Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2023-24 season begins!

[Satans Hockey]

The staggering start times today is dumb, it works for the NFL because they literally tune in when teams are in the red zone where scoring is a real probability plus most NFL fans love it because of betting and fantasy football.

What is the NHL gonna do? Show every powerplay? Apple TV has also done a show all year with the MLS called MLS 360 and even scheduled most games to all be 7:30 their local time so they can bounce around but soccer is even harder than hockey in that there's no given moment like a powerplay when someone has a higher chance to score besides a penalty kick.

Plus as a Devils fan first and foremost I'm watching our game vs watching other early season games from around the league. I can just watch nhl now on the nhl network and catch all the highlights later if I actually cared enough.

 

[Hisch13r]

The staggering start times today is dumb, it works for the NFL because they literally tune in when teams are in the red zone where scoring is a real probability plus most NFL fans love it because of betting and fantasy football.

What is the NHL gonna do? Show every powerplay? Apple TV has also done a show all year with the MLS called MLS 360 and even scheduled most games to all be 7:30 their local time so they can bounce around but soccer is even harder than hockey in that there's no given moment like a powerplay when someone has a higher chance to score besides a penalty kick.

Plus as a Devils fan first and foremost I'm watching our game vs watching other early season games from around the league. I can just watch nhl now on the nhl network and catch all the highlights later if I actually cared enough.

Staggering start times is never dumb. What the NHL normally does slamming 10 different games on at 7PM is what's f***ing dumb

 

[Satans Hockey]

Staggering start times is never dumb. What the NHL normally does slamming 10 different games on at 7PM is what's f***ing dumb

I think its dumb when you have games starting at 6pm and 6:30pm on a weeknight. Curious to see what the Washington crowd looks like at puck drop tomorrow.

 

[Guttersniped]

The staggering start times today is dumb, it works for the NFL because they literally tune in when teams are in the red zone where scoring is a real probability plus most NFL fans love it because of betting and fantasy football.

What is the NHL gonna do? Show every powerplay? Apple TV has also done a show all year with the MLS called MLS 360 and even scheduled most games to all be 7:30 their local time so they can bounce around but soccer is even harder than hockey in that there's no given moment like a powerplay when someone has a higher chance to score besides a penalty kick.

Plus as a Devils fan first and foremost I'm watching our game vs watching other early season games from around the league. I can just watch nhl now on the nhl network and catch all the highlights later if I actually cared enough.

Just to be clear staggering start times are tomorrow lol. Stop making me feel like I have early on-set dementia. It doesn’t take much.

I like this gimmick, it might get casual viewers to switch around the games more.

I don’t quite get why they decided to do “every team plays, check the whole NHL out!” on a random Tuesday. I guess weekend tv time is too valuable.

 

[Aurinko]

Mercer-Haula-Holtz is an interesting combo. Need Dawson to get going.

It might take few games for this line to warm up, but as a good 10year Haula experience I agree it's a brilliant read to have Haula with these. He is at times on off player, but feels like he does fantastic when he is trusted with big responsibility like 1st/2nd line minutes or 1'st PP time. Having too talented and cold players seems like a good and important challenge for him. Line sure has some amazing offensive potential if they get it going.

 

[Satans Hockey]

Just to be clear staggering start times are tomorrow lol. Stop making me feel like I have early on-set dementia. It doesn’t take much.

My bad lol

 

[None Shall Pass]

The NHL: Hockey is cool, right?

Fans: Yes, of course.

The NHL: Cool, so we're gonna have every team play one night, and we're going to stagger start times 15-30 minutes so instead of ignoring whatever stupid intermission show is happening, you can change the channel and watch more hockey happening.

Fans: This is bad for some reason.

 

[glenwo2]

My bad lol

There are 16 games on tomorrow....followed the next day by one game and a whole lot of nothing (although at least that one game is ours against the Caps).

The NHL schedule makers must've been smoking some seriously high-grade weed this offseason.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

i’m intrigued by the hockey red line thing happening tomorrow, but i think every team’s fandom needs to boycott tonight’s game; ESPECIALLY habs and sabres fans. What a joke to stick a night’s only game on your exclusive network that every carrier is dropping.

 

[jkrdevil]

Just to be clear staggering start times are tomorrow lol. Stop making me feel like I have early on-set dementia. It doesn’t take much.

I like this gimmick, it might get casual viewers to switch around the games more.

I don’t quite get why they decided to do “every team plays, check the whole NHL out!” on a random Tuesday. I guess weekend tv time is too valuable.

The staggered start times are good because it makes it where you can flip to another game during intermission.

I’m not watching the red zone thing (you can do it with PPs) though. I’m not watching Buccigross unless I’m forced too.

I doubt it will get too many casuals though. Tomorrow is opening night of the NBA and Game 7 of the NLCS (assuming this score holds).

 

[NJDevs26]

If you want to stagger start times have some at 7 and some at 7:30 without having the ‘National TV’ excuse for it, you’ll always be able to turn on a game without trying to reinvent the wheel and cause a bunch of other issues. I mean it’s not like every game is on the East Coast so start times are naturally staggered anyway, people make it sound like there are a dozen 7 PM EST games every night, there’s no point in having 5 PM starts.

 

[Emperoreddy]

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

If you want to stagger start times have some at 7 and some at 7:30 without having the ‘National TV’ excuse for it, you’ll always be able to turn on a game without trying to reinvent the wheel and cause a bunch of other issues. I mean it’s not like every game is on the East Coast so start times are naturally staggered anyway, people make it sound like there are a dozen 7 PM EST games every night, there’s no point in having 5 PM starts.

Yep, you're basically forcing people to get there by leaving work or scheduling their day around you which the NHL can't get away with at all lol. NFL/NBA, yes. NHL, absolutely not.

 

[jkrdevil]

At the end of the day tomorrow is a gimmick to give ESPN a counter program and a triple header.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Also the earliest game tomorrow starts at 6pm ET, so I don't even know what the 5pm complaining is about.

 

[JimEIV]

 

[JimEIV]

Sorry I like Smith

 

[My3Sons]

Sorry I like Smith

Why apologize? You like him as a player. I like him as well but his penchant for taking penalties can be troubling at times. When the PK gets it together his penalties will be less costly. I will be curious what happens when Miller returns but unless Miller sends Smith to the bench I expect him to be in thr lineup for a while.

 

[JimEIV]

Why apologize? You like him as a player. I like him as well but his penchant for taking penalties can be troubling at times. When the PK gets it together his penalties will be less costly. I will be curious what happens when Miller returns but unless Miller sends Smith to the bench I expect him to be in thr lineup for a while.

Seems the general sentiment of the board doesn't like him.

 

[Bleedred]

Curious to see what the Washington crowd looks like at puck drop tomorrow.

Probably about ready for bed. Those old and slow f***s.

 

[Devs3cups]

Sorry I like Smith

He’s a fine 6-7th D. I hate his penalty tendencies though.

 

[glenwo2]

Seems the general sentiment of the board doesn't like him.

As a player, I don't because of his penchant for committing bonehead Sevs-like penalties at the worst times.

As a person, I can't say because I don't know him.

I'm sure he's a decent guy.

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

As a player, I don't because of his penchant for committing bonehead Sevs-like penalties at the worst times.

As a person, I can't say because I don't know him.

I'm sure he's a decent guy.

this is pretty much it. By all accounts he's loved in the locker room. His actual game is solid.

He just done bonehead things more often than other guys on the team.

I think the board HATES when he takes dumb penalties

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I don't mind Smith but the Devils got here by playing youth over veteran has beens, why automatically change that line of thinking after 1 good year. It's not the end of the world since Smith is done after this year, but I can see why fans don't like him playing.

 

[My3Sons]

Seems the general sentiment of the board doesn't like him.

I think of you ask the folks who want him out of the lineup permanently most will probably cite penalties. He’s limited physically but that’s less of an issue most nights. I think many Devils fans accepted Severson’s miscues but he was on balance helping more than he hurt. If Smith was more reliable and just stuck to good positional defense and penalty killing and the odd pushing and shoving in front of the net I think he would be well regarded.