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

[Forge]

lol enough with this guy already

Novo isn't that bad, come on now.


















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[NjDevsRR]

My concern with having all three of Hughes Bratt and Meier on the same line has nothing to do with defense.

Let em cook

 

[Hisch13r]

Accurate

 

[Lou is God]

So apparently playoff experience is all you need, you have that you're untouchable.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Accurate

Now I see why everyone wanted Chychrun so badly.

That's a great stat...

 

[MauDevils]

So apparently playoff experience is all you need, you have that you're untouchable.

They act like the puck turns into a ball come playoff time.

 

[guitarguyvic]

So apparently playoff experience is all you need, you have that you're untouchable.

If you’re talking about the rangers…the most absurd part is that the gap in playoff experience between the two teams is not nearly as high as is being perceived.

This is why my loathing towards that franchise is in a category of its own from other rivals.

 

[Bleedred]

lol enough with this guy already

I don't mind carrying 3 goalies and giving him a start or two if we have to, but we need to see what we have in Schmid right now.

We need to see more of Schmid, as it's much more important to see what we have in him.

We need to know if we can rely on him to play here for the NHL team full time next year.

It's an absolute joke if Blackwood gets a raise from what he made this year. I'd rather pay Schmid under a million, even if he somehow played WORSE than Blackwood. It would be worth the savings in cap space.

There would be interest in Blackwood on the UFA market, but I can't see anybody giving him more than a $1.5-$1.8 million for one year deal.

 

[Nocashstyle]

I don't mind carrying 3 goalies and giving him a start or two if we have to, but we need to see what we have in Schmid right now.

We need to see more of Schmid, as it's much more important to see what we have in him.

We need to know if we can rely on him to play here for the NHL team full time next year.

It's an absolute joke if Blackwood gets a raise from what he made this year. I'd rather pay Schmid under a million, even if he somehow played WORSE than Blackwood. It would be worth the savings in cap space.

There would be interest in Blackwood on the UFA market, but I can't see anybody giving him more than a $1.5-$1.8 million for one year deal.

You feeling okay, Bleed?

 

[Bleedred]

You feeling okay, Bleed?

A couple starts is fine

Returning Schmid to the AHL so Blackwood can play all the games Schmid would have played down stretch? Not fine.

Just carry 3 goalies when he comes back. Buffalo has been doing it about half the year now.

 

[Nocashstyle]

A couple starts is fine

Returning Schmid to the AHL so Blackwood can play all the games Schmid would have played down stretch? Not fine.

Just carry 3 goalies when he comes back. Buffalo has been doing it about half the year now.

I can’t believe I’m feeling more hard line than you. I see the value in just having 3 goalies up…but no reason to give Blackwood any starts over Vanecek or Schmid unless it’s a “JV level high school Senior getting put in the last 5 minutes of a blowout game on Senior Night” type situation

 

[Bleedred]

I can’t believe I’m feeling more hard line than you. I see the value in just having 3 goalies up…but no reason to give Blackwood any starts over Vanecek or Schmid unless it’s a “JV level high school Senior getting put in the last 5 minutes of a blowout game on Senior Night” type situation

I'm starting to feel Vanecek is getting burnt out and there's so many games in so few days down the stretch. Tough to say if burn out or just another slump like he had in December, which he recovered from the second Blackwood came back and they gave Blackwood two starts in a row.

I worry it might not be the best thing to load Schmid up with games either.

It would only be a load management type of thing.

Blackwood has played better this year than last year, but color me skeptical that he'd play better than this or even this mediocre if he played as many games as say Vitek has this year. I wouldn't be shocked in the least if it was yet another lower .890's year for him.

 

[devilsblood]

McLeod is fast and can win faceoffs. He's a solid PKer. That's the extent of it. He's not very good defensively and his playmaking and shot are weak. Can we do better? Eventually, probably yes but it could also be a lot worse. If there was a modern version of Brian Boyle with better wheels, I'd much prefer a guy like that as the 4C but they're rare. My hope is that we grab a better 4C candidate in the next few drafts since they should be pretty center heavy.

He probably gets something like 1.2-1.5M on his next deal. Bastian maybe a little higher since he's stronger defensively.

McLeod does carry the puck and push the puck up ice well. He’s also a pretty good playmaker. Has a weak shot and doesn’t get enough sog’s but I think he is a very good 4th line center overall.

Also think there is more upside there.

 

[Oneiro]

McLeod does carry the puck and push the puck up ice well. He’s also a pretty good playmaker. Has a weak shot and doesn’t get enough sog’s but I think he is a very good 4th line center overall.

Also think there is more upside there.

I think they like having four lines that can cut through the neutral zone with speed, which is part of McLeod's (and Boqvist's) utility. Agree to disagree on the playmaking - the BMW line's best shifts are all chip and chase scenarios, very rarely does one of them "create." The draft report on McLeod's play in junior was a playmaker, yeah - but none of that has materialized at the NHL level.

Ultimately, for me, the problem with that line going forward is that they're "dumb" overall. Each night, it's a question of whether they'll outcompete and outsize their opponents, and it's rare that they get a stop in their own zone and turn that around for a real breakout / scoring opportunity. It's the 4th line so it's a nitpicky complaint - they're fine and I think we can win with them. But the way the third line has transformed with Palat and Haula slotted correctly is what, eventually, I'd like to see. Getting smarter and better defensively without giving up the physicality and speed is a tall order in the short term but it's something we can try to build through the draft.

 

[Bleedred]

I think McLeod is fine, especially for what he's paid right now.

I don't think I'd wanna give him $2 million a year though and definitely no more than that.

I'm kind of hoping he'll sign for something like $3 million for 2 years or $3.6 for 2 years. He's the kind of player that I don't see being here beyond UFA age, so 2 years after this brings him to UFA.

 

[MasterofGrond]

McLeod is fine if he's making $1M a year. That's absolutely a fair price for a PK and faceoff specialist.

only problem is when people forget thats what he is

 

[Forge]

Accurate

Larry Robinson the GOAT and Alexander Karpovtsev was totally jobbed in the 98-99 hart ballot.

 

[Call Me Al]

mcleod is fine for what he is but it's perplexing how he has one of if not the worst shot ive ever seen. it's not professional hockey player quality, does he work on that at all??

 

[devilsblood]

I think they like having four lines that can cut through the neutral zone with speed, which is part of McLeod's (and Boqvist's) utility. Agree to disagree on the playmaking - the BMW line's best shifts are all chip and chase scenarios, very rarely does one of them "create." The draft report on McLeod's play in junior was a playmaker, yeah - but none of that has materialized at the NHL level.

Ultimately, for me, the problem with that line going forward is that they're "dumb" overall. Each night, it's a question of whether they'll outcompete and outsize their opponents, and it's rare that they get a stop in their own zone and turn that around for a real breakout / scoring opportunity. It's the 4th line so it's a nitpicky complaint - they're fine and I think we can win with them. But the way the third line has transformed with Palat and Haula slotted correctly is what, eventually, I'd like to see. Getting smarter and better defensively without giving up the physicality and speed is a tall order in the short term but it's something we can try to build through the draft.

Before the Zona game he was 2nd on the team in 5v5 assists. And best on the team in assist rate. Some of those are mayhem assists but not all if them.


Its an underrated aspect of his game as a pro.

 

[Billdo]

McLeod is fine if he's making $1M a year. That's absolutely a fair price for a PK and faceoff specialist.

only problem is when people forget thats what he is

Is there anyone who really think he's more than that though?

 

[MasterofGrond]

Is there anyone who really think he's more than that though?

Yes, repeatedly.

 

[guitarguyvic]

How much more do people really expect from fourth liners? Even when we were regularly winning divisions in the mid 2000’s our bottom guys were nothing more than plugs. With the exception of Carter-Gionta-Bernier, this is the best fourth line we’ve had post-lockout.

 

[MasterofGrond]

How much more do people really expect from fourth liners? Even when we were regularly winning divisions in the mid 2000’s our bottom guys were nothing more than plugs. With the exception of Carter-Gionta-Bernier, this is the best fourth line we’ve had post-lockout.

I aspire to low event mediocrity

 

[Bleedred]

How much more do people really expect from fourth liners? Even when we were regularly winning divisions in the mid 2000’s our bottom guys were nothing more than plugs. With the exception of Carter-Gionta-Bernier, this is the best fourth line we’ve had post-lockout.

The 17-18 4th line was pretty good.

I think it was kind of a revolving door, but I remember being pretty happy with the bottom 6 production that year, which was something I was not happy with the year before, nor the year or two after that.

Now some guys definitely overachieved and had career years, like Brian Gibbons, Brian Boyle probably scored at a better clip than he usually would have at that point in his career. Noesen had a good year. Coleman had a really good rookie year. Miles Wood had a pretty good year and scored over 30 points and came close to 20 goals. Stafford started the season good and looked like he could have scored 40-45 points that year, but he fell off around November-December from what I remember and stunk the rest of the year (outside of the shootout) as well as the next year when he came back yet again.

I remember there being a lot of guys in the bottom 6 that either scored 25-30 or more points or paced for it, but missed games.

We had good scoring depth that year from the bottom-6 besides just Hall killing it and winning the MVP.

That's kind of why I don't care for the Lazar thing, as I think everyone on the 4th line right now (and everybody's who's been a regular) is better than Lazar and I see no need to touch the forwards right now, unless guys need rest and days off.

Don't get me wrong, Wood is still a bit of a drain and I don't want him back under any circumstances and I wish he was not immune to healthy scratches, but his overall point production, along with McLeod's and Bastian's are all more than acceptable for the 4th line.

 

[MasterofGrond]

I don’t actually care about 4th liner point production, as long as those guys go out there and prevent chances against in limited minutes. It’s when you can’t manage that and also can’t score that I get annoyed.