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

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Yeah I'm writing it all off. I think it's absolutely meaningless what anyone does in the final 14/15 games in a season where you're a bottom 10 team.

And honestly, as a fan, I kind of find new found performances in the waning stages of lost season a bit insulting.

Regardless of my feelings, purely from a logical standpoint, how am I to interpret 60 shit games and 10 really good ones in the dying phase of a lost year? Believe the good ones and make believe the 60 didn't exist? Find excuses for why the 60 happened and try to convince myself the 10 are more indictive of the players? Seems ludicrous to me?

for someone who is a huge fan/defender of Damon Severson, this is kind of ironic.

 

[NjDevsRR]

The final games consists of:

4 games against opponents fighting for the playoffs

6 games against top 3 Division teams playing for seeding

3 games against non bubble teams

Oh, and Devils can be 4 pts out of a playoff spot tomorrow with two games to play against NYI with a freefalling Wings team in the final spot…





But yes, totally meaningless!!

 

[JimEIV]

The final games consists of:

4 games against opponents fighting for the playoffs

6 games against top 3 Division teams playing for seeding

3 games against non bubble teams

Oh, and Devils can be 4 pts out of a playoff spot tomorrow with two games to play against NYI with a freefalling Wings team in the final spot…





But yes, totally meaningless!!

 

[None Shall Pass]

Sports are more fun when you're rooting for success. It ain't over until the math states it definitively.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Wasn't that the Bruins goalie who blocked the trade to LAK?

Maybe Swedes don't like LAK lol

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Speaking of guys and junktime surges, just watch Mercer have a big run the last few weeks of the season lol

Funny how every team is trying to get the player from NJ in a trade should tell you something that maybe he is a really good young player....I hope a lot of the young guys have "junk time" surges to help their confidence going into the summer....

 

[NjDevsRR]

There literally has been no junk time, what an odd narrative. There’s been a junk team, but there haven’t been any meaningless games yet.


And if Mercer goes on a surge it means he’s a good player. Besides the two Sens gms and the one Pitt gm that is left, Devils will be playing 11 games against teams fighting for the playoffs or top 3 divisional teams. So why wouldn’t it matter if Mercer puts up a good stretch against the top half of the league?


Two utterly bizarre narratives tonight. Still love you all but this season has made some of you loco.

 

[theoptimist]

I wish my ex was still around

 

[Clam Jensen]

Sports are more fun when you're rooting for success. It ain't over until the math states it definitively.

We need some Terrence Howard math to make it in lol.

 

[NJDevs26]

There literally has been no junk time, what an odd narrative. There’s been a junk team, but there haven’t been any meaningless games yet.

Try selling that to the Devils themselves, not like they’ve really shown ‘playoff hunt urgency’ since the outdoor game.

We need some Terrence Howard math to make it in lol.

Yeah we’ve already flubbed up our chance, Detroit lost seven in a row and we’re STILL six points behind them and five points back of the Caps with them having an extra game. I don’t even want to hear about faux playoff chances unless they at least sweep the homestand and/or win five of six, eventually we have to actually you know, win a few games to even have a chance at a run lol, especially since these teams can’t literally all lose every game and we still have to make up ground. Time is running out with thirteen games left and tonight we’re on the other end of the jinx team equation.

 

[HughesCorporation]

Who is your FA or trade defenseman for 2024?
Someone to pair with our star puck movers. Strong. Net front good stick smart ?

 

[Call Me Al]

i love how mercers 20 goals is a disappointment while the rangers 1st overall pick that year hit 20 playing with much better line mates and they’re celebrating his “breakout”

 

[TrufleShufle]

i love how mercers 20 goals is a disappointment while the rangers 1st overall pick that year hit 20 playing with much better line mates and they’re celebrating his “breakout”

Perspective. It does funny things to people.

 

[NJDevs26]

Hey if you guys are happy with 30 points and a -20 in 69 games a year after 56 points and a +22 in 82 games vaya con dios. Mercer’s had a poor year and it’s not like he’s playing with scrubs either, there’s no sugar coating it.

 

[Guadana]

Who is your FA or trade defenseman for 2024?
Someone to pair with our star puck movers. Strong. Net front good stick smart ?

Dumolin is the best in miles. But its not like he is easy trade target.
Would be great to trade Harley, if Dallas wants to cash in other players, but I don't see any real opportunity to make it happen.
We don't know what kind of plan Arizona and Minnesota have for Valimaki and Middleton. Both are interesting targets for a trade. Shouldn't be very expensive.
De Haan and Kulikov are very good UFA options for third pair role.

Wpg will not trade Schmidt most likely, but may be they want to sign Monahan and some other players, woukd be a great trade target too.

Dumolin and Schmidt should be expensive.

 

[TrufleShufle]

Hey if you guys are happy with 30 points and a -20 in 69 games a year after 56 points and a +22 in 82 games vaya con dios. Mercer’s had a poor year and it’s not like he’s playing with scrubs either, there’s no sugar coating it.

Comparing to how he played in the past? Absolutely having a bad year. But he's a young kid. If I never saw him before, but randomly tuned in and started watching him this year on another team at his age and started hearing grumblings that his team was giving up on him, I would be all over it.

We have the perspective of how good he was, where he was drafted, and what his potential "was." My thinking is, if he never becomes some topline point producer he is still going to be a insanely good bottom 6 guy who plays the game the right way and every team needs that. If he turns it back on and breaks out again, even better.

This year wasn't great for him obviously, but he still has plenty of time to figure it out and plenty of tools to help the team if he doesn't fully. That I'm happy with.

 

[forceten]

Mercer quietly starting to heat up and likely will equal his first season. That would not be a bad result after the horrific start.

 

[NJDevs26]

Comparing to how he played in the past? Absolutely having a bad year. But he's a young kid. If I never saw him before, but randomly tuned in and started watching him this year on another team at his age and started hearing grumblings that his team was giving up on him, I would be all over it.

We have the perspective of how good he was, where he was drafted, and what his potential "was." My thinking is, if he never becomes some topline point producer he is still going to be a insanely good bottom 6 guy who plays the game the right way and every team needs that. If he turns it back on and breaks out again, even better.

This year wasn't great for him obviously, but he still has plenty of time to figure it out and plenty of tools to help the team if he doesn't fully. That I'm happy with.

Never said trade him and I’ve said here I don’t want to sell low on Mercer now…but a lot of guys deserve to be called out and scrutinized for this season and he’s right near the top of the list.

 

[JimEIV]

Last 10: 3-7
14 - 19 since the New Year.

We won 2 in a row twice in the last 33 games since the New Year. 1/3 and 1/5 beating Washington and Chicago and 2/12 and 2/13 beating Seattle and Nashville.

We started the month of March off with 3 losses in a row - with losses to Anaheim, LA and Florida. Going 1-5 from 3/1 to 3/11 to kick off the month.


If we go .700 the rest of the way we'll win 9 out the last 13 games giving us 88 points. We have gone .507 on the year so far

Philly has to win 6 of their next 13 to get to 90 points.

Detroit has to win 7 of their next 13 to get to 90 points

Washington has to win 7 plus a loser point to get to 90 in their next 14 games.

And the Islanders would need to win 8 plus a loser points in their last 14 to get to 90 points....the Islanders are done too but they have a game in hand and a 3 point lead on us.


We need 3 teams in front of us Detroit, Washington and Philly to collapse and we need to play better hockey than we have since the magic run at the beginning of last season.

We can play the best hockey we've played in over a year and everyone else could limp and we still won't catch them.

I'm actually astonished we are talking about playoffs after going 3-7 in our last 10.... it's a little kookie to be honest

 

[Triumph]

There literally has been no junk time, what an odd narrative. There’s been a junk team, but there haven’t been any meaningless games yet.


And if Mercer goes on a surge it means he’s a good player. Besides the two Sens gms and the one Pitt gm that is left, Devils will be playing 11 games against teams fighting for the playoffs or top 3 divisional teams. So why wouldn’t it matter if Mercer puts up a good stretch against the top half of the league?


Two utterly bizarre narratives tonight. Still love you all but this season has made some of you loco.

It's just made up shit by Jim and others pretending that this is a 70 point season. FWIW, it's always been made up shit.

 

[Call Me Al]

Last 10: 3-7
14 - 19 since the New Year.

We won 2 in a row twice in the last 33 games since the New Year. 1/3 and 1/5 beating Washington and Chicago and 2/12 and 2/13 beating Seattle and Nashville.

We started the month of March off with 3 losses in a row - with losses to Anaheim, LA and Florida. Going 1-5 from 3/1 to 3/11 to kick off the month.


If we go .700 the rest of the way we'll win 9 out the last 13 games giving us 88 points. We have gone .507 on the year so far

Philly has to win 6 of their next 13 to get to 90 points.

Detroit has to win 7 of their next 13 to get to 90 points

Washington has to win 7 plus a loser point to get to 90 in their next 14 games.

And the Islanders would need to win 8 plus a loser points in their last 14 to get to 90 points....the Islanders are done too but they have a game in hand and a 3 point lead on us.


We need 3 teams in front of us Detroit, Washington and Philly to collapse and we need to play better hockey than we have since the magic run at the beginning of last season.

We can play the best hockey we've played in over a year and everyone else could limp and we still won't catch them.

I'm actually astonished we are talking about playoffs after going 3-7 in our last 10.... it's a little kookie to be honest

all of those teams have been collapsing. if they weren’t then we wouldn’t even be able to sniff the playoffs because we’re collapsing too. the reality is it’s there for whichever team gets hot and wins 2-3 more games than the rest of them. it’s a long shot for sure，and this team is incapable of carrying momentum from one game to the next, but it’s not impossible

 

[Better Call Sal]

I'm actually astonished we are talking about playoffs after going 3-7 in our last 10.... it's a little kookie to be honest

We're in it until we're not. Let people enjoy themselves.

 

[JimEIV]

It's just made up shit by Jim and others pretending that this is a 70 point season. FWIW, it's always been made up shit.

Made up? Athletes for as long as I can remember have talked about relishing being spoilers....what is that? Is that fake?

That's a shit team beating a good team ...a shit team with nothing to lose motivated by beating a better team with everything to lose....players talk about it openly in every sport in every year....it's not made up. I know people like you hate the unquantifiable like "clutch"...or anything that skews the final tally on the spreadsheet like garbage goals and junk time...but anyone watching knows these things are real....and it isfunny that we have had these conversations year after year....of course in garbage time .

As far as a 70 point team....This is a bad team and my guess is we'll finish somewhere around 82/84 points...a little worse or right around the same as the 2016 team final results.

 

[None Shall Pass]

On the flipside, I don't see the point in NOT talking about the playoffs until it's literally impossible.

Like I've taken stats classes at an undergrad and grad level, I know how numbers work, blah blah blah.

Still, it's sports. It means nothing. It's more fun to root for the improbable than to sit here miserable waiting for the offseason to start, no matter how stinky the team is.

 

[MB3]

if the Senators actually shop Tkachuk this offseason, what does a package look like to acquire him? Fitzgerald obviously tried hard for Matt, and his ratty scummy little game is sorta perfect for a team that the rest of the NHL considers soft as puppy shit.

If Ottawa asks for Bratt straight up, do you make the move?