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

[Emperoreddy]

It drives me nuts. This team is 5th in points and 6th in goal differential and I have seen multiple posters allude to being a possible lottery team due to the last stretch.

Bonkers

Edit:

And they are even crazier when you see the entire Conference having a similar stretch besides Det, Cbj and Mtl who aren’t going to sustain that for too much longer

View attachment 960723

Even our scoring woes are overstated. It needs to improve if we want to win the Metro and properly challenge for the cup, but we have enough to get in potentially with home ice

 

[NjDevsRR]

Give me the one you want to use and I'll ask

Oh my!

 

[Zippy316]

Even our scoring woes are overstated. It needs to improve if we want to win the Metro and properly challenge for the cup, but we have enough to get in potentially with home ice

Everyone is scoring at a good rate except for the bottom six.

But again, those are the pieces that are much easier to get come trade deadline. Add a 3C like Gourde and a winger with a finishing touch like Bjorkstrand or Palmieri and the team is much much more well rounded.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Everyone is scoring at a good rate except for the bottom six.

But again, those are the pieces that are much easier to get come trade deadline. Add a 3C like Gourde and a winger with a finishing touch like Bjorkstrand or Palmieri and the team is much much more well rounded.

And even there you got Cotter and Mercer at the 10 goal mark.

Like you said it shouldn't be too difficult to round that out with deadline additions.

 

[My3Sons]

Everyone is scoring at a good rate except for the bottom six.

But again, those are the pieces that are much easier to get come trade deadline. Add a 3C like Gourde and a winger with a finishing touch like Bjorkstrand or Palmieri and the team is much much more well rounded.

Does Palms have a good playoff track record? I am not sure how the team will spend its assets at the TDL. Apparently Jack and Bratt like having Palat with them and if they voice that openly I'm skeptical NJ adds a winger for them. Noesen looks good with Meier and Hischier so I doubt the team upsets that apple cart. A 3C seems obvious right now but if that really Gourde? And the cap isn't doing NJ any favors.

 

[Ripshot 43]

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

thank u Kevin sir!

 

[NJDfan86]

Mentioned Fredrick and Josh Mahura(?)specifically at intermission. Obviously Fitz’s interest in Frederick is easy to explain, but the Mahura part is very intriguing- what do they see there?

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Mentioned Fredrick and Josh Mahura(?)specifically at intermission. Obviously Fitz’s interest in Frederick is easy to explain, but the Mahura part is very intriguing- what do they see there?

Mahura would be purely LHD depth. A 7th/8th defenseman as maybe they don't want Nemec or Casey playing off-side should an injury occur to one of Sigenthaler, Dillon or Luke Hughes.

Hattaka is injured and Fitz probably doesn't rate White or any other LHD playing in Utica.

 

[tailfins]

Unclear to me why the Devils didn’t pick up Gage Goncalves. Kid is ppg player in the AHL and only 23 years old. He’s improved every year. With Haula hurt, seemed worth giving him a shot - particularly since it was a no cost move.

I get “saving your powder” for the right move. But, why does that have to stop the small / free experimenting they could be doing?

 

[NjDevsRR]

 

[New Jerseys Devil]

Weather the storm that is the middle of the season and we will be fine! Im sure the guys are beginning to lose interest a little; especially with the holidays having passed

Get Keefe a late gift and beat his old team next!!

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

The Markstrom situation is interesting. Personally, I don't think the trade was worth it, but Fitz definitely couldn't take any more risks with the goalie situation. Putting Markstrom acquisition as the reason they're succeeding is an odd take

It's definitely contributing to our success...I didn't like giving up a first late or not not good to give those picks out...I just figured to get the retention he had to go up from a second to a first....Fitz was in a corner and had to address the position because of poor drafting/developing of goalies....Hopefully the young guys in the system will payoff down the road we need it locked up ...Markstrom has been good but is a temporary fix not the LT solution

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I think we definitely could have given up less and gotten a slightly cheaper goaltender to put up similar results. But I don't blame Fitz at all for deciding not to f*** around and pay more for a good one.

Ya, this is where I'm at. I think he could've gotten a goalie for cheaper with similar results, but he definitely couldn't afford to risk it again.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Ya, this is where I'm at. I think he could've gotten a goalie for cheaper with similar results, but he definitely couldn't afford to risk it again.

who? When did a similar goalie get traded for less?

 

[Devs3cups]

I don’t mind those guys, but even a slight upgrade on Tatar and Bastian is going to help this team TREMENDOUSLY. Thankfully that shouldn’t be too hard to do.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Ya, this is where I'm at. I think he could've gotten a goalie for cheaper with similar results, but he definitely couldn't afford to risk it again.

Right, he had to go for the most proven commodity that he could. He tried several "band-aid" type goalies over the years in Crawford (retired on him), Bernier (hip exploded), Vitek (mentally cratered). If he didn't make this type of move, along with Allen as a 1B, he probably is looking at losing his job.

It's also easier to say this now when we've seen the structure that Keefe has brought and the buy-in from the players. There was plenty of goaltending PTSD to be had over the past few years from Fitz's perspective.

 

[devilsblood]

I don’t mind those guys, but even a slight upgrade on Tatar and Bastian is going to help this team TREMENDOUSLY. Thankfully that shouldn’t be too hard to do.

A slight upgrade helps tremendously?

 

[devilsblood]

Unclear to me why the Devils didn’t pick up Gage Goncalves. Kid is ppg player in the AHL and only 23 years old. He’s improved every year. With Haula hurt, seemed worth giving him a shot - particularly since it was a no cost move.

I get “saving your powder” for the right move. But, why does that have to stop the small / free experimenting they could be doing?

I think calling him a ppg player in the AHL is misleading given he's played all of 5 games.

2 pts in 26 games for TB before they sent him down.

Haven't looked but is a he good faceoff guy? Can he be counted on at all defensively?

It would be a move that I could maybe see, but I'm doubting there is much there.

 

[Lou Bloom]

Frederic is a good target, down year this season but he was very productive the past two seasons. He’s also young for a UFA so could be a good re-sign candidate if he performs.

Just depends on the price, teams are going to value a physical player that can also produce, I’d offer two 2nd round picks and hope no one beats that offer.

 

[devilsblood]

And even there you got Cotter and Mercer at the 10 goal mark.

Like you said it shouldn't be too difficult to round that out with deadline additions.

I think it's the group of Tatar, Lazar, Haula, Bastian where we want more. 11 goals combined from those 4. Obviously injuries and missed games have played into that. But I think if we can get a healthy stretch from those guys they will produce much better then we saw in the first half.

Think Tatar Lazar Bastian could be a good 4th line. Still don't think Lazar is fully up to speed.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Still no Noesen at practice today, unfortunately.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Still a 102 pt pace for the team, even after this tough last stretch

The team will eventually surge upwards again

 

[Billdo]

I think it's the group of Tatar, Lazar, Haula, Bastian where we want more. 11 goals combined from those 4. Obviously injuries and missed games have played into that. But I think if we can get a healthy stretch from those guys they will produce much better then we saw in the first half.

Think Tatar Lazar Bastian could be a good 4th line. Still don't think Lazar is fully up to speed.

They absolutely need more out of the bottom 6. Specifically Bastian, Haula, Lazar, and Tatar. Cotters been meh to fine. Bastian does nothing. Tatars been above water but contributing little to nothing. Prior to being injured Haula had like 1 goal in a quarter of the season. They desperately need to get going or Fitz needs to find replacements.

 

[Triumph]

Unclear to me why the Devils didn’t pick up Gage Goncalves. Kid is ppg player in the AHL and only 23 years old. He’s improved every year. With Haula hurt, seemed worth giving him a shot - particularly since it was a no cost move.

I get “saving your powder” for the right move. But, why does that have to stop the small / free experimenting they could be doing?

Because it's not free. The Devils have a 21 man roster right now (technically 22 because Haula isn't on IR, but they have 21 healthy bodies), they are desperately trying to save space for the deadline, and adding a waiver claim means losing a lot of that space.