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

[NjdevilfanJim]

I know some people want to be all sunshines and rainbows because we have because we have these still young shiny pieces on the roster, but it’s clear there are a ton of issues that need to be addressed for this team to be anywhere near a contender.

I know that will be labeled “doomer”…I’m not saying we are destined for failure as a foregone conclusion. It’s more about the recognition that management really needs to get their shit together for us to get to where we need to be, and it’s a lot more than just making a couple of simple moves.

Starts with the coach go from there ...Sometimes not making a change is the better move as well roster wise...Saying we have a ton of issues might be excessive....If Fitz panics he could undo a lot of the good he has done....

 

[billingtons ghost]

As a guy that generally likes CJ’s content, even when I disagree with it, that thread pissed me off. It came off to me as someone petulantly refusing to acknowledge some pretty obvious problems with the team because they contradict his priors. CJ is highly invested in the idea that NJ is full of high skill forwards and defensemen, and that those players will ultimately carry the day when they’re healthy and the team finds solid goaltending. Admitting that this team is soft throws all that in the garbage, and he’s simply not willing to that in the face of clear evidence.

I’ve seen, for years this team struggle to forecheck and maintain time in the zone. Struggle to win board battles, struggle to impose themselves physically when needed, get pinned in their own end, etc. etc. etc. They don’t force turnovers, they don’t create havoc in the zone. They have a rush and it’s (usually) stopped and immediately comes out of the zone. This year I’ve seen our players refusing to body check at all. Just pulling up on guys as they release the puck and not even bumping them. I don’t know where it’s coming from, but it’s really really apparent. And whatever you think of it, it’s just weird to act like it’s not happening.

But anytime people point any of this out, the CJs act like we’re asking for Mason Geertsons or Kurtis MacDermids. It’s the f***ing opposite. I was frustrated when they went out and got MacDermid because I knew that that’s what they did instead of getting the kind of forward the team actually needs.

Yep. This.

We are not a team that is difficult to play against by any measure in any zone. We have no patience and when we try to force things or fall behind we become tasty food for strongly structured teams with good counterattacks.

 

[Zippy316]

The issue as I see it is that Fitz needs to really nail these things. His track record with the coaching and goaltending in particular has not been great. Beyond those things, I also have major concerns about how accountability is being fostered in this org and how player injuries are being handled.

I think by all means Fitz has nailed almost everything in his tenure. So I’m not concerned there.

His biggest fault is goaltending, but it’s not from lack of trying. Crawford retiring, VV was a good attempt at a Blackwood tandem but we know how that went, he’s targeted legitimate top goaltenders the last year and change.

My only concern is he needs to not stray to far from this teams identity. Going from Sharangovich, Wood, and Boqvist to Toffoli, Nosek, and Tierney just whiffed on what made this team effective. Admittedly, there is a fine line there, because this team really needs to get better at in-zone offensive and maintaining possession. Just need to find a balance with speed so the team keeps its identity.

 

[Triumph]

Well apparently it didn’t actually get fixed long term, now did it?

Hell of a response. Pretty much what I expected.

 

[NJDevilsFan21]

Jack, Nico, Bratt, Timo, Luke, Simon. Those are the untouchables.

Goalie issue aside, the roster is far too soft outside of them given 5 of those 6 aren't contact players.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Hell of a response. Pretty much what I expected.

I'm sure if I re-hashed the same points that have been beaten to death already you'd be more satisfied.

 

[Triumph]

I'm sure if I re-hashed the same points that have been beaten to death already you'd be more satisfied.

What I was asking is what changed between summer 2022 that allowed the Devils to be a winning team. This is merely a question about the past and has nothing to do with the future.

 

[Devs3cups]

So, another opportunity for the team to grab a spot. They're right there, they just have to go and take it. Will they? Probably not, but they can if they want to.

 

[Guttersniped]

The ultimate Xweet for tonight lol

 

[glenwo2]

So.....

It feels kind of strange to have a goaltender that can get big stops time and time again after the constant shit-shows in net this season.

Yeah Allen had a "Here we go again with this shit" moment with the 2 goals given up in the beginning but then he settled in and the saves he made....they basically played an enormous factor in how the game turned out.

Sure the Devils got a little lucky themselves with the Tierney goal but how many times have we seen the Devils scratch and claw to tie a game only for whomever else was between pipes..GIVE UP a goal not even a minute later?

I think I can safely say that those 2 goals he gave up was more him being rusty than anything else, at least based on how he performed the rest of the way.

Also, I think Jake's performance as the game went on gave the Devils players MORE CONFIDENCE in which they knew that Jake would have their back if there was a breakdown.


Man alive....how often do the Devils beat Dallas up there in Dallas? rarely.

Even more rarely...actually chasing Oettinger.



This was an impressive win no matter where in the standings the Devils are.


Even though I'm still counting on the Devils NOT being able to get back-to-back wins (since that's been their M.O. this season), at the very least we have ONE goaltender who can put them in a better position to get a win.


Up next is the shitty Coyotes.

Let's see what happens.

 

[glenwo2]

So, another opportunity for the team to grab a spot. They're right there, they just have to go and take it. Will they? Probably not, but they can if they want to.

I think if Allen gives us more performances like that (the 2 goals on 3 shots were Rust, imo), the Devils will have a decent shot.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

This team being 4 points out with how f***ing shitty this year has been is absurd, shame is this team is not doing much with their superstar's shoulder dangling off the socket but why not give it a good college try since it seems both of these goalies have a calming presence with them. It would be peak 23-24 Devils to win this and get pounded by the Yotes on Saturday though lol

 

[Bleedred]

f*** the Coyotes. Joke team currently. Joke franchise historically. Lost every f***ing game they played in February. 4 wins in their last 22 games? f*** losing to them.

If that’s our last win of the season then so be it.

I’m still beyond skeeved out by losing game number 2 of the season to them at home.

 

[MadDevil]

I said jokingly like a week ago this team would probably beat Dallas and then lose to Arizona just to annoy us, so they're on pace.

 

[Mirka the Turka]

By the way I talked so much crap to the Stars fans

They did nothing. I literally called out the bias refs all games. I’ll gives Stars fans they’re pretty calm but ain’t as passionate as Devils fans.

 

[Devs3cups]

 

[NjDevsRR]

The Timo Doomers have been awfully quiet lately

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

What the hell lmao

People really thought this guy sucked LMAO

 

[Xirik]

What the hell lmao



People really thought this guy sucked LMAO

They should get a Timotion in their posting privledges.

 

[NjDevsRR]

What the hell lmao



People really thought this guy sucked LMAO

I now hope we go on a ten game heater for ten straight GDTs by me

 

[billingtons ghost]

Curious: is big head hockey just about players with big heads or is it a nod to smart things?

 

[billingtons ghost]

The Timo Doomers have been awfully quiet lately

I wasn't exactly a doomer, but I will point out that the guy has only 19 goals and 36 points this season in 53 games, and is a -21 with only 4 ppg...when we kinda thought a point per game was a given and 50 goals might have been in reach. He's 169th in the league in scoring behind some guys like Rust, Svech, and Nuke who have all played 10 fewer games.

He's been God awful all over the ice too. He's made more nice plays in the last five games than the entire previous while season combined. He made a couple beautiful defensive plays tonight.

Glad he decided to join the team now but I'm going to withhold any celebration until we make the playoffs.

 

[NjDevsRR]

I wasn't exactly a doomer, but I will point out that the guy has only 19 goals and 36 points this season in 53 games, and is a -21 with only 4 ppg...when we kinda thought a point per game was a given and 50 goals might have been in reach. He's 169th in the league in scoring behind some guys like Rust, Svech, and Nuke who have all played 10 fewer games.

He's been God awful all over the ice too. He's made more nice plays in the last five games than the entire previous while season combined. He made a couple beautiful defensive plays tonight.

Glad he decided to join the team now but I'm going to withhold any celebration until we make the playoffs.

I was also scared. But the talent is there and he is an absolute animal of a human being. This last month is very encouraging for the rest of his Devils career. Trending up to where he should be with us. I’m excited for next season

I’m also excited if Hatakka and DeSimone could be good and cheap depth pieces to replace Smith and Miller. If that can happen then a potential Siegs upgrade could be more palatable cap wise

 

[dzubrus8]

I'll admit, that definitely wasn't one of their better games this year, but the (1) 6 goals, (2) steady goaltending (after the first 3 shots), and (3) other teams' struggles have me cautiously optimistic going into this do-or-die weekend. Last do-or-die weekend was the Anaheim - LA trip and I flew down to LA to see them. I'm thinking of flying to Vegas Saturday night and seeing the game Sunday before heading home.

A few key takeaways from today

1. Allen's resilience – Bill/Dano talked about it but the mental sharpness and experience has to be really on point for a goalie to come back from 2ga on 3sa and save the next ~35. I think KK should get Saturday and Allen should get Sunday if only because the Devils need to win both and I don't want to see them double start either.
   
2. Meier dominating and improving – I am probably one of Meier's biggest fans and didn't give up on him for even an instant during his slump this year. That said, even in his recent hot streak I was noticing a lot of negative plays, not giving full effort, flubbing shots, losing easy possessions. I'm not expecting perfection but I want clean and I wasn't seeing that all the time. Lately (and I mean in the last few games, not over the entire heater) the percentage of those plays has decreased drastically. He now is starting to look like a game wrecker
   
   
3. Keep Hughes + Hischier together until scoring dwindles – it bugged me the last few weeks to see Hischier and Hughes sharing the top line when the team was down with <5 mins left so you can imagine my hesitance here. Given Hughes' slump (I gotta think he's still injured) I'm actually okay with overloading that line for now. Mercer turned out to be a nice addition too. As long as the other lines are able to put quality pucks on net (and in the net) I'm okay with keeping this line together
   
   
4. Young defensemen showed up big time – this was one of the best games I saw from Nemo. Hatakka was steady as he's been in every other game he's played for this team. DeSimone had a really solid game and stepped up in a big way to take on the PK when Bahl took two trips to the box.
   
   
5. Forechecking + dumping – I imagine most people have seen the Devils forechecking more as of late but one thing that's started to come with it is more dump and chase. Given Jack has been ailing and struggling for clean entries lately, it was a welcome sight to see him dump some chances in instead of trying to play hero hockey. With Nico willing to play the boards and Mercer also generally being a high motor player, that strategy worked tonight. The Devils have outmuscled teams on the boards the last little bit and I hope to see them continue to leverage this against some of the less physical teams.

Lineup for this weekend (hopefully):

Hughes - Hischier - Mercer
Bratt (or Palat) - Haula - Meier
Palat (or Bratt) - Lazar - Holtz
Smith - Nosek - Tierney

Bahl - Marino
Hughes - Nemec
Hatakka - DeSimone

Kahkonen (Sat vs. ARI)
Allen (Sun vs. VGK)

 

[NjDevsRR]

I'll admit, that definitely wasn't one of their better games this year, but the (1) 6 goals, (2) steady goaltending (after the first 3 shots), and (3) other teams' struggles have me cautiously optimistic going into this do-or-die weekend. Last do-or-die weekend was the Anaheim - LA trip and I flew down to LA to see them. I'm thinking of flying to Vegas Saturday night and seeing the game Sunday before heading home.

A few key takeaways from today

1. Allen's resilience – Bill/Dano talked about it but the mental sharpness and experience has to be really on point for a goalie to come back from 2ga on 3sa and save the next ~35. I think KK should get Saturday and Allen should get Sunday if only because the Devils need to win both and I don't want to see them double start either.
2. Meier dominating and improving – I am probably one of Meier's biggest fans and didn't give up on him for even an instant during his slump this year. That said, even in his recent hot streak I was noticing a lot of negative plays, not giving full effort, flubbing shots, losing easy possessions. I'm not expecting perfection but I want clean and I wasn't seeing that all the time. Lately (and I mean in the last few games, not over the entire heater) the percentage of those plays has decreased drastically. He now is starting to look like a game wrecker
   
   
3. Keep Hughes + Hischier together until scoring dwindles – it bugged me the last few weeks to see Hischier and Hughes sharing the top line when the team was down with <5 mins left so you can imagine my hesitance here. Given Hughes' slump (I gotta think he's still injured) I'm actually okay with overloading that line for now. Mercer turned out to be a nice addition too. As long as the other lines are able to put quality pucks on net (and in the net) I'm okay with keeping this line together
   
   
4. Young defensemen showed up big time – this was one of the best games I saw from Nemo. Hatakka was steady as he's been in every other game he's played for this team. DeSimone had a really solid game and stepped up in a big way to take on the PK when Bahl took two trips to the box.
   
   
5. Forechecking + dumping – I imagine most people have seen the Devils forechecking more as of late but one thing that's started to come with it is more dump and chase. Given Jack has been ailing and struggling for clean entries lately, it was a welcome sight to see him dump some chances in instead of trying to play hero hockey. With Nico willing to play the boards and Mercer also generally being a high motor player, that strategy worked tonight. The Devils have outmuscled teams on the boards the last little bit and I hope to see them continue to leverage this against some of the less physical teams.

Lineup for this weekend (hopefully):

Hughes - Hischier - Mercer
Bratt (or Palat) - Haula - Meier
Palat (or Bratt) - Lazar - Holtz
Smith - Nosek - Tierney

Bahl - Marino
Hughes - Nemec
Hatakka - DeSimone

Kahkonen (Sat vs. ARI)
Allen (Sun vs. VGK)

Have any Zubrus jerseys?