Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - camp edition

[MasterofGrond]

I think Nate is gonna get to play out the string here. He probably gets hurt anyway so I’m sure we’ll see somebody else in that spot at some point.

 

[Better Call Sal]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841495729891606743

 

[Devs3cups]

Damn. The Luke boost when he gets on the ice is gonna be cool though.

 

[Bad Goalie]

I'm telling... waive Bastian, sign Labanc cheap. It gives us more cap flexibility too.

View attachment 911643

What did you do with 3-yr MacDermid? The Devils will put him where you list Foote. That means that Bastian and Foote get waived?

 

[OlfactoryHughes]

Damn. The Luke boost when he gets on the ice is gonna be cool though.

Ummm. I thought we were in the 4-6 week territory, hate seeing weeks getting added on. Would love to see this team fully healthy at some point this year

 

[Bad Goalie]

Ummm. I thought we were in the 4-6 week territory, hate seeing weeks getting added on. Would love to see this team fully healthy at some point this year

The way this franchise falls (NHL/AHL) I would say you need more than 3 prayers to see it fully healthy.

 

[devilsfan950003]

The question I ask regarding Lebanc is, who is our 13th forward? Foote? MacDermid? Halonen? Is Lebanc a better 13th forward than these players?

 

[Nocashstyle]

I like Halonen. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him

 

[MartyOwns]

The question I ask regarding Lebanc is, who is our 13th forward? Foote? MacDermid? Halonen? Is Lebanc a better 13th forward than these players?

he may not be better than halonen but lebanc may not be willing to play in the ahl. it’ll be interesting to see how fitz handles it.

 

[NJDevs26]

Has there even been an official roster announcement before Friday-Saturday, or at least a list of who's over there?

 

[Devs3cups]

 

[Comparison Ford]

love this. i love nemec as a player too, but would probably be better for him to focus on PK and Casey has deserved every minute he’s gotten.

 

[Bcap88]

Can this team ever be f***ing transparent with injuries ?

Hughes was 4-6 weeks about 2 weeks ago and now he’s still 5-7 ?

 

[Patrik26]

Can this team ever be f***ing transparent with injuries ?

Hughes was 4-6 weeks about 2 weeks ago and now he’s still 5-7 ?

How can one put this?

 

[JK3]

Has there even been an official roster announcement before Friday-Saturday, or at least a list of who's over there?

This who’s over there practicing, 26 guys.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840741880847388842

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Was it 4-6 or 6-8 for Luke at the start? Honestly can’t remember.

 

[MartyOwns]

having tatar on our second line does not excite me

 

[Whaddagoal]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841495729891606743

Love that he went from week-to-week ...not skating...

To day-to-day, in matter of like 10 days.

Great news....

 

[Whaddagoal]

Why is that the case? I’ve seen a number of fans generally down on him but I haven’t really seen an explanation what he does badly. He’s a fourth liner with limited expectations. I know that his shoulder injury seems to have taken away his willingness to fight but that was never a major part of his game. Is he blowing defensive zone coverages? Can he not make a pass? Does he shy away from necessary physical contact and thereby lose pucks? To my eyes he seems pretty vanilla but not someone that I worry about on the ice for the average shift.

I don't think he does anything particularly wrong either, but I think it's the "somehow we can do better".. for me at least. I'll keep Bastian around sure, but I can easily argue with myself that there a couple guys that could replace him in the waiting.

(Not foote).

Maybe it's all pining for some mythical perfect 4th line player with a bit more skill to go with that grind.

Cotter seems like a guy that would be closer to that kind. Find another Cotter.

 

[Saugus]

Casey has earned the PP spot for now. Realistically though, both of them get displaced when Luke returns.

Unless we decide to run with two defensemen on the second unit, those PP QB spots are almost certainly locked down by Dougie and Luke.

 

[Hisch13r]

Bastian doesn't really do anything well. He is a competent PKer and occasionally physical, but clearly not physical enough to be a deterrent to the Wilsons and Rempes of the world. He's not a good skater and his role as the big body net-front PP guy is obsolete now that we actually have quality offensive wingers who can play that role better.

He's only appeared in 60% of games over the last two years due to injury yet makes nearly double league minimum. I was a big believer in him as a prospect, but he's developed into an easily replaceable player. It's not that hard to find 4th liners who can hit people and PK a bit, most 4th liners can do that. He's just a guy.

This isn't to say I'm a Labanc fanboy. I think he'd be fine as a #13 or a first callup from Utica. But the 4th line is a great place for us to both upgrade player quality and reduce cost. I don't know if Labanc's game would translate well in that role. But I certainly know that we can do much better than Bastian.

Deterrents don’t exist

The question I ask regarding Lebanc is, who is our 13th forward? Foote? MacDermid? Halonen? Is Lebanc a better 13th forward than these players?

Yes. The others are not NHL players. Labanc is.

 

[Hisch13r]

having tatar on our second line does not excite me

If Mercer’s good again and Tatar can do his thing again then I don’t have any issue with it. You’ve got the 4 stars. Add a good Mercer to that and you can get away with a complimentary two way piece like Tatar to round it out. Upgrade at the deadline.

 

[My3Sons]

Deterrents don’t exist



Yes. The others are not NHL players. Labanc is.

I agree that deterrence is not a thing. MacDermid, however, offers value in that Rempe can't cheap shot anyone in the head if he's ejected from the game. MacDermid forcing Rempe to fight right off the puck drop is a smart strategy. Push him around and call him out if he won't fight. That's not deterrence but I'm guessing if Rempe is preoccupied avoiding MacDermid he won't hit anyone in the head at that point. Fighting is only a tool. The guys that fight each other don't really add anything to a game. What does matter is how many cheap shots injure player. I could care less about Rempe fighting but if MacDermid will get Rempe thrown out by fighting then it makes sense.

 

[Hisch13r]

I agree that deterrence is not a thing. MacDermid, however, offers value in that Rempe can't cheap shot anyone in the head if he's ejected from the game. MacDermid forcing Rempe to fight right off the puck drop is a smart strategy. Push him around and call him out if he won't fight. That's not deterrence but I'm guessing if Rempe is preoccupied avoiding MacDermid he won't hit anyone in the head at that point. Fighting is only a tool. The guys that fight each other don't really add anything to a game. What does matter is how many cheap shots injure player. I could care less about Rempe fighting but if MacDermid will get Rempe thrown out by fighting then it makes sense.

I mean Rempe crushed Siegs when MacDermid was literally on the ice

 

[Bleedred]

I'm hoping Labanc doesn't make the team just so I don't have to see Lebanc in here all the time. Shades of Salvadore and Kincaid.

Seeing the constant misspelling of his name actually fooled me into thinking that I may have been spelling his name wrong all along now for as many years as he’s been playing in the league.