Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - playoff edition

[FooteBahl]

…in Vancouver

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

That Lazar quote sounds...not great

 

[theoptimist]

The cost to get rid of him? That's the real dilemma. We may want to bring him back because the cost to shed him would be too high.


But strictly finding a guy who could be more effective for less money? Don't think it would be that difficult.

Agree, that’s a major dilemma. The cost to shed him and then to find a suitable 30 point replacement. To your point, there are many UFAs who are better for our current roster, like Ryan Donato (as an example).

I also think winning board battles and “leadership” might be related. You may find that a guy willing to do the hard work is a leader. Depends really on how you define leadership. If board battles matter to you, you might call Palat a leader because he does good work along the boards for our top guys. I actually liked the Palat-Nico-Timo line in the playoffs. Again, I’d like to upgrade from Palat but who’s really better all things considered… I’m also prioritizing tenure with a group that has seen different coaches, systems etc in the last few years.

 

[NJDevs26]

That Lazar quote sounds...not great

Not surprising though, especially to me…I pretty much held off on ripping him because I assumed he was playing hurt given how quickly he came back from a serious injury

 

[Devils731]

I think/hope that is true.

Keefe came in and added a ton of structure to the devils defensive zone scheme and it did well in preventing play from getting inside and crazy. The Devils needed that structure after years of lacking it.

It was also extremely conservative and tight to the center. The guys have had a year of playing inside a tight system and it’s a great foundation to now expand upon; add some more aggression and moments to attack rather than stay passive and structured.

So I hope next year is about keeping the foundation they gained this year and building some attacks into it.

 

[Triumph]

I don't think Allen has any reason to stay here. Someone like Edmonton could give him a legitimate 1B job where he could take over the net for the playoffs.

Markstrom/Daws is far from ideal but you have to cut corners somewhere, plus there's been so much money invested in defense on this team. I'd think about someone like Ville Husso as a third goalie with Malek and Poulter as 4 and 5. I really do not want to trade for another goalie, the Devils have traded for 3 goalies in the last 3 years, and the UFA market is backups galore.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Bratt Pack et al still batting 0 for

 

[Devils731]

Still sounds scary. Hopefully his recovery matches the good estimates.

 

[Triumph]

I think/hope that is true.

Keefe came in and added a ton of structure to the devils defensive zone scheme and it did well in preventing play from getting inside and crazy. The Devils needed that structure after years of lacking it.

It was also extremely conservative and tight to the center. The guys have had a year of playing inside a tight system and it’s a great foundation to now expand upon; add some more aggression and moments to attack rather than stay passive and structured.

So I hope next year is about keeping the foundation they gained this year and building some attacks into it.

I thought the start of Game 5 was a great demonstration of that, the Devils were forcing turnovers by being in places Carolina was not expecting.

 

[NJDevs26]

The cynic in me says that Dillon almost has to say this publicly to not hurt the team’s offseason negotiations.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Also:

 

[Bleedred]

It’s probably going to be Markstrom/Daws with a somewhat capable backup like Reimer/Nedelkjovic/Lyon signed as the 3G.

If that’s the case then I think I may rather have one of those guys ahead and Daws be the 3G.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

huge L's for Brattpack and Devrickus

absolutely HATE to see that

 

[JrFischer54]

Unfortunately, I think Fitz is thinking like you. God what a dumbass move that would be

I aint going to let a few first round picks keep me from quinn hughes. they can have 4 if thats what they want and we keep nemec go for it

 

[Bcap88]

Sounds like a disc/nerve issue for dillon considering he couldn’t stand up after the initial fall.

 

[JrFischer54]

Overall it’s crazy that we are talking about Bratt. He is literally one of the best forwards of the league with one of the cheapest deals. He should be one of the last players to argue about.

yeah solid regular season but ghost come playoff time. i think thats what people are talking about with bratt at least thats what im talking about.

 

[JrFischer54]

meh.

give him 2 year deal with the goal being in the final year hes in a backup capacity there aren't going to be much better if any veteran goalies out there that would be on a short term path.

 

[britdevil]

Markstrom/Daws next season is nightmare fuel. No thanks.

 

[JrFischer54]

If Allen is willing to take 1 year 2.8 to back up Markstrom one more year. It might be beneficial. Especially with injuries as a factor.

100% i just cant trust daws if markstrom goes down for 10-15 games. allen is ideal for a backup roll

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Hamliton shouldn't be back regardless of that quote

 

[Forge]

Daws isn’t very good. 5 NHL starts last year be damned. His AHL season was bad.

The rest of his NHL body of work leaves a lot to be desired. I honestly think Schmid is better, but even he sucks in the NHL.

Next season could wind up going the way the 2 other seasons with Daws getting significant NHL minutes went, if he gets significant NHL minutes.

And then there’s nothing behind him if something happens to Markstrom.

The trick is to not let daws play more than 12 games. He's usually very good in the first 12, then it goes to hell

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

The cynic in me says that Dillon almost has to say this publicly to not hurt the team’s offseason negotiations.

I mean it's also tough for an athlete to come to grips that it might be over before they wanted it to be which makes me a bit queasy to discuss his future and mention what to do with his "savings" if it's true.

 

[JrFischer54]

I will say this about the Quinn situation. Having all three brothers on the team will likely culminate in a very polarizing legacy - they either bring a cup to NJ and write one of the great NHL stories or they fail to meet lofty expectations and the “nepotistic” roster construction will be seen as a stain on the franchise.

if people believe the nhl is a "fixing results" type of league then they would 100% would be fixing the devils for a cup win or two. having 3 american brothers win a cup or two on the same team in a major metro market on the east coast? well the PR just writes itself with that type of storytelling

 

[FooteBahl]

Sounds like a disc/nerve issue for dillon considering he couldn’t stand up after the initial fall.

Hopefully it was just a freak accident where he got hit in the perfect spot to cause his legs to give out.