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

[Bleedred]

Wood is clearly damaged goods, but it sends a good message to the roster (and to a wider extent other teams players) that this management team will give you a chance through adversity.

He's probably a well liked team mate who came back from a year off. Good energy for the team to feed off.

That said I don't want him extended.

I just wish it was for way cheaper than his qualifying offer. I'm still afraid they'll do the same for Blackwood next year, since he's a little more mediocre this year and a little less worst goalie in the league.

 

[britdevil]

I just wish it was for way cheaper than his qualifying offer. I'm still afraid they'll do the same for Blackwood next year, since he's a little more mediocre this year and a little less worst goalie in the league.

He probably earned his qualifier. Like it or not, GM's are infatuated with guys like Wood. I know you know this.

Blackwood, I hear you. I think we should move on.

 

[NJDfan86]

Wood definitely. I don’t see how a guy making 1.1m matters.

I don’t hate LTIR this season because so many of fringy guys weren’t waiver exempt any way. Holtz and Bahl would play more though (in the AHL). It would be tough for us to play roster number games at forward.

There was a chance Fitz thought Johnsson was movable and then discovered that the the cap dump market had mostly disappeared.

Arizona mostly stopped doing it. Detroit completely stopped. Chicago and Anaheim didn’t have any interest in taking their place. Montreal got a 1st to take Monahan.

But a lot of teams are using LTIR, the cap went up 1m after being frozen at 81.5m for 3 seasons. It’s just a reality.

It has its down sides but if you hate it, good news, it looks temporary for us.

And I didn’t want Bjorkstrand. So we didn’t actually miss out on anything in my mind.

I was just combing Smith and Wood to offset the Bernier LTIR amount - I don't have a problem with the Smith signing in particular, just his usage thus far.

 

[tailfins]

Not trying to start a debate but what didn't you like that Fitzgerald did?

He's been pretty close to perfect to me?

The worst thing in his tenure I think some might say drafting Stillman? But I even supported that because it seemed like a clear shift in focus in team building.

I like a ton of what Fitz has done, but I don’t like what he’s doing with his 1st round picks. Luke was great - but I don’t know if he really had a choice on that pick. Didn’t like Stillman. Didn’t like Holtz. Didn’t like Muk. The players are all fine, it was when they were picked / the other options available.

I don’t like the position focus of the drafts. Why is it heavy on LD one year and then RD the next? Feels like it isn’t BPA or player type, but rather that there’s a position bias coming in.

I also don’t like that Fitz wasn’t aggressive in solving for goalie of the future. I would have preferred spending assets to move up and draft Wallstedt vs staying at 29 for Stillman. Once Cossa was off the board, we should have been looking at moving up, IMO.

These are nits though.

I think what Fitz does to upgrade the Devils wings and then what he does with goalie over the long term will define Fitz’s tenure.

He’s done some nice work, but really it looks like he’ll be carried by #1oa (Hughes), #2oa (Nemec), #4oa (Hughes), and top ufa (Hamilton). He’s filled in around that nicely, but make or break in terms of the devils cup prospects are goal and wings.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

In what world?

27 goals 52 points in 71 games over the last 3 runs. 351 hits, +32 too. Regardless of where you want to rank him, he was pivotal.

 

[JK3]

Some doozys in here today.

 

[Better Call Sal]

At least the team is in a better mood than the majority of people in here.

 

[TrufleShufle]

hmm, this kind of seems like it may apply to one of our recent top F picks....

The more interesting insight with this is a player basically straight up saying his organization screwed up.

No matter what you think about Kane, it is refreshing to see this type of honesty.

 

[DerekDevils30]

And speaking of Blackwood, I'm pretty annoyed he's not playing tonight.

And I know everybody can probably vouch for me that this is the first time this season I've complained about Blackwood not playing a game.

Because if he doesn't play tonight, it only means he's gonna get thrown in against a better team coming up pretty soon, and that's a guarantee because EVERY TEAM is better than this year's Blue Jackets.

If he's not in tonight, there's absolutely no reason to have him in Thursday night instead, especially with the back to back coming up right after that.

Not that the Blues are a good team, but if there's been a rando game to throw to Blackwood all year long, that isn't during a back to back, it's definitely this game.

If I had to guess, Blackwood will play St. Louis and Winnipeg. Vanecek will get the Pittsburgh divisional game.

 

[Bleedred]

In what world?

In what world wasn't he?

Second leading scorer in the playoffs for them last year behind only Kucherov? I know Point didn't play much.

Fifth leading for them in the playoffs in 2021

Second leading scorer in the playoffs for them in 2020, only one point behind Hedman, who won the Conn Smythe that year......

 

[Forge]

f***, we’re going to overpay for him, just like we over overpaid for Palat.

For all his good qualities, Fitz’s lack of patience is going to kill us. Please prove me wrong, Fitz.

Didn't fitz wait like 7 months for the Marino trade?

 

[Bleedred]

If I had to guess, Blackwood will play St. Louis and Winnipeg. Vanecek will get the Pittsburgh divisional game.

Meh

He should have played tonight if he's playing St. Louis. If there's a rando game to throw him into then it's absolutely tonight.

Here's a random trivia I remember from earlier this year though, the Blues are the only team in the NHL that Blackwood has never played, other than the Devils, who he couldn't have possibly played, as he's never played for an NHL team that wasn't the Devils to have an opportunity to play against the Devils.

 

[Forge]

If we miss on Timo, I think I'd be ready to make a big push on Crouse. I wasn't in last year because he hadn't done it before, but I think I can buy his goal production now and he'd be a good backup plan.

 

[Bleedred]

f***, we’re going to overpay for him, just like we over overpaid for Palat.

For all his good qualities, Fitz’s lack of patience is going to kill us. Please prove me wrong, Fitz.

Or he could just be like Shero (who I have defended and don't think he was bad here) where being too patient may have led to his demise here.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Or he could just be like Shero (who I have defended and don't think he was bad here) where being too patient may have led to his demise here.

I’m a Shero apologist too. If we had someone that was more aggressive in the infancy of the rebuild, we’d be Vancouver or worse right now.

 

[britdevil]

Palat discourse is hilarious to me.

We were trotting out the likes of Simmonds, Gusev, Stafford, Johansson not too long ago.

 

[MadDevil]

It's like some people expect the team to have nothing but perfect contracts. Palat's contract is likely going to not look so good the back half. That's the risk you take with any of those types of signings. That doesn't mean it is bad now and is preventing us from doing anything. Constantly bitching about it seems like a waste, especially given the team is actually good with said albatross contract on it.

 

[HersheyBob27]

In what world wasn't he?

Second leading scorer in the playoffs for them last year behind only Kucherov? I know Point didn't play much.

Fifth leading for them in the playoffs in 2021

Second leading scorer in the playoffs for them in 2020, only one point behind Hedman, who won the Conn Smythe that year......

He was never the fourth best player. Kuch, stam, point cirelli. Also too bad his best days are behind him. Horrible contract

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

In what world?

in North America on planet Earth in the Milky Way galaxy.

He was, at LOWEST, the 5th best forward on those teams. Pretty clearly. Especially when considering playoff stats.

 

[jkrdevil]

I’m a Shero apologist too. If we had someone that was more aggressive in the infancy of the rebuild, we’d be Vancouver or worse right now.

I’m not sure patience is the right word to describe Shero. The Hall trade (while a good one), was not a trade made out a patience. Ot was a trade that was made to try and speed things up. It came out of a compete misjudgment on how far away the team was and as a result we basically had an elite player for 3 1/2 years and completely wasted him only to have to turn around flip him because he didn’t want to stay.

Trading a 2nd round pick for a Mirco Mueller who couldn’t crack the NHL in his other stop wasn’t a patience move. Even the Palmieri deal was a try and speed things up move at the beginning.

The only time he was “patient” was when they stood Pat after the playoff year.

 

[HersheyBob27]

in North America on planet Earth in the Milky Way galaxy.

He was, at LOWEST, the 5th best forward on those teams. Pretty clearly. Especially when considering playoff stats.

Gourde was better too

 

[britdevil]

At least the team is in a better mood than the majority of people in here.

God damn Shara is a bean pole. Somebody get this kid some deli sammiches.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Y’all are giving him points with those laughing reactions lmao. Doesn’t deserve it with these takes.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Gourde was better too

No, he wasnt. And he hasnt been on the team in two seasons.

 

[Devs3cups]

Some doozys in here today.

Don’t know if you watch the show, but Smiling Friends is must watch TV lol.