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

[Guttersniped]

View attachment 896599

Line Combinations - Frozen Tools

NHL line combinations, NHL lineups from dobberhockey.com

frozenpool.dobbersports.com

Perfect timing as I just saw a link to this tool on a main board thread. Looks like he was mostly centered by Mikael Granlund for most of the season with a rotating LW. Maybe he ends up with Celebrini, I just defaulted to an all Swede line since I'm a sucker for gimmicks.

Couture feared career could be over while rehabbing lower-body injury

San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture worried about the future of his playing career while rehabbing a lower-body injury that's kept him out of the entire 2023-24 season.Couture met with the media for the first time in months on Tuesday and opened up about the struggles of being sidelined for an...

www.thescore.com

We'll see if Logan Couture ends up being healthy enough for the start of the season. They could probably slide in Will Smith if Couture is out.

Granlund-Celebrini-Toffoli
Eklund-Wennberg-Zetterlund
Kostin-W.Smith-Dellandrea
Goodrow-Sturm-Kunin
G.Smith-Grundstrom

I think Toffoli is a jinx, but this is 'toilet paper lineup' worthy

Eh, not yet. The classic toilet paper line-ups happen in March after injuries and the TDL do some work.

Way too much depth and future hope here, and not enough bleakness, for the toilet paper format.

Granlund, Sturm and Kunin will be UFAs, so they’re presumably goners, and every older player is a potential trade candidate.

 

[MartyOwns]

the trick to being young again is to not get old in the first place.

 

[Bleedred]

some of my takes in that thread (and that era in general) were pretty bad lol. i fully trusted lou to turn things around and sign jagr, brunner and some other clown whose name escapes me. ah, to be young again

The some other clown who you can't think of was probably Ryane Clowe (only one letter off of clown) who was signed the same offseason as Jagr and Brunner and Kovalchuk retired.

Actually, it may have even been Michael Ryder, also signed that same offseason. Lit it up the first half of the season. Then I think he went through a stretch where he scored 2 goals in the final 30+ games of the season after scoring like 16 or 18 in the first 40-ish games.

I thought Clowe was fine for us and was even an upgrade over Clarkson, but he predictably couldn't stay on the ice and predictably stopped playing due to many concussions just barely into his 2nd year with us and went on LTIR for the rest of the contract. He was even an assistant coach for one year during the Taylor Hall MVP year, which was the final year on his playing contract. It was said he wasn't retained to be an assistant beyond that year because his playing contract was up and he wanted to move back to Newfoundland (I think that's where he was from?) and coach lower levels there. Miles Wood said he was a huge influence and help.

 

[njdevils1982]

The some other clown who you can't think of was probably Ryane Clowe (only one letter off of clown) who was signed the same offseason as Jagr and Brunner and Kovalchuk retired.

Actually, it may have even been Michael Ryder, also signed that same offseason. Lit it up the first half of the season. Then I think he went through a stretch where he scored 2 goals in the final 30+ games of the season after scoring like 16 or 18 in the first 40-ish games.

I thought Clowe was fine for us and was even an upgrade over Clarkson, but he predictably couldn't stay on the ice and predictably stopped playing due to many concussions just barely into his 2nd year with us and went on LTIR for the rest of the contract. He was even an assistant coach for one year during the Taylor Hall MVP year, which was the final year on his playing contract. It was said he wasn't retained to be an assistant beyond that year because his playing contract was up and he wanted to move back to Newfoundland (I think that's where he was from?) and coach lower levels there. Miles Wood said he was a huge influence and help.

brunner was f***ing garbage

 

[Brodeur]

I think Toffoli is a jinx, but this is 'toilet paper lineup' worthy

Sharks probably have a couple more lean years before turning the corner, but that forward group looks better than what they trotted out last season.

Their D though is still looking especially rough, don't even know if they have a spot for one of the kids (Thrun/Muk).

brunner was f***ing garbage

I'll admit to being excited for that signing. Dark times.

 

[Guadana]

brunner was f***ing garbage

I'm not a fan to call some player this way(not named Ty or Willy B), but Brunner was really bad.

 

[Bleedred]

brunner was f***ing garbage

I'm not a fan to call some player this way(not named Ty or Willy B), but Brunner was really bad.

I thought he had a really good season opener that first year tho!

 

[swiiscompos]

The train from Boston stops just a couple blocks from the arena. You could get season tickets!!!

Coming to a game at The Rock would actually be the best. It would add a bit to the price though, so I would have to convince my wife!

 

[swiiscompos]

You thought wrong!

((And congrats on moving over to be with your wife))

I know. I am ashamed now.
Speaking of Boston sports, I visited her recently and we went to see a Red Sox game because her job was gifting the tickets. It confirmed my intuition: Baseball is the most boring sport I ever saw, and I watch curling at the Winter Olympics.

 

[Xirik]

I know. I am ashamed now.
Speaking of Boston sports, I visited her recently and we went to see a Red Sox game because her job was gifting the tickets. It confirmed my intuition: Baseball is the most boring sport I ever saw, and I watch curling at the Winter Olympics.

Congrats on becoming an Honorary Canadian just now.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I forgot about HF since it's the summer and all, lol, but I didnt think I would come back to a thread talking about Ryane Clowe What a f***ing time that was lol

he sure is, but people seem REALLY down on him after last season. Recency bias, I suppose.

I think he's the perfect goalie for what this team does offensively. He's elite 5v5 which is where this team thrives anyway, we saw how good they were with a Vanecek who was good in that metric until the wheels fell off this past season. I still think he was a bit hurt later on in the year but the first couple of months were an atrocity from Vitek lol. But back to Markstrom, the team better just not turn itself off thinking they have a goalie behind them finally. Keefe will probably breathe a sign of relief too which most people are forgetting.

 

[FinnishDevil]

I'll admit to being excited for that signing. Dark times.

I remember being excited about Michael Kapla. I think MSG showed him being in the press box after signing his ELC and I was sold that this guy must be the next good thing. I have no memory he actually played 5 games that year and thats probably for the better..

Dark times indeed.

 

[Brodeur]

I remember being excited about Michael Kapla. I think MSG showed him being in the press box after signing his ELC and I was sold that this guy must be the next good thing. I have no memory he actually played 5 games that year and thats probably for the better..

Dark times indeed.

I wouldn't have guessed Kapla suited up for us. I think I had him mixed up with Joe Sova who was a random UDFA signing who was shipped out (with a draft pick) for Alexei Ponikarovsky at the 2012 deadline.

On the main board, there are a few posters who are surprised that Alexander Nylander is still unsigned after putting up 11 goals in 23 games down the stretch for Columbus. I tried to point out that Nylander shot 17.7% which is a smidge high and unlikely to be sustainable. Plus he was only playing out the stretch for Columbus since they were missing guys like Laine/Fantilli and that he'd be unlikely to receive the same ice time with everybody healthy.

But I'll admit to being guilty of falling for a small sample size before. I caught a Ducks/Kings prospect game way back when and I really liked Devante Smith-Pelly. I thought he could be a useful 3rd liner who could pop in 20 goals with PP2 time. Then we traded for him at the 2016 trade deadline and he posted 8 goals and 13 points in 18 games with us. Delusional me thought that vindicated my earlier take. I should have realized that DSP shooting 23.5% wasn't going to carry over into the next season.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Since we’re reminiscing:

 

[Ripshot 43]

Since we’re reminiscing:

Such a short time he was here but man did I love Boyle.

 

[Bleedred]

Since we’re reminiscing:

And then he had a hat trick the next year when we were playing in Pittsburgh on their hockey fights cancer night.

Stuff like that does make me believe that there are powers beyond us.

 

[Alex NJD]

Started getting "security error" messages every few pages, got logged out, and then get them every time I tried to log in for a week. Super annoying.

Are the last ~20 pages of the thread worth reading or is it peak offseason brain rot?

 

[Nubmer6]

Started getting "security error" messages every few pages, got logged out, and then get them every time I tried to log in for a week. Super annoying.

Are the last ~20 pages of the thread worth reading or is it peak offseason brain rot?

Umm... It the off-season. What to YOU think???

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Started getting "security error" messages every few pages, got logged out, and then get them every time I tried to log in for a week. Super annoying.

Are the last ~20 pages of the thread worth reading or is it peak offseason brain rot?

with all due respect to my fellow posters, we are absolutely in PEAK brain rot season

 

[TrufleShufle]

Started getting "security error" messages every few pages, got logged out, and then get them every time I tried to log in for a week. Super annoying.

Are the last ~20 pages of the thread worth reading or is it peak offseason brain rot?

Pretty sure the last 4 pages is from the last 6 days and the 16 pages before that are all from one wild day. So, your call.

 

[KovalchukFistPump]

Since we’re reminiscing:

This happened while my stepmom was fighting breast cancer. Was honestly super inspiring. Also it was that particular game where he scored a hat-trick right?

 

[My3Sons]

And then he had a hat trick the next year when we were playing in Pittsburgh on their hockey fights cancer night.

Stuff like that does make me believe that there are powers beyond us.

So like that and Blackwood having a good game the one time you went to see him play live and you harassed him anyway? I can see how that would make a man pray to a higher deity.

 

[Aurinko]

NHL Tonight: Erik Haula | NHL.com

Haula interview. He's on the twilight years now, and for a fast non-star winger it's now or never time. He does seem to have fairly realistic view about the team, and he does note that some key parts like defense have been strengthened during the summer.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

This happened while my stepmom was fighting breast cancer. Was honestly super inspiring. Also it was that particular game where he scored a hat-trick right?

The answer is in the replies above. He scored the trick the next year at Pitt’s HFC night. Lost my mom to the big casino so Provorov, Reimer and any other dumb f*** can go straight to hell with EDM and CHI.

But I do love hockey

 

[Bleedred]

This happened while my stepmom was fighting breast cancer. Was honestly super inspiring. Also it was that particular game where he scored a hat-trick right?

The hat trick game came the next season, on the road in Pittsburgh, while they were having their hockey fights cancer night.