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

[Cheddabombs]

Merry Christmas to you all!!

 

[Smitty426]

Still think the optimal decision is to add a top 6 forward to push Palat down. Someone like Nelson (ideal), Vantrano or Hall (cheaper option asset wise) could be good targets.

Nelson/Vatrano/Hall-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Nico-Noesen
Palat-Haula-Mercer
Cotter-Lazar-Bastian

Also wouldn't mind adding a Jake Evans or Gourde for the 3rd line C role to push Haula down, but I think we are probably have 1 move up front that could cost us noteworthy assets and perhaps a lesser move for the 12th/13th forward spot. Perhaps if we got Hall, we could still spend the assets for one of these players for the 3rd line.

I'd add Palms to that topish guy list

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Merry Christmas to all... We cannot beat the early gift of a big win over the Rags that was priceless...

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I told you all last year Nemec would find his way out of the lineup and here we are.... I know it pains you to hear the I told you so's... I enjoy it

Actually one I made a while ago is turning out to be kind of wrong...

When Dylan McIlrath was drafted 15 years ago I said he would be out of hockey in a couple years because of his skating....well 15 years later he has 86 NHL games under his belt but he is still playing.

We are having a good season so far and you have to bring up a discussion about Nemec who could just be still slow healing an injury or having a bit of a slump not uncommon with young players...Pointless imo to argue about a guy who we should just hope cooks in the AHL....Could you be right yeah it's a fifty fifty guess on your part...

 

[JimEIV]

We are having a good season so far and you have to bring up a discussion about Nemec who could just be still slow healing an injury or having a bit of a slump not uncommon with young players...Pointless imo to argue about a guy who we should just hope cooks in the AHL....Could you be right yeah it's a fifty fifty guess on your part...

Dude I never brought up Nemec....there are 7 pages about whether to trade him or not before I said a single word...that discussion has been going on for more than a month and I never weighed in once....it only became an issue when I said I something.

And I don't want to trade Nemec to boot.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Merry Christmas (and Happy Hanukkah) to all you wild and crazy kids. This board still provides the best back and forth that you can find when it comes to talking hockey and the Devils in particular.

I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves today. While I’ll be spoiled rotten with my wife, two boys and extended family, that 5-0 win over the Rags will be a tough gift to top.

 

[JimEIV]

Merry Christmas (and Happy Hanukkah) to all you wild and crazy kids. This board still provides the best back and forth that you can find when it comes to talking hockey and the Devils in particular.

I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves today. While I’ll be spoiled rotten with my wife, two boys and extended family, that 5-0 win over the Rags will be a tough gift to top.

Merry Christmas

And I owe you an apology. I accused you of saying something about Nemec last year a few days ago... during the last little melee, I was forced to go look it up ...and what I said was you was another poster.


So I am sorry for the mistake.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays with your family.

 

[SansaStark]

As my family opened all their new devils gear this morning and I looked down at my devils pajamas, I can’t help but think how incredibly thankful and happy I am this Xmas to be so proud to wear it all, how proud I am of this team and how grateful I am for Stef Noesen and all our other offseason additions. Especially Keefe.

This team has lifted themselves to a level I hadn’t seen coming.

All the additions have been amazing, but something about adding Noesen feels like it transcends the incredible coaching Sheldon has given the group.

Happy holidays everyone.

 

[New Jerseys Devil]

Merry Christmas!!

And happy holidays!!

 

[devilsblood]

Merry Chrismas Morning to All!!!


As per the topic at hand. Way to early to get down on Nemec. I can't get upset about his 14 AHL game point total considering how devoid of offense that team is.

But I do think signing Kova is a must and thus we can't go into next year with both Hamilton and Nemec. In a vacuum I'd rather trade Hamilton, but respective deals have to be considered and weighed against each other. Still unless we think Nemec, maybe because of lack of athleticism or compete or whatever, is not as high a level of prospect as we once hoped, I'd much rather lose a Hamilton trade then a Nemec trade. If Nemec were to be traded, some pretty high end pieces need to be coming back.

 

[JimEIV]

Merry Chrismas Morning to All!!!


As per the topic at hand. Way to early to get down on Nemec. I can't get upset about his 14 AHL game point total considering how devoid of offense that team is.

But I do think signing Kova is a must and thus we can't go into next year with both Hamilton and Nemec. In a vacuum I'd rather trade Hamilton, but respective deals have to be considered and weighed against each other. Still unless we think Nemec, maybe because of lack of athleticism or compete or whatever, is not as high a level of prospect as we once hoped, I'd much rather lose a Hamilton trade then a Nemec trade. If Nemec were to be traded, some pretty high end pieces need to be coming back.

I'm not sure on Nemec over Hamilton...the thing that worries me is how long will it take for Nemec to be a trusted regular? Dougie, for all the things people might not like about his game is a high end NHL player. The gap between a Nemec today and Dougie is bigger than the Grand Canyon. And it most likely will remain that way for at least a couple of years and maybe forever.

I don't think that's a good solution for the defense to have level of drop...the left side isn't good enough to handle the drop....and I suspect in a year or two Dillon is going to start to look like Brendan Smith.

If it's a money/cap issue, well then that's different story... but on talent...losing Dougie and using Nemec as a replacement would be really bad for our defense.

 

[RNCDevil]

Peace to everyone. This is just a message board. It's one of the best, BTW because of the collective humor, passion and occasional hot takes.

Best to you all.

 

[Zippy316]

Still think the optimal decision is to add a top 6 forward to push Palat down. Someone like Nelson (ideal), Vantrano or Hall (cheaper option asset wise) could be good targets.

Nelson/Vatrano/Hall-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Nico-Noesen
Palat-Haula-Mercer
Cotter-Lazar-Bastian

Also wouldn't mind adding a Jake Evans or Gourde for the 3rd line C role to push Haula down, but I think we are probably have 1 move up front that could cost us noteworthy assets and perhaps a lesser move for the 12th/13th forward spot. Perhaps if we got Hall, we could still spend the assets for one of these players for the 3rd line.

I think this is going to be the move.

I wonder if there would be any targets with two or three more years left like McCann or O’Reilly that might be a better short and long term fit.

I know your lineup is just the base assumption, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Meier ends up on line 3 to diversify the offense especially if we add a top six option.

 

[Nubmer6]

Merry Christmas!!

And happy holidays!!

Bah.

I hate you all.

Merry Xmas. *Grumble*

 

[Better Call Sal]

Merry Christmas

And I owe you an apology. I accused you of saying something about Nemec last year a few days ago... during the last little melee, I was forced to go look it up ...and what I said was you was another poster.


So I am sorry for the mistake.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays with your family.

Eh, water under the bridge right? Never take anything personal here, at the end of the day, we all are diehards who want the same thing.

Know you’ve been battling some health issues this year, so hope you are enjoying your holidays as well! Have a tall one for me. Or a stiff one. Or both.

 

[SJinNewJersey]

 

[devilsblood]

I'm not sure on Nemec over Hamilton...the thing that worries me is how long will it take for Nemec to be a trusted regular? Dougie, for all the things people might not like about his game is a high end NHL player. The gap between a Nemec today and Dougie is bigger than the Grand Canyon. And it most likely will remain that way for at least a couple of years and maybe forever.

I don't think that's a good solution for the defense to have level of drop...the left side isn't good enough to handle the drop....and I suspect in a year or two Dillon is going to start to look like Brendan Smith.

If it's a money/cap issue, well then that's different story... but on talent...losing Dougie and using Nemec as a replacement would be really bad for our defense.

I think there are a couple things to consider.

1)What makes Dougie so good is not his defensive acumen. It really hinges on his PP ability. At 5v5 he and Dillon are the protected pairing, and while above water, and producing some good offensive numbers, they allow by far the most shots/chances/goals of the 3 pairings. And while that pairing is the most protected 5v5, Hamilton is the most protecting of the 6 overall. This season Nemec has played more PK minutes for NJ then Hamilton has. Let that sink in. And he's been on for less PK goals to boot.

2)I do wonder if Nemec has the athleticism to keep up with the speed of the game defensively. Or at least if there will be moments where it is an issue. He certainly hasn't appeared to be in the high end bracket in this respect. But while I wonder about this aspect of Nemec's game, I know for sure that Hamilton has trouble keeping up defensively. There is really no debate that Hamilton is slow and he has heavy feet. I'm pretty confident that Nemec is quicker and a better more polished skater.

3)Heading into next year Hamilton will be 32. Speed is a concern now, does that get worse? Probably. Nemec is 20, he could/should be working with a trainer, getting more athletic. And that's something that mgmt will have a grasp on. Is Nemec putting in the work to become a better player? Is he using the demotion back to the AHL as motivation, or he is moping? If it's the latter that's a conideration as well.

 

[My3Sons]

Merry Christmas (and Happy Hanukkah) to all you wild and crazy kids. This board still provides the best back and forth that you can find when it comes to talking hockey and the Devils in particular.

I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves today. While I’ll be spoiled rotten with my wife, two boys and extended family, that 5-0 win over the Rags will be a tough gift to top.

Enjoy these moments with the boys. Before you know it they live far away have real jobs and their own lives and you dint see them as often as you’d like. That takes a toll on mom.

 

[NjDevsRR]

 

[Normal Devil]

Merry Christmas! Devils are Good!!

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I'm not sure on Nemec over Hamilton...the thing that worries me is how long will it take for Nemec to be a trusted regular? Dougie, for all the things people might not like about his game is a high end NHL player. The gap between a Nemec today and Dougie is bigger than the Grand Canyon. And it most likely will remain that way for at least a couple of years and maybe forever.

I don't think that's a good solution for the defense to have level of drop...the left side isn't good enough to handle the drop....and I suspect in a year or two Dillon is going to start to look like Brendan Smith.

If it's a money/cap issue, well then that's different story... but on talent...losing Dougie and using Nemec as a replacement would be really bad for our defense.

It would be a combination of both situations for trading Hams gives you cap/roster flexibility....We have Casey and Nemec both of which should be ready in a year or two....As for Dillon hope is Silayev will be ready to replace him by last year of his deal or once his deal is up...Kovacevic hopefully will be resigned but it has to within reason....

 

[StevenToddIves]

Just jumping on here to wish all of you good folks a Happy Holidays!

 

[JimEIV]

Eh, water under the bridge right? Never take anything personal here, at the end of the day, we all are diehards who want the same thing.

Know you’ve been battling some health issues this year, so hope you are enjoying your holidays as well! Have a tall one for me. Or a stiff one. Or both.

Thank you very much

 

[Cheddabombs]

Merry Christmas

And I owe you an apology. I accused you of saying something about Nemec last year a few days ago... during the last little melee, I was forced to go look it up ...and what I said was you was another poster.


So I am sorry for the mistake.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays with your family.

 

[DrBSmooth]

Merry Christmas to all!!!

My brother got me this Devils shirt for Christmas.