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

[Nocashstyle]

You mean the play where he slammed his stick into the glass, broke it over the dasher, and then threw it onto the ice (which should have been a penalty)?

That one single time? Yes.

Also, here’s a compilation of just some recent angry stick breaking. Some very good players in there. Hope this helps!

 

[Triumph]

He literally said that was the plan multiple times during the summer. I scoffed the moment it was said each time.

I mean this is Rod Pelley can replace John Madden stuff. I don't care what the GM says, I care what actually happens, and what has happened is that Bahl has played far less than either Ryan Graves or Luke Hughes at ES.

 

[JimEIV]

I'm going to the gym now to blow off some steam.

 

[Lou is God]

Jack complained at a ref during one single play, three games ago, and it’s suddenly his MO as a player lol.

Crosby couldn't go a whole period not complaining to the refs.

 

[Mgd31]

The only good thing about tomorrow is the Rangers streak has to end at some point I guess.

Maybe Jack will give us some effort and Timo will be more than a NPC out there. Hopefully Marino is back so we don't have the death pairing of Luke and Smith spotting the other team 3 goals.

Hilarious Ruff is going to be forced to have to play Daws again or Poulter. Should have played Schmid yesterday. Maybe it'll be the start of a nice Poulter origin story.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Bratt should've been signed to a better deal for us three years ago.

Bratt is underpaid by probably $2 million/year. What are you talking about?

 

[Nocashstyle]

Crosby couldn't go a whole period not complaining to the refs.

#badleader never going to win a cup with him

 

[JimEIV]

I mean this is Rod Pelley can replace John Madden stuff. I don't care what the GM says, I care what actually happens, and what has happened is that Bahl has played far less than either Ryan Graves or Luke Hughes at ES.

Who is taking those PK minutes?
Bahl is almost a 2 minute a night PKer

He was 50 seconds last year

He went from 14 minutes a night over 42 games to 17:30 this season. That's the difference in bottom pairing and middle pairing. He was pushed into that role with 66 games of NHL experience...most of that 66 game experience was very shaky.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Jack's obviously still hurting. That's an underrated thing hampering this team.

Part of the reason we were so good last year is that dude could just go and win a game by himself. Now he can't, and he has to be stapled to Haula so someone on that line can physically take a faceoff.

 

[My3Sons]

I mean this is Rod Pelley can replace John Madden stuff. I don't care what the GM says, I care what actually happens, and what has happened is that Bahl has played far less than either Ryan Graves or Luke Hughes at ES.

Didn't someone show us that Bahl's usage has been against the other team's best players and that he plays the hardest minutes on the NJ defense this year? Maybe that's because Siegs has been so injured but I thought that was the upshot of some advanced stats/graphs. I don't take much from this season since so much has gone wrong on so many levels. The only thing I am sure about is that it isn't as simple as one fix in one spot to turn the team around. This season isn't over but the problems look pervasive and systemic to me rather than just one element of the team.

 

[Triumph]

Who is taking those PK minutes?
Bahl is almost a 2 minute a night PKer

He was 50 seconds last year

He went from 14 minutes a night over 42 games to 17:30 this season. That's the difference in bottom 6 and middle 6.

It's not. You are inventing things because this is what you do. 17:30 is 'third pairing guy bumped up to 2nd pairing guy because of injury'. It's nothing else besides that. Ryan Graves was not the third-pairing LD last season - either Smith or Bahl was.

If Siegenthaler and Hughes stay healthy, Bahl's ice time will wind down to 15-16 minutes a night. It's also quite possible he is a healthy scratch when everyone is healthy.

 

[Rhodes 81]

As bad as the collective psyche here is after a loss, it's going to be a whole new level when Ruff is still the coach in August.

 

[JimEIV]

It's not. You are inventing things because this is what you do. 17:30 is 'third pairing guy bumped up to 2nd pairing guy because of injury'. It's nothing else besides that. Ryan Graves was not the third-pairing LD last season - either Smith or Bahl was.

If Siegenthaler and Hughes stay healthy, Bahl's ice time will wind down to 15-16 minutes a night. It's also quite possible he is a healthy scratch when everyone is healthy.

What hell are you talking about? I never called Graves 3rd pairing. Hughes doesn't kill penalties either.

Stop convoluting things, the bottom line is Bahl went from 14:01 to 17:30 and from a non factor on the PK to a top 4 penalty killer with hardly any experience and the experience he did have was shitty games for almost half of the 66....and all of this forced Smith in the lineup every night.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

As bad as the collective psyche here is after a loss, it's going to be a whole new level when Ruff is still the coach in August.

No shot, they completely no showed against shitty ass teams consistently this year which yeah, some blame is on the players but he's driven every goalie to the ground and doesn't have a lick of sense when it comes to lineup decisions. Fitz is on the hot seat if he's brought back and I think he should be sent to the moon if a guy like Sullivan shakes free and he sticks with this doofus. I don't care a single f*** about team building if you get the biggest decision that a GM has completely wrong. It'd be 2 straight GM's who've done that for us in that case

 

[Triumph]

What hell are you talking about? I never called Graves 3rd pairing. Hughes doesn't kill penalties either.

Stop convoluting things, the bottom line is Bahl went from 14:01 to 17:30 and from a non factor on the PK to a top 4 penalty killer with hardly any experience and the experience he did was shitty games for almost half of the 66....and all of this forced Smith in the lineup every night.

When you say Bahl will replace Graves, that is what I assume will happen - that he will play a 2nd pairing role and kill penalties. That is not what he has done. What has happened is that Luke Hughes has replaced his ES minutes and Bahl has replaced his PK minutes.

Now My3Sons makes a good point that Bahl has been given shutdown-ish minutes even with the somewhat limited ice he has been given, but that should subside with Siegenthaler coming back into the lineup.

 

[glenwo2]

I’m looking forward to the 2-3 good Poulter games before the team Rogalski destroys him too.

FIXED FOR ACCURACY.

 

[glenwo2]

That doesn’t explain why Fitz was in the bunker the FIRST fifty games of the year when all this other nonsense was still happening with zippo accountability

Because he was making excuses for Lindy during that time. I thought it was obvious.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

That doesn’t explain why Fitz was in the bunker the FIRST fifty games of the year when all this other nonsense was still happening with zippo accountability

With no trade coming to save this team, I actually think he's gonna fire Lindy or offer him a job upstairs. The obvious elephant in the room is probably also he didn't wanna deal with the McLeod stuff coming to a head + Foote being apart of it literally probably has him hiding even though I think the latter wasn't totally his fault

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Theres very little that I would deem untouchable in a trade for Saros. Nico, Bratt, Jack, Luke, Nemec. Thats about it.

I know he's having a down year but holy hell would it be nice to have a goalie with proven track record of being consistently good. He will bounce back whether its here or Nashville or Carolina.

If they'd ask for Holtz, Mercer, Casey, 1st etc I'd throw out any of them as a starting point and build from there. You'd have to be confident you can sign him July 1st though.

If the down year is the way he's trending you are saddled because he will want to be signed LT ....Ftom what the experts say most teams have walked away at the overpayment they are demanding....Markstrom makes better sense if organization feels Daws Malek can eventually take over you just have to not give in to overpayment....Can't deal picks assets like they are candy when team is this young....

 

[glenwo2]

BTW, @forceten brought up some good news at least :

Next year is the final year we pay that stupid Kovalsuck recapture penalty!!! (my god...it felt like forever)

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

As bad as the collective psyche here is after a loss, it's going to be a whole new level when Ruff is still the coach in August.

Even worse if they fire him a month in and go with Green

 

[Bleedred]

No shot, they completely no showed against shitty ass teams consistently this year which yeah, some blame is on the players but he's driven every goalie to the ground and doesn't have a lick of sense when it comes to lineup decisions. Fitz is on the hot seat if he's brought back and I think he should be sent to the moon if a guy like Sullivan shakes free and he sticks with this doofus. I don't care a single f*** about team building if you get the biggest decision that a GM has completely wrong. It'd be 2 straight GM's who've done that for us in that case

Yeah, I don't think he's coming back, barring some pretty good play over these last two months.

If we make the playoffs he's definitely coming back and he may still come back if we just barely miss, but too many more games like last night and losses against more shitty opponents (like the Habs on Saturday) and I think it's over for him.

 

[devilsblood]

Jack needs to grow up. I'm sick of watching him pout like a baby. He comes off like a petulant baby. Still a phenomenal player, but when your top guy is throwing tantrums to the refs it's easy for people not to take your team seriously. He's definitely playing different after his injury, don't know if it's physical or mental, but either way the rest of the locker room looks to him for leadership. He needs to mature and show some responsibility.

Not only does he complain to the ref's, he gives up on the play to do so. Combine that with the "people pay to watch me play" bit? Definitely don't love where he is at mentally.

Luke shows signs of it too.

 

[Blackjack]

BTW, @forceten brought up some good news at least :

Next year is the final year we pay that stupid Kovalsuck recapture penalty!!! (my god...it felt like forever)

This year is the last year of the Schneider and Kuokkonen buyouts, so after the Kovalchuk recapture penalty disappears we’ll be done with dead cap.

 

[Nocashstyle]

So either they’re anticipating a move for a goalie, or Ruff is just going to ride Daws into the ground. I’m guessing the latter.