GDT: Devils @ Senators: This Seasons Sucks Almost As Much As Grandpa Joe

[guitarguyvic]

I’ll guess that you have seen teams ask highly paid players to play through nagging injuries that aren’t completely debilitating. It’s fairly typical unfortunately. Why is Bratt out there looking like he still has after effects from the flu?

It’s “typical” when the team is vying for a playoff spot or even higher seeding. What exactly is the point of forcing a $9 million veteran player to play through injuries in meaningless games? It strikes me as rather mediocre and irresponsible management/leadership.

 

[Tao Jersey Jones]

Cangi said maybe Holtz will get a call up in the post-game.

Reilly Walsh is a non-emergency recall, along with Bahl, Okhotiuk, and Daws.

Another F will have to contract a non-Covid illness or an injury from tonight's game for that to happen.

 

[MadDevil]

I doubt they're "forcing" anybody to play through injuries.

 

[My3Sons]

It’s “typical” when the team is vying for a playoff spot or even higher seeding. What exactly is the point of forcing a $9 million veteran player to play through injuries in meaningless games? It strikes me as rather mediocre and irresponsible management/leadership.

I agree but I still think it happens more than we think.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Hamilton looks slower out there. It's deff gotta be injury related because earlier in the year his skating didn't look to be an issue where I would have to say out loud to myself "why is this guy so slow".

 

[Guttersniped]

Hamilton looks slower out there. It's deff gotta be injury related because earlier in the year his skating didn't look to be an issue where I would have to say out loud to myself "why is this guy so slow".

He’s not particularly fast though, that’s why uses his size and reach to defend a lot.

This skeleton crew isn’t exactly doing a ton of playmaking so Hamilton is likely just frustrated as well.

He was very active early on in the Detroit game but most of the line-up was “Ruff says we skate to net as fast as we can to score off the rush. The end.” types and Bratt is just fried or something. Dougie was banging his stick and trying to create and those lines weren’t really capable of that.

It’s not likely to be “injury related” in the sense that he’s aggravating something. I can’t criticize the team for a problem we don’t know even exists.

I’m not particularly worried about Hamilton or care about him in these last games. This year went down the toilet anyway, next season is what is important.

 

[Devs3cups]

Have to admit I agree with some posters on here, watching good playoff hockey is gonna be fun. Lowkey excited for the lottery though.

 

[glenwo2]

Have to admit I agree with some posters on here, watching good playoff hockey is gonna be fun. Lowkey excited for the lottery though.

Would love to win it and get #2.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

How many teams did Jagr play for, I lost count

You're seriously comparing Dougie Hamilton to Jaromir Jagr?

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

I said this weeks ago. But it begs the question…why is a $9 million player playing through an injury bad enough to affect his skating this much, in meaningless games?

Everything about this team these days just reeks of amateurishness.

A better question. Why are the Devils paying a defensively challenged defenseman $9 million when guys like Ryan McDonagh and Kris Letang aren't making nearly that much?

Could have had three quality defensemen with the salary spent on Hamilton.

 

[Guadana]

A better question. Why are the Devils paying a defensively challenged defenseman $9 million when guys like Ryan McDonagh and Kris Letang aren't making nearly that much?

Could have had three quality defensemen with the salary spent on Hamilton.

Because he is younger, more productive, was free agent and after time salaries rise.

 

[Bcap88]

Hopefully ruff gets the boot, we can all sit here and point to goaltending etc but there has been far to many times this year that the devils have looked like utter and complete shit and not ready to play which has nothing to do with goaltending. Oh and ruff thought that mason geertsen being in the lineup a quarter of the games gave this team the best chance to win

 

[Eggtimer]

I have no issue with Geertsen playing . It’s one roster spot on the 4th line . We have no real physically imposing players , if a team decided to skate around and take runs at Bratt and Jack all game long , who do we have to put a stop to that? Johnson ? Tatar?
Nope . At this stage of the teams progression , I have no issues with him playing . Last thing I want is some scrub running around trying to put Bratt and Jack through the boards all game with no way of pushing back. At least with Geertsen , if the other team decides to take liberties with our star players , then Geertsen starts taking runs at their guys . Simple . It’s not like he is stealing PP1 time away from anyone . Oh no , Vessey and his 5 points is out if the lineup for Geertsen ?! We are done for sure !!

 

[OmNomNom]

I have no issue with Geertsen playing . It’s one roster spot on the 4th line . We have no real physically imposing players , if a team decided to skate around and take runs at Bratt and Jack all game long , who do we have to put a stop to that? Johnson ? Tatar?
Nope . At this stage of the teams progression , I have no issues with him playing . Last thing I want is some scrub running around trying to put Bratt and Jack through the boards all game with no way of pushing back. At least with Geertsen , if the other team decides to take liberties with our star players , then Geertsen starts taking runs at their guys . Simple . It’s not like he is stealing PP1 time away from anyone . Oh no , Vessey and his 5 points is out if the lineup for Geertsen ?! We are done for sure !!

+ it also doesn't even matter at this point - it's 2 games left and he's a UFA

 

[Bleedred]

Hopefully ruff gets the boot, we can all sit here and point to goaltending etc but there has been far to many times this year that the devils have looked like utter and complete shit and not ready to play which has nothing to do with goaltending. Oh and ruff thought that mason geertsen being in the lineup a quarter of the games gave this team the best chance to win

I also blame the GM for even feeling the need to pick this guy up, but this was the most games a goon has Lou played for the NHL team in a season since Lou was still here.

Even the year Kurtis Gabriel played all those games, he played one game before the month of February.

 

[Triumph]

+ it also doesn't even matter at this point - it's 2 games left and he's a UFA

I am very confident Geertsen will be in the Devils' organization next season. I don't think he'll be in the NHL, but he will be in Utica and won't stay there all year. I have no inside information, just that it'd be very weird to carry him all year like this and not want him around, and Geertsen got a chance in the NHL and made more money this year than he made in his previous 5 years of pro hockey so he's bound to have some goodwill towards us.

 

[OmNomNom]

I am very confident Geertsen will be in the Devils' organization next season. I don't think he'll be in the NHL, but he will be in Utica and won't stay there all year. I have no inside information, just that it'd be very weird to carry him all year like this and not want him around, and Geertsen got a chance in the NHL and made more money this year than he made in his previous 5 years of pro hockey so he's bound to have some goodwill towards us.

if he could just post up and garbage goal on the 4th line on occasion, he'd be a fine as a press box guy

 

[Camille the Eel]

He’s not particularly fast though, that’s why uses his size and reach to defend a lot.

This skeleton crew isn’t exactly doing a ton of playmaking so Hamilton is likely just frustrated as well.

He was very active early on in the Detroit game but most of the line-up was “Ruff says we skate to net as fast as we can to score off the rush. The end.” types and Bratt is just fried or something. Dougie was banging his stick and trying to create and those lines weren’t really capable of that.

It’s not likely to be “injury related” in the sense that he’s aggravating something. I can’t criticize the team for a problem we don’t know even exists.

I’m not particularly worried about Hamilton or care about him in these last games. This year went down the toilet anyway, next season is what is important.

The lack of oomph in his shot - formerly explosive - is also quite obvious. Of course we don’t know. But besides not striding long when skating, and not having much strength on his skates when opposing skaters run him down, it looks to me like he’s not able to get his lower body, hips and legs into the wrist shot and slapper. That his shot isn’t nearly as strong or explosive is hard to miss when you watch him. He’s had plenty of looks and hasn’t scored since that OT winner, whenever it was.