Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2022-23 season thread part III

[Emperoreddy]

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Love Sieg's but this points to not taking some of these advanced stats at face value.

Similar to Zacha's GAR being better then McDavid's, which we talked about a couple weeks ago.

Obviously he’s not as good as Makar offensively lol. This is just saying lots of good shit is happening when Jonas is on the ice. The models aren’t gospel.

 

[Devilsfan992]

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They really are three headed monsters. There's probably not many 3-forward combinations in the league that can match them. I can think of only a few off the top of my head: Bergeron/Pastrnak/Marchand , Rantanen/McKinnon/Landeskog, Kucherov/Stamkos/Point, Matthews/Marner/Tavares. Maybe NYR and DAL.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Eh, still not interested in Wood either, UNLESS it's for something pretty friendly.

But yeah, point taken. Giving a $1 million dollar player (which is what he is at this point) $3 or $4 million (it's been disputed exactly what his qualifying offer is) is BAD cap management.

Not sure how you get $1m player. He's the only reason we scored against Philly. He and the "fourth" line have been our most consistent and best line in nearly half our games this season.

Whether it's bc Jack is having an off game or his linemates can't finish, or Nico is getting dinged up, or Bratt is in a mini hiatus or the new fourth line has Holtz figuring it out... You have been severely underrating this guy all season bc of your hate for him but thankfully his play has completely obliterated your narrative.

There is a reason for energy lines. They open the ice for the skill guys when things are locked down and we are being timid. And this team needs that more than anything.

 

[Nubmer6]

Got to watch the game this morning and there are just too many superlatives. I know it's the Blackhawks but...

Actually, I didn't think it was that great of a game. We gave up way too many odd man rushes for my liking.

 

[glenwo2]

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I like this version of the Devils Hydra better than the last one (blech!).

 

[Guadana]

It seems like a bold statement, but there is truth in it. I missed watching the third period. What can I say, even in the game with Nashville it wasn`t as emotional The stakes changed very quickly. Now we have to wait for difficult matches, or games against principled opponents.
In general, I still like watching hockey, but this feeling, when you don't expect a trick in the end, seems to deprive. A bad habit.

 

[Devilsfan992]

It seems like a bold statement, but there is truth in it. I missed watching the third period. What can I say, even in the game with Nashville it wasn`t as emotional The stakes changed very quickly. Now we have to wait for difficult matches, or games against principled opponents.
In general, I still like watching hockey, but this feeling, when you don't expect a trick in the end, seems to deprive. A bad habit.

Chicago may be the worst team in hockey. Once they trade Kane .. yikes!

 

[Guadana]

Chicago may be the worst team in hockey. Once they trade Kane .. yikes!

Judging by local stories, they and Kane together have a so-so set of personalities.

View attachment 618248

Hydra of healthy man.

 

[glenwo2]

It seems like a bold statement, but there is truth in it. I missed watching the third period. What can I say, even in the game with Nashville it wasn`t as emotional The stakes changed very quickly. Now we have to wait for difficult matches, or games against principled opponents.
In general, I still like watching hockey, but this feeling, when you don't expect a trick in the end, seems to deprive. A bad habit.

Well Nashville did give you a "trick" but it was more of the "bad bounce" variety with 8 seconds left.

 

[OmNomNom]

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better than the 3-headed coach we used to have

 

[Guadana]

Well Nashville did give you a "trick" but it was more of the "bad bounce" variety with 8 seconds left.

Well, yes, it seemed to be, but even despite the defeat and the unfortunate combination of circumstances, somehow it was not very worried.

I worried in toronto game. And I will.

 

[Unknown Caller]

It seems like a bold statement, but there is truth in it. I missed watching the third period. What can I say, even in the game with Nashville it wasn`t as emotional The stakes changed very quickly. Now we have to wait for difficult matches, or games against principled opponents.
In general, I still like watching hockey, but this feeling, when you don't expect a trick in the end, seems to deprive. A bad habit.

With stressful early season games came absolute boredom and numbness by February/March. I'll take a smooth win on a rainy Tuesday night against Chicago anytime, because odds are we're all going to be making appointments with our cardiologists come the middle of April.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Actually, I didn't think it was that great of a game. We gave up way too many odd man rushes for my liking.

So, I totally agree. As a team effort, they played down to Chicago's level. There was a little too much fancy stuff at the bluelines and some odd decisions for passes.

But the individual efforts were great. I really liked the way our defensemen used their sticks. I thought there were several guys that are growing into their games.

It's kind of weird because they've been so bad for so long that you love seeing them. Play a simple game and a smart game against tough opponents and coming out on top. But we also need kind of these loosey goosey games against shit opponents once in a while in order for guys like Boqvist and Zetterlund and Wood and McLeod to try to be creative and expand their game. That was what I really enjoyed was watching some of those guys try to create instead of just plugging ahead and doing the simple thing.

A game like this will certainly come back to bite us against a good opponent like Dallas or Boston next week, but for a beat down against a week Sally, it's all good.

 

[glenwo2]

better than the 3-headed coach we used to have

Yup. That's why I like this version of the Devils Hydra better than the last one (blech!).

 

[Devilsfan992]

18-1-1 where two losses were due to 3 disallowed goals and a game-tying goal with 8 seconds left in regulation. Could have easily been 20-0-0 if not a couple of bad breaks.

 

[Aurinko]

I think the problem is that if you have unreliable goal tending the D tends to try to compensate, often times overcomitting and causing things to be even worse. The goalie then starts overanalyzing and starts to focus on being ready for back door passes, causing him to miss some easier saves and making himself even worse. It all builds on itself.

I don't disagree that the way your goalie works has a huge impact on the way defense has to work, but I still like to think goalie as a lesser part of the team defense. At least goalie is much easier to replace than defensive core + balanced forward lines.

It's really really interesting to see how goalies do in new teams. A lot of moving parts in the equation...

 

[Unknown Caller]

18-1-1 where two losses were due to 3 disallowed goals and a game-tying goal with 8 seconds left in regulation. Could have easily been 20-0-0 if not a couple of bad breaks.

The more the season progresses, the more the Devils really need to treat this as a year where they make a push for the Cup. Yes, they have a young core and yes they shouldn't entirely mortgage away the future for a win-now move. But this is also shaping up to be one of the best regular season teams they've ever had, and you can't just throw away the opportunity with the expectation that they'll be this good year after year.

It's possible that we'll look back at this group as one of the best teams they had with the Hughes/Hischier core and we shouldn't be satisfied with a first round washout. You just never know how many real opportunities you get at a run with a dominant team.

 

[Bleedred]

Not sure how you get $1m player. He's the only reason we scored against Philly. He and the "fourth" line have been our most consistent and best line in nearly half our games this season.

Whether it's bc Jack is having an off game or his linemates can't finish, or Nico is getting dinged up, or Bratt is in a mini hiatus or the new fourth line has Holtz figuring it out... You have been severely underrating this guy all season bc of your hate for him but thankfully his play has completely obliterated your narrative.

There is a reason for energy lines. They open the ice for the skill guys when things are locked down and we are being timid. And this team needs that more than anything.

Wrong player. I wasn't talking about Wood being the $1 million dollar player.

At least not THAT Wood, but I could understand why it might have seemed like I was talking about him, but I guess I expected everyone to know I was talking about my FAVORITE PLAYER in the organization!

 

[imMagnum]

2023 World Junior Championship Tee Up | PROSPECT WATCH

Devils Prospects invited to camp:
USA:
D - Luke Hughes
D - Seamus Casey

Canada:
G - Tyler Brennan

Slovakia:
D - Simon Nemec

Czech:
F - Petr Hauser

Finland:
D - Topias Vilen
Potentially - F - Samu Salminen

Notably absent:
F - Chase Stillman

Love seeing potentially four D playing. Our D cupboard has filled up very well the last few years. Long are the days where Santini was the best D prospect we had.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Wrong player. I wasn't talking about Wood being the $1 million dollar player.

At least not THAT Wood, but I could understand why it might have seemed like I was talking about him, but I guess I expected everyone to know I was talking about my FAVORITE PLAYER in the organization!

Hahaha. Sorry man.

18-1-1 where two losses were due to 3 disallowed goals and a game-tying goal with 8 seconds left in regulation. Could have easily been 20-0-0 if not a couple of bad breaks.

That's just... Uh I don't know what that is.

 

[Bleedred]

The more the season progresses, the more the Devils really need to treat this as a year where they make a push for the Cup. Yes, they have a young core and yes they shouldn't entirely mortgage away the future for a win-now move. But this is also shaping up to be one of the best regular season teams they've ever had, and you can't just throw away the opportunity with the expectation that they'll be this good year after year.

It's possible that we'll look back at this group as one of the best teams they had with the Hughes/Hischier core and we shouldn't be satisfied with a first round washout. You just never know how many real opportunities you get at a run with a dominant team.

I agree. I came here to post something similar.

I think we CAN win the cup this year. I'm not saying we will, I'm not saying I think we will, but I do think we CAN.

And it would also make all the fretting over losing this guy and that guy (Severson, Graves, Wood, Tatar, the older and UFA guys) a little less crushing if we were to just go for it with this team and worry about all of them later. Although, cup winning teams/cup finalists do tend to lock up these guys they made the runs with and it comes back to bite them later. Colorado brought back a bunch of their whatever guys in Helm and Cogliano and Manson after their win. I would bet at least two of those guys, if not all three wouldn't have been re-signed if they didn't win, especially if they went out in one of the first three rounds.

But I think the sky is the limit. Who knows? We could come out and have somewhat of an underwhelming year next season like Florida is doing this year (not if we keep Brunette!) so I say go for it this year.

We have A LOT of cost effective guys this year, that will cost more next year. Bratt obviously being the biggest one and possibly the best AAV in the league this year? All the 4th line guys that have been contributing that are due new contracts next year and Yegor too, on top of the pending UFA's.

If I calculated this right, we're on pace for a +716 shot on goal differential and our 5 on 5 numbers right now are so good that they probably are somewhat unsustainable and will come down by year's end. Especially as we start to face better teams or have our off nights. Boston doesn't have those numbers this year (we must be first in the league in them, if not first by a wide margin) and a lot of the cup winners don't have numbers quite that good in the regular season.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Want to see how they handle this December buzzsaw but if they do well then yeah I agree you do need to start thinking about making a run with this team

It's hard to ask or even expect future versions of this team to play better then this current team, they are just playing that well overall.

I do think in the future we will put together better rosters on paper, but you really never know if they can capture this same level of mojo or have the same injury luck, etc.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

The more the season progresses, the more the Devils really need to treat this as a year where they make a push for the Cup. Yes, they have a young core and yes they shouldn't entirely mortgage away the future for a win-now move. But this is also shaping up to be one of the best regular season teams they've ever had, and you can't just throw away the opportunity with the expectation that they'll be this good year after year.

It's possible that we'll look back at this group as one of the best teams they had with the Hughes/Hischier core and we shouldn't be satisfied with a first round washout. You just never know how many real opportunities you get at a run with a dominant team.

There are so few areas where we can realistically even get an upgrade though. Defense (barring injury), the bottom pair left side I guess? Even then, Bahl might be a player and our top prospect is coming in.

Center? I don’t think so because I’d guess Haula is the 3C when Palat is back. Not many better options than that out there.

Wing? Maybe there’s something, but with Bastian and Palat back, who’s coming out? Damn sure isn’t Zetterlund, he’s been incredible.

I agree with the sentiment, but it likely takes significant injury for us to do something major.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Yeah it's hard to find a new spot for a forward.

Palat and Nate should be pushing Holtz and Boqvist out. Who do you sit after that? Zetterland? Yegor? Idk