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

[My3Sons]

Has there been new Gibson rumors or we just talking in circles like usual?

Why did NJ let Beau Bennett go as a UFA?

 

[Bleedred]

Has there been new Gibson rumors or we just talking in circles like usual?

I don't believe so

Someone brought it up a few pages back and then someone else brought up the possibility of acquiring him as somewhat of a dump with Henrique attached to him.

 

[Bleedred]

Imagine if Devils had 13-17 Cory
View attachment 814697

I would take the early decline 16-17 and 17-18 Schneider pre-hip surgery over what we have now lol.

We basically have the post 2018 playoffs version of him right now, only I don't think any goalie in franchise history (adjusted for era) has had a worse 9 game stretch than either of the first 9 games Schneider had both to start the 18-19 AND 19-20 seasons lol.

But I also don't think Vitek has it in him to have a 16 game stretch of .920% here like Schneider did in the 2019 part of 18-19. Vitek also looks like he's very much in danger of going an entire season without having a shutout. Even Schneider had one of those in just his second to last ever game as a Devil in February or March of 2020.

Right now it looks like we may go an entire season without having a single shutout.

I suspect we probably will have at least one shutout this year. Not gonna take much of a guess at which goalie will get it, but a gun to my head? I'll say John Gibson gets it after we acquire him by the deadline!

 

[Billdo]

Bastian get out there lol unserious coach

I seriously don't get it at this point. Bastian sucks. Swap him and Holtz and these questions go away. Ruff can't be gone any sooner.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Hatakka got called back up but the other bums are staying in Utica so I guess that is good news

 

[glenwo2]

What’s your problem with Green now bro? Something personal?

Apparently, he can't see the forest from the Bobby Trees.

 

[Triumph]

Bastian has been quite effective for the last month or so. Not sure what everyone is seeing to not think that. I'm hoping they can go back to Haula-Lazar-Bastian when Jack returns.

 

[glenwo2]

Lindy permanently sticking Holtz with Tierney regardless of who comes in and out of the lineup is a good bit. Even if Jack comes back, someone else will go down, Tierney will fill in, and Holtz will be stuck with him.

Tierney is such a waste of space.

 

[Bleedred]

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

Shades of Pete/Oates moving Kovalchuk to RW because he shot right lol.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Bastian has been quite effective for the last month or so. Not sure what everyone is seeing to not think that. I'm hoping they can go back to Haula-Lazar-Bastian when Jack returns.

Bastian was very good in the weeks before the break. He hits and doesn’t back down and physical play is the biggest challenge for this club and has been for a couple of years. Teams have regularly pushed us around and boxed us out of their netfront. Bastian is valuable for us and I agree as to why does he get dumped on?

 

[MadDevil]

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

I get it if he's playing with Nico and Bratt, but it makes less sense when he isn't. Although to be fair with the current lines Bastian isn't a LW either, so I can kind of understand it. I don't think which side is as much of an issue as his linemates in general, although with the injuries there's just less to work with if you're not on one of the top 2 lines.

 

[Forge]

I seriously don't get it at this point. Bastian sucks. Swap him and Holtz and these questions go away. Ruff can't be gone any sooner.

Every game that Holtz isn't a random healthy scratch is a win in my book.

 

[Billdo]

Hypothetically if Jack is back soon I'd like to roll with

Toffoli-Hughes-Bratt
Palat-Hischier-Meier
Haula-Lazar-Holtz
Bastian-Nosek-Mercer

 

[Devs3cups]

Putting him on third line LW just to keep Nate Bastian in the lineup is wild

It’s so simple…. Holtz on RW3, Bastian on RW4…..

 

[Devil X]

Anyone here when and what time the jersey for the Stadium Series are supposed to go on sale?

 

[Guadana]

I would take the early decline 16-17 and 17-18 Schneider pre-hip surgery over what we have now lol.

We basically have the post 2018 playoffs version of him right now, only I don't think any goalie in franchise history (adjusted for era) has had a worse 9 game stretch than either of the first 9 games Schneider had both to start the 18-19 AND 19-20 seasons lol.

But I also don't think Vitek has it in him to have a 16 game stretch of .920% here like Schneider did in the 2019 part of 18-19. Vitek also looks like he's very much in danger of going an entire season without having a shutout. Even Schneider had one of those in just his second to last ever game as a Devil in February or March of 2020.

Right now it looks like we may go an entire season without having a single shutout.

I suspect we probably will have at least one shutout this year. Not gonna take much of a guess at which goalie will get it, but a gun to my head? I'll say John Gibson gets it after we acquire him by the deadline!

17-19 Schneider would play much better here and now because he would have much better team in front of him.

 

[Devils Trap]

Lindy’s treatment of a player Fitz gave gave 70 million to is a fireable offense.

I don’t get it, he just doesn’t like him. Players make mistakes, but he makes one and it ends in him playing with Bastian instantly.

Toffoli (now playing better) but had an awful 3 weeks, never once lost ice time. Meier played good in his last 5/7 games. Has one bad goals against vs TB and he’s just banished

 

[devilsblood]

honestly I love Americanized Mexican as much as authentic 'real' Mexican. It honestly depends on what mood I'm in.

I'd slightly give the edge to 'real' Italian over Americanized Italian but again, I enjoy both.

For example....

'Real' carbonara eclipses Americanized carbonara however I still enjoy Americanized, big meatballs in my rigatoni, garlic bread or a plate of Americanized fettuccine alfredo.

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.

 

[My3Sons]

Hypothetically if Jack is back soon I'd like to roll with

Toffoli-Hughes-Bratt
Palat-Hischier-Meier
Haula-Lazar-Holtz
Bastian-Nosek-Mercer

Palat Hughes Toffoli (some defense to offset the other two)

Haula Mercer Holtz (should provide offense and get Holtz on the ice more)

Bratt Hischier Meier (best third line in the league but Bratt and Meier really deserve better)

Nosek Lazar Bastian (whatever struggles Mercer has had he’s not a fourth line player).

 

[Bleedred]

17-19 Schneider would play much better here and now because he would have much better team in front of him.

I don’t know about that. He was shot by that point. Certainly by 19 he was.

And remember, 14-15 and 15-16 were horrible teams and Schneider played like a Vezina candidate on those teams. Schneider up till about 2016 on this team would be amazing.

All those stupid 1-0 and 2-1 losses would have turned into wins.

 

[devilsblood]

Lindy’s treatment of a player Fitz gave gave 70 million to is a fireable offense.

I don’t get it, he just doesn’t like him. Players make mistakes, but he makes one and it ends in him playing with Bastian instantly.

Toffoli (now playing better) but had an awful 3 weeks, never once lost ice time. Meier played good in his last 5/7 games. Has one bad goals against vs TB and he’s just banished

Timo has averaged more 5v5 ice time then any fwd over the last 5 games.

Has averaged the 4th most overall minutes, and more then Toffoli over that stretch.

 

[devilsblood]

Tierney is such a waste of space.

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.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Lindy’s treatment of a player Fitz gave gave 70 million to is a fireable offense.

I don’t get it, he just doesn’t like him. Players make mistakes, but he makes one and it ends in him playing with Bastian instantly.

Toffoli (now playing better) but had an awful 3 weeks, never once lost ice time. Meier played good in his last 5/7 games. Has one bad goals against vs TB and he’s just banished

Lindy does seem to have a North American bias.

 

[KovalchukFistPump]

Palat Hughes Toffoli (some defense to offset the other two)

Haula Mercer Holtz (should provide offense and get Holtz on the ice more)

Bratt Hischier Meier (best third line in the league but Bratt and Meier really deserve better)

Nosek Lazar Bastian (whatever struggles Mercer has had he’s not a fourth line player).

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

 

[Guttersniped]

Just for the record, Bastian has been significantly better then Holtz over the last 10 games. Both on ice and individual.

The "Bastian sucks" narrative is more then a month out of date.

People shove these figures in everyone’s faces when the numbers say what they want them to say.




Theoretically people should be asking for that sweet Lazar-Haula-Bastian line back.

In reality I don’t see any obvious answers to line combinations so I’m skeptical when some posters are extremely confident that they have all these amazing answers Ruff is somehow missing.

I’m not a big fan of Ruff’s system but he generally does respond to how lines are doing. (Note the word “generally”.)

Bahl Nemec has been brutal, but I'm still holding out hope.

Bahl-Nemec has been blood pouring from your eyes bad, statistically speaking, so yeah, would love for that to stop.