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

[Billdo]

I don’t really care about Bahl, but the fact that Smith went from ending last season as the 7th defenseman to them really not wanting to sit him this year is one of the most regressive things about this season.

Has Smith been a healthy scratch for 10 games this season?

He’s played 34 of 51. His last game was game 41 of the season………..

And I can’t even remember if he missed a game or two for injury earlier in the year or not……

I’m guessing they just want another veteran in to make up for the losses of the two veterans that left this past offseason, but Smith is absolutely cooked.

Yet somehow serviceable as a 4th LW. Having said that I'm fully expecting him to play that role while Holtz gets benched sooner than later.

 

[Louskoolaid89]

We'll Hatakka only lasted with us for about as long as Hanukkah. Seriously wasn't it like 8 games?

 

[JimEIV]

I don’t really care about Bahl, but the fact that Smith went from ending last season as the 7th defenseman to them really not wanting to sit him this year is one of the most regressive things about this season.

Has Smith been a healthy scratch for 10 games this season?

He’s played 34 of 51. His last game was game 41 of the season………..

And I can’t even remember if he missed a game or two for injury earlier in the year or not……

I’m guessing they just want another veteran in to make up for the losses of the two veterans that left this past offseason, but Smith is absolutely cooked.

It was always going to be the case that Smith was going to be over used this season.

Look at the PK minutes from last year

Marino 3:00
Graves 2:37
Siegenthaler 2:13
Smith 1:35
Severson 1:01
Bahl :52

With Graves and Severson gone, Miller not really a penalty killer...there never was anyone else other than Smith and Bahl to go up the chart.

 

[JimEIV]

We'll Hatakka only lasted with us for about as long as Hanukkah. Seriously wasn't it like 8 games?

That's funny.

 

[TonySoprano]

God I can't wait till Lindy gets hit in the head by a coffee pot in his own pizza joint.

Fitz would probably build him a ramp though. useless chuds

 

[Bleedred]

God I can't wait till Lindy gets hit in the head by a coffee pot in his own pizza joint.

Fitz would probably build him a ramp though. useless chuds

Brendan Smith back in the lineup?

f*** You!

 

[OmNomNom]

God I can't wait till Lindy gets hit in the head by a coffee pot in his own pizza joint.

Fitz would probably build him a ramp though. useless chuds

"One day, you'll throw a beer can at my head during our Cup parade and we'll laugh about it together"

 

[JrFischer54]

Because we still need the cap savings then for another year. Plus we have to give up assets on top of it

No retention should lower the package going back to the flames.

 

[guitarguyvic]

“If Fitz does all these really stupid things that are totally out of character for him given his history, I’m going to be be pissed.”

People literally inventing things to get worried about.

 

[Louskoolaid89]

That's funny.

7 games but, yeah... lol

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

The Leafs are the team to catch now from NJD's perspective with Rielly out 5 games

 

[longislanddevil]

While I understand the logistics side in sending down a waiver exempt player in Hatakka, how about fielding an optimal lineup that gives us the best chance to win games?! I’m sorry but no one can convince me hanging onto a nothing player in DeSimon is worth blocking Satakka.

 

[My3Sons]

Offensive how? To me asking for a former 7th overall who has put decent numbers despite a dip of a coaches effort to crush him is offensive Markstrom comes with risk....In Calgary he has no pressure he comes here he's going to be under a lot of pressure and if he breaks down physically next year we are done especially with no retention

I am skeptical any player in NJ is ever under more pressure than any player in Calgary. Nobody puts a for sale sign on your lawn in NJ if you don’t make the playoffs. Nobody is harassing you at the grocery store or the restaurant in NJ.

 

[Billdo]

“If Fitz does all these really stupid things that are totally out of character for him given his history, I’m going to be be pissed.”

People literally inventing things to get worried about.

I think bc the hockey media has constantly been talking about lately and we've all been saying how much we need a goalie this line of thinking is valid. Is it out of character? Yes. Has Fitz been in this position with us? No. So who knows what his move will be since he hasn't HAD to do something. The fact that they even had serious conversations makes you think he might be ready to pull the trigger.

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

God I can't wait till Lindy gets hit in the head by a coffee pot in his own pizza joint.

Fitz would probably build him a ramp though. useless chuds

I'm in the process of re-watching the Sopranos. I probably only saw about 20% the series the first time (I think i missed the first 2 seasons).

Your quotes are much more enjoyable to me now.

 

[JimEIV]

I am skeptical any player in NJ is ever under more pressure than any player in Calgary. Nobody puts a for sale sign on your lawn in NJ if you don’t make the playoffs. Nobody is harassing you at the grocery store or the restaurant in NJ.

I think I might have mentioned it before but I used to work at Record World in Garden State Mall and John Maclean came in one day... actually quite a few athletes came in while I worked there...He had 3 or 4 shopping bags and I asked him if he wanted me to hold them while he looked around and I told him what that I was fan and he chuckled and said that I was the first person who recognized him at the mall.

 

[My3Sons]

I think I might have mentioned it before but I used to work at Record World in Garden State Mall and John Maclean came in one day... actually quite a few athletes came in while I worked there...He had 3 or 4 shopping bags and I asked him if he wanted me to hold them while he looked around and I told him what that I was fan and he chuckled and said that I was the first person who recognized him at the mall.

In Calgary it wouldn’t go down that way

 

[MadDevil]

 

[JimEIV]

In Calgary it wouldn’t go down that way

It might have not been as bad in 1989 though.

 

[billingtons ghost]

we lost
5-1
6-1
won 8-4 (barely btw)
lost 6-1
lost 3-2 (kinda weak overtime gwg) if i remember correctly.

so to say goaltending didn't sink us? nevermind even mentioning the hole it dug us in the rangers series come on

Tough to win with 1 goal.

The goaltending didn't sink us.

The Rangers series? For the first three games our team couldn't even skate. Jack Hughes was so tight he tripped over himself repeatedly and the rest of the team was worse trash... They sucked like a bunch of kids who had no business being in the NHL much less the playoffs.

You have some memory.

 

[My3Sons]

It might have not been as in 1989 though.

Even then an NHL player in Calgary would almost certainly have attracted more attention than one clerk wearing a loin cloth and brandishing a bow and arrows offering to hold his bags while he browsed for records.

 

[JimEIV]

Even then an NHL player in Calgary would almost certainly have attracted more attention than one clerk wearing a loin cloth and brandishing a bow and arrows offering to hold his bags while he browsed for records.

We had to wear a collared shirt and tie to work at Record World back then ...can you believe that!

Most guys wore a skinny leather tie...my god, mens fashion wasn't good then.

 

[My3Sons]

Meh. He can’t have Mercer.

 

[Guttersniped]

We'll Hatakka only lasted with us for about as long as Hanukkah. Seriously wasn't it like 8 games?

Sal pointed out that he had to be sent down because we have 3 goalies on the roster. Hatakka can come back up when Schmid goes down.

 

[My3Sons]

We had to wear a collared shirt and tie to work at Record World back then ...can you believe that!

Most guys wore a skinny leather tie...my god, mens fashion wasn't good then.

So you wore a collard shirt with your loincloth and smeared yourself in deer scat so they couldn’t smell you? You must have been quite a sight. In 1989 I was wearing those silly Miami Vice jackets and white pants. It went great with my Lanny McDonald stache and my mullet. Some where there is a picture of me at a party decked out that way. My kids were horrified