), but on some other kind of newer system or computer streamed gaming thing. I found I wasn't as good at those games as I was when I was a kid. I was beating those games at 10 or 11 years old, but found them harder when I wasn't conditioned to playing them every day. Whatever they have over there had the same controllers from the Super Nintendo days or mock versions. I think they were streaming these games somehow. It wasn't like the original system. Then again, maybe it was a newer/updated 21st century version of Super NES.

I tried playing some of those games in their same original format, only on a desktop computer back in the 00s and I was completely terrible. I couldn't get used to using different buttons on the keyboard, because I was so used to using the controllers and I couldn't remember what keys were the buttons for what, so I got frustrated.

I would say the internet (posting on here, watching youtube) is kind of like video games for me these days.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

If we are saying they made it because the goal tending was good, then they don't look to acquire Markstrom, and they don't fire Lindy.

I do wonder if this season changes Fitz's mindset in terms of getting bigger and more physical vs's faster. If he's watching Florida, that may reinforce our move towards bigger and more physical.

I mean that's fair too, the Markstrom trade was supposedly going down before Lindy got the axe. This last season was such a blur that I forgot when certain things happened later in the year

 

[Bleedred]

Why no one wants Stillman in part of a trade package? lol

the most useless 1st rd pick I can recall in a long time....

Speaking of useless first round picks, I heard the name Matteau mentioned in regards to the AHL conference finals game last night. I figured it had to be that Matteau and if it wasn't, then it was another spelling of Matteau or something, but I was pretty sure it was that Matteau.

And it was.

Apparently he spent last year playing in both the Swedish and German leagues. But he was back in North America with the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL Blue Jackets this year. They must like him over there, because he had played for AHL Cleveland in 19-20/a call up and 9 games with the NHL team, and then he played 14 games with the NHL Blue Jackets in 20-21 and I'm assuming was a taxi squad members the entire year, as he's credited with 0 AHL games played that season.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Bad attitude, and he's apparently addicted to video games...? Forget an NHL player you're trying to win with, that's a red flag for any grown man.

*ducks*

There's way worse vices in the world to be addicted to than video games, lmfao. I rather a dude like Laine with that than someone acting like an Aaron Hernandez off the field.

 

[devilsblood]

I do think that whole 'what if' game people like to play about how if the goaltending was only league average early the season might have gone differently is a bit silly - I mean maybe that wouldn't have been such a good thing anyway? Like okay they make the playoffs and get punted by the Rangers in an easy four or five because we still DO have other issues and most of the team's not healthy by the end of the season? And/or Fitz has made some foolish trade at the deadline cause we were still realistically in it and not at 13% or whatever he said after the trade deadline as his rationalization for not doing anything days after making a coaching change.

Might as well have crashed out and give everyone in the organization a reality check that there's still a way to go here rather than just have the panacea of 'but injuries, but xG!' Maybe Travis Green and/or Lindy is still here if the at least they made the playoffs season happens in an alt universe.

If we think the big issue, after goal tending, was injuries, did the team need a reality check?

I mean that's fair too, the Markstrom trade was supposedly going down before Lindy got the axe. This last season was such a blur that I forgot when certain things happened later in the year

You might be right, but I was more saying Vitek and Schmid played well.

I also think Ruff got a raw deal. We knew goalies were a huge issue, didn't address it, fired Lindy, and then acquired not one, but 2 goalies. At least those goalies did not save Green.

 

[Billdo]

Calgary being rumored to not like our package for Markstrom kind of makes me happy. I'm glad Fitz isn't going full bore into getting him at any cost.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Ruff did get a raw deal, to some degree

but he also didn't rise to the occasion when the team was scuffling.

 

[devilsblood]

Ruff did get a raw deal, to some degree

but he also didn't rise to the occasion when the team was scuffling.

End of the day Ruff got a job, and we got Keefe, so I don't sweat it, but I'm sure Ruff was thinking "WTF?" when he heard we acquired multiple goalies.

 

[JK3]

Laine? Oh this nonsense again. Ahahahahahahahalmaoahhahahahahha. Are you f***ing kidding me. I’d rather have Tierney at 6 mil for 4 years holy shit cmon guys.

 

[Comparison Ford]

i rly wonder if we’re gonna make a push for Zadarov in FA…

 

[RNCDevil]

Chatfield retained by Canes at $3 M. My dreams are dead. I mourn.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Ruff did get a raw deal, to some degree

but he also didn't rise to the occasion when the team was scuffling.

Yeah this x 100, I would've been fine with Lindy if he was legit trying to do something different system wise when the injuries and goaltending woes were happening.