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

[NjDevsRR]

Glass would be a 4C improvement and Sprong would be an extra forward improvement. Both cheap too.

Do it Lou

 

[devsfan8]

If Sprong is still around in September I'd consider a two way 775k deal. Occasional call up and reserve 13th. Nate Bastian, as useless as he became, had 4 goals this season. That's 4 more then Sprong lol. We need more goals not less. I can see Sprong in Utica as a leader/mentor type with some time up.

 

[JimEIV]

Elias was used at center for the majority of his time on the team past 2007.

Right...after Gomez left because we absolutely had to.

While Gomez was here is was on the left side....in fact, instead of using Elias at center in 2006-07 the 1/2 was Gomez and a brand new rookie Travis Zajac.

 

[devsfan8]

If Fitz wants to go the FA route to address goal scoring, Ryan Donato is out there. 3rd line C and an option to play RW. But after his career 30 goal season, I'd imagine he will get quite a pay day.

 

[Triumph]

Right...after Gomez left because we absolutely had to.

While Gomez was here is was on the left side....in fact, instead of using Elias at center in 2006-07 the 1/2 was Gomez and a brand new rookie Travis Zajac.

You realize this discussion started with you smugly asserting that the Devils were short on centers during these years, which they absolutely were, and was one of the biggest reasons why those teams weren't very good in the playoffs.

Scott Gomez was here for 8 years and 7 seasons. The Devils won 13 rounds in the playoffs in those years. The franchise has won 13 rounds in the 34 years he wasn't here.

The Devils have the building blocks for a great playoff team here. They have the D and 2 of the centers. They need the wingers and maybe a goalie.

 

[JimEIV]

You realize this discussion started with you smugly asserting that the Devils were short on centers during these years, which they absolutely were, and was one of the biggest reasons why those teams weren't very good in the playoffs.

Scott Gomez was here for 8 years and 7 seasons. The Devils won 13 rounds in the playoffs in those years. The franchise has won 14 rounds in the 34 years he wasn't here.

The Devils have the building blocks for a great playoff team here. They have the D and 2 of the centers. They need the wingers and maybe a goalie.

I think this started with me "smugly asserting" that we easily made the playoffs every year without centers and we don't now with centers.

I'm not dismissing the importance of centers. I was implying having excellent players at any position is more important than some sort of positional checklist.

 

[Emperoreddy]

We made the playoffs two out of the last three years and we are going to make them again next year.

Who is keeping us out next year?

 

[RSeen]

We made the playoffs two out of the last three years and we are going to make them again next year.

Who is keeping us out next year?

We got lucky the Metro is awful. Realistically in most seasons, this team would not have made it.

 

[RSeen]

I feel like we're pretty empty as far as LW. Bratt, Meier, Gritsyuk, Mercer, Noesen, Sprong (if he's back) are all RW. This makes us have Palat and Haula as top 6 LWs unless we're penciling Cotter in one of them. Perhaps we do

XXX-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Hischier-Gritsyuk
Haula-Glass-Mercer
Palat-Cotter-XXX

Glass at 4C and nothing more. I don't know if I am that comfortable with Haula on L3 either.

That bottom 6 is trash still - we can't go in with that next season.

 

[Triumph]

If Fitz wants to go the FA route to address goal scoring, Ryan Donato is out there. 3rd line C and an option to play RW. But after his career 30 goal season, I'd imagine he will get quite a pay day.

Donato is not the kind of player Fitzgerald wants for the 3rd line.

I think this started with me "smugly asserting" that we easily made the playoffs every year without centers and we don't now with centers.

I'm not dismissing the importance of centers. I was implying having excellent players at any position is more important than some sort of positional checklist.

Having an excellent goalie is more important than any other position. Brodeur was incredible in the years you are talking about.

This year's Devils had a better goal differential than the 2006-07 Devils but finished 16 points behind them. The Devils that year went to OT 22 times, they were one of the fakest teams to ever exist.

 

[RSeen]

I get being frustrated, but some of you act like we weren't locked into the top 3 for the entire regular season and were a playoff team.

This was a playoff team this year and its going to be a playoff team next year.

Fitz has some serious work to do. The bottom 6 cannot be remotely similar.

Players like Palat/Haula/Dillon... waste of space on our roster and cap really hurt our flexibility.

Jack is injury prone and could easily miss substantial time again. I assume he isn't going to have a proper summer of training again and is probably going to go into the year still being one of the weaker players in the league.

This team is not guaranteed to be a playoff team. Fitz needs to make the right moves.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Fitz has some serious work to do. The bottom 6 cannot be remotely similar.

Players like Palat/Haula/Dillon... waste of space on our roster and cap really hurt our flexibility.

Jack is injury prone and could easily miss substantial time again. I assume he isn't going to have a proper summer of training again and is probably going to go into the year still being one of the weaker players in the league.

This team is not guaranteed to be a playoff team. Fitz needs to make the right moves.

Who in the Metro is keeping them out next year?

 

[billingtons ghost]

The ask was a joke. I’m aware the Devils were in desperate need of a third line center, but that ask was an insult to Fitz.

Haha. Nemec + Mercer + a first. Id pass on trading any of those individually for RoR much less all of them

 

[Dialamo]

We made the playoffs two out of the last three years and we are going to make them again next year.

Who is keeping us out next year?

Some folks think the Rags will take our spot due to the new coach bump.

 

[BurntToast]

The decimated Devils didn’t compete very well in the playoffs, therefore the sky is falling!

Not only did the Devils go into the playoffs down their best player. They played a man down in 2/3rds of the games they played, during the playoffs. The Devils top 5 defenseman was ether out or played injured. That is wild.

Depth Killed this team, but in relation to special teams, not scoring. The Devils scored enough but 65% on the PK and dropping goose eggs on the PP was not on my bingo card.

 

[Devs3cups]

Some folks think the Rags will take our spot due to the new coach bump.

They actually might. I don’t think they’re as bad as they were this year. I also think Shesterkin bounces back.

 

[13BearerOfHope]

My biggest concern for the franchise is Jacks physical resilience. I don’t want him to be a 40 game per year highlight reel producer that’s not around for crunch time, but it might just be. Since it’s not a controllable for Fitzloco, he can just get the last of the trio to ensure at least two are always playing.

That and fixing the bottom six should be on his to-do list. let’s see, will be an interesting Summer.

Until there’s a big announcement I too am going on a hockey break. Have a great time everyone, take care of yourselves and LFGD!

 

[NjDevsRR]

They actually might. I don’t think they’re as bad as they were this year. I also think Shesterkin bounces back.

They need a massive overhaul to their Dcorps for this to happen. Its one of the worst in the entire league as it’s currently constructed.

Igor was hung out to dry all season.

 

[mdj12784]

My biggest concern for the franchise is Jacks physical resilience. I don’t want him to be a 40 game per year highlight reel producer that’s not around for crunch time, but it might just be. Since it’s not a controllable for Fitzloco, he can just get the last of the trio to ensure at least two are always playing.

That and fixing the bottom six should be on his to-do list. let’s see, will be an interesting Summer.

Until there’s a big announcement I too am going on a hockey break. Have a great time everyone, take care of yourselves and LFGD!

Exactly. This team has to be constructed to not solely depend on Jack Hughes.

 

[VoidCreature]

Exactly. This team has to be constructed to not solely depend on Jack Hughes.

This is pretty much impossible unless we bring in someone better than Jack.

You win or lose with your best player. Quinn could be that guy I suppose.

 

[BahlDeep]

I know it would never happen but if you need to push Jack's debut next season so he can have more time to work on his physical condition... you should do it.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Name me a team in the entire league that has 6 legit defined TOP 6 forwards in there top 6?

You can't.

They don't have ahl players or 4th liners there though. Oilers are not a good example cuz they have the super duo.

Washington Capitals have a pretty legit top 6. I looked through some other teams. There are others too but not gunna bother listing them all out

We just can't have guys producing less than 30 points in the top 6 and having one of those guys producing less than 30 points taking up 6 mil of the cap is a crime

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Those top six spots can be taken by “middle six” level players, they don’t have to be first line level players. That being said, at least one of them needs to be a f***ing natural goal scorer/sniper. We have too many playmakers who don’t know how to simply bury the puck when given the chance.

Yea I've been going nonstop about this but apparently it's hard for people to understand. The top 6 doesn't need first line level players, but it can't be 4th line / borderline ahl players. In the last resort situation where it needs to be that kind of player, the cap space should reflect it.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I've never wanted Radek Faksa more than I do after watching the Jet/Blues game last night. Instead of running around hitting whoever was there, dude has targeted the Jets best players. Devils need someone that prioritizes hitting good players over running up his hit total like Cotter.

Well, Cotter isn't even reliable enough to be put out against the other teams best players lol, so there's that too

 

[Clam Jensen]

Glass would be a 4C improvement and Sprong would be an extra forward improvement. Both cheap too.

Do it Lou

4C Glass is perfect, they just desperately need a 3C and I don’t know who that is.