GDT: Devils @ Golden Knights - 8:00 PM - MSG

[Brooklyndevil]

Does a player fall down more often then Jack? I haven't seen it. It is absurd.

He needs to get his fitness figured out, find a way to be stronger on his skates. He is basically the same height as Crosby - yet you would never have them compared size wise given Jack gives up 25 pounds.

Can’t compare Hughes to Crosby. Crosby’s body is built like a fire hydrant.

 

[guitarguyvic]

That’s another thing that’s not discussed much. The Devils are one of the most mentally fragile groups in the league. If a single thing goes wrong, they fold like a bad poker hand. They have a sense of entitlement, this feeling that they can get their way out of anything, and when that doesn’t happen their play suffers. Anyone who thinks they can rally around this setback isn’t paying attention- they do not have that mentality.

Forget winning with this core, they can’t even make the playoffs. It’s that bad. And Keefe is not the coach who can make them get their heads out of their asses and play like men.

Let’s not start blaming the coach. Playoffs aside, Keefe had no issues getting his team to win plenty in Toronto. And he’s gotten great results throughout his career.

This team’s disappointments extend across multiple coaches, that excuse has run dry.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

Imagine if Jack’s injury brings the team together and makes them go on a little run.

Not with one legit center.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

JT Miller sure would have provided some nice insurance and beef in times like these. But muh locker room cancer tho. Muh chemistry tho. "He's not needed."

he certainly is not needed

You still have yet to tell me how "beef" would have prevented what happened to Jack last night.

 

[TheBeerNerd]

Let’s not start blaming the coach. Playoffs aside, Keefe had no issues getting his team to win plenty in Toronto. And he’s gotten great results throughout his career.

This team’s disappointments extend across multiple coaches, that excuse has run dry.

Fair point. I hate to be that guy, but we can’t win with this core. Hell, we can’t even make the playoffs with this core unless things go perfectly or close to it. Ownership needs to start looking very closely at who fits with a winning culture and who can get lost. I’ll give you one name for free: Jack Hughes is the latter.

Again, hate to be the old crotchety guy, but he just gives me that bad vibe.

Not with one legit center.

Or, again, a team that crumbles in the face of literally any adversity

 

[njdevil26]

This is going to sound dramatic but Fitz has to do something like today...

 

[RandoDoomer]

I was really hoping this would be the year Hughes cracked the 70 games played mark again (for only the 2nd time in 6 seasons).

 

[BostonDevil]

Yeah well, tonight I wish he was a helluva lot more like miles wood than Miley Cyrus. This is his third shoulder surgery, right?

He's worthless to us on IR. Hockey is a contact sport. There's legitimate concerns around building your team around a player who can't stay healthy and there are lots of super talented players that don't make the Hall of Fame in every sport.

I love Jack, and wish him all the best, but right now this is a pretty tough night for the franchise.

I'll go Boston sports again for you: Gronk missed 4 games a year for the Patriots. The guy dominated every time he was on the field. I'm pretty sure football is a contact sport. Gronk was a big strong guy. ALWAYS HURT!

Oh it sucks, no doubt but wishing he was something he's not instead of taking into account that he is what he is probably is the more rational thing. That's why it sucks. He got hurt. He will get hurt. Doesn't mean that he should really change. I said last summer that we need to account for the 10-15 games Jack will be out every year. That's on Fitz to do. If he's healthy the whole season, that's a bonus but you need to be able to absorb the loss like you reap the benefits of a point+/per game player. There aren't many of those in the league. Mercer plays every game. Build your team around that because he play all 82?

 

[HoliksGhost]

This is going to sound dramatic but Fitz has to do something like today...

By today you mean by Friday ?

 

[njdevil26]

By today you mean by Friday ?

Should be before the next game.

 

[HoliksGhost]

Before the Christmas break we were winning playoff type games… everyone bought into Keefes coaching… all was well… how’d we go off The rails ?

 

[billingtons ghost]

I'll go Boston sports again for you: Gronk missed 4 games a year for the Patriots. The guy dominated every time he was on the field. I'm pretty sure football is a contact sport. Gronk was a big strong guy. ALWAYS HURT!

Oh it sucks, no doubt but wishing he was something he's not instead of taking into account that he is what he is probably is the more rational thing. That's why it sucks. He got hurt. He will get hurt. Doesn't mean that he should really change. I said last summer that we need to account for the 10-15 games Jack will be out every year. That's on Fitz to do. If he's healthy the whole season, that's a bonus but you need to be able to absorb the loss like you reap the benefits of a point+/per game player. There aren't many of those in the league. Mercer plays every game. Build your team around that because he play all 82?

I appreciate your take, and I wish that the Gronk/Trot Nixon analogy works for me

Would the Pats have won if Brady missed 1/5 or 1/4 of the regular season games and the playoffs? Do they make the playoffs?

We're not talking about tight ends here... (Ok, how did I get to that sentence... That's what she said)

If Brady busts his throwing shoulder repeatedly in his first four years and it requires surgery, multiple surgeries, do they ever win a single championship?

Because that's the proper analogy. That's what we're talking about here. THE franchise. Not Meier, not Bratt, not Markstrom. Not even Nico who has his own injury stuff but seems to have improved his durability?

 

[Bleedred]

The race to see if Haula can make 33 games without a point could be as exciting as the Ovechkin run to the record the next couple weeks.

He’s currently at 26.

Tuomo Ruutu famously made it to game 33 of the 15-16 season before registering a point in the second to last period of the season.

Haula at this point is as useless as Ruutu was.

 

[JrFischer54]

That’s another thing that’s not discussed much. The Devils are one of the most mentally fragile groups in the league. If a single thing goes wrong, they fold like a bad poker hand. They have a sense of entitlement, this feeling that they can get their way out of anything, and when that doesn’t happen their play suffers. Anyone who thinks they can rally around this setback isn’t paying attention- they do not have that mentality.

Forget winning with this core, they can’t even make the playoffs. It’s that bad. And Keefe is not the coach who can make them get their heads out of their asses and play like men.

i've said this many o times last year. these guys are homegrown franchise cornerstone players too but its pretty incredible once jack goes down to just assume and probably be correct that this team will fold up and play dead. last year it was the coaching and goaltending this year what? there is enough top line talent on this team and defense and goaltending the team should still win enough to make the playoffs. will they?

 

[NJDevs26]

By today you mean by Friday ?

LOL too bad the prices have gone dramatically up now that A) we're closer to the deadline and B) teams know we're boned as it is...Fitz sitting on his ass for the last several weeks with the old school mentality of just waiting till the last week is the biggest reason he won't be able to do shit now. Or worse he'll do a stupid, desperate overpay move that'll make the JT Miller arguments look quaint.

 

[Triumph]

LOL too bad the prices have gone dramatically up now that A) we're closer to the deadline and B) teams know we're boned as it is...Fitz sitting on his ass for the last several weeks is the biggest reason he won't be able to do shit now. Or worse he'll do a stupid, desperate overpay move that'll make the JT Miller arguments look quaint.

why would the prices go up? this is a serious question

you think prices go up at the deadline?

 

[NJDevs26]

why would the prices go up? this is a serious question

you think prices go up at the deadline?

For straight rentals no but Fitz isn't in the rental market generally and there aren't many rentals who'll really help much at this point anyway.

Teams who've wanted to trade other players already have, teams that are willing to wait for their price and haven't had it met yet can wait till the offseason when there's more of a market.

 

[HoliksGhost]

May have to make a blockbuster trade if it’s out there. Bringing in a rental may not be enough. This team needs a kick in the ass.

 

[Triumph]

For straight rentals no but Fitz isn't in the rental market generally

Teams who've wanted to trade other players already have, teams that are willing to wait for their price can wait till the offseason.

Sorry but this is just not how the market functions. Yeah, a player costs more if they have term left, but they are going to cost less than that in the offseason, and the market for that player will change.

Yes, for a player with term, and closer to the deadline as rentals fall away as an option, a player's price can go up, but that just means that that player is likely to stay put. It's unlikely given the way a trade market actually functions that a team talking about a player, and they usually are talking for a while before these deals happen, is given a higher price and is willing to accept.

 

[BostonDevil]

I appreciate your take, and I wish that the Gronk/Trot Nixon analogy works for me

Would the Pats have won if Brady missed 1/5 or 1/4 of the regular season games and the playoffs? Do they make the playoffs?

We're not talking about tight ends here... (Ok, how did I get to that sentence... That's what she said)

If Brady busts his throwing shoulder repeatedly in his first four years and it requires surgery, multiple surgeries, do they ever win a single championship?

Because that's the proper analogy. That's what we're talking about here. THE franchise. Not Meier, not Bratt, not Markstrom. Not even Nico who has his own injury stuff but seems to have improved his durability?

They did win 11 games without Brady, but I get your point. You roll the dice when all your eggs are in one, shoulder-less, basket.

Maybe he does improve his durability. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would take 60 games of Jack over 82 games of 98% of the league.

I still think this is on Fitz, he crippled this team offensively and could reasonably assume that Jack would be hurt.

Keefe should be used to this since Matthews usually misses 10 games a season too, but the problem is that, the depth on offense in Toronto usually shows up during the regular season.

 

[billingtons ghost]

They did win 11 games without Brady, but I get your point. You roll the dice when all your eggs are in one, shoulder-less, basket.

Maybe he does improve his durability. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would take 60 games of Jack over 82 games of 98% of the league.

I still think this is on Fitz, he crippled this team offensively and could reasonably assume that Jack would be hurt.

Keefe should be used to this since Matthews usually misses 10 games a season too, but the problem is that, the depth on offense in Toronto usually shows up during the regular season.

Yeah. You're not wrong. 'crippled' might be too strong as I don't know if any of the guys we lost would really have kicked in another 20g.

 

[BostonDevil]

Yeah. You're not wrong. 'crippled' might be too strong as I don't know if any of the guys we lost would really have kicked in another 20g.

Not one, but a combination of them could total up to 20.

I still miss Toffoli

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

If Hughes is out they are in a lose lose situation by selling or buying...You sell you are giving up on the season with no first next year you are just helping Calgary...If you buy you are overpaying and wasting picks...Tough situation no matter what you do...I guess you go with the latter and bolster the team best you can to make best run this year possible. Try to salvage this year especially if Hughes is out only short term...

 

[Devilsfan118]

The race to see if Haula can make 33 games without a point could be as exciting as the Ovechkin run to the record the next couple weeks.

He’s currently at 26.

Tuomo Ruutu famously made it to game 33 of the 15-16 season before registering a point in the second to last period of the season.

Haula at this point is as useless as Ruutu was.

It's really absolutely wild if you think about it - over the course of 33 games where he's averaging, I don't know, 10-15 minutes per game you would think an errant puck would've gone in off his leg or something by now.

We all know he's a popular room guy, but holy shit he's gotta go.

 

[Bleedred]

It's really absolutely wild if you think about it - over the course of 33 games where he's averaging, I don't know, 10-15 minutes per game you would think an errant puck would've gone in off his leg or something by now.

We all know he's a popular room guy, but holy shit he's gotta go.

He’s as shot as the 2020 version of Cory Schneider. Maybe he can still play in another league, but he’s done here. It’s funny that both he and Schneider have March birthdays. So Haula circa March 2025 is literally the same exact age as Schneider circa March 2020.

And I don’t mean actually done, teams will give him a one year deal, but that could turn into only PTOs if this continues much longer.

Since I normally don’t like to compare skaters to goaltenders, then the Ruutu one from 2015-2016 seems more than appropriate. He’s actually about 1.5 years older than 2015-2016 Tuomo Ruutu.

He needs to be dumped or probably just bought out. I don’t wanna hear “Oh, he’s fine as the 4th line center for the last year of he’s deal. He may be an upgrade to Lazar!” No. Just no.