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

[Devils731]

Where is the proof that Jack is the secret GM?

There is none.

But I think it’s something people have repeated enough that they feel comfortable stating it’s true because enough other people appear to believe it.

If you watch stuff in more casual Devils areas there are certainly Devils fans ready to blame most of the Devils problems on either or both Hughes.

 

[Devs3cups]

There is none.

But I think it’s something people have repeated enough that they feel comfortable stating it’s true because enough other people appear to believe it.

If you watch stuff in more casual Devils areas there are certainly Devils fans ready to blame most of the Devils problems on either or both Hughes.

Very true. An extremely interesting phenomenon.

 

[Emperoreddy]

There is none.

But I think it’s something people have repeated enough that they feel comfortable stating it’s true because enough other people appear to believe it.

If you watch stuff in more casual Devils areas there are certainly Devils fans ready to blame most of the Devils problems on either or both Hughes.

I'm assuming it started because he really liked Ruff and people assumed Nico hated him and Jack was the reason he stuck around so long (which is pure speculation) and they have run with it from there.

 

[Devs3cups]

I'm assuming it started because he really liked Ruff and people assumed Nico hated him and Jack was the reason he stuck around so long (which is pure speculation) and they have run with it from there.

Yup. Jack literally only said he liked Ruff and people ran with the idea that he was the only reason Ruff was still our coach
and that he had power in the GM’s decision making process. Literally only because he said he was a “Lindy Ruff fan”.

 

[tailfins]

I wonder about the effect of losing Severson and Wood on the room. There’s been a lot of talk about the loss of speed and experienced D, but Wood and Severson were the two longest tenured Devils. Now it’s Hischier and Bratt. That’s a pretty big changing of the guard.

 

[Guttersniped]

I wonder about the effect of losing Severson and Wood on the room. There’s been a lot of talk about the loss of speed and experienced D, but Wood and Severson were the two longest tenured Devils. Now it’s Hischier and Bratt. That’s a pretty big changing of the guard.

We lost a lot with those guys so I don’t know if their personalities were what we were missing.

 

[Billdo]

Just goaltending and Ruff...

 

[NjDevsRR]

Where is the proof that Jack is the secret GM?

 

[MadDevil]

Jack's the one running things eh? Took us longer to get to this bullshit than I thought it would.

 

[Guadana]

OK, they changed goalies and are still losing. I know a small sample.

they changed coaches but going from Ruff to Travis Green is not much of a change if one at all. they are still losing.

I have said all season "weak Defense." Yes in the off season they traded into a poor balance of youth and veteran defensemen. that remains while they are losing

all season, knowing we had a very bad defensive unit plus weak goalies I asked the coaches to get the offensive unit more involved with the defense and that never happened.

No big deal now, but unless the Devils get back to a strong defense they will continue to struggle.

In the Off Season Fitz needs to change the balance of the defensemen, returns of injured players will help plus Fitz needs to get another strong veteran D guy. then we have the D youth, great D to youth to build and maintain our defense in the future.

In the off season: we need a starting #1 starting goalie we now have 2 backups to pick from as backup plus a couple of young goalies coming along.

In the off season: we need a Head Coach that can play the mix for each game strategy, get us deep into the playoffs, the offense is there it just needs to be properly coached. Travis Green can't do this, his history as an HC says so, Vancouver fans say so, and hopefully, Devils fans say so...are you listening Fitz?

if the Devils, Fitz, gets the above goals in the off season, then 2024-25 is going to be the start of the new, stronger, aggressive, defensive New Jersey Devils. A base to build on each season, to win the Cup again and keep it. Look at the talent they have on offense, a great Captain with terrific assistants. Just get me a #1 Starting goalie, a HC and an improved defense.

The Future could look bright for the Devils for a long time.

I truly think that team needs in more defensive oriented coach and find good top-4 defenseman. They don’t need to play NYR2023 defensive style game, but if they will simplify their game, will add two three faster forechecking forwards, they will be good.
Green should and will walk away.

And a lot of players should heal and rest. They doesn’t look healthy with full of energy.

 

[Bleedred]

Jack is running the team is some real DD level stuff.

Actually, I'll keep that in mind for future ideas.

 

[guitarguyvic]

There is none.

But I think it’s something people have repeated enough that they feel comfortable stating it’s true because enough other people appear to believe it.

If you watch stuff in more casual Devils areas there are certainly Devils fans ready to blame most of the Devils problems on either or both Hughes.

I mean you've got a coaching staff that keeps trotting Luke out on the powerplay no matter how absolutely god awful he is and openly sayng they won't ever be benched, while a GM doesn't even blink at publicly criticizing a 4th line rookie for doing the same garbage almost every skater on the team does.

How do you expect people to not connect dots with how this organization's leadership has behaved?

 

[Guttersniped]

I mean you've got a coaching staff that keeps trotting Luke out on the powerplay no matter how absolutely god awful he is and openly saings they won't ever be benched, while a GM doesn't even blink at publicly criticizing a 4th line rookie for doing the same garbage almost every skater on the team does.

Yeah, I actually don’t give a shit about off-hand comment by Green and I don’t lose my mind over GM pressers, so I can’t take this conspiratorial journey with you.

 

[Emperoreddy]

If Allen waived in December, it's possible Ruff still has a job. You decide whether that's a good or bad thing

 

[MartyOwns]

There is a lot of missing depth both at forward and defense.

We need a goalie

You need a coach...a new coach is obviously going to run something very different from Ruff ...I would argue Hynes to Ruff is fastly different styles of play and we're about to do one of those vastly different styles of play shifts again....3 times in 9 years ...that to me says the organization has no idea what it wants to be.

So there's a ton of personnel changes that have to made in goal, defense and forward depth but the much bigger problem is that philosophy of style STILL hasn't been identified 9 years in. This is a mess...

We could change coaches every other week under Lou and we were ALWAYS going to play the same style of game... we're still trying to find ourselves almost decade later now

we’ve had 3 gm’s in those 9 years, so the struggle to develop some kind of identity isn’t really that concerning. neither is the 3 coaches.

how many goals would vegas have scored on vanecek today? 5, 6? that would have nothing to do with coaches or identities, it would have to do with us literally have some of the worst goaltending in the league, and i’m sure you’d agree with that too. with even average goaltending, we’re probably in a WC spot now. i don’t really care what our identity is, i want changes that produce tangible results. step back from the ledge, this season doesn’t have to plunge us into the dark ages.

we need dougie back on d (check). we need a henriquey guy to replace mcleod, maybe another 4th liner and a depth defenseman on a 1 year contract. and, obviously, a goalie. aside from the goalie, i’m pretty confident fitz can achieve those things.

 

[devilsblood]

Bratt with 2 goals in his last 20.

Tons of chances lately, but some finish would be helpful.

 

[guitarguyvic]

Yeah, I actually don’t give a shit about off-hand comment by Green and I don’t lose my mind over GM pressers, so I can’t take this conspiratorial journey with you.

I'm not pushing any conspiracy. I think there's a severe lack of accountability in this organization. The Hughes brothers, as the two most talented golden boys on the team, are gonna be the most apparent examples of that kind of culture. People being as they are, will connect the dots and take it farther than that. But it's not at all surprising. Sometimes even the most outlandish speculation has kernels of truth to them. That's what often times makes propaganda effective. It doesn't mean the small kernel isn't true though.

I don't think a coach publicly stating that x players will never get benched is a throw-away comment. I don't think I've ever even heard of such a thing being said openly. It's sickening, I have no idea how people think it's ok.

 

[MadDevil]

I mean you've got a coaching staff that keeps trotting Luke out on the powerplay no matter how absolutely god awful he is and openly sayng they won't ever be benched, while a GM doesn't even blink at publicly criticizing a 4th line rookie for doing the same garbage almost every skater on the team does.

How do you expect people to not connect dots with how this organization's leadership has behaved?

You mean the GM that was asked specifically about Holtz in the press conference, and as part of the answer also said certain other players needed to be better as well?

 

[Emperoreddy]

we’ve had 3 gm’s in those 9 years, so the struggle to develop some kind of identity isn’t really that concerning. neither is the 3 coaches.

how many goals would vegas have scored on vanecek today? 5, 6? that would have nothing to do with coaches or identities, it would have to do with us literally have some of the worst goaltending in the league, and i’m sure you’d agree with that too. with even average goaltending, we’re probably in a WC spot now. i don’t really care what our identity is, i want changes that produce tangible results. step back from the ledge, this season doesn’t have to plunge us into the dark ages.

we need dougie back on d (check). we need a henriquey guy to replace mcleod, maybe another 4th liner and a depth defenseman on a 1 year contract. and, obviously, a goalie. aside from the goalie, i’m pretty confident fitz can achieve those things.

We need a little more then that. We probably need another top 6 winger so Palat can play on the 3rd line permanently, and a 3rd line winger to keep Lazar on the 4th line.

 

[JimEIV]

how many goals would vegas have scored on vanecek today? 5, 6?

An we would've opened it up once down by 2 and lost 5 to 3 or 6 to 4....

It's literally the exact same thing as the 3-1 loss we just watched.

We can lose low event 3-1 or high event 5-3.... either way it's exactly the same.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Green won't make any changes to the first unit PP. He had to be forced to put Timo there because Toffoli was traded.

He flat out said he doesn't think it needs to be changed.

The dots to connect there is that he is a stubborn idiot, not that he is beholden to Jack.

 

[Bleedred]

Just goaltending and Ruff...

That's what happens when Ruff gets replaced with someone much worse than Ruff ever was.

Ruff should have went, but not until after this season. Unless you were gonna fire him earlier in the year and replace him with someone that at least wasn't Travis Green.

 

[Emperoreddy]

That's what happens when Ruff gets replaced with someone much worse than Ruff ever was.

Ruff should have went, but not until after this season. Unless you were gonna fire him earlier in the year and replace him with someone that at least wasn't Travis Green.

Honestly it's just more of the same. Green is doing exactly what Ruff was doing.

 

[devilsblood]

Take Toffoli out of the mix.

Over the last 25 games we've scored 4 pp goals.

2 by Jack, 1 each from Timo and Nico.

After that initial stretch the PP is without a doubt one of our major issues this season.

 

[guitarguyvic]

You mean the GM that was asked specifically about Holtz in the press conference, and as part of the answer also said certain other players needed to be better as well?

That's correct, I'm talking about the GM who didn't even hesitate to answer the question specifically about a rookie 4th liner, and the only thing he included about anyone else what a vague general comment that "others also have to be better".

Who are these others specifically? He spent several sentences on the child playing 5 minutes a night but didn't have time to call out players that are supposed to be actual difference makers.

Just because he was asked about Holtz specifically doesn't absolve him of how he handled the question.

And I think it's BS to just handwave his presser like it means nothing. If there's one thig Fitz has always been it's transparent. The presser gave us further insight and context into his mindset, and it wasn't positive.