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

[NjDevsRR]

Cookie Ded?

 

[britdevil]

Canes just rattled off their 8th straight win. We're going to get f***ing smoked in the playoffs, are we not?

Depressing shit season, even in a "winning" year.

 

[theoptimist]

Best outcome is Fitz getting fired. Whether that’s playoffs or not, he has to go.

He entered the season with Haula and Lazar and waited until the afternoon of the trade deadline to add a center. Inexcusable, when he had the entire summer. Instead, he went with Brett Pesce. This is on him.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Best outcome is Fitz getting fired. Whether that’s playoffs or not, he has to go.

He entered the season with Haula and Lazar and waited until the afternoon of the trade deadline to add a center. Inexcusable, when he had the entire summer. Instead, he went with Brett Pesce. This is on him.

I am not exactly sure what Brett Besce has to do with Haula or Lazar

not that I love Fitz or anything, but yeah

 

[glenwo2]

Cookie Ded?

I don't care.

I am eating more cookies anyway. *nom* *nom* *nom*

 

[Devs3cups]

Haula was a 0.5PPG 3C last year AND the year before. Lazar had 25 points last year as a 4C. People can blame the GM if they want, but at some point the players need to get some heat. Haula and Lazar dropping off as much as they did wasn’t predicted a whole lot around here. It’s pretty unacceptable how they’ve played. I’m still fine with Fitz, but if the bottom-6 isn’t fixed….

Overall the goaltending has been more solid, on defense this team plays better and more structured.

The top end for this team is doing its job imo. The fix is clear. Fix the bottom 6.

 

[My3Sons]

Haula was a 0.5PPG 3C last year AND the year before. Lazar had 25 points last year as a 4C. People can blame the GM if they want, but at some point the players need to get some heat. Haula and Lazar dropping off as much as they did wasn’t predicted a whole lot around here. It’s pretty unacceptable how they’ve played. I’m still fine with Fitz, but if the bottom-6 isn’t fixed….

Overall the goaltending has been more solid, on defense this team plays better and more structured.

The top end for this team is doing its job imo. The fix is clear. Fix the bottom 6.

Something tells me if they have Jack they win last night’s game and the discussion today is different. Even if that jackass on the Bruins didn’t hurt Markstrom they probably win.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Canes just rattled off their 8th straight win. We're going to get f***ing smoked in the playoffs, are we not?

Depressing shit season, even in a "winning" year.

Yeah I can’t remember another season that was as disappointing as this despite the fact that the team was in a playoff position the entire time. I’ve mentioned this before but the closest I can think of is 2009-10…very similar with the team at the top of the standings in the first ~35 games and then becoming a win one-lose one team for the remainder of the season, capped off with a total ass whooping at the hands of the Flyers in the first round. Still, the expectations for that team were not quite as high as this one and they were not nearly as frustrating to watch. And of course they were at the end of a ~20 year run of consistently making the playoffs…lot easier to accept mediocrity when it’s rare versus this time period where we’ve been kicked in the balls with failure 10 out of the last 12 seasons or whatever TF.

The truth is this team has hardly even been playoff caliber for 3 months. It doesn’t even feel like they deserve to make it despite the fact that they probably will.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Of all the complaints you could levy at this team, Pesce is pretty far down on the list. He has been exactly what we needed him to be this year.

I certainly don't think it's a coincidence that Luke had his worst stretch of the season immediately after the Hughes-Pesce pair got broken up.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Haula was a 0.5PPG 3C last year AND the year before. Lazar had 25 points last year as a 4C. People can blame the GM if they want, but at some point the players need to get some heat. Haula and Lazar dropping off as much as they did wasn’t predicted a whole lot around here. It’s pretty unacceptable how they’ve played. I’m still fine with Fitz, but if the bottom-6 isn’t fixed….

Overall the goaltending has been more solid, on defense this team plays better and more structured.

The top end for this team is doing its job imo. The fix is clear. Fix the bottom 6.

The problem with Fitz is it seems he's incompetent at fixing issues mid-season. Whether that's because he simply can't do it or because of his philosophy...it's a problem.

We can't rely on making fixing issues in the offseason only. That's not a sustainable strategy.

Also I say midseason, but by that I mean any point during the season

 

[My3Sons]

The problem with Fitz is it seems he's incompetent at fixing issues mid-season. Whether that's because he simply can't do it or because of his philosophy...it's a problem.

We can't rely on making fixing issues in the offseason only. That's not a sustainable strategy.

Also I say midseason, but by that I mean any point during the season

I think the cap hamstrung them this season. They had no real wiggle room and the guys you'd want to move out have trade protection.

 

[TrufleShufle]

Haula was a 0.5PPG 3C last year AND the year before. Lazar had 25 points last year as a 4C. People can blame the GM if they want, but at some point the players need to get some heat. Haula and Lazar dropping off as much as they did wasn’t predicted a whole lot around here. It’s pretty unacceptable how they’ve played. I’m still fine with Fitz, but if the bottom-6 isn’t fixed….

Overall the goaltending has been more solid, on defense this team plays better and more structured.

The top end for this team is doing its job imo. The fix is clear. Fix the bottom 6.

Trying to steal my T-shirt idea?

 

[Call Me Al]

I think the cap hamstrung them this season. They had no real wiggle room and the guys you'd want to move out have trade protection.

maybe, but you see other good gms find ways to make deals all the time

 

[Oneiro]

Easy to forget that this is also one of the better bottom sixes in the league defensively.

Haula and Bastian are two guys who have at the very least always taken care of business in their own zone. And Lazar was well liked going into this season by almost all fans. A lot of Monday Morning QBing going on right now.

And again, as the deadline showed you, teams overpaid drastically for the kind of players we needed and sellers took it down to the line. I don't think you grab Evans for a 2nd in November, for example.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Team was scheduled to practice today, but they've cancelled it.

Also saying Nolan Foote is showing on the roster.

Now official:

 

[FooteBahl]

Team was scheduled to practice today, but they've cancelled it.

Also saying Nolan Foote is showing on the roster.

Now official:

I am FootBahl and I approve this message

 

[FooteBahl]

Team was scheduled to practice today, but they've cancelled it.

Also saying Nolan Foote is showing on the roster.

Now official:

I wonder who is hurt? Hopefully he can replace Nate

 

[Rhodes 81]

Haula was a 0.5PPG 3C last year AND the year before. Lazar had 25 points last year as a 4C. People can blame the GM if they want, but at some point the players need to get some heat. Haula and Lazar dropping off as much as they did wasn’t predicted a whole lot around here. It’s pretty unacceptable how they’ve played. I’m still fine with Fitz, but if the bottom-6 isn’t fixed….

Overall the goaltending has been more solid, on defense this team plays better and more structured.

The top end for this team is doing its job imo. The fix is clear. Fix the bottom 6.

Haula, Lazar, Bastian, Palat, and Tatar are all having their worst seasons as Devils. I've lost some faith in Fitz and listed the reasons why before, but at a certain point you need some dudes to perform.

If we look at this offseason in a vacuum, he got the best coach available, he nailed signing Noesen (I was a big proponent of this one), he made a decent enough call swapping Marino for Pesce, and he did finally fix the goaltending issue for at least one season (even if he overpaid to do it). Cotter was a decent add for someone that at least has a bit of scoring presence in the bottom six and can play the Miles Wood role well enough. I thought bringing back Tatar was a fine gamble and he would have probably been more successful if the bottom six as a whole wasn't a dumpster.

I'm not sure why we gave MacDermid the contract at all and I'm thoroughly not sure why we gave Dillon 3 years.

The biggest criticism of Fitz I can get behind is that he's overcorrected on physicality and paid too much to do it (or sold too low on certain assets).

 

[New Jersey Devils]

I miss Jack

 

[Rhodes 81]

I wonder who is hurt? Hopefully he can replace Nate

probably his last chance to ever make this roster. Needs to really show something. I could see him being successful with Tatar.

 

[JK3]

I am FootBahl and I approve this message

First Bahl yesterday and now Foote today haha.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Every team needs to be "fixed" throughout the season. That's basically why the trade deadline is so fun.

We needed a center - we got one.
We needed a bottom 6 scoring wing - we got one.
We needed some NHL level defensemen to replace our injured ones - we got one and also Cholowski.

I also would have loved this stuff to have happened earlier than the deadline, but the salary cap and teams refusing to sell put a damper on that. There's only so much you can do during the season - most of the talk around here was about what we'd be doing at the deadline to reinforce the team, anyway.

 

[Devs3cups]

Haula, Lazar, Bastian, Palat, and Tatar are all having their worst seasons as Devils. I've lost some faith in Fitz and listed the reasons why before, but at a certain point you need some dudes to perform.

If we look at this offseason in a vacuum, he got the best coach available, he nailed signing Noesen (I was a big proponent of this one), he made a decent enough call swapping Marino for Pesce, and he did finally fix the goaltending issue for at least one season (even if he overpaid to do it). Cotter was a decent add for someone that at least has a bit of scoring presence in the bottom six and can play the Miles Wood role well enough. I thought bringing back Tatar was a fine gamble and he would have probably been more successful if the bottom six as a whole wasn't a dumpster.

I'm not sure why we gave MacDermid the contract at all and I'm thoroughly not sure why we gave Dillon 3 years.

The biggest criticism of Fitz I can get behind is that he's overcorrected on physicality and paid too much to do it (or sold too low on certain assets).

Solid post. I agree. I’m fine with most elements on this team. The bottom-6 and secondary guys need work. Cotter and Noesen keep obviously. Other than that, retool. Shouldn’t be too hard to do.

A winger that can play top-6 adequately would be good too.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Every team needs to be "fixed" throughout the season. That's basically why the trade deadline is so fun.

We needed a center - we got one.
We needed a bottom 6 scoring wing - we got one.
We needed some NHL level defensemen to replace our injured ones - we got one and also Cholowski.

I also would have loved this stuff to have happened earlier than the deadline, but the salary cap and teams refusing to sell put a damper on that. There's only so much you can do during the season - most of the talk around here was about what we'd be doing at the deadline to reinforce the team, anyway.

You see how it is here, everyone bangs the table after every game all season about what we're missing and how Fitz is a lazy piece of shit because he hasn't addressed it.

This season in particular seemed really difficult due to the volume of teams that stayed in the race. There weren't many teams that were willing to sell unless it was rich enough for them to do so.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Lazar or Palat are probably done or at minimum gonna miss time. Keefe mentioned they were getting X-rays.