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

[NJDevs26]

Taylor Halls 17/18 season is still the single greatest season by a Devils forward I have ever seen. Better than Elias, Parise, Kovy and Hughes.

The dude had minimal support and was doing it all by himself. I have never seen such determination before. I watch this video every once in a while and it still amazes me. He is willing these goals in all by himself.

Most valuable season in Devils history (although you could debate Marty dragging a couple of those mid ‘00’s teams into the playoffs as well), no pun intended but I still think my guy Patty putting up 96 points getting sixteen minutes a night in a structured system was the ‘best’ pound for pound season.

 

[JimEIV]

Most valuable season in Devils history (although you could debate Marty dragging a couple of those mid ‘00’s teams into the playoffs as well), no pun intended but I still think my guy Patty putting up 96 points getting sixteen minutes a night in a structured system was the ‘best’ pound for pound season.

Elias returning from Hepatitis was the most awe inspiring performance from a player I've ever seen...that team was a mess and floundering...Larry Robinson had a nervous breakdown and Patty was still yellow and down like 20 l lbs when he returned.

He turned the team around. 45 points in 38 games...it was just incredible.

 

[Bleedred]

Most valuable season in Devils history (although you could debate Marty dragging a couple of those mid ‘00’s teams into the playoffs as well), no pun intended but I still think my guy Patty putting up 96 points getting sixteen minutes a night in a structured system was the ‘best’ pound for pound season.

The Larry teams were actually insanely fun to watch. The most entertaining Devils teams. They were also pretty exciting during the Ftorek tenure, until things started getting bad at the very end right before he was fired.

That team was high flying and got a lot of odd man rushes.

Patty was extremely fast back then. I've mentioned that years later and people are usually like ''Yeah, Patty was great and all but was he ever actually fast?''.

Now maybe he just appeared really fast because he was one of the younger guys on a heavy veteran team, but Sykora was certainly no speedster and neither was Arnott. Even back then.

 

[Bleedred]

Elias returning from Hepatitis was the most awe inspiring performance from a player I've ever seen...that team was a mess and floundering...Larry Robinson had a nervous breakdown and Patty was still yellow and down like 20 l lbs when he returned.

He turned the team around. 45 points in 38 games...it was just incredible.

I can't believe how close he came to walking just a few months later.

He even said that Lou told him they weren't gonna be able to keep him, but he called Lou out of nowhere at the last minute on July 1st after talking to the Rangers. And Lou said he had a deal.

After having to see Marty play somewhere else I probably could have gotten over Patty playing elsewhere if he actually did at the very end, much like Marty did. But I don't know if I could have taken it well having to see him play for another team 10 years before he stopped playing.

 

[JimEIV]

I can't believe how close he came to walking just a few months later.

He even said that Lou told him they weren't gonna be able to keep him, but he called Lou out of nowhere at the last minute on July 1st after talking to the Rangers. And Lou said he had a deal.

After having to see Marty play somewhere else I probably could have gotten over Patty playing elsewhere if he actually did at the very end, much like Marty did. But I don't know if I could have taken it well having to see him play for another team 10 years before he stopped playing.

Now he has his number in the rafters and his own lifetime seats

 

[VoidCreature]

I envy those of you who have memories of the glory years. I only started watching in 2008 so my fondest memory is still game 6 vs the Rags in 2012. Wish I’d seen the Cups.

 

[Desert Devil]

The Larry teams were actually insanely fun to watch. The most entertaining Devils teams. They were also pretty exciting during the Ftorek tenure, until things started getting bad at the very end right before he was fired.

That team was high flying and got a lot of odd man rushes.

Patty was extremely fast back then. I've mentioned that years later and people are usually like ''Yeah, Patty was great and all but was he ever actually fast?''.

Now maybe he just appeared really fast because he was one of the younger guys on a heavy veteran team, but Sykora was certainly no speedster and neither was Arnott. Even back then.

That’s what is really annoying about people complaining about how the Devils made the game boring. The 99-00 and 00-01 teams were so skilled and entertaining.

I get that the 95 and 03 teams were a little more trap oriented but all those teams were skilled. The games were exciting. Well at least to me lol.

 

[MadDevil]

I envy those of you who have memories of the glory years. I only started watching in 2008 so my fondest memory is still game 6 vs the Rags in 2012. Wish I’d seen the Cups.

I was insanely spoiled as a fan. I became a Devils fan during the 1999-00 season. My other fandoms (at the time) were the Vikings and Twins, which I think helped numb me to the feelings of either rarely being good, or losing in heartbreaking fashion when the team is good. Maybe that's why the last two decades of Devils hockey hasn't killed me.

 

[Triumph]

It has nothing to do with being a sixth round pick and everything to do with this franchise having Jack, Elias, Parise, Kirk Muller, MVP Hall and even Kovalsuck, none of them did it as a Devil.

As far as this not being an outlier like Gionta, not to that degree but let’s be fair this is Bratt’s eighth year in the league and his career high in points was 83 last year. Before that it was 73. He may have a bunch of 90-point seasons on the horizon and if he does I’ll look at it differently but as of now it’s still a bit of an oddity if he essentially beats Jack and everyone else in Devils history to it.

He's not going to get 100 points this year, so it's moot. Regardless, this is his 3rd year in the last 4 to lead the team in scoring, and I don't see any signs that he's going to slow down. Is he only leading the team in scoring because Jack misses 20 games a year, yes, is he still one of the best scorers ever for the Devils, also yes. He is right up there with that list of guys, 3 of whom were drafted 1st overall, another one 2nd overall, another one a first round pick, and then finally Elias in the 2nd round. But you are right, nothing to do with draft position.

 

[edevils]

I was insanely spoiled as a fan. I became a Devils fan during the 1999-00 season. My other fandoms (at the time) were the Vikings and Twins, which I think helped numb me to the feelings of either rarely being good, or losing in heartbreaking fashion when the team is good. Maybe that's why the last two decades of Devils hockey hasn't killed me.

It was 93-94 for me. I was 5 and visiting my uncle. He was a Rangers fan and had the ECF series on (NJDvsNYR). I asked him who he wanted to win and he said, "the Rangers". So, I said, "Okay, I want the Devils to win".

They ended up losing that series, but it changed my life. The next year they won the cup in 95 and I've been a fan ever since. I played youth hockey and beyond the sport of it, hockey has taught me a lot about dealing with adversity, being part of a team, and working hard. I've been a fan for 30+ years at this point.

This is why I get irked when people talk about new posters like they're bandwagon fans. Yes, I'm new to posting on here, but I've been here for the good and the bad and supported the Devils during the ups and downs.

 

[BostonDevil]

I envy those of you who have memories of the glory years. I only started watching in 2008 so my fondest memory is still game 6 vs the Rags in 2012. Wish I’d seen the Cups.

Said it before but I was a wee little BostonRocky before I was BostonDevil. Talk about lean years!

Other fandom was pretty bleak as well (Patriots and Expos/Now Angels since I followed Vlad there)

In the building for game 4 in 1995. Almost cried. If you gave me the opportunity to be at any sporting event in the history of sports, I would chose that game. Meant so much.

Been through a lot with this franchise

 

[devilsblood]

It was 93-94 for me. I was 5 and visiting my uncle. He was a Rangers fan and had the ECF series on (NJDvsNYR). I asked him who he wanted to win and he said, "the Rangers". So, I said, "Okay, I want the Devils to win".

They ended up losing that series, but it changed my life. The next year they won the cup in 95 and I've been a fan ever since. I played youth hockey and beyond the sport of it, hockey has taught me a lot about dealing with adversity, being part of a team, and working hard. I've been a fan for 30+ years at this point.

This is why I get irked when people talk about new posters like they're bandwagon fans. Yes, I'm new to posting on here, but I've been here for the good and the bad and supported the Devils during the ups and downs.

One of the great series in hockey history.

Which isn't extremely painful to admit only because we won the next year, and then 2 more after that.

But yeah, good stuff for sure.

 

[devilsblood]

Taylor Halls 17/18 season is still the single greatest season by a Devils forward I have ever seen. Better than Elias, Parise, Kovy and Hughes.

The dude had minimal support and was doing it all by himself. I have never seen such determination before. I watch this video every once in a while and it still amazes me. He is willing these goals in all by himself.

This is the stuff I argue against. I'm 10 goals in and 8 of them are sweet feeds from team mates. Yes he's burying them, and that is huge, but Nico is setting him up, Bratt is setting him up, Palm's is setting him up, he' cleaning up an end to end power drive by Wood, heck even Bastian set him up with a nice dish.

The idea that it is Hall dragging these guys along is bunk.

 

[Devils731]

This is the stuff I argue against. I'm 10 goals in and 8 of them are sweet feeds from team mates. Yes he's burying them, and that is huge, but Nico is setting him up, Bratt is setting him up, Palm's is setting him up, he' cleaning up an end to end power drive by Wood, heck even Bastian set him up with a nice dish.

The idea that it is Hall dragging these guys along is bunk.

Hall had 41 more points than the next closest Devil. Nico was second in points and only had 56% as many points as Hall. Hall almost had as many goals as the next 2 guys combined.

Nobody does it alone but he was almost twice as productive as the next guy on the team and that’s pretty crazy. I think the hyperbole that Hall did it alone is reasonable; he wasn’t literally alone but he was more alone than most top scorers and MVPs when it came to team production.

 

[JimEIV]

This is the stuff I argue against. I'm 10 goals in and 8 of them are sweet feeds from team mates. Yes he's burying them, and that is huge, but Nico is setting him up, Bratt is setting him up, Palm's is setting him up, he' cleaning up an end to end power drive by Wood, heck even Bastian set him up with a nice dish.

The idea that it is Hall dragging these guys along is bunk.

That 2018 team without Taylor Hall would've picked #1 overall and that is basically exactly what happened in 2019.

 

[NjDevsRR]

The idea that it is Hall dragging these guys along is bunk.

I mean, you have a right to this opinion but it will be hard pressed to find folks to agree with you lol and the statistical differences between Hall and his teammates was absurd. Oh and that pesky Hart trophy…

But to each their own my mannn

 

[NJDevs26]

That 2018 team without Taylor Hall would've picked #1 overall and that is basically exactly what happened in 2019.

And 2017 when Hall was just a sulking meh top six player the Devils were also terrible

 

[devilsblood]

I mean, you have a right to this opinion but it will be hard pressed to find folks to agree with you lol and the statistical differences between Hall and his teammates was absurd. Oh and that pesky Hart trophy…

But to each their own my mannn

So every Hart trophy winner is dragging the rest of the team along?

 

[devilsblood]

And 2017 when Hall was just a sulking meh top six player the Devils were also terrible

No Bratt. No Nico. No Vat's.

17-18 had 10 double digit goal scorers, and as a team scored 243 goals.

16-17 had 7 double digit goal scorers and as a team scored 180.

63 goal differential.

Hall scored 19 more goals in 17-18 then he did the year prior.

 

[devilsblood]

That 2018 team without Taylor Hall would've picked #1 overall and that is basically exactly what happened in 2019.

Nico Bratt Wood Vats all key elements in 17-18 missed 90 games combined the next season.

Kink also went from very good, to absolutely terrible.

Not saying Hall's season wasn't amazing, it was, I just don't like the "dragged a team of nobodies" narrative.

 

[edevils]

Nico Bratt Wood Vats all key elements in 17-18 missed 90 games combined the next season.

Kink also went from very good, to absolutely terrible.

Not saying Hall's season wasn't amazing, it was, I just don't like the "dragged a team of nobodies" narrative.

Maybe "drag" is too strong a word. However, there's no doubt that Hall had a special season and I would go as far as to say without him, they don't make the playoffs. Wait...

I change my mind. He definitely dragged them into the playoffs that season.

 

[britdevil]

Don't look now but last 10 games 5v5, Haula tied for team lead in goals.

And he's done it in 9 games no less.

Bro went from Weekend at Bernie's to drink stirrer over night.

He legit looked ill from November until February, like malnourished or something.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

The idea that it is Hall dragging these guys along is bunk.

lmao

we certainly did not watch the same team. It was Hall dragging them and Kinkaid going on a ridiculous streak.

 

[Satans Hockey]

@JimEIV

 

[thebeernerd]

I envy those of you who have memories of the glory years. I only started watching in 2008 so my fondest memory is still game 6 vs the Rags in 2012. Wish I’d seen the Cups.

Only memory I had of 1995 were the persistent rumblings of a move to Nashville. 2000 and 2003, though? Oh yeah, they were great. But I'd still say the 2001 team that came up short was our best team of that era.

That’s what is really annoying about people complaining about how the Devils made the game boring. The 99-00 and 00-01 teams were so skilled and entertaining.

I get that the 95 and 03 teams were a little more trap oriented but all those teams were skilled. The games were exciting. Well at least to me lol.

I saw a video essay on YouTube about the neutral zone trap. It put the Devils in a more positive light, in that they weren't just about the trap.

Those early Panthers teams were the real offenders. They really didn't have anything to offer besides the neutral zone trap. All they got was a Cup run in their third year and then nothing for over two decades.