Classic Devil
Spirit of 1988
Because I'm proud of this one and have nowhere to put it:
Finding Zezel took ages.
Finding Zezel took ages.
Because I'm proud of this one and have nowhere to put it:
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Finding Zezel took ages.
Just want to add something regarding the Nemec stuff. I'm 100% Slovak, all four of my grandparents are from there. I always root for them in every tournament, even over the US. Watching the Devils pick him second overall (with Slovaks going 1-2) was a very proud moment for me. Totally selfish on my part and being from the US, the NHL and the Devils (who's players are in the best league in the world under lucrative contracts) are my highest priority.
Because I'm proud of this one and have nowhere to put it:
View attachment 904660
Finding Zezel took ages.
Devils could pick Rossi or Lundell - no one would worry about center depth now.I don't know how that pick could have sunk the franchise. Nolan Patrick over Nico Hischier or Kakko over Jack is what I think of as moves that could have sunk the franchise.
Maybe if Holtz was from a draft prior to those guys, but we already had a few pretty good players drafted in years before him, and then were able to get guys like Mercer, Luke and Nemec on the other side of him.
He's honestly pretty insignificant. And he didn't bring back anything of substantial value when we traded him anyway, so he's pretty much a wash.
A disappointing pick for sure, but I don't see any way that whiffing on him could have sunk the franchise, unless he was the first serious pick into the rebuild.
Now if he were from the same draft year as any of Hischier, either Hughes brother or Nemec and we picked him instead of any of those guys? That would have been a brutal blow. Unfortunately, we could have had someone better that early in the 2020 draft, but at least it didn't come at the expense of guys we do have right now, who were picked in the years prior and after.
All 4 of my grandparents and both my parents were born in Macedonia. I've been wanting to go every year but hard to make a long trip work with wife and 2 kids. Last time i've been there I was 5..all four of my grandparents and both my parents were born in croatia. i need to get over there one day.
Holtz wasn't a whiff, I've said this multiple times before, Jack made his shot better after that pick. It became redundant for Holtz to run shot gun with him with how he plays post the pick. We all thought Meier would be the perfect fit with Jack and we saw how that turned out. Jack needs a dude next to him that's a quick strike scorer + doesn't take a lot of shots + that can keep up with him. Think of someone like Oliver Bjorkstrand out of Seattle, he'd be the perfect guy imo to plant next to Jack. Holtz was a decent try but he blew up in our face, it happens. The Devils got Shak who they turned into Meier/Mercer who's a top 9 forward from that draft. 2/3 is a good hit rate for a draft in asset management, we would've all signed up for that that night as well.
Sorry but drafting a player to play on one specific player's wing is idiotic, so if that was the plan, it's even dumber than I thought. I don't think it was the plan.
I don't think Holtz is in the NHL in 2 years, or if he is, he's a marginal player. He's just so seldom ahead of the play mentally, and he doesn't have the physical skills to compensate for that.
Nygard. But he did great and doing great to not be in the trading block at all.Holtz wasn't a whiff, I've said this multiple times before, Jack made his shot better after that pick. It became redundant for Holtz to run shot gun with him with how he plays post the pick. We all thought Meier would be the perfect fit with Jack and we saw how that turned out. Jack needs a dude next to him that's a quick strike scorer + doesn't take a lot of shots + that can keep up with him. Think of someone like Oliver Bjorkstrand out of Seattle, he'd be the perfect guy imo to plant next to Jack. Holtz was a decent try but he blew up in our face, it happens. The Devils got Shak who they turned into Meier/Mercer who's a top 9 forward from that draft. 2/3 is a good hit rate for a draft in asset management, we would've all signed up for that that night as well.
This year pick is the most “consensus” pick. And left defensemen are not so biggest need for this team. There were bigger needs picks like Helenius. Nygard - as center, as a winger for Jack. He has options in Dickinson and Buium(less need) for LD role.He certainly drafted for need this year, not sure about other years. It's also at times subjective to say when they draft for need and when they actually have certain players ranked higher on their board (a la Nemec over Wright when many of us including me thought they passed over Wright mostly cause he would have been a 3C here and reached for a 'need' pick instead).
My connotation of drafting for need differs from others here though, imo you draft for need when you draft someone clearly behind on your board because of position - Muk was one I kinda thought was in that vein since he was thought of as a late second round pick we pushed up a round since we didn't have a second rounder and already took two forwards, but that worked out too.
When it's more of a tiebreaker situation a la Holtz-Rossi or whomever else was around that range I don't really consider that drafting for need. It's not like Holtz was ranked a top twenty pick and we pumped him up to seven - him, Rossi and Askarov were all in the same range and they either chose the wrong one or developed him horribly, we'll find out which this year. I don't buy the meme that they drafted Holtz specifically to play with Jack though, especially since they never really tried him with Jack for any length of time to begin with!
I'm not sure why people are making Holtz out to be a bigger bust than someone like Matteau. Well actually I do know why, just disappointment in a high pick not working out.
Holtz has more games played than Matteau does in way fewer seasons. Matteau has already been shipped around multiple teams and couldn't stick in the nhl. You can't label Holtz as a bigger bust than Matteau right now. I also think there are others who rank higher on the bust list
It was (and yes it's idiotic). Some people here don't think Fitz has been drafting for need but he has been. Not always, but he has been doing it. They were 100% looking for a sniper to pair with Jack
If you need any proof, look at their last draft. Size and physicality were the theme of the draft (and I hate how this past draft when tbh). What does this team need? Just that
The only reason I haven't actively been shitting on it is because I didn't follow this draft hard but just based on the profile on the players he picked, just awful.
Similar to when Stillman was picked. Passed on higher upside players for a more physical player
I wasn't talking about the first round necessarily although even Silyaev you could have argued for one of the other defensemen over him but they went high celling because of size, that's fine but the later rounds they definitely overdrafted on size and didn't even look at anyone who wasn't big.This year pick is the most “consensus” pick. And left defensemen are not so biggest need for this team. There were bigger needs picks like Helenius. Nygard - as center, as a winger for Jack. He has options in Dickinson and Buium(less need) for LD role.
Still Silayev is a pick for needs too. At least not so “for needs” as Holtz, Nemec(still very good potential in the moment). Mukhamadullin was pick for upside. Mercer was a consensus pick but still for need.
Sorry but drafting a player to play on one specific player's wing is idiotic, so if that was the plan, it's even dumber than I thought. I don't think it was the plan.
I don't think Holtz is in the NHL in 2 years, or if he is, he's a marginal player. He's just so seldom ahead of the play mentally, and he doesn't have the physical skills to compensate for that.
People whine about drafting for need but those are examples I like to point out where slavishly sticking to the board isn't any better than overdrafting on need. Those picks were the polar opposite of drafting for need, that was being stubborn. Yeah I know Lou was supposedly paranoid over the small chance Marty might walk as a FA, child please...he'd already signed long-term by the time Ahonen was drafted, two years after he'd already picked Damphousse.The only reason I didn't mention guys like Ahonen or Damphousse as busts is because I don't think they were ever going to have a realistic shot at supplanting Marty. Easy to say that now in hindsight.
Neither of them ever panning out as even a backup doesn't help, though. I honestly didn't even realize how long Ahonen was in Albany for. Part of me thought he never even came over from Finland for some reason.