Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2023 offseason part II

[Saugus]

Binomial names are always italicized and you never capitalize the species. Only capitalize the genus. Homo habilis.

0/10, see me after class.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Parise can f*** off forever

I hate him way more than Niedermayer. The Niedermayer situation sucked too but at least he was a major contributor to a couple of cups. Parise didn't do anything.

 

[Billdo]

Parise can f*** off forever

Yeah, god forbid someone do what they've worked their whole lives for, where they want, and make a shit ton of money doing it.

 

[Better Call Sal]

We really could use a Lars Frost on this team.

 

[Darkauron]

Yeah, god forbid someone do what they've worked their whole lives for, where they want, and make a shit ton of money doing it.

God forbid a player not lie to our faces and conspire with another player to go sign with another team during the season still. f*** em

 

[Ripshot 43]

I hate him way more than Niedermayer. The Niedermayer situation sucked too but at least he was a major contributor to a couple of cups. Parise didn't do anything.

The two don’t even belong in the same sentence.

 

[bossram]

To me that’s a hole you plug at the deadline or at some point during the year after giving Holtz an honest chance to succeed. We have enough studs throughout the lineup to let Holtz learn on the job. If he stinks, we can deal with it then. I’d hate to just block him from the start.

I don't have an issue with giving Holtz a chance to start the season.

But personally, I'm not a believer in him (and I never was high on him going to his draft year). I don't think he's going to contribute much to the Devils in their current window. His pace doesn't fit well with the Devils' playstyle either.

 

[MartyOwns]

Yeah, god forbid someone do what they've worked their whole lives for, where they want, and make a shit ton of money doing it.

that doesn’t mean we should bring his galdalf ass anywhere near here. he and lou can fizzle out into mediocrity together in long island, where devils draft picks go to die.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Parise was my first favorite Devil I liked but pass on the nostalgia. Also, part of me would hate the fact that he left us and decided to come back when things were looking amazing on the Cup chances. Let that dude sour himself on the sidelines seeing this franchise lift a Cup in the next 3-5 years.

 

[Devs3cups]

Holtz needs to be given an opportunity imo. Sure, if he sh*ts the bed in camp you don't just give him a spot, but I don't see that happening given his camp last year.

His pace is definitely his weakness right now, and I don't mean his skating (which is fine imo). I mean his decision making.

He wasn't up to NHL level decision making/pace wise last season, but I'm a firm believer that to get acclimated to the NHL's pace you have to play. Holtz has less than 30 NHL games under his belt and to get acclimated to the speed of the NHL you need more than that.

It's not a question of skill or abilities with Holtz, clearly imo. He needs to play to get used to the pace and speed of the league and to learn to process the game quicker.

 

[Triumph]

The benefit is you know what you're getting in Parise, and the Devils are inching closer to being in a position as a team where you can't just plug young players into the lineup and let them make mistakes and try to learn on the fly. We're approaching a time where a young player is going to have to steal a roster spot from a veteran and force Lindy to keep them in the lineup. (such as 2011-12 Henrique, 2017-18 Bratt, 2020-21 Sharangovich) If you have an already established 12/13/14 man forward group, those opportunities arise when the injury bug comes along.

You don't know what you are getting in Parise because he turned 39 years old in July. Nonetheless, you've also made a claim here that isn't really supportable vis a vis rookies taking roles from veterans - that's a choice a GM makes to not leave a spot open, not some sort of immutable reality. Some teams are more willing to send veterans to the minors who aren't performing - I don't anticipate the Devils doing this. As a side note, who were the veterans that Henrique or Bratt or even Sharangovich took a roster spot from? Those teams had absolutely no depth at all, none of them.

Even though this basically contradicts what I just said above, I do agree with this. This season at least, I think the Devils can leave a spot or two open for a young guy to learn as he goes, because I think we clearly have enough talent to win games even one of the forwards is severely underperforming.

There's no reason to leave Holtz off the roster if he's performing as he did last season - he will need a chance. That said, if his offense is as weak as it was last year, it won't be much of a chance.

 

[njdevils1982]

Rico Blaze is a fan favorite; although some remember his role in the Second Bug War with questions.

View attachment 741338View attachment 741339

LW legend!

Mustapha Lemieux - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Mustapha Lemieux, 2003-11-12 Testville, AUS Australia. Most recently in the Test-HL with Testville Pink Panthers. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[Aurinko]

Parise in 2023? Nooooo

View attachment 741268

Would have to turn back clock 10 years to make him interesting and 15 years to really go after him.

 

[Lou is God]

I hate him way more than Niedermayer. The Niedermayer situation sucked too but at least he was a major contributor to a couple of cups. Parise didn't do anything.

Lou f***ed that up by not being proactive by trading for Scotty's brother Rob. That's the only reason he left and yes I was pushing Lou to do that, I mean he really was a perfect forward in the Devils mode, he wasn't as good as his Hall of Fame brother but he was an effective two way forward.

 

[Blackjack]

Yeah, god forbid someone do what they've worked their whole lives for, where they want, and make a shit ton of money doing it.

He made his choice, he made his millions, and he went where he wanted to go. His right.

He never won shit, and if he wanted to be loved by our fan base he could have stayed. Now he’s with a trash team making NHL minimum so a bunch of inferior players can make $5-6 million a year. Good job.

 

[My3Sons]

Binomial names are always italicized and you never capitalize the species. Only capitalize the genus. Homo habilis.

0/10, see me after class.

Stop being a Homo antejackass

 

[Billdo]

that doesn’t mean we should bring his galdalf ass anywhere near here. he and lou can fizzle out into mediocrity together in long island, where devils draft picks go to die.

Oh I don't want him back, he's too slow for this current roster and system.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Lou f***ed that up by not being proactive by trading for Scotty's brother Rob. That's the only reason he left and yes I was pushing Lou to do that, I mean he really was a perfect forward in the Devils mode, he wasn't as good as his Hall of Fame brother but he was an effective two way forward.

And from then on, Lou made sure that every brother had a place in the organization. Parise, Gionta, Zajac and the Army of Pandolfos.

And of course, bringing Rob Nieds in 5 years too late.

 

[glenwo2]

From the article :

With rookies reporting to training camp on Sept. 13, here’s NJ Advance Media’s projected lineup for the 2023-24 season (which begins Oct. 12):



Forwards:


First line: Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer

As dreamy as the pairing of Timo Meier and Jack Hughes sounded when the Meier blockbuster was first announced in February, the Meier and Nico Hischier duo stole the show. When on the ice together at five-on-five, the Swiss forwards posted a 66.32% expected goals percentage and kept the puck in their offensive zone with a 61.78% Corsi for percentage. Plug in the scrappy and versatile Dawson Mercer on their wing, and you get a 71.77% xGF rating with a 12-to-3 high-danger chance edge. Coach Lindy Ruff would be smart to start the season with this trio up top.



Second line: Jesper Bratt – Jack Hughes – Tyler Toffoli

Let’s look at the baseline numbers: In 2022-23, Hughes, Jesper Bratt and ex-Flames star Tyler Toffoli put up a combined 246 points, 109 goals and 137 assists. Now imagine those three on the same line for a full season. In trading for Toffoli this summer, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald gave Hughes another weapon to toy with on his wing and solidified New Jersey’s top six as one of the deepest in the league. Toffoli’s smooth skating and goal-scoring ability mixed with Bratt’s vision and edgework and Hughes’ ability to do, well, everything make this a lethal line. It wouldn’t be a shock if Erik Haula moved up to this line given his connection with Hughes, but Ruff should test-run this trio against the Red Wings in the home opener.



Third line: Ondrej Palat – Erik Haula – Alexander Holtz

The success of this line rests on two key questions: Can Alexander Holtz blossom into the scoring threat he was drafted to be in 2020? Will Ondrej Palat finally prove himself after signing a five-year, $30 million contract in 2022? Of course, Palat’s struggles mostly stemmed from his injured groin, but the 32-year-old still needs to pot more than eight goals and 15 assists in 49 games if he wants to avoid contract dud status. As for Holtz, the former seventh-overall pick is in the midst of a “career-defining offseason” and must earn a spot at training camp. After hiring a new trainer this summer, the 21-year-old’s stock seems to be trending upward entering camp. If Haula, who shined in the playoffs, replicates his 2022-23 faceoff success (54.2% winning percentage) next season, his wingers have the chance to improve their offensive numbers and, in turn, rewrite their rocky Devils tenures thus far. Haula, who recorded a minus-8.1 goals-above-expected rating last season, the 13th worst among NHL players, is hoping to rewrite his own script by avoiding long snakebitten stretches.



Fourth line: Nolan Foote – Michael McLeod – Nathan Bastian

The Devils’ fourth line, spearheaded by Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian and ex-Devil Miles Wood, shined early last season, excelling on both ends of the ice and playing a massive role in New Jersey’s historic 13-game winning streak. All three players went through peaks and valleys to cap 2022-23, but were mostly lauded for their consistent pace and aggression, especially against top lines. Ruff will likely roll with a similar look this season. The front office is high on prospect Nolan Foote – projecting him as a bottom-six player next season – and would love to pair his physical playstyle and strong shot on the fourth line. There are plenty of variables with this line. McLeod’s status is still a mystery given the NHL’s investigation into the 2018 Team Canada World Junior Team, and the Devils signed Tomas Nosek and will return Curtis Lazar for another season. Bottom line, Ruff has plenty of depth pieces to work with here, and while he’ll likely shuffle things around, Foote, McLeod and Bastian seem primed to get the first shot at the fourth line.

Subs: Curtis Lazar, Tomas Nosek

Mercer-Dawg on the first line?

Not sure I agree with Novo on that.

 

[Devs3cups]

From the article :


Mercer-Dawg on the first line?

Not sure I agree with Novo on that.

I think Timo-Nico-Mercer could be a pretty damn good line. 1st or 2nd line is just a formality tbh, line 2 might as well be line 1 in this case. Our top-6 is just so nasty lol.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Did anyone notice this past year how Mercer was the king of throwing hail Mary lob passes out of our zone ? It seemed to be a set play or a go to play he would use alot. Our forwards would be able to beat the other teams defensman or put them on their heels alot of the time when we used that play.

 

[Devs3cups]

Did anyone notice this past year how Mercer was the king of throwing hail Mary lob passes out of our zone ? It seemed to be a set play or a go to play he would use alot. Our forwards would be able to beat the other teams defensman or put them on their heels alot of the time when we used that play.

Yup! Jack's goal here at 4:12 is a perfect example. Great pass!

 

[My3Sons]

From the article :


Mercer-Dawg on the first line?

Not sure I agree with Novo on that.

First line? Who is he playing with? Novo got it right he just labeled it wrong.

 

[Lou is God]

Just stumbled on the Mickey Mouse game in full:



Announcers - a young Doc and JD.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Yeah, god forbid someone do what they've worked their whole lives for, where they want, and make a shit ton of money doing it.

Who gives a shit. He didn’t win anything here and he dragged out the entire situation and left the Devils with their dick in their hands after naming him captain and getting zero in return.

Part of it is on Lou, but Zach can f*** off too. He has every right to sign where he wants and as a fanbase we have a collective right to to hold it against him.

Not many elite players leave their organization in their prime with a massive deal on the table. He’s in the Tavares camp.