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

[jkrdevil]

Jesper Boqvist has 12 goals / 22 points in 57 games this year. I know points aren't everything. But letting him go isn't a gamble we lost majorly.

That’s more points than Haula, Dowling, and Lazar combined.

 

[Billdo]

Jesper Boqvist has 12 goals / 22 points in 57 games this year. I know points aren't everything. But letting him go isn't a gamble we lost majorly.

I'd absolutely prefer him over Dowling, Haula, Tatar, Bastian, and Lazar. We let him for nothing.

Nemec for JJ P plz

Pageau?

 

[McDuffz88]

Jesper Boqvist has 12 goals / 22 points in 57 games this year. I know points aren't everything. But letting him go isn't a gamble we lost majorly.

It wasn't a major loss but it was unnecessary. I know we had a few centers at the time but there's no such thing as too many centers because they can always play wing if center is crowded. Boqvist isn't a superstar but he adds an element to a bottom 6 which we don't have and definitely need.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

That’s more points than Haula, Dowling, and Lazar combined.

that's more of a problem about Haula, Dowling and Lazar

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I'd absolutely prefer him over Dowling, Haula, Tatar, Bastian, and Lazar. We let him for nothing.


Pageau?

Paterka

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Holtz sucked because of Jack developing a shot, I'm tired of people using hindsight with Holtz to the umpteenth degree, he was the right pick at the time.

This is false. It was a terrible pick the moment it was made. Anyone with two eyes saw it a mile away.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Dillon-Nemec is a defensive pairing that may be wandering in a forest, getting lost chasing after whatever shining thing catches their eye.

They're going to get dominated. Let's just hope they don't cost us the game.

 

[bossram]

Yanni Gourde and Ryan Donato. See if you can grab 'em Fitz and call it a day.

Or check in on the cost of ROR.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Ahh we are back to the pining for lost JAGs part of the HF cycle

 

[BostonDevil]

Another thing the probably needs to happen is to stop rolling 4 lines to start a game. Give extra shifts early to the Jack and Nico lines and try to get a lead. It’s risky because if they don’t get a lead and fall behind you are burning them out. However, I think they probably get better opportunities to start a game when a team isn’t sitting back than getting those shift late in the game when the other team is in a defensive posture.

The team needs to get leads.

Jack can play all 60

 

[tailfins]

I'd absolutely prefer him over Dowling, Haula, Tatar, Bastian, and Lazar. We let him for nothing.


Pageau?

It wasn't a major loss but it was unnecessary. I know we had a few centers at the time but there's no such thing as too many centers because they can always play wing if center is crowded. Boqvist isn't a superstar but he adds an element to a bottom 6 which we don't have and definitely need.

Boqvist was UFA this past year. We didn’t qualify him and in 2023 and then the Bruins (!) didn’t qualify him in 2024.

Meaning:

1. The Devils had a chance to sign him post McLeod (which is really the relevant timing - Boqvist has no role of McLeod is here). Either he didn’t want to come back or the Devils didn’t want him.

2. The Bruins with their center depth decided no thanks to JBo after seeing him for a year. Take that as you will.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Highly disagree, Fitz is pretty average when it comes to GM's. He's pretty good at trades, dogshit at UFA, pretty good at building at defense, pretty dogshit at building a forward core. Any positive he has is met with a disturbing negative.

He can't play the games too.

He literally checked every box with just about the best available fit for this team. At Coach, in goal, on defense.

At some point you just have to rely on the guys who look so good on paper to actually produce on the ice

Except Fitz drank the kool-aid and got those type of guys by any means necessary after Carolina, guys that were mediocre bums elsewhere but since they ticked that box he signed them for the bottom 6. Curtis Lazar went from playoff scratch to a regular last year/this year pre injury. Guys like Bastian/MacDermid making around 2M when you could adequate depth pieces in UFA for a single player for that price. And correct, trading Zetterlund was a mistake because he's the exact piece that this team has been looking for in the bottom 6 but it's one of his lesser mistakes because he still added someone of value in Timo Meier. Fitz's bigger mistakes is when he goes into UFA or traded for bozos like MacDermid who add no value to this team. Fitz's obsession with Blake Coleman also led him to over drafting Chase Stillman, the guy is a complete dunce on the forward side of the puck and I don't see how anyone has legit faith in him turning that side of the puck around.

Except it isn't the grit guys who are the problem. It is our high priced stars

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

This is false. It was a terrible pick the moment it was made. Anyone with two eyes saw it a mile away.

Kind of Disagree. The devils needed a goal scorer at the time of the draft. Holtz had a lot of attributes that the Devils needed. But the skating and lack of defense was something the scouts bet on New Jersey to fix in developing Holtz, and in hindsight they got the development of Holtz and the pick wrong.

 

[dzubrus8]

Nemec for JJ P plz

Not to single you out but can someone give the scouting report on Peterka? His counting stats are reminiscent of Mercer early years

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Kind of Disagree. The devils needed a goal scorer at the time of the draft. Holtz had a lot of attributes that the Devils needed. But the skating and lack of defense was something the scouts bet on New Jersey to fix in developing Holtz, and in hindsight they got the development of Holtz and the pick wrong.

He just lacked the talent to justify being selected that high. Weak, slow players almost never translate into effective NHLers. I had him ranked outside the top 25. He had no business being a top 10 pick in what was a fairly deep draft.

These are the kind of stupid mistakes that happen when you draft for a specific role instead of BPA. We made the same moronic decision when we took Nemec over Cooley.

This isn't revisionist history either. This was very obvious to tons of other posters at the time.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Not to single you out but can someone give the scouting report on Peterka? His counting stats are reminiscent of Mercer early years

Very speedy efficient 5 on 5 producer. Won’t contribute anything with physical play. Doesn’t need PP1 time to make an impact.

He’d be awesome but I can’t imagine he’s really available. Nemec+ would have to be the starting point I’d think.

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

Our GM is too late, we are not one UFA away from being a SC contender. The GM should have made a 2 for 2 player chemistry trade deal in December. Do not trade the future for an 2 extra weeks of postseason, we might not even see it. Regroup this Summer and hopefully the owner might even consider a seasoned and proven GM.

Fitzpatrick had plenty of draft picks resulting from over a decade of losing hockey games, and plenty of good players right under his nose that have been wasted away over foolish moves.

 

[Bleedred]

Our GM is too late, we are not one UFA away from being a SC contender. The GM should have made a 2 for 2 player chemistry trade deal in December. Do not trade the future for an 2 extra weeks of postseason, we might not even see it. Regroup this Summer and hopefully the owner might even consider a seasoned and proven GM.

Fitzpatrick had plenty of draft picks resulting from over a decade of losing hockey games, and plenty of good players right under his nose that have been wasted away over foolish moves.

What seasoned and proven GM will be available over the summer? Probably someone we don’t even want.

The first thought that comes to mind is Ken Holland. I know he’s old, but he’s the one that this would describe. Unless Pittsburgh cuts Dumbas loose after only 2 years.

I definitely do not want either of those guys, as much as Fitz isn’t currently in my good graces.

 

[NJDevs26]

Plus I don't think they'd get some big name from the outside anyway, the last few years certainly they want more of a groupthink/data driven approach. Shero had some autonomy early when we were in a pure rebuild, at least until our step back season in '18-19 but nothing since then leads me to believe these owners would make a splash hire of a GM who wants total control.

 

[devsfan8]

No mention of a 3C.

 

[Triumph]

Another thing the probably needs to happen is to stop rolling 4 lines to start a game. Give extra shifts early to the Jack and Nico lines and try to get a lead. It’s risky because if they don’t get a lead and fall behind you are burning them out. However, I think they probably get better opportunities to start a game when a team isn’t sitting back than getting those shift late in the game when the other team is in a defensive posture.

The team needs to get leads.

I cannot imagine them doing this. There has to be a better solution than playing 3 lines. It's not 1990.

Our GM is too late and we are not one UFA away from being a SC contender. He should have made a 2 for 2 player chemistry trade deal in December. Do not trade the future for an 2 extra weeks of postseason, if we even see it. Regroup this Summer and the owner should look for another GM.

Fitzpatrick had plenty of draft picks resulting from over a decade of losing hockey games, and plenty of good players right under his nose that have been wasted away over foolish moves.

The consensus comes up with one player - Boqvist, a 3rd/4th line player having a career season. Wood is thankfully gone, Sharangovich isn't going to crack 20 goals, and then I have no idea who else could even be meant here. Blackwood, a guy who couldn't stay healthy here? Severson and Graves have both been healthy scratches this season, can't possibly mean them. Kevin Bahl is playing huge minutes but isn't doing anything special with them. John Marino? Logan Thompson? No idea.

 

[NJDevs26]

It's not so much they let guys go, they just haven't replaced them...someone put it perfectly with Boqvist a while back, he's a replaceable player they haven't replaced.

And clearly our defense is better in their own end, and I think some people here overlook that part of being a defenseman, but CLEARLY the transition game is also lacking these days and that's hurt the offense on the whole.

 

[Smitty426]

Our GM is too late, we are not one UFA away from being a SC contender. The GM should have made a 2 for 2 player chemistry trade deal in December. Do not trade the future for an 2 extra weeks of postseason, we might not even see it. Regroup this Summer and hopefully the owner might even consider a seasoned and proven GM.

Fitzpatrick had plenty of draft picks resulting from over a decade of losing hockey games, and plenty of good players right under his nose that have been wasted away over foolish moves.

No one had the entire 4th line drying up entirely on scoring, not even you! What 2 player deal did you have in mind and who is on the other. Adding another "sniper" (big contract) is not the answer now. Take a coupele of the 2nds and the third and rebuild the 4th line right now, They should be good size, high volume shooters. UFAs that you'd consider signing this summer (Frederic who is far better than Bastian BTW way in both scoring and guts). Try and pry Geekie away from Bos as well. I wouldn't do it but if you are so keen on moving Nemec get Freedy and Geekie from Bos. They'd probably go for that (adds to make it work). Fitz is not going to throw in the towel on this season. Get some depth scoring to replace the dead wood and go a couple of rounds. Donato, Evans, Tanev. It wont win a cup but its going in the right direction, which is what this group needs to do.

 

[Camille the Eel]

In comparing this team with ‘23-‘24, I do think we miss Severson’s ability to join the rush. So that we would be coming up ice as a 4 or 5 man unit with the puck. And once gaining the zone he could cut back, had good creativity, could hit trailers and guys free on the seams.

So Severson, and Graves too, made us more effective on the rush.

But there was no way we could have retained Damian. The money he’s earning elsewhere was not in our budget. And Luke Hughes will before long have fully replaced him - though Luke at this point is still green - has less creativity but more raw foot speed and potential.