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Devils Team Discussion (current team/player news and notes) ‎2014-2015 Part XVIII

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JerryGigantic said:
There were a bunch of folks ready to riot over Tootoo making the team. He's a bag of scum, a vile piece of trash, etc etc, his reputation perhaps preceding him.

But I couldn't be more happy with the player, well exceeding expectations both in on-ice performance and personal character.

In fact, for such a crappy season we had many legit "success stories", from the hard luck stories of Tootoo, Gomer and Bernie all having come back seasons, to the emergence of Severson and elevation of Larsson to a top pairing guy, to Schneider becoming the elite goaltender he is capable of being.

Even Mike Cammalleri was statistically the most productive player among all of last years free agent class.

There have been some great story lines, even in a wasted year.
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Some may only want to see the negative that has consumed the majority of this season and it's hard not to, but those have indeed been some nice story lines we've had even despite a mostly negative year and sometimes you just gotta take the good with the bad because what good is there in looking at everything as a negative?

As for the comments on Tootoo that some made that you referred to, after having got to know a bit about him through the local media here and now personally after having read his book, gotta take some shallow and unhappy people to make those types of comments.
 
JerryGigantic said:
There were a bunch of folks ready to riot over Tootoo making the team. He's a bag of scum, a vile piece of trash, etc etc, his reputation perhaps preceding him.

But I couldn't be more happy with the player, well exceeding expectations both in on-ice performance and personal character.

In fact, for such a crappy season we had many legit "success stories", from the hard luck stories of Tootoo, Gomer and Bernie all having come back seasons, to the emergence of Severson and elevation of Larsson to a top pairing guy, to Schneider becoming the elite goaltender he is capable of being.

Even Mike Cammalleri was statistically the most productive player among all of last years free agent class.

There have been some great story lines, even in a wasted year.
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I must admit, at the time Tootoo really didn't make sense to me...We had just resigned Gionta, Josefson and Bernier. We had Ruutu and Zubrus, Clowe was getting ready to start the season, Henrique and Ryder looked like they had some chemistry in pre-season that continued into the early part of the season. It didn't look like there was any room in the bottom 6 and the top 6 seemed set with Cammalleri, Zajac, Jagr, Havlat Elias ...

I guess I am guilty of not having the foresight to understand how fast situations change.
 
I really think we need to get Matteau playing at least one the 4th line. 4th liners or 3rd line tweeners: Tootoo, Gio, Bernier, JJ, Rutuu and Matteau. I really don't see a spot for Zub anymore.
 
Brooklyndevil said:
I really think we need to get Matteau playing at least one the 4th line. 4th liners or 3rd line tweeners: Tootoo, Gio, Bernier, JJ, Rutuu and Matteau. I really don't see a spot for Zub anymore.
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Since we have cap space, Zubes might be a good buy out candidate next season with only one year left on his contract.

Although Lou might not want to do him like that, as a good soldier, he has put folks like Colin White out to pasture, despite being former core pieces.
 
Tootoo pissed me off at the beginning of the season because he kept trying to be a pest. He kept taking penalties instead of drawing them, kept trying to goad people into fights, and was playing an agitator role.

When he shut his mouth and actually played like a hockey player and not a Hanson brother he was very effective. Great wheels, strong motor and a decent shot.
 
JerryGigantic said:
Since we have cap space, Zubes might be a good buy out candidate next season with only one year left on his contract.

Although Lou might not want to do him like that, as a good soldier, he has put folks like Colin White out to pasture, despite being former core pieces.
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And Pando, who did more for this team than Zubrus could ever imagine. Plus Moose. It isn't personal, it's business. We all know Zubie is a Devil forever in spirit, he just can't be one in reality anymore.
 
JerryGigantic said:
Since we have cap space, Zubes might be a good buy out candidate next season with only one year left on his contract.

Although Lou might not want to do him like that, as a good soldier, he has put folks like Colin White out to pasture, despite being former core pieces.
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Therein lies the rub though...pretty much all the other buyouts gave us cap space we needed. Since we don't need cap space and have so many open spots at forward there's less actual need for a Zubrus buyout, unless the Devils manage to stockpile forwards in FA the way the football Jets have cornerbacks.
 
I would assume Matteau has a spot regardless since he would be subject to waivers next year
 
AfroThunder396 said:
Tootoo pissed me off at the beginning of the season because he kept trying to be a pest. He kept taking penalties instead of drawing them, kept trying to goad people into fights, and was playing an agitator role.

When he shut his mouth and actually played like a hockey player and not a Hanson brother he was very effective. Great wheels, strong motor and a decent shot.
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How I imagined Tootoo before he came here.

xtNuIWz.gif
 
Bcap88 said:
I would assume Matteau has a spot regardless since he would be subject to waivers next year
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He's either with the big club or traded along with someone else and/or picks for a forward

Zubrus is redundant however and needs to be traded/bought out, theres no need for him here in the bottom 6 which has much better players
 
vtdevils2k said:
He's either with the big club or traded along with someone else and/or picks for a forward

Zubrus is redundant however and needs to be traded/bought out, theres no need for him here in the bottom 6 which has much better players
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He's redundant and he's absolutely taking up space.

Keeping him and resigning Bernier and Tootoo means that one of the three are playing more than they have to (and should be). It'll also keep Elias and Henrique from moving to wing -- the only way Josefson can move up the line-up. Same goes for Matteau and Boucher from making the team.

One of Ruutu or Zubrus has to go. Matteau can probably do their job just as good at this point.
 
Actual story behind that gif, a gopher hockey player named Tyler Hirsch went nuts after a shutout loss. Apparently he had some real mental problems and it was his way of "exorcising the demons from the net". He ended up getting kicked off the team a season later.
 
Henrique Iglesias said:
Actual story behind that gif, a gopher hockey player named Tyler Hirsch went nuts after a shutout loss. Apparently he had some real mental problems and it was his way of "exorcising the demons from the net". He ended up getting kicked off the team a season later.
Click to expand...

Interesting. If I was at that game, I probably would have been laughing my ass off.
 
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