GDT: Devils @ Hurricanes - 2025 Playoffs! RD1 GM1 - 3:00 PM - MSG, ESPN

[PKs Broken Stick]

Which is why Sal is the most obnoxious broadcast person we've had my 20 years of watching

huh?

 

[Whaddagoal]

Fair, although he did at least break up Nico and Bratt later to try to get more than one line going. But even then there's only so much you can do if you lack overall depth. Maybe Bratt playing with Mercer gets him going. Or Timo moving back up with Nico. Or do you put Nico, Bratt, and Timo all on different lines and hope one of them can maybe take advantage of getting away from matching up against Slavin and Staal?

I just don't have much faith that Mercer is going to step up, and as much as I like and defend Timo, at some point when you're making as much as he is you need to actually be an impact player on the scoresheet.

Mercer is such a anchor across multiple games offensively.

I sure hope he does something this series but basically it's been the same Mercer all season we have seen:

2 or 3 games he gets a few points with a goal sprinkled in, not amazing but some basic production, then it disappears for another 6 or 7 games

Impression is that he just doesn't seem to have the fight in him. Or he is nursing minor injury for half the season. Dunno if it's a self preservation thing going on for him, but he doesn't have that next gear switch. He plays the same way no matter the game situation. He somehow plays 82 games no injuries. His speed seemingly declined this season for a guy who is so young. His bursts are terrible, he gets beat to breakaway pucks and gets beat if he is last man back.

I compared his edge from last year to this year regular season and his top speed dropped a lot.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Casey has to get into the lineup, play him at forward if absolutely necessary. The team needs offense badly.

 

[forceten]

We didn't lose to Aho and Svech today, look at who got points on the first three goals - Chatfield, Robinson, Roslovic, Stankoven, Martinook, Hall, Kotkaniemi, Slavin. Their depth guys had a field day.

That’s the most frustrating thing with us against Carolina. It’s always their bottom six beating us.

 

[Dylan9z9]

Nico and Bratt can't play for 60 minutes. Half of the forward group is not functional. We automatically lose 50% of line shifts and even if our core guys can carry the other two we still lose the war.

We didn't lose to Aho and Svech today, look at who got points on the first three goals - Chatfield, Robinson, Roslovic, Stankoven, Martinook, Hall, Kotkaniemi, Slavin. Their depth guys had a field day.

Our depth guys don't hold a candle to the Canes

 

[NJDevs26]

That’s the most frustrating thing with us against Carolina. It’s always their bottom six beating us.

I know many other teams passed on these guys too. But these whiffs at the top of the draft - and years of missing 2nd round selections due to Ray’s habit of trading those - is coming home to roost in so severe a faction that our team isn’t even playing a fully NHL caliber roster. In 2022-2023, we absolutely did.

We’ve gotten slower, we’ve got far less depth, our AHL team is probably useless for developing anyone, and our cupboard of prospects is nearly empty.

Holtz, a guy who couldn’t skate, and had nothing other than an elite shot, picked at 7. I remember posters here clamoring for Rossi and for Jarvis. Jarvis is a 30 goal scorer with an endless motor and a Johnny Depp wanna be look. Rossi is a 25 goal 60 point center.

Stillman, I just cannot understand this pick. Yeah, covid. But holy cow. Logan Stankoven would look great on this team. Stillman probably wouldn’t even be the best player on a beer league team.

Nemec. I get we were all in on slafkovsky and he’d be great to have. But Logan Cooley (other posters saying Shane wright - no, Cooley was the guy. Just another 25 goal 60 point young center that we would love to have.

Trading Bardakov for MacWho. Bardakov looks like exactly the kind of bottom six center we need and looks like the Avs who are already rich will get richer.

Heck, even Boqvist the guy who everyone lines over was picked a few spots above Jason Robertson !

Then we get Zeev Buium somehow fall to us and we go for a 7’ guy who can’t shoot and barely can pass. I like Silayev in a vacuum but holy crap Buium would be nice to have right now.

Fitzgerald tells the entire world he’s going “big game hunting” which of course drove up the price for a goalie, and he gets a 35 year old and a 34 year old. Stolarz, Thompson, etc all could have been had. Heck we had Thompson but whatever. We had Blackwood who suddenly is living up to his expectations elsewhere.

The signing of everyone to a NTC/NMC. Because GMs can screw a team for a hockey generation in one or two offseasons the league should really limit these to 2 per team or something. Or just outlaw them. Fitzgerald has tied his hands because things tried in good intention that aren’t working are now going to waste this core’s potential. Dillon, Palat, Meier, Haula, Pesce, Hamilton, Noesen. We need to shake this team up. Meier isn’t working out IMO, and we need flexibility on the defense but half of it is locked up.

So we are a cap team, with no flexibility to ice a contender or even a team with 12 NHL forwards to play.

Even our vaunted defense depth is suspect. Misyul was traded for nothing. Nemec Casey Vilen and Hatakka are so unready or unliked that they have some guy that honestly I think was applying for a job in Zamboni maintenance and some NHL franchise accidentally played him in Chowlowski playing.

We kept Ruff too long, but I don’t know that the other options were better at the time.

Losing to Carolina doesn’t bother me in the specific because it’s expected with us being the third worst team in the NHL since Christmas. But the bright future of 2022-23 has evaporated and it looks like we are going to be the St. Louis blues until these guys age out.

For me who endured the sucking when we came to NJ and then got to see what real team construction and good drafting and amateur FA scouting looks like, this is especially difficult. We are not a very good team and we are nowhere close to contending for a cup.

And also this is why I'm tougher on our stars than a lot here...it's so f***ing easy for their role guys to get goals against us, and conversely so f***ing hard for our non-Jack stars to get goals against anyone in the postseason. It's also telling that the guy they got back for the Necas/Rantanen cashout trades got two of the goals. Their player scouting and development run roughshod over us, among other things.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Going to be tossed out of the playoff threads going forward if you guys cant stop talking about the offseason or next year.

 

[forceten]

And also this is why I'm tougher on our stars than a lot here...it's so f***ing easy for their role guys to get goals against us, and conversely so f***ing hard for our non-Jack stars to get goals against anyone in the postseason. It's also telling that the guy they got back for the Necas/Rantanen cashout trades got two of the goals. Their player scouting and development run roughshod over us, among other things.

Maybe poach Tulsky. They say he’s an Ivy League outsider whiz kid… maybe he’s right. He makes a cheapskate owner successful.

 

[Dylan9z9]

Which is why Sal is the most obnoxious broadcast person we've had my 20 years of watching

Sal need some pom poms he's just a cheerleader I think he knows that.

 

[NJDevs26]

Maybe poach Tulsky. They say he’s an Ivy League outsider whiz kid… maybe he’s right. He makes a cheapskate owner successful.

For the most part sure...the thing with the moneyball types in all these sports is they sometimes get so high on their supply they don't even want to spend, sometimes you need to spend to get over the top, especially if the majority of teams are using moneyball stuff anyway. I'm sure this guy prefers staying right where he is, having a mid-level payroll and job security over having a cap celing payroll and all of a sudden being under the gun (especially in a bigger market).

 

[Mgd31]

Just got through the game. Wow that was something. At least Markstrom looked good and it seemed like Nico was somewhat interested.

If this is gonna be how it is, Jarvis and Aho can just take the series off because Carolina’s lines 2-4 are just so much better than ours. I mean we have Erik Haula on our 2nd line and Paul Cotter and Daniel Sprong on our 3rd line. If Cody Glass is out it is even worse. Curtis Lazar and Justin Dowling show.

 

[Dylan9z9]

And also this is why I'm tougher on our stars than a lot here...it's so f***ing easy for their role guys to get goals against us, and conversely so f***ing hard for our non-Jack stars to get goals against anyone in the postseason. It's also telling that the guy they got back for the Necas/Rantanen cashout trades got two of the goals. Their player scouting and development run roughshod over us, among other things.

Our scouting and development is not very effective.

 

[longislanddevil]

Mercer is such a anchor across multiple games offensively.

I sure hope he does something this series but basically it's been the same Mercer all season we have seen:

2 or 3 games he gets a few points with a goal sprinkled in, not amazing but some basic production, then it disappears for another 6 or 7 games

Impression is that he just doesn't seem to have the fight in him. Or he is nursing minor injury for half the season. Dunno if it's a self preservation thing going on for him, but he doesn't have that next gear switch. He plays the same way no matter the game situation. He somehow plays 82 games no injuries. His speed seemingly declined this season for a guy who is so young. His bursts are terrible, he gets beat to breakaway pucks and gets beat if he is last man back.

I compared his edge from last year to this year regular season and his top speed dropped a lot.

View attachment 1018747

Couldn’t agree more.

Keefe can put Bratt with Mercer again in game two to try and get Jesper away from the Staal line but Mercer is an anchor. Bratt has been weighed down significantly when playing with Mercer. Do we really think Mercer is going score and take advantage of Bratt’s elite playmaking? No. Haula? No. It’s wasting Bratt, who is terrific….so it speaks volumes about Mercer and is a really sad indictment on the player. We have plenty of other bigger problems but I don’t think Mercer is part of the solution. Would not be the least bit upset to see him shipped out.

 

[forceten]

For the most part sure...the thing with the moneyball types in all these sports is they sometimes get so high on their supply they don't even want to spend, sometimes you need to spend to get over the top, especially if the majority of teams are using moneyball stuff anyway. I'm sure this guy prefers staying right where he is, having a mid-level payroll and job security over having a cap celing payroll and all of a sudden being under the gun (especially in a bigger market).

I think Dundon is the money ball type. He almost galaxy brained Rod out the door last offseason and I was hoping for it; so we could grab him.

Most of their moves have worked. Letting Hamilton go and getting a guy 9 years older in Burns. But they’ve let a number of players go over the years and the replacements almost always work out. They don’t have any superstars. It was like our “interchangeable parts” in the late 90s/early 00s

 

[Emperoreddy]

We have a general discussion thread for future GM nonsense.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Maybe something like this if they are desperate to spread out the lines

Palat Hischier Noesen
Meier Mercer Bratt
Haula Dowling Tatar
Cotter Lazar Bastian

 

[NJDevs26]

Maybe something like this if they are desperate to spread out the lines

Palat Hischier Noesen
Meier Mercer Bratt
Haula Dowling Tatar
Cotter Lazar Bastian

Why not just go old school Lemaire bingo ball party?

 

[AfroThunder396]

Mercer is such a anchor across multiple games offensively.

I sure hope he does something this series but basically it's been the same Mercer all season we have seen:

2 or 3 games he gets a few points with a goal sprinkled in, not amazing but some basic production, then it disappears for another 6 or 7 games

Impression is that he just doesn't seem to have the fight in him. Or he is nursing minor injury for half the season. Dunno if it's a self preservation thing going on for him, but he doesn't have that next gear switch. He plays the same way no matter the game situation. He somehow plays 82 games no injuries. His speed seemingly declined this season for a guy who is so young. His bursts are terrible, he gets beat to breakaway pucks and gets beat if he is last man back.

I compared his edge from last year to this year regular season and his top speed dropped a lot.

View attachment 1018747

Mercer plays like a 4 month old golden retriever puppy. Soft, dumb, always chasing because he has no awareness and gets tunnel vision. No urgency, no plan, just a dog chasing cars. He's Andreas Johnsson with better hair and a more polite smile.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Maybe something like this if they are desperate to spread out the lines

Palat Hischier Noesen
Meier Mercer Bratt
Haula Dowling Tatar
Cotter Lazar Bastian

Might be smarter to have all of Nico, Timo, and Bratt on separate lines

 

[Emperoreddy]

Honestly I think some of it is just pure execution. Need to simply play better.

They looked overwhelmed by the bright lights early in this one

 

[NjDevsRR]

Might be smarter to have all of Nico, Timo, and Bratt on separate lines

Tatar Hischier Mercer
Palat Haula Bratt
Meier Dowling Noesen
Cotter Lazar Bastian

Its a bunch of poop no matter what combo and people here talking Keefe lmao

 

[Emperoreddy]

Tatar Hischier Mercer
Palat Haula Bratt
Meier Dowling Noesen
Cotter Lazar Bastian

Might as well try it. f*** I hope Glass is ok because man that center situation is dire

 

[Hisch13r]

Tatar Hischier Mercer
Palat Haula Bratt
Meier Dowling Noesen
Cotter Lazar Bastian

Its a bunch of poop no matter what combo and people here talking Keefe lmao

If Casey’s not being used on the backend then

 

[NjDevsRR]

If Casey’s not being used on the backend then

Id go 7D with Casey. We need another gamebreaker

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

what do we think about Luke's injury? I know he came back. Just a stinger? Maybe related to that other injury he had not too long ago (pure speculation from me)

Dillon looks done