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

[HughesCorporation]

im tired just watching Umass Denver 2OT

Hrabal is a big ass dude

 

[TrufleShufle]

Tatar was never a healthy scratch on the Devils and he was far more useful to us than Sharangovich was. They had nearly identical production offensively but Tatar was miles ahead defensively, which is why he stayed in the lineup and Sharangovich didn't.

What are you even trying to say here? That how players perform on other teams is more important than how they perform on the Devils? If that's the case, you're going to love this guy named Tyler Toffoli. I heard he scored a lot of goals for Calgary last year.

Pretty sure I said exactly what I wanted to say, go ahead and read back if you are confused, don’t really hide what I’m saying very much. But if that statement offended you, I’m sorry. But it says something.

 

[Call Me Al]

The discussion is therefore over. Any asinine version of 'We finished in last place with you, we can finish in last place without you' is just not a sensible way to talk about a hockey team's performance. Some players are contributing to wins, some players are a slight drag on winning, but the Devils are going to end the season with 80-something points instead of 35-40 and the reason they are is going to be the players contributing to the wins over replacement that they got. Toffoli is one of those players.



You're assuming the Devils would've even qualified Sharangovich after last season. I don't think they would have, and I don't think if they didn't qualify him, that he would stay - what reason would he have to stay here? You can't keep everyone, and you especially can't keep everyone when they've been benched.

I'll acknowledge that Sharangovich was a more fun player to watch than Toffoli, who gave me Jack Parkman vibes early on and wasn't going to be a fan favorite even if he scored 5 more goals. Absolutely can't disagree there.

i’m not talking about the teams performance as a whole im assessing a specific trade at the end of the season and deciding if it was worth it and to me it’s not.

you’re making a lot of assumptions about what would have happened with sharangovich. i doubt they would have given up on him. alas, there’s no way to reconcile that.

these can all be true:

- i liked the trade at the time
- i don’t fault fitz for making the trade, i would have made that trade too
- despite his goal numbers i was disappointed by toffoli, hoped he would be more physical and didn’t realize how slow he was
- using hindsight, i would not make the trade again because i don’t like how it turned out for us and i like sharangovich

+5 points for a jack parkman reference, even though i didn’t get that vibe, thought toffoli was probably a good locker room guy to have

 

[NjDevsRR]

Finally, let's bring back the food and drink talk in this thread

I made a big ole burger tonight

 

[youryeah]

I made a big ole burger tonight

View attachment 842698

absolute unit. in awe at the size of that lad

 

[NjDevsRR]

absolute unit. in awe at the size of that lad

100 Dano memes to anyone who can guess the meat grind and toppings/condiments

 

[billingtons ghost]

So is it the deployment and being put in better positions to succeed?

We do know he shot more during Feb, and also posted the fastest skating time of any player this season during the outdoor game. Just seems like odd things for a guy who has hit a wall. At least physically, I see more argument for a guy who was struggling mentally.

I also think the team was in it's worst stretch in Feb so everyone's numbers will be down.

Both are true. It's hard to be mentally sharp if you're a little beat up, and trying to recover from an extremely heavy minute workload as a rookie, right?

 

[Andre Palot]

I am still concerned about Fitzgerald's number 1 offseason priory. Many experts and Devils fans feel that getting a goalie is the #1:priory. I feel strongly that there is a 1a and 1b priory for Tom.

During this offseason he must get a good coach and staff. It is too bad we lost Burnette. Also during this offseason he must get a goaltender to go with Jake Allen. There are the top three that is always discussed. Here is an additional 3.

3 Goalie Targets for the New Jersey Devils That Nobody is Talking About

Until the move is made, acquiring a number one goalie will be all -or at least most- that New Jersey Devils fans talk about. We've seen it sink seasons for the

pucksandpitchforks.com

Maybe he should put Marty Brodeur in charge of getting the goalie or getting the choices together for Tom.

Tom could focus his time on getting a head coach.

There is Devils staff that can do the workups on players available for the team needs.


Head Coach and Goalie are numbers 1a & 1b for me this offseason

Fedorov just got fired from the KHL. Two championships in three years. Could be worth a gander

 

[MadDevil]

What was the logic in Fitz's thinking regarding Toffoli after this season? He had to know how much he would cost, did he think he was going to resign him for peanuts? It was a go for it move relegated to teams at the end of their window, basically a 60 game rental.

Maybe he hoped he'd fit in, the team would be good, and they could work on an extension?

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

What was the logic in Fitz's thinking regarding Toffoli after this season? He had to know how much he would cost, did he think he was going to resign him for peanuts? It was a go for it move relegated to teams at the end of their window, basically a 60 game rental.

It still is possible that Toffoli doesn’t get the offers that he wants in the offseason and he circles back to us. Not likely, but possible. But I do think Fitz was very aware that this could’ve been a 1 year thing and was fine with it if he helped us in the playoffs.

 

[NJDfan86]

I made a big ole burger tonight

View attachment 842698

That’s an excellent bun for a burger made at home as well - really shows how much thought went into it.

 

[billingtons ghost]

If you think Toffoli is bad or was bad for us, I have deep concerns about your ability to evaluate play.

He was worse than he was last year in Calgary (probably because he isn't an ideal fit with our roster), but he was legitimately good, a net positive to the team, and probably more valuable than Rango even in a year where every puck yegor touches goes in.

I thought the Toffoli dragging was unfair when he was still here, how is it getting even more farcical, lmao

On a team that lost hustle guys, and desperately needed more corner puck wins and who's sole identity of being hard at all to play against is based upon speed ..
It's easy to see why he was discounted for carelessly turning the puck over leading to more pressure on our beleaguered D and goalies...

In vacuum he's the perfect sniper for Jack's wing, but Jack ceased being a center halfway through the season. He did what he was paid to do.

And on a team that has alot of guys that we are hoping Palat and Haulas defensive acumen might make up for... Toffoli was just an obvious sore thumb.

Bring him back when the rest of the team learns how to play hockey and he'd be grand.

Just like a Viktor Kozlov.

 

[NjDevsRR]

That’s an excellent bun for a burger made at home as well - really shows how much thought went into it.

Brioche is GOAT

This is a lamb burger I put together, cooked with BBQ sauce. With pickles, cole slaw and banana peppers

 

[My3Sons]

i need a drink to keep reading todays ramble on toffoli

you meant that as set up I imagine.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I'll bring up the Grabner trade to further my point. In hindsight, it was a bad trade, but you would be lying if you didn't see why it made sense when it happened. How he was playing, how we could use him, how he would add to our strengths and bolster our weaknesses a bit. It just didn't work. It should have, but just.... didn't.

Toffoli in hindsight, and when it happened, you could list all the reasons it was a bad idea after the fact and was going to be a bad idea before it happened and they would pretty much stay the same.

Yes. ^this

Brioche is GOAT

This is a lamb burger I put together, cooked with BBQ sauce. With pickles, cole slaw and banana peppers

Uggggghhh. Are you really going to make me get out of this hammock and make a burger. Nice work man.

Brioche is GOAT

This is a lamb burger I put together, cooked with BBQ sauce. With pickles, cole slaw and banana peppers

Uggggghhh. Are you really going to make me get out of this hammock and make a burger. Nice work man.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Yes. ^this


Uggggghhh. Are you really going to make me get out of this hammock and make a burger. Nice work man.


Uggggghhh. Are you really going to make me get out of this hammock and make a burger. Nice work man.

Do it, you only live once. Clog up those arteries

 

[NJDfan86]

Brioche is GOAT

This is a lamb burger I put together, cooked with BBQ sauce. With pickles, cole slaw and banana peppers

I was unsure on the meat but knew it wasn’t beef - nailed all the other toppings though.

 

[My3Sons]

Brioche is GOAT

This is a lamb burger I put together, cooked with BBQ sauce. With pickles, cole slaw and banana peppers

My golden retrievers are going to your house for some burgers. They said they enjoy a good lamb burger and nobody here has fed them for weeks. They said this as they were eating dinner.

 

[NjDevsRR]

I was unsure on the meat but knew it wasn’t beef - nailed all the other toppings though.

Good eye

My golden retrievers are going to your house for some burgers. They said they enjoy a good lamb burger and nobody here has fed them for weeks. They said this as they were eating dinner.

They are welcome

 

[Triumph]

you’re making a lot of assumptions about what would have happened with sharangovich. i doubt they would have given up on him. alas, there’s no way to reconcile that.

I do not think I am making a lot of assumptions given the Devils' cap situation, the winger situation, and what the Devils wanted to do in the offseason. They non-tendered McLeod and Bastian who were in a similar boat. The issue is that Sharangovich had not yet locked up a top 9 spot on the team but he was going to be paid decent money. The Devils, apart from a brief period in 2019 after the Summer of Shero, really hadn't come up against the cap much, but these are the decisions it forces you into - players who are on the team for 3 years who haven't locked in a roster spot can't be kept.

these can all be true:

- i liked the trade at the time
- i don’t fault fitz for making the trade, i would have made that trade too
- despite his goal numbers i was disappointed by toffoli, hoped he would be more physical and didn’t realize how slow he was
- using hindsight, i would not make the trade again because i don’t like how it turned out for us and i like sharangovich

+5 points for a jack parkman reference, even though i didn’t get that vibe, thought toffoli was probably a good locker room guy to have

I agree with most of this, the thing I don't agree with is 'using hindsight' because that's just not how I think about things. Or rather, I just don't consider it a worthwhile way to evaluate anything.

 

[devilsblood]

Nico has a 60 percent o zone start this year
Which is a career high.

However, when one forward has to be attached to another it cuts down your line combos and versatility in half.

You either have to play a shitty lw higher up or you have to play someone out of position to accommodate those two being jointed at the hip.

Ruff shuffled every line but refused to separate jack and Toffoli

I'm seeing 51% for Nico this season.

70% with Toffoli.

 

[britdevil]

I made a big ole burger tonight

View attachment 842698

 

[NjDevsRR]

View attachment 842746

 

[JrFischer54]

Those picks could clearly be used to get another player of Toffoli's ilk next season, when it matters more.

Or for the goalie everybody knows we need.

Or to help fill out our bottom 6 with somebody worth sending out there with a little cost control. Lazar only cost the Devils a 4th, and he's been a godsend.

Picks aren't just future prospects. They're flexible assets.


Yes and then if you send the 26 2nd and 3rd in a deal, we dont have those picks to send in a different deal at a future deadline etc etc.

We didn't get a first, but more picks is more ammunition, full stop. Not like the Devils took a 6th for him, teams value 2nds.

I’m not trading a legit nhl player for future 3rd and 2nd picks unless this team is rebuilding.

Again any trade involving big players we need in the future won’t not happen because we don’t have an extra 2nd or 3rd round pick.

 

[JrFischer54]

I came here expecting this place to be in ruins with the devils comments about green