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

[PizzaAndPucks]

Toffoli needs to go. I think at worst we get a 2nd round pick for him. He is not worth trying to sign for 5 years when Holtz and Gritsyuk will most likely replace him. If we can get a 1st for him with retention than it could be big for landing Markstrom without having to lose Holtz or Casey. We would still have another 1st round pick to burn on a forward (preferably center) with size or a goalie at the Draft. A successful summer would be adding another blue chip prospect and addressing the goalie situation.

I'd actually like to keep Miller around since I don't see us making any deal for a top 4 defensman or trying to sign one. Keep Miller as a #6/#7 and run the defense as Hamilton-Nemec-Luke-Marino-Siegenthaler-Bahl-Miller.

Get anything you can get for Nosek. The dude has 0 points in 17 games. He's had a rough go this year with injuries but he is nothing more than a 4th liner. A soft one at that. I would be pumped if we got a 7th round pick for him.

Brendan Smith has had some memorable fun moments here but I think you move him 100% and take what you can get for him. Short tenure here with the Devils but I feel like he atleast tried to bring it every game and has been a great teammate. Take anything you can get for him though if possible.

 

[glenwo2]

The Bottom line here is : Ruff has to go & Markstrom must not be acquired for a lost cause.

This is not a JAB thrown at anyone (okay, Lou Is God?)..it's just the REALITY of the situation.

Now let's all just Chill the f out and hope Fitz removes his head out of his ass and does something USEFUL for a change.

 

[BurntToast]

“Graves: Everyone says he sucks”

Well then, who can argue with that?

Not many. “Graves is having a terrible year on the Penguins, therefore he sucks.” 23-24 Luke and Nemec >>>>> Graves. I

Fitz and Ruff have 1 good season vs 3 terrible seasons. There is a good chance the Devils finish second to last in the Metro.

I think Luke’s and Nemec’s potential clouds people judgement on how bad this defense is. 20-21: GA was 28th, 21-22: GA was 29th and 23-24: GA is currently 25th. Since Seigs’ return this team has been terrible and lets not pretend they were much better with Dougie at the beginning of the year.

I have serious concerns for this team going into next year. Was last years team the outlier?! They are projected to drop over 20pts in the standings. The Devils are only a couple of points ahead of the bottom 10 teams.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Even Nemec has seemed to hit a wall, playing with Siegs hasn’t helped. Hughes hit a wall in December. NJ needs to insulate those two, hopefully ride Hamilton and Hanifin (I wish).

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Reading Timo's post game comments the last few games, you can visibly tell that he knows the coaching staff is cooked after just coming from SJ and seeing what he sees.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Since Brunette won’t be available for 10+ years I will circle back to Jay Leach. Understands the Bruins way, a very strong Xs and Os type coach that understands defensive structure.

 

[Billdo]

Yeah...I'd much rather have Casey than a #28 through #32 draft pick.

Now do when he took over in 2020

Pavel Zacha
Wayne Simmonds
Nikita Gusev
Kevin Rooney
Expiring Kyle Palmieri
John Hayden

That was the good part now let's look at the goaltending and defense

PK Subban
Will Butcher
Sami Vatanen
Connor Carrick
Matt Tennyson
Dakota Mermis
Micro Mueller

Blackwood
Schneider
Domingue
Senn


This is the dog shit Fitz stepped into.

And he conveniently left out last year where everyone was thrilled with Marino, Siegenthaler wasn't horrible, etc. It's easy to use this year to pile on Fitz but to totally ignore last year and saying everything he's done has been bad is disingenuous.

 

[IDEKWTM]

I refuse to put much blame on 4 DIFFERENT goaltenders having poor (& VERY SIMILAR) stats under the same system.

It's on the system & coaching staff.

Akira showed flashes of being good last year under extremely difficult circumstances.
Daws did a good job in the A.

I really believe, just like the skaters, the goaltenders are basically checked out also.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I refuse to put much blame on 4 DIFFERENT goaltenders having poor (& VERY SIMILAR) stats under the same system.

It's on the system & coaching staff.

Akira showed flashes of being good last year under extremely difficult circumstances.
Daws did a good job in the A.

I really believe, just like the skaters, the goaltenders are basically checked out also.

Honestly I think the goalies are more stressed out than checked out. They seem to have a ton of pressure on them in this kind of system, especially behind the most mentally fragile team I've ever seen.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Since Brunette won’t be available for 10+ years I will circle back to Jay Leach. Understands the Bruins way, a very strong Xs and Os type coach that understands defensive structure.

Would love Jay Leach. I'm concerned the Devils are going to try to circle back to another retread though.

 

[Guadana]

Would love Jay Leach. I'm concerned the Devils are going to try to circle back to another retread though.

Since Brunette won’t be available for 10+ years I will circle back to Jay Leach. Understands the Bruins way, a very strong Xs and Os type coach that understands defensive structure.

Do Leach and Fitz have some connections in their life?

You guys need to create some party, send fake invitations, meet them, job done.

 

[theoptimist]

Fitzgerald is a coward

 

[Billdo]

At the end of the day while everything else is turning to shit, I love Hischier. Everyone loves to win but he seems like the only guy who HATES to lose.

 

[The Grinder]

Fitzgerald is a coward

Are you surmising no pink slip is coming today?

 

[Iggys Dome]

Who do you guys want to be the next head coach of the team? Would a Gallant or Woodcroft fit the team better?

I’ve been following you guys a bit more closely since all of the trade smoke between Calgary and NJ. You guys have a great young core that has potential to terrorize the east for a long time. I also hate the Rangers lol

 

[MB3]

I suppose we would better off with Domingue, Gusev and Micro Mueller....those stellar pieces to build around. Word.

But wait they're all out of hockey!

Nearly every piece Fitzgerald was left with is out of hockey today...some f***ing inheritance.

You’re just naming bad hockey players and saying Fitz saved us from them, as if other GMs wouldn’t have also moved on from those bad hockey players. You mention Vanecek and say he’s better than Domingue — sure! But Domingue was a developmental goalie in a developmental season and it didn’t work out. I find that infinitely easier to apologize for than rolling with Vanecek in 2023, seeing how horrific Vanecek has been in 2023 and then failing to do anything to address it.

The team is built on the backs of terrible seasons resulting in high quality draft picks. I am happy for you that you attribute that success to Fitzgerald, but aside from Marino was there one move where you can point to and say “wow, hell of a job by Fitzgerald there.”

86, 13, and 63 were inherited. 17 and 43 were drafted at the top of the lottery. Who is the guy you’re hanging your hat on? Who is “Fitz’ guy!!!” that makes up for the fact that he sat with his thumb in his ass while his team flopped around like a dying bird?

The one thing I love about Fitz so far has been the contracts he handed out to the core. That took balls and it’s paying off. But having a young core playing on great contracts is a depreciating win, every year you flounder in the playoffs or miss them altogether makes your big win look less successful. (The ancillary contracts, like the ones he gave to Palat and Haula, don’t have the same smell).

There’s (still) no goalie. The defensive depth is absolutely horrific. The best young coach in the NHL was on the bench last season and left, while the team got another year of “has never won shit, will never win shit, drives for 24 miles with his left blinker on and leaves his reading glasses on the top of his car” Lindy Ruff.

This season is a failure of epic proportions and it is squarely on the shoulders of Tom Fitzgerald. The Devils lost Brunette and replaced him with Travis Green. They declined to re-sign Severson and Graves and replaced them with Colin Miller and an expanded role for Brendan Smith. They traded Sharangovich for Toffoli, which looks like a lateral move at best. Then, when the goalies couldn’t stop a beach ball and the system was getting openly mocked on every single sports broadcast in the US and Canada, he did absolutely nothing.

Oh wait, he traded a top organizational prospect for Cam Janssen.

 

[Better Call Sal]

At the end of the day while everything else is turning to shit, I love Hischier. Everyone loves to win but he seems like the only guy who HATES to lose.

He’s been the best player on the team for well over a month. The exact guy I want to have wearing the C and leading this group. Has the mentality of doing whatever it takes to win.

 

[Devils731]

https://theathletic.com/5303482/2024/03/04/top-nhl-prospects-2024-matvei-michkov/?source=emp_shared_article

Wheeler’s ranking of the top 75 prospects.

Nemec at 2 and is in the top tier with Michov.

Casey and Gritsyuk in the honorable mentions categories. His write ups to both are complimentary.

———————

Rankings don’t ultimately mean anything but nice for Nemec to get some recognition. His play deserves it.

 

[theoptimist]

Are you surmising no pink slip is coming today?

Today, tomorrow, next week, coach should have been gone earlier, but whatever. Ruff’s replacement needs to be hired before July 1.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Might be the perfect day to do it then.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

You’re just naming bad hockey players and saying Fitz saved us from them, as if other GMs wouldn’t have also moved on from those bad hockey players. You mention Vanecek and say he’s better than Domingue — sure! But Domingue was a developmental goalie in a developmental season and it didn’t work out. I find that infinitely easier to apologize for than rolling with Vanecek in 2023, seeing how horrific Vanecek has been in 2023 and then failing to do anything to address it.

The team is built on the backs of terrible seasons resulting in high quality draft picks. I am happy for you that you attribute that success to Fitzgerald, but aside from Marino was there one move where you can point to and say “wow, hell of a job by Fitzgerald there.”

86, 13, and 63 were inherited. 17 and 43 were drafted at the top of the lottery. Who is the guy you’re hanging your hat on? Who is “Fitz’ guy!!!” that makes up for the fact that he sat with his thumb in his ass while his team flopped around like a dying bird?

The one thing I love about Fitz so far has been the contracts he handed out to the core. That took balls and it’s paying off. But having a young core playing on great contracts is a depreciating win, every year you flounder in the playoffs or miss them altogether makes your big win look less successful. (The ancillary contracts, like the ones he gave to Palat and Haula, don’t have the same smell).

There’s (still) no goalie. The defensive depth is absolutely horrific. The best young coach in the NHL was on the bench last season and left, while the team got another year of “has never won shit, will never win shit, drives for 24 miles with his left blinker on and leaves his reading glasses on the top of his car” Lindy Ruff.

This season is a failure of epic proportions and it is squarely on the shoulders of Tom Fitzgerald. The Devils lost Brunette and replaced him with Travis Green. They declined to re-sign Severson and Graves and replaced them with Colin Miller and an expanded role for Brendan Smith. They traded Sharangovich for Toffoli, which looks like a lateral move at best. Then, when the goalies couldn’t stop a beach ball and the system was getting openly mocked on every single sports broadcast in the US and Canada, he did absolutely nothing.

Oh wait, he traded a top organizational prospect for Cam Janssen.

No it isn’t. Hamilton-Marino-Miller-Nemec isn’t just not bad — it’s incredible depth. And that’s after making the decision to move on from Severson. What the hell does good depth look like if that is poor depth?

We could’ve used another left handed dman, sure. Beyond ridiculous to knock Fitz of all people for the defensive depth given what he inherited and what he’s built.

The rest of this post is just filled with too many inaccuracies to address. But saying Smith has had an “expanded role” this year is also false. He played 60 games last year with more minutes per game. This year he’s dressed as a forward and exclusive PKer at times.

 

[Devils731]

Might be the perfect day to do it then.

They’ve been off basically the entire season.

Not from effort but from cohesion.

 

[Mgd31]

Off and no practice today? Ruff will live on!

 

[Guadana]

Who do you guys want to be the next head coach of the team? Would a Gallant or Woodcroft fit the team better?

I’ve been following you guys a bit more closely since all of the trade smoke between Calgary and NJ. You guys have a great young core that has potential to terrorize the east for a long time. I also hate the Rangers lol

Gronborg, Sullivan, may be Tampa will lose wc spot and they will be crazy enough to fire Cooper. May be Boston will lose in the first round and they will be crazy enough to fire Montgomery.

 

[MB3]

No it isn’t. Hamilton-Marino-Miller-Nemec isn’t just not bad — it’s incredible depth. And that’s after making the decision to move on from Severson. What the hell does good depth look like if that is poor depth?

We could’ve used another left handed dman, sure. Beyond ridiculous to knock Fitz of all people for the defensive depth given what he inherited and what he’s built.

The rest of this post is just filled with too many inaccuracies to address. But saying Smith has had an “expanded role” this year is also false. He played 60 games last year with more minutes per game. This year he’s dressed as a forward and exclusive PKer at times.

If we could close our eyes and age Luke/Nemec 3 years, I'd agree our defense is fine as-is. But since we can't, it's baffling that you think Hamilton (injured) - Marino (horrid year) - Miller (lmao) and Nemec (small, adorable tiny baby deer) is "incredible depth."

"Given what Fitz inherited" is exhausting. The Devils fired Ray Shero 4 years ago. The Devils have had 4 drafts and 4 offseasons loaded with cap space and draft picks to address the holes in the team's roster construction. Entering this season without replacing Severson or Graves with anyone other than Colin f***ing Miller was a disasterclass of a move.

Address those "too many inaccuracies" then. How many times has Brendan Smith been health bombed this year? An injury and a suspension are the only reasons he won't play a full slate of games this year. The fact that Tom Fitzgerald counted on him playing a key role on this hockey team after seeing what he did last year is baffling.

Keep going. There are so many inaccuracies. Address them! Or are you just going to "etc. etc." your way through another post without actually having any substance to those et ceteras?