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Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - season begins!

Devils731

Devils731

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Jun 23, 2008
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Labanc went somewhere where he’s more likely to be a full time NHL player, he’s still fighting for his life to stay in the NHL.

I don’t think the Devils could guarantee him the same treatment this year. I don’t know that his AHL time wouldn’t have become extended.
 
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ZachaFlockaFlame

ZachaFlockaFlame

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I'm sure the Devils offered him something but there's just more opportunity in Columbus, he's probably thinking he can pot 15-20 before the deadline then get traded elsewhere to a playoff team and work his way back into making more money. I don't fault Labanc's thinking here and I'm sure he's grateful to Fitz for the opportunity, players realize these small things when picking teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they give up a late pick at the deadline for him again.
 
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Triumph

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Oct 2, 2007
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ZachaFlockaFlame said:
I'm sure the Devils offered him something but there's just more opportunity in Columbus, he's probably thinking he can pot 15-20 before the deadline then get traded elsewhere to a playoff team and work his way back into making more money. I don't fault Labanc's thinking here and I'm sure he's grateful to Fitz for the opportunity, players realize these small things when picking teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they give up a late pick at the deadline for him again.
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I don't think Labanc will make it on to a playoff team - he is the opposite of what playoff teams are generally looking for - but he seems like he's still an NHL quality player and belongs in the league.
 
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ZachaFlockaFlame

ZachaFlockaFlame

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Triumph said:
I don't think Labanc will make it on to a playoff team - he is the opposite of what playoff teams are generally looking for - but he seems like he's still an NHL quality player and belongs in the league.
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Teams will always trade for forward depth, teams traded for Lee Stempinak and PA Parenteau from us in similar situations for late picks and in Stempniak's case, for a 2nd and 4th after a really good year for us in 2016. Not sure why Labanc can't do that in CBJ with what he's shown in preseason playing with an AHL roster/ECHL guys most times
 
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Triumph

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ZachaFlockaFlame said:
Teams will always trade for forward depth, teams traded for Lee Stempinak and PA Parenteau from us in similar situations for late picks and in Stempniak's case, for a 2nd and 4th after a really good year for us in 2016. Not sure why Labanc can't do that in CBJ with what he's shown in preseason playing with an AHL roster/ECHL guys most times
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There are plenty of soft-minute scoring PP2 forwards who've gone unmoved at the deadline in past seasons. Stempniak is not at all a comparison point - Stempniak was a guy who had played all over the lineup in his career and was a regular member of NJ's penalty kill that season.

I wouldn't be jumping for joy in Labanc's skates if Parenteau is the comparison, he was mostly a healthy scratch for Nashville and never played in the NHL again.

The forward depth that teams are least likely to have any interest in is small, soft-minute scorers who can play on PP2. Sometimes a team will add that player, but a lot of times they won't. It would not shock me at all if Labanc plays reasonably well, Columbus isn't good, and he's still there after the deadline.
 
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Brodeur

Brodeur

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beekay414 said:
https://x.com/i/web/status/1842603585596715515

WTF man. Why not just waive the terrible Bastian?
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I get the argument that in a vacuum Labanc is a better offensive player than Bastian. But wanting to put Labanc on a 4th line might not work. Not sure Labanc would have leapfrogged Mercer/Tatar/Palat for PP2 time. To me, this is like wanting a slot receiver instead of a pass blocking tight end, but then having to use the slot receiver as a pass blocking tight end. Bastian fits a certain role as a 4th line energy guy who gets secondary PK time.
 
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Guttersniped

Guttersniped

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ZachaFlockaFlame said:
I'm sure the Devils offered him something but there's just more opportunity in Columbus, he's probably thinking he can pot 15-20 before the deadline then get traded elsewhere to a playoff team and work his way back into making more money. I don't fault Labanc's thinking here and I'm sure he's grateful to Fitz for the opportunity, players realize these small things when picking teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they give up a late pick at the deadline for him again.
Click to expand...

I think it LaBanc might be making a mistake if he’s thinking that.

Last season Columbus had 2 players with 20 goals and 4 players with 15.
Last season the Devils had 6 players with 20 goals and 8 with 15.

It’s easier to get 15 goals as a secondary scorer on high scoring team than on one of the worst teams in the NHL. And Columbus obviously tragically lost their leader in assists/best playmaker.

Zetterlund leading a bottom feeder in goals while getting Jack Hughes minutes is obviously the dream but a rarity. Offensively bad teams knee cap careers all the time because it’s hard to do much if no one else is generating offense.

Our forward depth sucks, his only competition as the extra forward is f***ing MacDermid.

I get not wanting to spend a second on an AHL roster but now I’m rooting against him because I’m super f***ing petty lol.
 
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ZachaFlockaFlame

ZachaFlockaFlame

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Triumph said:
There are plenty of soft-minute scoring PP2 forwards who've gone unmoved at the deadline in past seasons. Stempniak is not at all a comparison point - Stempniak was a guy who had played all over the lineup in his career and was a regular member of NJ's penalty kill that season.

I wouldn't be jumping for joy in Labanc's skates if Parenteau is the comparison, he was mostly a healthy scratch for Nashville and never played in the NHL again.

The forward depth that teams are least likely to have any interest in is small, soft-minute scorers who can play on PP2. Sometimes a team will add that player, but a lot of times they won't. It would not shock me at all if Labanc plays reasonably well, Columbus isn't good, and he's still there after the deadline.
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The Stempniak point was that he was a PTO too, it wasn't a player style comparison at all lol. And sure, teams at the bubble always look for juice regardless of how the player is. A team around the East/West bubble throwing CBJ a pick to get some scoring in Labanc if he does look good in CBJ, why not? It depends on the rental prices come deadline time too.
 
ZachaFlockaFlame

ZachaFlockaFlame

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Guttersniped said:
I think it LaBanc might be making a mistake if he’s thinking that.

Last season Columbus had 2 players with 20 goals and 4 players with 15.
Last season the Devils had 6 players with 20 goals and 8 with 15.

It’s easier to get 15 goals as a secondary scorer on high scoring team than on one of the worst teams in the NHL. And Columbus obviously tragically lost their leader in assists/best playmaker.

Zetterlund leading a bottom feeder in goals while getting Jack Hughes minutes is obviously the dream but a rarity. Offensively bad teams knee cap careers all the time because it’s hard to do much if no one else is generating offense.

Our forward depth sucks, his only competition as the extra forward is f***ing MacDermid.

I get not wanting to spend a second on an AHL roster but now I’m rooting against him because I’m super f***ing petty lol.
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I mean this is the best argument of why he shouldn't have gone there but maybe that's his thinking. He was destroying the preseason with complete bums (the Utica and ECHL guys) so anything for him, at this point, is higher talent than what he was working in preseason with us.
 
Captain3rdLine

Captain3rdLine

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Sep 24, 2020
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Jason MacIsaac said:
Posted this on twitter

Interesting dilemma once Pesce comes back.
Order of minutes on PP:
1.) Hamilton
2.) Casey

Order of minutes on PK:
1.) Kovacevic
2.) Siegenthaller
3.) Dillon
4.) Nemec

Pesce will be a fixture on PK so you may see Nemec come out.
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It’s possibly he does but I’m not sure this order of minutes things leads to that conclusion at all. If it’s Casey, Nemec is perfectly capable of running PP2. If it’s Kovacevic, Pesce slides in there instead of him.
 
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SteveCangialosi123

SteveCangialosi123

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Feb 17, 2012
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Jason MacIsaac said:
Posted this on twitter

Interesting dilemma once Pesce comes back.
Order of minutes on PP:
1.) Hamilton
2.) Casey

Order of minutes on PK:
1.) Kovacevic
2.) Siegenthaller
3.) Dillon
4.) Nemec

Pesce will be a fixture on PK so you may see Nemec come out.
Click to expand...
7 D will more than likely be our best option for the playoffs. But we probably don’t want to do that all year.
 
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Triumph

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Oct 2, 2007
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ZachaFlockaFlame said:
The Stempniak point was that he was a PTO too, it wasn't a player style comparison at all lol. And sure, teams at the bubble always look for juice regardless of how the player is. A team around the East/West bubble throwing CBJ a pick to get some scoring in Labanc if he does look good in CBJ, why not? It depends on the rental prices come deadline time too.
Click to expand...

Because he won't improve their team. Teams tend to trade for players who improve their team. They tend not to stick guys like Labanc on their 4th line, and they tend to have better players than Labanc in their top 9.
 
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SteveCangialosi123

SteveCangialosi123

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Bratt-Jack-Casey

1728150865814.gif
 
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ZachaFlockaFlame

ZachaFlockaFlame

Registered User
Aug 24, 2020
15,867
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Triumph said:
Because he won't improve their team. Teams tend to trade for players who improve their team. They tend not to stick guys like Labanc on their 4th line, and they tend to have better players than Labanc in their top 9.
Click to expand...

This is once again ignoring the fact I mentioned that Labanc has a good season with CBJ and doesn't look like an anchor to wherever he plays in the lineup. He sucks there and his NHL career is over. And you're looking at it at a Devils point of view, there's plenty of teams on the bubble who would kill for a good Labanc at the deadline.
 
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