Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2023-24 season part III

[guitarguyvic]

We have had a core of talented forwards for a couple of years now and this coach still hasn’t found a single combination that he will keep together for more than a couple of games at a time. We should have our ZZ Pops or A-line by now. Ridiculous.

 

[BurntToast]

I like Toffoli, but I feel like there are some crazy trades happing.

Toffoli and V for Ullmark and Mason Loheri/ or a (2/3). I can’t see a first, but the NHL is pretty wild right now.

This could be a win/win. Its not like V can’t win and his numbers could ballon on Boston. Boston gets depth scoring for a Cup push.

 

[My3Sons]

Why does no one put Haula at center anymore? He's probably better there than Mercer.

In my hypothetical I didn’t want a righty playing left wing but if you want to swap Mercer and Haula sure at this point why not.

 

[Bleedred]

I like Toffoli, but I feel like there are some crazy trades happing.

Toffoli and V for Ullmark and Mason Loheri/ or a (2/3). I can’t see a first, but the NHL is pretty wild right now.

This could be a win/win. Its not like V can’t win and his numbers could ballon on Boston. Boston gets depth scoring for a Cup push.

They have no reason to trade Ullmark before this year ends.

They do have reason to trade him this offseason though. Swayman getting a raise and Ullmark on an expiring deal.

 

[Triumph]

We have had a core of talented forwards for a couple of years now and this coach still hasn’t found a single combination that he will keep together for more than a couple of games at a time. We should have our ZZ Pops or A-line by now. Ridiculous.

This is a coaching preference, nothing more. Lemaire also loved to mix up the lines all the time, it was only when he returned for the third time that he left the lines alone for a long time.

Ruff generally thinks in terms of duos - Toffoli has basically been stapled to Hughes. Palat has seen a lot of Hischier.

 

[devilsblood]

Lindy does seem to have a North American bias.

There is legitimately nothing to this idea. For the season Bratt and Nico are 2nd and 3rd in average toi. Timo is 6th and Palat and Haula are 7th and 8th. So 2 of our top 3 in minutes and 5 of our top 8 are euro's.

I said it above but Timo has played more 5v5 minutes then any fwd over the last 5 games. 4th most total TOI. For the season he is 2nd in avg 5v5 toi. And he hasn't even been good.

I know this is just fans being fans and the coach is going to take all sorts of unwarranted heat given our struggles this year, but at least try to have some basis in reality.

 

[OmNomNom]

was this posted

 

[guitarguyvic]

This is a coaching preference, nothing more. Lemaire also loved to mix up the lines all the time, it was only when he returned for the third time that he left the lines alone for a long time.

Ruff generally thinks in terms of duos - Toffoli has basically been stapled to Hughes. Palat has seen a lot of Hischier.

I’m not talking generally. I’m talking about ONE line that can bring consistency and stability. ZZ Pops. A-Line. Crash Line. CBGB.

How did a team that broke franchise records and scored at a top five rate last year not emerge with a single bonafide go-to line? You’d think a coach that employs an over complicated system reliant on quick reads and a lot of defensive awareness from the forwards would try to make things more stable by keeping the most effective groupings together, but alas…not Lindy. Take something that’s already complicated and make it even more unstable.

You’re 100% correct, this is a coaching preference…as in I prefer coaches that don’t employ dumbass tactics.

 

[Mirka the Turka]

I’m not talking generally. I’m talking about ONE line that can bring consistency and stability. ZZ Pops. A-Line. Crash Line. CBGB.

How did a team that broke franchise records and scored at a top five rate last year not emerge with a single bonafide go-to line? You’d think a coach that employs an over complicated system reliant on quick reads and a lot of defensive awareness from the forwards would try to make things more stable by keeping the most effective groupings together, but alas…not Lindy. Take something that’s already complicated and make it even more unstable.

You’re 100% correct, this is a coaching preference…as in I prefer coaches that don’t employ dumbass tactics.

It's quite bizarre. But I think you can't just focus on creating one good line. Our problem is that with 2 good centers in Hughes/Hischier you try to find different combos that can work at any given time. Bratt/Hughes has been a pretty consistent pairing but sometimes you gotta separate them to create more offense.

 

[Triumph]

I’m not talking generally. I’m talking about ONE line that can bring consistency and stability. ZZ Pops. A-Line. Crash Line. CBGB.

How did a team that broke franchise records and scored at a top five rate last year not emerge with a single bonafide go-to line? You’d think a coach that employs an over complicated system reliant on quick reads and a lot of defensive awareness from the forwards would try to make things more stable by keeping the most effective groupings together, but alas…not Lindy. Take something that’s already complicated and make it even more unstable.

You’re 100% correct, this is a coaching preference…as in I prefer coaches that don’t employ dumbass tactics.

The argument can very easily work the other way, that playing with different linemates often can help players keep focused on how they have to play in the D zone, whereas lines that stay stable just rely on the same things, whether or not they are the system.

But anyway Wood-McLeod-Bastian was this line last season, except that Bastian got injured and McLeod did a lot of FOGO work that will distort his ice time. Wood was on the 3rd line to start the year but that ended pretty fast. Bastian only played 40 ES minutes without Wood or McLeod and McLeod and Wood played 550 minutes together.

 

[Billdo]

Why does no one put Haula at center anymore? He's probably better there than Mercer.

I did. He is better than Mercer at C. Mercer is not very good at C.

 

[My3Sons]

I’m not talking generally. I’m talking about ONE line that can bring consistency and stability. ZZ Pops. A-Line. Crash Line. CBGB.

How did a team that broke franchise records and scored at a top five rate last year not emerge with a single bonafide go-to line? You’d think a coach that employs an over complicated system reliant on quick reads and a lot of defensive awareness from the forwards would try to make things more stable by keeping the most effective groupings together, but alas…not Lindy. Take something that’s already complicated and make it even more unstable.

You’re 100% correct, this is a coaching preference…as in I prefer coaches that don’t employ dumbass tactics.

Ruff can’t help himself. Someone in a lineup always needs to get going and he tinkers to try to make that happen. You are very unlikely to have 12 guys all firing on all cylinders at the same time but he thinks you chase that for one reason or another.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

JarJarBastian is the key to all this. If we get JarJarBastian working (pauses) because he's a better player than we've ever had.

Holtz

lmao my wife and i say “it’s gonna be great it’s gonna be great it’s gonna great” back and forth to eachother like george lucas and rick mccollum

 

[forceten]

So can we has adidas stadium jerseys tomorrow pweese?

 

[Guttersniped]

can someone explain to me why Ruff continues to try Timo at LW when he was a RW his entire career in SJ?

I looked into this by doing a search of Shark beat reporter @Sheng_Peng’s Twitter feed, and Meier played LW last season in SJ.

And it was a mix in 2021-22 before, the line-ups show Meier playing both sides.

That’s because their LW depth was poor.


link


link

That first name on the team sheet at left wing is a nice place to start. Now, about the other three names …

The Sharks played with seven and even eight left-handed wingers for large chunks of last season, and guys were flipping back and forth at times depending on who their linemates were. Barabanov played so frequently with Meier, particularly after Jonathan Dahlen’s hot start faded away, that we’re putting him over with the righties for this exercise.

If we slot Meier and Barabanov in, that still leaves two other top-six wing spots. None of the players the Sharks trotted out in those spots, save for a late-season cameo by Bonino, produced anywhere close to what a winning team needs. Balcers played well in spurts when he was able to stay healthy. Gregor had some good moments, and then more consistently when he lined up next to Bordeleau in more favorable matchups. Unless one of those two guys has a great camp or starts the year looking like a much-improved player, the other two top-six wingers probably weren’t on the roster when the Sharks ended the season in Seattle.

One obvious possibility is William Eklund, the club’s top prospect and the one with legitimate game-breaking potential. He could earn a top-six role in training camp, or he could even start the year with the Barracuda. Either way, the organization will likely be patient with him.

That is one the only (sort of) useful discussion of who played where I could find. (And the Athletic made it super difficult to find because they’re burying all the work of ex-writers.)

Not saying that Meier doesn’t feel more comfortable or score more as a RW, he very well might, but he has done it before.

edit: Took out stuff I apparently hallucinated.

 

[glenwo2]

Tierney has been OK of late. He was pretty lousy early, but he, like Bastian, turned his play around.

I don't think he's been as good as Bastian over the last month, but he's been OK.

eh.

He's at the Jesper Boqvist Pre-improvement level right now where he's just.....THERE.

Holtz needs better linemates that help HIS game.

 

[devilsblood]

eh.

He's at the Jesper Boqvist Pre-improvement level right now where he's just.....THERE.

Holtz needs better linemates that help HIS game.

Im not saying Tierney is good and id like to see Holtz with more talented players as well.

But playing Holtz where he does it allows Ruff to find him easy situations and matchups. Pretty much the easiest minutes on the team.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

We have had a core of talented forwards for a couple of years now and this coach still hasn’t found a single combination that he will keep together for more than a couple of games at a time. We should have our ZZ Pops or A-line by now. Ridiculous.

Tatar-Nico-Mercer would pretty f***ing good last year

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I'm ready to get hurt again, starting tomorrow

 

[Devils Trap]

There is legitimately nothing to this idea. For the season Bratt and Nico are 2nd and 3rd in average toi. Timo is 6th and Palat and Haula are 7th and 8th. So 2 of our top 3 in minutes and 5 of our top 8 are euro's.

I said it above but Timo has played more 5v5 minutes then any fwd over the last 5 games. 4th most total TOI. For the season he is 2nd in avg 5v5 toi. And he hasn't even been good.

I know this is just fans being fans and the coach is going to take all sorts of unwarranted heat given our struggles this year, but at least try to have some basis in reality.

My issue isn’t with Timo’s TOI when he is demoted, it’s that Lindy plays him with terrible players.

Your 8.8 million dollar guy should not be on a line with Lazar and Bastian. That is not going to help him

 

[Call Me Al]

yeah i was hoping the break would be a refresh and they’ll come out of it with renewed confidence, but seeing the lines now and realizing hughes won’t be back, i can see them getting their teeth kicked in by colorado and just picking up where they left off

 

[Saugus]

Ya good point, as a vegetarian, I legitimately make a better burrito then I can get in a restaurant, but if I make burrito's a bunch of times over a stretch, I'm ready to get a burrito from somewhere else.

Same with salsa, which I eat a ton, I'm just not going to get my favorite every time, switch it up, enjoy the variety.

I'm a vegetarian too, and my wife says I've ruined enchiladas, chimichangas, and/or guacamole for her when we get Mexican food at a restaurant, because mine are just better.

 

[BurntToast]

Can we buy the Adidas version of the stadium jerseys?

Fanatics…

 

[NjDevsRR]

Can we buy the Adidas version of the stadium jerseys?

Fanatics…

Men's New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes adidas Red 2024 NHL Stadium Series Primegreen Authentic Player Jersey

Outdoor hockey makes its debut at Metlife Stadium with two star-studded games. Get ready to watch the New Jersey Devils brave the elements in the 2024 NHL Stadium Series with this Jack Hughes Primegreen Authentic Player Jersey from adidas. This jersey features AEROREADY technology to help you...

shop.nhl.com

Men's New Jersey Devils Nico Hischier adidas Red 2024 NHL Stadium Series Primegreen Authentic Player Jersey

shop.nhl.com

Really hoping the STH sale tomorrow are authentic jerseys with more player selections

 

[Saugus]

My cousin just told me he got tickets to the outdoor game, and I just booked a hotel near MetLife Stadium!

Very excited to be going!