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

[TBF1972]

Realistic CHI-NJ trade, but Boq at 3C bothers me a little. An injury to either Hughes or Hischier, who's moving up to Top 6? Mercer sliding over?

next man up.
i assume it will be jon gillies.

 

[TBF1972]

2005: Bergfors - Thank god we did trade him for Kovalchuk or he also assuredly would have ended up doing shit like some of those picks in the years after him that we weren't lucky enough to trade. He washed out of the league less than 2 years after we traded him.

Mark Fayne - We got a couple of years out of him on our top pairing, so he wasn't a bad pick by any means and we really needed to cut bait with him or it would have been us that was on the hook for the BAD contract Edmonton gave him. He finished his career in the minors (or was it LTIR?) and was out of the league for good a bit before he was even 30 years old. I don't think he plays pro hockey at all anymore and hasn't for years. He was a good selection for where he was picked at though. I would say that was a successful career for a guy that was picked where he was.

2006: Matthew Corrente - BUST of the highest order. This was yet another BOMB of a Lance Ward, Adrian Foster, David Hale special. Passed through waivers several times when he was still very young (at least two times) and no one even claimed him. I think he was out of pro hockey by 28. Injuries probably didn't help him, but he also sucked. I HATED this pick from the moment it happened. And I remember if we had picked around where we finished that year we might have been able to get Claude Giroux and that really annoyed me. He was a 30th overall (which should have been the Hurricanes pick as they won the cup) and I don't really remember how we ended up with that pick. Making the final 8 that year I think we would have just missed out on Giroux anyway. I think the pick we were probably supposed to get that year might have been Patrick Berglund, only because I remember talking about him a lot after that. He became a pretty good player, but was out of the league at 30 years old. Berglund, Varlamov and Foligno were all picked in between where our original pick would have been and where we got Corrente at 30th overall. All were MUCH better NHL players (and players period) than Corrente. Did Zharkov and Vasyunov also come from this draft or were they the next year? Or possibly one in one year and the other in the next year? They both played games in the NHL, but nothing of a career.

2007: Think we lost our first round pick this year to the Sharks for taking Malakhov's cap hit. Was David Hoeffel our first draft pick that year? I know he was in the second round. I still recall DD talking about how we could have gotten Wayne Simmonds instead of him. He was AWFUL and didn't even play an NHL game. I can't remember if this was the Halischuk draft year or if he was 2006. He played a surprisingly high number of games in the NHL for Nashville and we got not even one year of 36 year old Jason Arnott back in return for him. We ended up with the pick we traded to get Zidlicky in the Arnott trade at the 2011 deadline though.

2008: Mateethless TedenBUST. One of my most hated picks ever. Didn't like this pick from the start and was enraged over it when he just completely did nothing after his first 30 games in the league and he still wound up playing another 90 games in the NHL and getting all these chances. He was an offensive player that didn't hardly score any offense after his first 30 games in the league. I was also made to feel a fool for proclaiming him a bust (when it was apparent that he already was) as much as my ''Cory Schneider is done, toast, not bouncing back'' stuff a few years ago. I'm not even gonna touch the ''Picked before John Carlson'' thing as that gets even more painful. We did get Adam Henrique that year who was probably the best player we drafted after 2004 and until 2011 or 2012 maybe?

2009: Jacob Josefson - I don't know if it was a bad pick at the time, but the Tedenby and Josefson misses were what REALLY KILLED us in the later years of Lou. This was a huge talking point back between 2013 and 2015 that because we struck out on BOTH of those first rounders, we were really hurting by it at that time. He still played in hundreds of NHL games, but was merely nothing more than a shootout specialist. What really hurts about this pick was that he was picked just right before SEVERAL guys who we would all wind up acquiring years down the road. Kyle Palmieri, Marcus Johansson and even John Moore were all better players (Moore probably not by much though) than him and we passed on ALL of them, only to acquire each of them within the next 6-8 years. And all of them were picked within 6 spots after Josefson? Oh and who did we pick later that draft? Alex Urbom, who's greatest contribution here was the laughs and overreaction that his ''Capitals claim Urbom off waivers'' thread brought. I got a kick out of that thread. People acted like we got rid of someone that was actually any good and were so mad Peter Harrold was chosen over him. We picked him back up a couple months later when they waived him and threw him back in Albany. He played out the rest of that year in the AHL and went back home to Sweden where he's been playing ever since, if he even is playing at all anymore. He was picked (although quite a bit before) before Sami Vatanen in that draft, who we would also acquire a little over 8 years later and who also had a MUCH better career in the NHL. Didn't we Eric Gelinas in this draft too?

2010: Traded that first for Kovalchuk. Got Jon Merrill in the second round? He's probably one of the best players we drafted in that time, but he's merely a career bottom pairing defenseman. A career bottom pairing defenseman that got A LOT of hype in between his draft and his NHL debut. I can't remember who else came out of this draft, but it was nobody any good or worth remembering.

2011: Adam Larsson - Pretty underwhelming. Career second pairing defenseman, but got us Taylor Hall. One guy picked shortly behind him wound up being better and we now have him. Was this the Blake Coleman draft? He didn't really become a full time NHL player until he was almost 26, but not even a handful of these guys would have a better career than him. Then the sick rapist was also from this draft, who did NOTHING at the NHL level, but hey he broke a scoring record by future hall of famer Stevens Stamkos in the OHL!

2012: Matteau, Matteau, Matteau..... WHAT. A. f***ING. BUST. And then we further FUBARED this when Lou decided he should make the NHL team out of camp as an 18 year old the next year, where he was highly overwhelmed. I feel like most of his goals (and maybe even points period) came during that stint though. And he was playing with Kovalchuk. it's almost like he was trying to rationalize this pick by immediately inserting him into the NHL. ''See guys? We shouldn't have forfeited this pick. He's already NHL ready and contributing right away!''. Severson was picked that draft and so was Kerfoot, who were both better MOST of the guys we drafted in the several years before and after.

2013: Traded the first round pick for Schneider. It probably wasn't the best move for the organization at the time, but it was certainly fair value, but I didn't trust DOPEY David Conte not to use this pick on Curtis Lazar or some shit like that. I'm pretty sure we weren't gonna pick anybody we really wanted with this pick.

2014: I'm not even gonna touch this draft, but it was probably enough to justify an entire house cleaning of the scouting and drafting department.

I'm sure I still missed several BLUNDERS while going over this, but to that I say thank god I was able to forget such curses.

This gives me vibes of 50 Shades of Grey You seem to have the desire to suffer deep inside you.

 

[Billdo]

This gives me vibes of 50 Shades of Grey You seem to have the desire to suffer deep inside you.

I mean it is valid though. Sure we drafted late in the first most of that time but we literally missed on almost every single first selection for YEARS.

 

[Better Call Sal]

 

[MartyOwns]

can you post a few quotes? it’s bad enough i paid money to be on hf, i won’t make the same mistake with nj.com

 

[None Shall Pass]

Did NJ.com pay TG "well enough" for 14 years before the NHL came calling?

Come on now...

Maybe YEARS down the road (like TG) as Ryan gains a reputation in certain circles, that the NHL or whomever would come a-callin'.

But not now or next year....or next...or next....or next....

It's just not how things happen.

YEARS of experience is required first.

TG got that in spades which is why the NHL wanted him 'cause they have an entire body of work to make their decision to go after him.

Ryan does not so why would anyone with deep pockets come and try to steal him away?

nj.com didn't pay TG at all, actually.

He wrote for the (then) Bergen Record.

 

[Saugus]

Every single day?! He must not have much else going on these days.

(Yes, I know it's just a figure of speech, but still)

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

Lol you guys are still feeding into Jim, the only guy who complains about the state of the franchise yet doesn’t offer any opinions on how things should change but will pound the rotary phone and scream lou is goat and third liners are king

i laughed. I'm sure he did too

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Every single day?! He must not have much else going on these days.

(Yes, I know it's just a figure of speech, but still)

 

[Triumph]

Can't read the Bernier piece, but man, the Devils were awful in Game 6 before the hit. They had absolutely no life. Was and always will be a bullshit call, but the team was gassed.

 

[Mgd31]

Can't read the Bernier piece, but man, the Devils were awful in Game 6 before the hit. They had absolutely no life. Was and always will be a bullshit call, but the team was gassed.

Yea they were getting killed before that hit.

 

[Lou is God]

Can't read the Bernier piece, but man, the Devils were awful in Game 6 before the hit. They had absolutely no life. Was and always will be a bullshit call, but the team was gassed.

We had no shot in that game and you could feel it leading up to the game, no way the Kings were going to let those finals go back to Jersey, call or no call.

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

We had no shot in that game and you could feel it leading up to the game, no way the Kings were going to let those finals go back to Jersey, call or no call.

Only way we win that series is if Fayne doesn't miss that shot in the first game. After that it was mostly written.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Kovy hitting the post (crossbar?) at the end of regulation

 

[devilsblood]

We had no shot in that game and you could feel it leading up to the game, no way the Kings were going to let those finals go back to Jersey, call or no call.

Meh, easy to say in hindsight. But if we get through that first period scoreless, or even down a goal who knows how the rest of the game play out. We've certainly seen teams dominate a period, but then have the game even out afterwards.

Only way we win that series is if Fayne doesn't miss that shot in the first game. After that it was mostly written.

I'm not understanding this.

 

[Devs3cups]

Only way we win that series is if Fayne doesn't miss that shot in the first game. After that it was mostly written.

That and Kovalchuk's crossbar at the end of the 3rd with the score tied at 1 in Game 2 will always haunt me.

That goes in, it's a different series... 1-1 going to LA instead of 2-0.

Kovy hitting the post (crossbar?) at the end of regulation

Still hurts my soul.


Funny thing. When you write "Mark Fayne" on YouTube, this is the first vid that pops up lol:

 

[guitarguyvic]

You can go back and say “if this, if that” but at the end of the day that Kings team was better on paper and on the ice than the Devils. The better team won, which is how it should be (and usually is).

 

[Triumph]

Meh, easy to say in hindsight. But if we get through that first period scoreless, or even down a goal who knows how the rest of the game play out. We've certainly seen teams dominate a period, but then have the game even out afterwards.

My memory is that this hit takes place in the 2nd period. It's wrong, but the Devils were generating zero and had no legs. Giving up 3 PP goals on a major penalty isn't indicative of a team that's got much in the tank either. In a game the Devils trailed the entire way, they managed 18 shots on goal. They were through.

 

[devilsfan35]

 

[devilsblood]

My memory is that this hit takes place in the 2nd period. It's wrong, but the Devils were generating zero and had no legs. Giving up 3 PP goals on a major penalty isn't indicative of a team that's got much in the tank either. In a game the Devils trailed the entire way, they managed 18 shots on goal. They were through.

They def expended a lot of energy getting it to game 6, and LA was certainly a more rested team, but at 0-0 first period of game 6 I'm not calling it a series, no matter how much better LA looked.

Now given the respective gas levels of each team it was very much a fragile situation for NJ, and the Bernier penalty clearly broke that fragility, but again it was a 0-0 game, if Devils get through that first period who knows how it plays out after that?

 

[Devs3cups]

Here we go again.

 

[Triumph]

Could we stop dragging in every stupid rumor that gets posted on Twitter? These people almost never know anything.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

who the hell is that

 

[devilsblood]

Dev's acquiring Gallagher in hopes of getting Tatar going?

 

[Devs3cups]

Could we stop dragging in every stupid rumor that gets posted on Twitter? These people almost never know anything.

Dude tweeted after saying he "Doubt it would involve any of these picks (each team's 1st rounders) but you never know."

lol. He's probably making this all up. Maybe he's been told something, but it's most likely BS.