Everyone is giving up on this year way too quick. Yeah, the Devils got blown out last night, but they dominated the Caps in the first two periods. Maybe it never clicks and they end up at 90 points, but there's still time for it to click - if Jack or Timo is healthy.
Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2023-24 season part III
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Blaming Bratt and timo contracts is certainly a choice.
Graves has looked like ass in Pittsburgh and golden boy severson has been healthy scratched a few times on a dog shit Columbus team.
neither of them were taking a discount or a shorter than 5 year deal at what point you let Nemec and Luke rot away until they are 24 years old
Let’s not sign the 40 goal scorer and 80 point winger for Ryan graves and Damon severson who both got dog walked all series against Carolina
Graves has looked like ass in Pittsburgh and golden boy severson has been healthy scratched a few times on a dog shit Columbus team.
neither of them were taking a discount or a shorter than 5 year deal at what point you let Nemec and Luke rot away until they are 24 years old
Let’s not sign the 40 goal scorer and 80 point winger for Ryan graves and Damon severson who both got dog walked all series against Carolina
FinnishDevil
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JimEIV
Registered User
- Feb 19, 2003
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I assumed the list of names was a depth chart were you had Bahl at 6 and Miller at 4 and Nemec not in the picture....that portrayal would be the bullshit.
Because it was really
Siegenthaler Hamilton
Bahl Marino
Luke Smith
Miller injured and Nemec waiting in the wings.
That's how the season started.
- May 8, 2010
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I’m not necessarily giving up. I just don’t think it’s going to end up clicking for them. Too many point given away unfortunately and they can never seem to get on some sort of roll. I’ve had this feeling since the first Vancouver game. I’d love to be wrong though.
I’m still very high on this core, but this year has gone as bad as it could’ve.
Learn from it, grow, mature and be better because of it.
Ruff tried to give Schmid games early, and he didn't play well. Let's remember there were games played considerations in terms of Schmid not having to go through waivers. Daws of course was not available at that point.
Right now Vitek is not available. Could he turn to Schmid, who has been bad both at the NHL and AHL level in these very important game's? He could but Daws was on a heater, and was relatively fresh given his lack of games played this season. If anything I could see thinking maybe one game should have gone to Schmid.
Won't touch on all the points, and I do agree Holtz should get more minutes with better players, but he does put up lousy on ice numbers. Last night being another example.
Poppy Whoa Sonnet
J'Accuse!
- Jan 24, 2007
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Devils implied playoff probability between 40% and 45% now
When most of your forwards have looked like shit for the majority of the year that’s a direct indictment in ruff:
There has not been one consistent forward all year. Jack,timo, et all just didn’t magically lose skill over night.
The guy who produces at even strength gets stapled to the fourth line and 8 minutes a night
This is coaching
This is ruff
This has always been ruff
The game has passed the old man and it’s time to move on.
Ruff is not putting his best players in a spot to succeed:
Jack at wing
Timo on his off wing
Luke on his off hand
Marino on his off hand at times.
Holtz on the fourth line
Mercer at center at times
No changes to pp1 which is operating at about 8 percent over the last two months.
This is all coaching and you can’t tell me different just look ar the above list of self sabotaging that ruff has done.
There has not been one consistent forward all year. Jack,timo, et all just didn’t magically lose skill over night.
The guy who produces at even strength gets stapled to the fourth line and 8 minutes a night
This is coaching
This is ruff
This has always been ruff
The game has passed the old man and it’s time to move on.
Ruff is not putting his best players in a spot to succeed:
Jack at wing
Timo on his off wing
Luke on his off hand
Marino on his off hand at times.
Holtz on the fourth line
Mercer at center at times
No changes to pp1 which is operating at about 8 percent over the last two months.
This is all coaching and you can’t tell me different just look ar the above list of self sabotaging that ruff has done.
Better Call Sal
Salnalysis
It's kind of embarrassing, to be honest. I get expectations were sky high entering the year, but so much has happened to the team this year from an adversity stance. And despite all of it, we're still in the race. Many people would rather just proclaim after each loss that it's not happening this year.
Everyone wants it to just click, but clearly there are a lot of factors preventing that from being the case. If this results in no playoffs this year, then the team can step back and reassess.
No one is saying that but just dropping Mercer +++ is crazy....Trying to save this year is foolish ....Easiest least costly fix is the Coach
I’m not giving up at all. Any time we can string like 5 straight wins together we will probably jump into a playoff spot.
So I remain hopeful. But do I think it’s likely to happen? Hmm. Have we been able to win three straight in regulation (no overtime points) at any time this year? If so I wonder when. We haven’t won 4 straight all season. So at some point you start to adjust what you think will probably happen as opposed to what you hope will happen.
Plus you’ve got to allow - in reading the board here - for people’s frustration after watching 2.5 hours of getting beat in an important game.
Miller was never top 6?
He would have pretty clearly been the 3rd pair RD to start the season if he were not injured.
And while I thought Nemec was a shoe in to replace Miller at some point this year, Miller has played well above my expectations, and if not for injuries I wonder if Fitz would not have kept him in Utica for the entire year.
guitarguyvic
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- Mar 31, 2010
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I think what’s most disconcerting is the lack of cohesive/logical decision-making and sense of urgency from all of leadership, including both coaching and the GM. Fitz felt confident enough in a VV-Shmid tandem to not make any moves for a goalie in the off-season – yet it’s evident almost immediately that the head coach didn’t feel comfortable playing one of them despite the other looking like complete shit. Then they send Shmid down to the minors, call up Dawes, still wait another 20+ games to stop trotting Vitek out there, and immediately pull a 180 by now running Dawes into the ground. The coach and GM see this team underperforming but sit on their hands for nearly 50 games before finally doing SOMETHING (change the system) which clearly improved the team’s play…only to send down Hattaka in the middle of a good run so that they can insert a scrub vet into the lineup. They call up a RH d-man, but the coach refuses to use him and instead ops to pair a struggling rookie with that scrub on his off side, a move which had already seen disastrous results earlier this season. The GM had a chance to move on from this coach in the off-season but instead opted to keep him, while letting a quality AC go and replacing him with a guy nobody cares for or thinks highly of. Fitz didn’t handle Holtz properly last year, he finally gives him a chance this year, but the coach relegates him to five minutes a night despite plenty of production and progress (and team struggles) that warrants giving him more time. There’s clearly a coaching issue going on but Fitz just sits on his hands while other teams react and get good results from a change, and not only that but he’s completely MIA from a visibility and accountability standpoint.
And there’s more that I don’t have the time or willingness to spell out here. The point being…the decision-making and lack of urgency has been really bad.
And there’s more that I don’t have the time or willingness to spell out here. The point being…the decision-making and lack of urgency has been really bad.
I don't think Jack is "cruising", but I do believe the injury is an issue, and I don't love where his mindset is at. He (and his brother) gets frustrated way too easily, and his game seems to go awry.
Still the injury is probably the biggest issue.
They did not dominate. They were better for two periods against an absolute trash team. And then the third period happened.
It’s a frustrating season, even if they make the playoffs it’s still a frustrating one. They still can make it in as the Flyers Wings Bolts aren’t that much better. Lots of learning going on this season, it can still come together, but the future will continue to look bright.
I just don’t want Fitz to make any reactionary moves. Only moves I want are pieces that will help us beyond this season.
I just don’t want Fitz to make any reactionary moves. Only moves I want are pieces that will help us beyond this season.
- May 8, 2010
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NJDevilsFan21
Trade Everyone!!
- Nov 10, 2006
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Bratt's contract is fine.
Timo has played well under expectations, and has been nothing close to what his presence was last year. I'll reserve judgement until he gets a (hopefully) healthy season in next.
The frustrating thing is I feel like we signed him for depth, so when someone like Jack goes down we still have scoring threats. But as of this season, we've only felt like a threat when at least 3 of our 4 top forwards have been on, and that's so rarely happened.
I don’t understand the Zegras stuff. I can’t think of a more overrated player in the league
Why do you think he has value he is good ...Even In a down year he is outperforming others on the roster....One of our better young players let's get rid of him....Trade TT and move on stop trying to salvage this year....
First two periods were pretty dominant.
Which makes the 3rd period pretty concerning. I get not expecting further dominance in the 3rd period, but to instead completely fall apart in the 3rd? Not great.
The day coaches don't make decisions like the ones you're describing will represent an entirely new version of the NHL. I can get on Ruff for the system - I cannot get on him for Holtz, the goalies, and most of the personnel decisions. Playing Hughes on his off-side, where he played all of his freshman year in college and certainly some of his sophomore year, versus scratching guys who've almost never been a scratch to instead play a guy who has only been that for the last 3 weeks? That's a hard decision either way - he took the gamble on Hughes and lost. Now the question is, has he learned from that? I hope so, but doing it again would be the bigger mistake.
The Devils also never called up an RH D-man, they took one off waivers when Foote left and have yet to play him.
glenwo2
JESPER BRATWURST
That's about right for a 1-step-forward-1-step-back team.
If the Devils aren't able to string together 3 straight in these upcoming games, they never will.
Just fire Ruff and give Green the rest of the season.
Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.
Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.
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