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

[Triumph]

Genuinely don't understand posting tweets from a random twitter user, unless your entire goal is to just rile up the forum.

I'm not going to post 6 pages of facebook comments that say Simon Nemec sucks.

Have never understood this behavior. Twitter is Twitter. Well, it's X now, but whatever it is, things that happen there can stay there, unless it has something to do with the team.

 

[My3Sons]

disappointing season. playoffs was the goal and the goal was missed.

i am aware of the injuries, i am aware of the goalie performances and i am aware of the firing of the coach. none of it changes anything. every team has some of the same issues over an 82 game season. the roster was simply not mature enough to overcome those obstacles.

hopefully management, coaching staff and every single player does all they can to get the devils back to the playoffs next season. now the lottery and the draft looms and i can't get myself interested in those events, even if i am against trading the pick.

While it's easy to say next man up and win at all costs, the reality is that the next man up isn't as good as the guy that was already playing. Maybe on a system team that relies more on a bunch of guys that all play the same way and prioritizes defense above everything you can withstand injuries better. But even then, look at the Bruins and Carolina. They are not great in the playoffs. Look at some of the recent cup winners, they've had deep talent pools in comparison. It's not easy to balance the inherent conflicts in style of team and style of play and NJ did not do a great job of that this season. But to suggest that every team has its best players miss so many games and play hurt in so many is unrealistic in my view. That aside, I understand the frustration.

 

[NJDevs26]

Haula and Palat being more valuable than Timo jumps the shark even more than the Bratt hater stuff lol

 

[TBF1972]

While it's easy to say next man up and win at all costs, the reality is that the next man up isn't as good as the guy that was already playing. Maybe on a system team that relies more on a bunch of guys that all play the same way and prioritizes defense above everything you can withstand injuries better. But even then, look at the Bruins and Carolina. They are not great in the playoffs. Look at some of the recent cup winners, they've had deep talent pools in comparison. It's not easy to balance the inherent conflicts in style of team and style of play and NJ did not do a great job of that this season. But to suggest that every team has its best players miss so many games and play hurt in so many is unrealistic in my view. That aside, I understand the frustration.

the team overachieved last year. they underachieved this year. overcoming adversity like injuries is part of the game.

i can accept the results. but i can't accept, if anyone in the organization is not looking at himself first as the reason why they failed to reach the goal. the bar was set low this year. 92 points will be enough to make the playoffs.

 

[Triumph]

Haula and Palat being more valuable than Timo jumps the shark even more than the Bratt hater stuff lol

Timo was the worst forward on the team for 3 months, that might show up in some stats.

 

[Whaddagoal]

gotta say bratt has been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise shit sandwich of a season. going to be at least a PPG player this year.. always in the lineup. can't ask for much more from him

Love Bratt's growth and overall durability (specificially for his size), and overall dependability to at least pop 70 a year.

I think he can be in the mid 80s-90 points guy if he has a little more consistency finishing his own plays, in the coming seasons.

It's not a secret Bratt is durable though, looking at the details of it because he:

1) Has amazing skating/edgework (awareness) to escape dummies trying to hit him crazily.
2) Great sense of how to protect himself when he has the puck without getting blasted. Good in the corners with the puck, good on the half-wall with the puck.

In his first season, I posted here that I felt he has a bit of Jagr-esque sense of ability to protect the puck, albeit of course, he doesn't have the mammoth size, but I think he has a similar hockey IQ sense to use his skating and body positioning to protect the puck when he has it, or is in a battle for it. That is actually something Jack sorely misses in comparison to the skating with puck ability. You can really see Bratt come out of the corner or brace himself for a hit, or just use enough of his body momentum to bounce a hit away/break through a solid defensive play.

3) Dedicates a sizable portion of his time, or uses an excellent regimen, in his offseason to get physically stronger in all areas. He's very vocal/proud of that. The results are clear.

That goal last night, he squeaked by a guy on the boards and ended up not only around him, but with speed/momentum to make that GWG goal. Usually other guys don't end up gaining momentum with moves like that, but end up losing it. Somehow Bratt comes out of those with edge acceleration and dips around. His only problem this season was lack of finish in relative comparison to the # of generated so many chances for himself. Haven't seen many players in the league that consistency can dip through a side boardcheck and then edge around to the middle with more speed/momentum. There were so many of those plays this season alone - just that he didn't convert on as much of them. Jesper has an extra gear he gains with his edgework/power in skating.

Jack has a lot of of that in his edgework, but Bratt's is able to generate a lot more burst power in his skating.

I'm just about settled in my mind, to get a Bratt jersey next season for the 5th year STM thing.

 

[Blackjack]

Why are you posting this garbage by a garbage person?

Sorry, I enjoy their pathetic attempts to cope with the accolades and recognition Bratt is getting.

 

[glenwo2]

Love Bratt's growth and overall durability (specificially for his size), and overall dependability to at least pop 70 a year.

I think he can be in the mid 80s-90 points guy if he has a little more consistency finishing his own plays, in the coming seasons.

It's not a secret Bratt is durable though, looking at the details of it because he:

1) Has amazing skating/edgework (awareness) to escape dummies trying to hit him crazily.
2) Great sense of how to protect himself when he has the puck without getting blasted. Good in the corners with the puck, good on the half-wall with the puck.

In his first season, I posted here that I felt he has a bit of Jagr-esque sense of ability to protect the puck, albeit of course, he doesn't have the mammoth size, but I think he has a similar hockey IQ sense to use his skating and body positioning to protect the puck when he has it, or is in a battle for it. That is actually something Jack sorely misses in comparison to the skating with puck ability. You can really see Bratt come out of the corner or brace himself for a hit, or just use enough of his body momentum to bounce a hit away/break through a solid defensive play.

3) Dedicates a sizable portion of his time, or uses an excellent regimen, in his offseason to get physically stronger in all areas. He's very vocal/proud of that. The results are clear.

That goal last night, he squeaked by a guy on the boards and ended up not only around him, but with speed/momentum to make that GWG goal. Usually other guys don't end up gaining momentum with moves like that, but end up losing it. Somehow Bratt comes out of those with edge acceleration and dips around. His only problem this season was lack of finish in relative comparison to the # of generated so many chances for himself. Haven't seen many players in the league that consistency can dip through a side boardcheck and then edge around to the middle with more speed/momentum. There were so many of those plays this season alone - just that he didn't convert on as much of them. Jesper has an extra gear he gains with his edgework/power in skating.

Jack has a lot of of that in his edgework, but Bratt's is able to generate a lot more burst power in his skating.

I'm just about settled in my mind, to get a Bratt jersey next season for the 5th year STM thing.

When Bratt doesn't over-think things and just shoots the puck on net, good things usually happen.

Yeah, at times, we get a sensational no-look pass to Nico (for example) for a pretty goal but those don't happen all that often whether it's due to the pass being deflected, intercepted, or the recipient not being able to convert.

So Bratt needs to shoot a lot more than he has to be more effective as an NHL player.


Also, he needs to always ROOF IT against these butterfly goaltenders instead of trying to sneak it five-hole.

That latter strategy works here and there but more often than not, the top corners are wide-open and he instead tries to dipsy-do around the goaltender's pads or tries to go low.


Anyway, that's nitpicking by me as I'm very pleased overall with his performance this season.

 

[AfroThunder396]

That Twitter guy doesn't post anything except doomer porn. Clout chaser that posts clickbait zingers to show you how smart he is for noticing a bad team is bad. He's almost as bad as Bratt Pack.

The worst part is that he's not even creative about it. For as bad as HF is you guys at least keep it relatively fresh and don't get too unhinged.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Love Bratt's growth and overall durability (specificially for his size), and overall dependability to at least pop 70 a year.

I think he can be in the mid 80s-90 points guy if he has a little more consistency finishing his own plays, in the coming seasons.

It's not a secret Bratt is durable though, looking at the details of it because he:

1) Has amazing skating/edgework (awareness) to escape dummies trying to hit him crazily.
2) Great sense of how to protect himself when he has the puck without getting blasted. Good in the corners with the puck, good on the half-wall with the puck.

In his first season, I posted here that I felt he has a bit of Jagr-esque sense of ability to protect the puck, albeit of course, he doesn't have the mammoth size, but I think he has a similar hockey IQ sense to use his skating and body positioning to protect the puck when he has it, or is in a battle for it. That is actually something Jack sorely misses in comparison to the skating with puck ability. You can really see Bratt come out of the corner or brace himself for a hit, or just use enough of his body momentum to bounce a hit away/break through a solid defensive play.

3) Dedicates a sizable portion of his time, or uses an excellent regimen, in his offseason to get physically stronger in all areas. He's very vocal/proud of that. The results are clear.

That goal last night, he squeaked by a guy on the boards and ended up not only around him, but with speed/momentum to make that GWG goal. Usually other guys don't end up gaining momentum with moves like that, but end up losing it. Somehow Bratt comes out of those with edge acceleration and dips around. His only problem this season was lack of finish in relative comparison to the # of generated so many chances for himself. Haven't seen many players in the league that consistency can dip through a side boardcheck and then edge around to the middle with more speed/momentum. There were so many of those plays this season alone - just that he didn't convert on as much of them. Jesper has an extra gear he gains with his edgework/power in skating.

Jack has a lot of of that in his edgework, but Bratt's is able to generate a lot more burst power in his skating.

I'm just about settled in my mind, to get a Bratt jersey next season for the 5th year STM thing.

Avoiding injury is a skill, it’s true despite how much it ruffles some people’s feathers who don’t want to admit that other core players like Nico and Jack don’t appear to be so good at it.

 

[My3Sons]

the team overachieved last year. they underachieved this year. overcoming adversity like injuries is part of the game.

i can accept the results. but i can't accept, if anyone in the organization is not looking at himself first as the reason why they failed to reach the goal. the bar was set low this year. 92 points will be enough to make the playoffs.

I doubt anyone is thrilled with how this season went. The players will share a little of that in the exit interviews but any psychologist will tell you that while you can acknowledge and deal with setbacks you should never ruminate on them

 

[MasterofGrond]

Avoiding injury is a skill, it’s true despite how much it ruffles some people’s feathers who don’t want to admit that other core players like Nico and Jack don’t appear to be so good at it.

There’s some truth to injury prone guys, but it’s not written in stone, unless it’s degenerative injuries. Sometimes it really just is luck.

Learning to play a little safer can help, look at Crosby.

 

[JimEIV]

There’s some truth to injury prone guys, but it’s not written in stone, unless it’s degenerative injuries. Sometimes it really just is luck.

Learning to play a little safer can help, look at Crosby.

Crosby is built like a fire hydrant.

 

[Whaddagoal]

When Bratt doesn't over-think things and just shoots the puck on net, good things usually happen.

Yeah, at times, we get a sensational no-look pass to Nico (for example) for a pretty goal but those don't happen all that often whether it's due to the pass being deflected, intercepted, or the recipient not being able to convert.

So Bratt needs to shoot a lot more than he has to be more effective as an NHL player.


Also, he needs to always ROOF IT against these butterfly goaltenders instead of trying to sneak it five-hole.

That latter strategy works here and there but more often than not, the top corners are wide-open and he instead tries to dipsy-do around the goaltender's pads or tries to go low.


Anyway, that's nitpicking by me as I'm very pleased overall with his performance this season.

Yes, I think Bratt needs to improve his shot choices (selection) in certain moments, sometimes i feel he is overpowering his shots and just needs to get better placement. I know the idea is to rip it as hard as you can usually, but sometimes you just need to place it better with less power.

A lot of his shots seemed to have gone high and wide this season, for me, at least anecdotally that's how I remember it.

All easy to say though, but that would make him an even better player.

 

[Whaddagoal]

Avoiding injury is a skill, it’s true despite how much it ruffles some people’s feathers who don’t want to admit that other core players like Nico and Jack don’t appear to be so good at it.

Yes, I'm with you definitely, both Jack and Nico need to learn a bit of that. Nico less so than Jack but it is true for both.

Nico is much better in the corners and boardwork, well generally that is because he's a much better cycler with the puck and down low cycler. Nico lets his guard down a bit too much in other areas when he has the puck (particularly NZ rushes, he almost got blasted by Trouba last season but just avoided it last minute, not sure if that was a bit of good luck or skill.

Jack just needs to know how to protect himself when he has the puck - in the corners especially. Bratt is miles ahead in that area (and Nico half way ahead).

 

[Ripshot 43]

Bratt hating Devils Twitter having a very normal one after last nights game

So much negativity.

Why bother wasting your time and following that?

 

[JimEIV]

I hope at some point we can add another physical winger to the top 6.

Meier helps but just isn't enough. I wish we could find some with a nose for the net, strong puck retrieval and board battling skills that could play with Jack.

 

[JimEIV]

I do think celebrating a great individual season against the backdrop of this season has a bit of an empty feeling.

I'm happy for Bratt he's been so good for us for a long time now and I doubly like that he performed after signing a big contract. He deserves tons of credit.

But it's really hard to be overly excited about anything that happened this year.

 

[NJDevs26]

I'm not gonna knock anyone celebrating an individual milestone, but by the same token 80's just a nice round number - it isn't like he set a team point record or even hit the magic 100.

It's just whatever for me. Yeah glad he did his part for most of the season and stayed healthy, but if I wanted to sports where the individual's stats were the most important thing I'd be a bigger tennis and golf fan.

 

[Whaddagoal]

I'm not gonna knock anyone celebrating an individual milestone, but by the same token 80's just a nice round number - it isn't like he set a team point record or even hit the magic 100.

It's just whatever for me. Yeah glad he did his part for most of the season and stayed healthy, but if I wanted to sports where the individual's stats were the most important thing I'd be a bigger tennis and golf fan.

I'm still hoping Nico can get to 70 (talking about nice round numbers)! 4 points to go.

Having 70 points in 71 games to end the season seems pretty good after getting a sizable concussion!

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

I'm not gonna knock anyone celebrating an individual milestone, but by the same token 80's just a nice round number - it isn't like he set a team point record or even hit the magic 100.

It's just whatever for me. Yeah glad he did his part for most of the season and stayed healthy, but if I wanted to sports where the individual's stats were the most important thing I'd be a bigger tennis and golf fan.

It's a good accomplishment. But agreed not a major milestone.

But its almost like this is the expectation. I think NOT being a PPG (or near that rate) would be the topic of conversation.

 

[Devils731]

Fitzgerald Named to USA Hockey's Management Group | FEATURE | New Jersey Devils

Good for Fitz. I also think the connections and relationships you make at these national teams can only help your club team.

 

[Triumph]

Avoiding injury is a skill, it’s true despite how much it ruffles some people’s feathers who don’t want to admit that other core players like Nico and Jack don’t appear to be so good at it.

Assuming Nico plays the final two here, he will have played in 90% of the games in the last 3 seasons. He will have also played in 84% of possible games since the beginning of his career. He's been limited by injuries in some of these games, but he's in the lineup the vast majority of the time. His avoiding 90 mph slapshots to the face skills seem to be improving - maybe he took your pointers on it.

 

[Devs3cups]

The injury thing is kind of 2 sided imo.

Like, sure, you can train and put yourself in a position to not get hit as much, etc.

Nico got concussed on a headshot against Buffalo. How do you prevent that?

Jack tripped on Binnington’s skate going full speed and went in the boards at full force. I mean, I guess you could avoid that, but going into the boards like that your chances of injury are extremely likely imo.

 

[britdevil]

I do think celebrating a great individual season against the backdrop of this season has a bit of an empty feeling.

I'm happy for Bratt he's been so good for us for a long time now and I doubly like that he performed after signing a big contract. He deserves tons of credit.

But it's really hard to be overly excited about anything that happened this year.

I could not give a single shit about individual accolades.

Outside of my teenage years and hoping Elias would break 100, I never really did.

I want wins.