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

[Billdo]

We are not at all a 'top 5 team in the league' quite YET, and last night proved it. The nonsense that goaltending alone was the culprit has got to stop.

I mean it's very easy to prove this wrong.

 

[Tundra]

He has watched alot of hockey and actually really knows his stuff. I don't agree with his take on 'we are ahead of schedule'. Tbh, I think that's Fitz with a smart bit of setting of expectations.

We are not at all a 'top 5 team in the league' quite YET, and last night proved it. The nonsense that goaltending alone was the culprit has got to stop.

Last night and Blackwood's previous start and the whole month of December are indications that we do not have that firm ability to defend our own zone.

When teams cede us the neutral zone we have the talent to be an absolute buzz saw.

When they clog up the NZ, hit us, and take away interior stretch passes we are a mediocre team at best.

I think Marino coming back maybe gets us looking like November again, but we need interior scoring, another couple of physical, aggressive forwards and really just a whole lot of seasoning.

Half of our defense is suspect. And the lower lines have lost their momentum. Devils are more of a high 2nd tier team, which isn't a scathing criticism. They will need to add at the trade deadline.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Agree with the Hughes take. The 39 shots almost all came in the last five minutes when NSH stopped counter attacking. Yeah, they didn't need zone time bc we'd get stripped of the puck and they'd counter attack with an odd man rush.

My point stands though. Last night was hardly a lopsided ref game MGMT fest.

We had no business being in that game and it was more late game heroics, which are great, but....

Thought it was a huge game for Hughes as he showed that he is not intimidated....Most Devils fans see it but for those that haven't he showed last night he's more than willing to go to the dirty spots.....

Nashville showed patience and some smart decisions. NJ played sloppy and careless and their passing sucked. I think NJ lost as opposed to Nashville winning. I don’t think the refs took the game from NJ. I think the refs took the game away from fans of hockey in the 21sy century. The call against Blackwood was a joke given what else they let go: I just object to bad hockey which the refs are allowing at the behest of someone. As the season goes along the refs just let more and more go and only call about two power plays per side per game. That leads to a boring slow game, if the NHL cares about the next generation of fans they need to let the gane breathe. Kids aren’t interested in slow clutching and grabbing. That’s not the same thing as the refs cheating NJ.

Hitting and forechecking are skill too game can't lose all physical play that's boring....

 

[glenwo2]

I knew I had over 100k, but I can't remember exactly when I made post number 100k.

I wish I did. I probably made it without realizing it.

I'm sure it's been over a year, if not 1.5 years. Almost 12 years with this account, 113k-some odd now, That's only about 753 or so posts per day (I'm rounding off here), which in the season I can rattle off probably 75-100 posts in a day. That's a little over 9000 posts a year.

I've never taken a sabbatical from here, outside of maybe a few days here and there over the years. I took a 3 day break from the internet in February of 2020 and had to do make up work on all my goals reviews cause I was days behind.

I didn't post much in 20-21 like I do now. I posted daily or at least in-season I did, but I wasn't really in a good place mentally and didn't have as much energy to really post here or do much of anything. I was fairly quiet over the 2021 offseason as well.

I am not even anywhere close to 50,000 posts and I've been here 3 years longer than you.

I must've taken a season-long vacation from here during one of the dark periods of this franchise. lol

 

[Nubmer6]

I am not even anywhere close to 50,000 posts and I've been here 3 years longer than you.

I must've taken a season-long vacation from here during one of the dark periods of this franchise. lol

Did you actually post here before we drafted Bratt???????

Hmm.... does not compute.

 

[glenwo2]

Did you actually post here before we drafted Bratt???????

Hmm.... does not compute.

 

[My3Sons]

Thought it was a huge game for Hughes as he showed that he is not intimidated....Most Devils fans see it but for those that haven't he showed last night he's more than willing to go to the dirty spots.....


Hitting and forechecking are skill too game can't lose all physical play that's boring....

I’m not suggesting physical play be phased out. Skate hard and check guys within the rules. Just stop clutching and grabbing and hitting guys in the back. If you move your feet and stay between you and the opponent you will limit chances. Step up to hit a guy without using your elbow or leaving your feet after he dumps it in. Hit each other along the boards but move your feet and don’t use your stick to pin the guy or cross check him. It’s not complicated. You can have checking and not slow thr game to a crawl because too many players suck.

 

[Lou is God]

Sweet Jesus some of these takes lol

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I’m not suggesting physical play be phased out. Skate hard and check guys within the rules. Just stop clutching and grabbing and hitting guys in the back. If you move your feet and stay between you and the opponent you will limit chances. Step up to hit a guy without using your elbow or leaving your feet after he dumps it in. Hit each other along the boards but move your feet and don’t use your stick to pin the guy or cross check him. It’s not complicated. You can have checking and not slow thr game to a crawl because too many players suck.

That's not what happened all the time in that game ....Did it happen yes...Is it the reason we lost no...They finished every check it's something this team does not do...Eventually that contact takes a toll as it did last night....

 

[My3Sons]

That's not what happened all the time in that game ....Did it happen yes...Is it the reason we lost no...They finished every check it's something this team does not do...Eventually that contact takes a toll as it did last night....

I disagree in that the contact didn’t stop them late in the game and they sucked pretty much from the get go. Their bad decisions poor passing and being out of position was on them. The Preds did little to force that. I don’t think the Preds checking did as much as thr clutching grabbing off puck interfernce and holding. Go find that picture of Jack between two Preds. They both have a hand off their stick trying to grab him. That’s holding. Is it ever called? Rarely. Is that why NJ lost? Not to my eyes. It just makes for a slower boring poorly played game. Nobody pays money to see crappy slow players pin Mercer against the board with a stick because they can’t keep up with him.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I honestly don't think we have a great partner for Luke aside from maybe Smith or maybe Seigenthaler. Probably just depends on who is healthy when he actually gets here. Severson/Marino draw the tough minutes too often, Hamilton would be a disaster, and I don't think he'll play on the right above any of those 3. My chaos theory is to play him as a 7th D and let a few of the D take shifts as wingers on the 4th line but that depends on who's healthy and playing well at that point.

Next season, I think he'll take Graves' role as the 2nd pairing offensive type with Marino, and Smith-Whoever will draw the toughest matchups.

I think this is just the type of player he is. He loves to rip the puck at basically every opportunity when often he should keep the cycle going. Even if you go back to last year, only Ty Smith and Walsh have higher xGA/60 than him, and Walsh only played one game. Even if you look at his last year in Colorado, they had 5 regular D with a lower xGA/60 than him. He's a risk taker, and when his clappers go in or generate a rebound that's great, but when they don't it's no different than Severson's high-risk outlet passes.

Yea, there's spot next season, but I don't see a spot this season.

Ignore function works

Except, it doesn't remove all the people responding to him that took up 5 pages, but thanks for the smart ass comment.

 

[SKNJD9]

Need a winger obviously ( meier hopefully ) need to go get a depth D man as well, can't rely on Bahl or Ok down the stretch if theres a injury after Marino comes back

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

That win against the Rangers 3 weeks ago turned this entire season, what a turning point. Hopefully Fitz uses this time off to narrow down the choices for Jack's winger for this spring + hopefully the future if it's Meier. Need Marino back for the first game out of the break versus Vancouver. With the way that January went, I know I need that mental break from this team but what a ride this first half has been.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Make it Timo time, Fitz

 

[engy]

I remember how so many people were clamoring to get Demko over the summer. I'll leave it up to Fitz to decide whether or not to get Timo.

 

[Bcap88]

Give me timo or give me death

 

[BomaLightDevils]

What would a fair contract look like if Ryan graves should stay a devil?

Is 5x5 okay?

 

[Dialamo]

What would a fair contract look like if Ryan graves should stay a devil?

Is 5x5 okay?

No way, better off he walks then giving him 5x5.

 

[glenwo2]

Give me timo or give me death

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Looking around the league, I wonder if Nashville decides to implode their roster come trade deadline day, I would love to see Fitz possibly take a swing at Tanner Jeannot. He's been on the downside this year stats wise but makes that sense for that physical presence most people are craving + he actually knows how to play hockey which is often forgotten with goons/physical players lol

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

What would a fair contract look like if Ryan graves should stay a devil?

Is 5x5 okay?

1x whatever he wants. They can pay him all he wants for 1 year and I'd be fine with that. No thanks to long-term though.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I am not even anywhere close to 50,000 posts and I've been here 3 years longer than you.

I must've taken a season-long vacation from here during one of the dark periods of this franchise. lol

I find it very hard to believe my post count is accurate lol. I guess 90% of them were when I was actually active cuz I thought I'd have way more than what I do.

 

[Blender]

Hughes leads the league in even strength goals and is 5th in goals overall. Pretty good for a player with a supposed muffin shot.

 

[severian]

What would a fair contract look like if Ryan graves should stay a devil?

Is 5x5 okay?

I’m more curious if 5x5 is reasonable/possible for Severson.

 

[Blender]