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

[Mgd31]

After the first three games, without going off the deep end, is there any chance Nemec AND Casey go to Utica? Nemecs been bad, really bad, and Casey's got pretty horrible underlying numbers. So realistically when Pesce and Luke are back is there a shot we see Dillon-Hamilton, Hughes-Pesce, Siegenthaler-Kovacevic?

Sure. Kovacevic can't come out of the lineup right now.

 

[Unknown Caller]

After the first three games, without going off the deep end, is there any chance Nemec AND Casey go to Utica? Nemecs been bad, really bad, and Casey's got pretty horrible underlying numbers. So realistically when Pesce and Luke are back is there a shot we see Dillon-Hamilton, Hughes-Pesce, Siegenthaler-Kovacevic?

They both can and probably will come out when Pesce and Luke are back, but Nemec will eventually overtake Kovacevic or replace an injured veteran. Nemec is going to progressively get back to and surpass how good he was last season, it's just going to take some time early on.

I think Casey winds up in Utica for the season, and that's for the best. He'll put up monster numbers down there and improve his defensive play.

 

[My3Sons]

Palat is slow as can be too. Haula and Bastian have below average speed. Overall the speed in our bottom 6 is below average. As I said in that post if Cotter were to get hurt and replaced by MacDermid or Foote the speed of that group overall is atrocious and most likely (without looking) the worst in the league.

Compared to being fast and a strength a couple of seasons ago. And a fast bottom 6 is a much more effective one in my opinion especially when speed is an important aspect of our top 6. We shouldn’t have abandoned our team identity of speed.

NHL edge data suggests Haula is way above average. He hit approximately 23.5 last year which was roughly 95% of skaters. Lazar is a bit above 22.1 which was league average. Bastian is slightly below average, Palat is further below average and do yourself a favor and don't look at Noesen's edge data. Cotter is well above average. Based on the objective stuff I'd say the bottom six centers are fast and average and one winger is fast and one is more or less average and one is slow and one is a turtle.

 

[OldCraig71]

Possibly the greatest defenseman in Devils history.

jk but he's been really good, better than advertised. Playing like a legit top-4 guy for us. Passing well, skating well, using his body, looking good defensively. Most of us expected to him to be #7 but it's going to be impossible for us to take him out of the lineup when guys get healthy.

He was blocked from advancing in the Jets organization and we picked him up from the waiver wire and he was a pleasant surprise. He will look better when surrounded by superior players but is a solid stop-gap player when needed. I liked him as a player and wish him well.

 

[theoptimist]

He hasn't been the same since the Blues game last season

 

[My3Sons]

He was blocked from advancing in the Jets organization and we picked him up from the waiver wire and he was a pleasant surprise. He will look better when surrounded by superior players but is a solid stop-gap player when needed. I liked him as a player and wish him well.

Now that the Jets have fired Saleh maybe he gets another chance there?