Prospect Info: Devils Win #2 Overall -- Slafkovsky vs. Jiricek vs. Nemec

[Nubmer6]

I like your post a lot, I really do. I read most all of them. I find myself in total agreement on most of the philosophical points you make, for instance your comments on Dmen just a little while ago... I especially enjoy the light hearted post like this one.

But if you allow to honest for a moment...

Your post are almost 100% positive on everything.. @My3Sons has a similar outlook and approach to things...I can't speak for anyone else but for me, sometimes the positivity while we are mired in waist deep shit is irritating.

It's not just you and its nothing personal of course...it just sometimes the positivity gets to the point of absurdity.

I mean it's a decade now of losing...8 years of high picks...years of being told we have one of best prospect pools in the league and years of "the turn around being right around the corner"...and every off season there is a simple solution that will make everything better....Nero couldn't even be this blase.

Anyway I think that's why some people get irritable. You write fun to read stuff but I don't think there is anything wrong with calling a shitty situation or player what it is.

Have you ever read any of his posts on Andreas Johansson?

 

[JimEIV]

There is a lot of reasons to be optimistic. Our young players took substantial steps forward, we have several high end prospects with another likely coming, and our team performed relatively well 5 on 5. With better goaltending, we will have a substantially better team next year, and there is a clear route to being a contender with all the talent we have accumulated.

I have heard this song before. It's a classic here.

You understand we can improve by 30 points next year and still be nowhere near a playoff spot and most likely still be a bottom 10 team.


But how you can claim "all this talent" is truly beyond me. This was a 63 point team. I'm not sure if people aren't grasping how bad that actually is, making believe it didn't happen, or trying really hard to convince themselves that is was just goaltending.

 

[Forge]

I have heard this song before. It's a classic here.

You understand we can improve by 30 points next year and still be nowhere near a playoff spot and most likely still be a bottom 10 team.


But how you can claim "all this talent" is truly beyond me. This was a 63 point team. I'm not sure if people aren't grasping how bad that actually is, making believe it didn't happen, or trying really hard to convince themselves that is was just goaltending.

I believe average goaltending would have put this team at 9th in the conference for the year.

 

[JimEIV]

I believe average goaltending would have put this team at 9th in the conference for the year.

I don't. But regardless of that, 9th place in the Eastern conference was the 20th in the league and still 16 points behind Washington for the final playoff spot.

Great...

That is the reality, that is what we are aspiring to. We are aspiring to only be 16 points out as opposed to 37... If that happened this season we would have something build on...but this is a team that is still very much on the ground floor.

 

[Hisch13r]

I have heard this song before. It's a classic here.

You understand we can improve by 30 points next year and still be nowhere near a playoff spot and most likely still be a bottom 10 team.


But how you can claim "all this talent" is truly beyond me. This was a 63 point team. I'm not sure if people aren't grasping how bad that actually is, making believe it didn't happen, or trying really hard to convince themselves that is was just goaltending.

The people who claim it wasn't majority due to goaltending don't understand how bad the goaltending really was.

 

[JimEIV]

The people who claim it wasn't majority due to goaltending don't understand how bad the goaltending really was.

But we have so much talent and one of the deepest prospect pools...how could this be?

The narrative is bullshit. All of it.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

You don't win playoff hockey with the Logan Cooleys of the world.

 

[JimEIV]

Is he standing on Hedman's shoulders?

 

[Forge]

I don't

It cost then about 11 wins, they would have had about 85 points.

But regardless of that, 9th place in the Eastern conference was the 20th in the league and still 16 points behind Washington for the final playoff spot.

Great...

I mean, what were you expecting this year? That would have been right around my expectation. I didn't think we were a playoff team coming into the year.

That is the reality, that is what we are aspiring to. We are aspiring to only be 16 points out as opposed to 37...

Yeah, that's exactly what was said.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

But we have so much talent and one of the deepest prospect pools...how could this be?

The narrative is bullshit. All of it.

Why do you come on these boards and why do you support the devils then if they suck so much and there’s nothing to look forward to or be excited about? Or do you have some grand solution that would make them an immediate contender?

Seems like a waste of your time and energy to just come on here and endlessly complain and suggest there’s nothing to be excited about.

Regardless it’s clearly just stupidly negative considering 90% of the league would agree that the devils have a very exciting young team and should be very good in the not so distant future.
You also don’t seem to understand that it takes time with a deep prospect pool and young team. No should’ve expected the devils to be a playoff team this year.
Look at Tampa and Colorado. Doesn’t mean we’re gonna be them but they’re perfect examples of how long it can take. But it will be worth the wait.

But again. If you don’t believe any of that then what are you doing here? Why spend so much time talking about and complaining about something so hopeless?

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Is he standing on Hedman's shoulders?

Cooley is also the same height or slightly taller and same weight as Point currently is. Point was like barely 160 lbs at that age. It’s just weird to do the “you can’t win with players like that” when it’s just not true. You can’t win with 5-11 180 lb centers (at 18) that are super good skaters? Weird take.

 

[JimEIV]

Look at Tampa and Colorado. Doesn’t mean we’re gonna be them but they’re perfect examples of how long it can take. But it will be worth the wait.

Is this serious? Colorado moved from Quebec in the 95-96 season...since then they've missed the playoffs 8 times... that's 8 times 26 years...

Tampa in the same frame missed the playoffs 10 times in 26 years..

We missed the playoffs 10 times in the last 12 years.

 

[My3Sons]

I like your post a lot, I really do. I read most all of them. I find myself in total agreement on most of the philosophical points you make, for instance your comments on Dmen just a little while ago... I especially enjoy the light hearted post like this one.

But if you allow to honest for a moment...

Your post are almost 100% positive on everything.. @My3Sons has a similar outlook and approach to things...I can't speak for anyone else but for me, sometimes the positivity while we are mired in waist deep shit is irritating.

It's not just you and its nothing personal of course...it just sometimes the positivity gets to the point of absurdity.

I mean it's a decade now of losing...8 years of high picks...years of being told we have one of best prospect pools in the league and years of "the turn around being right around the corner"...and every off season there is a simple solution that will make everything better....Nero couldn't even be this blase.

Anyway I think that's why some people get irritable. You write fun to read stuff but I don't think there is anything wrong with calling a shitty situation or player what it is.

you are similar in age to @StevenToddIves and me if I recall. Haven’t you learned the perspective to try to let what you can’t control wash off your back? It’s not like I ever say the team is great. There are Plenty of things wrong with the roster and the coaching but how does ranting about it change anything? To some extent it’s just about watching young players who are the same age as my kids. They are typically still learning And can’t function like fully fledged adults. That part of it never seems to sit well with you. Hence the disgrace type comments. I bet our view of the team is similar where we differ is you just can’t seem to see the potential for improvement based on kids maturing and knowing that as strange as it may sound 23-24 year old kids are still not finished products. That’s me interpreting your comments so you have the right to say I misunderstand what you have said. I have had NCAA level athletes and maybe even a pro or two at my house over the years as high schoolers and college kids hanging out and playing XBox. I find it hard to rip a kid at that age. You dont seem to have that outlook. As an aside there are far more optimistic fans than me. I don’t think the team only needs a goalie. I routinely suggest they need to play with more interior effort and better team defense. I am skeptical of the coachin. I think those elements are reflected in my posts.

 

[NJDevs26]

I remember when Lou said losing Mogilny was okay because we had Dagenais waiting to contribute in the NHL.

To this day I’m not sure how much he actually believed that and how much he was just bs’ing for public consumption.

 

[NJDevs26]

You better have immediately unfollowed that account after seeing that crap

It lived up to its moniker perfectly though

‘Insane Fan Trades’

 

[JimEIV]

I mean, what were you expecting this year?

Not to have gone backwards again to lows that we've haven't seen since the 1980's...that was the expectation.

 

[Bleedred]

To this day I’m not sure how much he actually believed that and how much he was just bs’ing for public consumption.

I think he may have even said something similar about Salomonsson (or how you spell it) the old rookie.

28 years old and I think a 5th round pick the summer right before? I think his first NHL goal was on Hasek and it was VERY FLUKY.

He didn't score too many more after that one, that's for sure.

Lou had a history of talking up awful nobodies to replace way better players when we let them go. That definitely wouldn't be the last time he made one of those types of comments.

Like when we let Madden walk, he cited how Madden coming in was the result of letting Bobby Carpenter go over a decade before and now Madden is leaving cause we need to see what we have in....... ROD PELLEY!!!!!

And that same day (probably in the same media availability) he addressed Mike Rupp walking to replace him with..... PL3!!!!!!!

I remember him saying ''We need to see what we have in Leblond'' in regards to Rupp being allowed to walk.

Both of these players were just so HORRIBLE when you think about it. Rupp was a goon, but he was WAYYYYYY better than Leblond. He was drafted in the first round, he wasn't drafted to be a goon. Even back then you didn't draft goons in the first round. He never lived up to a first round pick and had to alter his game and become a goon, but he was way better and had way more skill than Leblond, who was just a horrific player at NHL hockey.

Rod Pelley to this day remains one of the absolute worst non-goon forwards we've ever iced. And he somehow lasted 211 NHL games here, washing out of the league permanently forever and ever at the conclusion of the year we traded him to the Ducks, where he played out the remainder of that year in the NHL.

I was so happy when DeBoer said ''Enough of these two f***in clowns'' as soon as he walked in the door. Two clowns meaning Pelley and Fraser, who were both traded to the Ducks for Kurtis Foster and an AA goalie (I believe it was Timo Pielmeier but maybe spelling is incorrect). It was so fitting as Fraser was every bit as bad at the defense position as Pelley was at the forward position. Literally Fraser was the defenseman answer to Rod Pelley.

I will never understand why Jacques Lemaire LOVEDDDDDD both Fraser and Pelley. It really took DeBoer coming in (who even had a penchant for bad players, but obviously not THAT BAD) to banish those guys from the team. Well, temporarily at least, as both came back into the organization briefly. Rod spent a few years here in Albany of the AHL and was even the captain. He never did get another NHL call up or regular season game again though.

Fraser came back for a reunion tour literally DAYS after Pete was fired as head coach. Can you believe that? I mean, he was signed a little before Pete was fired, but to an AHL ONLY contract. Then he got a two way deal a week before DeBoer was fired and made his season debut a week after DeBoer was fired. It was hilarious.

I don't care what anybody says, Stephen Gionta was WAYYYYYYYY better than Rod Pelley.

 

[Forge]

Not to have gone backwards again to lows that we've haven't seen since the 1980's...that was the expectation.

When you trot out 7 goaltenders it tends to impact your season. You not adjusting your expectations to that reality is really a you problem

 

[Guttersniped]

Not to have gone backwards again to lows that we've haven't seen since the 1980's...that was the expectation.

 

[Devils090]

>the year of our lord 2022
>people still take the bait with Jim
>people still don’t have him hidden

 

[njdevils1982]

I think he may have even said something similar about Salomonsson (or how you spell it) the old rookie.

28 years old and I think a 5th round pick the summer right before? I think his first NHL goal was on Hasek and it was VERY FLUKY.

He didn't score too many more after that one, that's for sure.

Lou had a history of talking up awful nobodies to replace way better players when we let them go. That definitely wouldn't be the last time he made one of those types of comments.

Like when we let Madden walk, he cited how Madden coming in was the result of letting Bobby Carpenter go over a decade before and now Madden is leaving cause we need to see what we have in....... ROD PELLEY!!!!!

And that same day (probably in the same media availability) he addressed Mike Rupp walking to replace him with..... PL3!!!!!!!

I remember him saying ''We need to see what we have in Leblond'' in regards to Rupp being allowed to walk.

Both of these players were just so HORRIBLE when you think about it. Rupp was a goon, but he was WAYYYYYY better than Leblond. He was drafted in the first round, he wasn't drafted to be a goon. Even back then you didn't draft goons in the first round. He never lived up to a first round pick and had to alter his game and become a goon, but he was way better and had way more skill than Leblond, who was just a horrific player at NHL hockey.

Rod Pelley to this day remains one of the absolute worst non-goon forwards we've ever iced. And he somehow lasted 211 NHL games here, washing out of the league permanently forever and ever at the conclusion of the year we traded him to the Ducks, where he played out the remainder of that year in the NHL.

I was so happy when DeBoer said ''Enough of these two f***in clowns'' as soon as he walked in the door. Two clowns meaning Pelley and Fraser, who were both traded to the Ducks for Kurtis Foster and an AA goalie (I believe it was Timo Pielmeier but maybe spelling is incorrect). It was so fitting as Fraser was every bit as bad at the defense position as Pelley was at the forward position. Literally Fraser was the defenseman answer to Rod Pelley.

I will never understand why Jacques Lemaire LOVEDDDDDD both Fraser and Pelley. It really took DeBoer coming in (who even had a penchant for bad players, but obviously not THAT BAD) to banish those guys from the team. Well, temporarily at least, as both came back into the organization briefly. Rod spent a few years here in Albany of the AHL and was even the captain. He never did get another NHL call up or regular season game again though.

Fraser came back for a reunion tour literally DAYS after Pete was fired as head coach. Can you believe that? I mean, he was signed a little before Pete was fired, but to an AHL ONLY contract. Then he got a two way deal a week before DeBoer was fired and made his season debut a week after DeBoer was fired. It was hilarious.

I don't care what anybody says, Stephen Gionta was WAYYYYYYYY better than Rod Pelley.

rupp was drafted twice

 

[Guttersniped]

I think he may have even said something similar about Salomonsson (or how you spell it) the old rookie.

28 years old and I think a 5th round pick the summer right before? I think his first NHL goal was on Hasek and it was VERY FLUKY.

He didn't score too many more after that one, that's for sure.

Lou had a history of talking up awful nobodies to replace way better players when we let them go. That definitely wouldn't be the last time he made one of those types of comments.

Like when we let Madden walk, he cited how Madden coming in was the result of letting Bobby Carpenter go over a decade before and now Madden is leaving cause we need to see what we have in....... ROD PELLEY!!!!!

And that same day (probably in the same media availability) he addressed Mike Rupp walking to replace him with..... PL3!!!!!!!

I remember him saying ''We need to see what we have in Leblond'' in regards to Rupp being allowed to walk.

Both of these players were just so HORRIBLE when you think about it. Rupp was a goon, but he was WAYYYYYY better than Leblond. He was drafted in the first round, he wasn't drafted to be a goon. Even back then you didn't draft goons in the first round. He never lived up to a first round pick and had to alter his game and become a goon, but he was way better and had way more skill than Leblond, who was just a horrific player at NHL hockey.

Rod Pelley to this day remains one of the absolute worst non-goon forwards we've ever iced. And he somehow lasted 211 NHL games here, washing out of the league permanently forever and ever at the conclusion of the year we traded him to the Ducks, where he played out the remainder of that year in the NHL.

I was so happy when DeBoer said ''Enough of these two f***in clowns'' as soon as he walked in the door. Two clowns meaning Pelley and Fraser, who were both traded to the Ducks for Kurtis Foster and an AA goalie (I believe it was Timo Pielmeier but maybe spelling is incorrect). It was so fitting as Fraser was every bit as bad at the defense position as Pelley was at the forward position. Literally Fraser was the defenseman answer to Rod Pelley.

I will never understand why Jacques Lemaire LOVEDDDDDD both Fraser and Pelley. It really took DeBoer coming in (who even had a penchant for bad players, but obviously not THAT BAD) to banish those guys from the team. Well, temporarily at least, as both came back into the organization briefly. Rod spent a few years here in Albany of the AHL and was even the captain. He never did get another NHL call up or regular season game again though.

Fraser came back for a reunion tour literally DAYS after Pete was fired as head coach. Can you believe that? I mean, he was signed a little before Pete was fired, but to an AHL ONLY contract. Then he got a two way deal a week before DeBoer was fired and made his season debut a week after DeBoer was fired. It was hilarious.

I don't care what anybody says, Stephen Gionta was WAYYYYYYYY better than Rod Pelley.

Remembering when Fraser got his deal. Respect.



Fraser signed on Dec 18th 2014 and DeBoer was memorably fired on Dec 26th. (Happy Boxing Day Pete!)

That season has what must be the greatest coach photo on Hockey-Reference (I know I’ve posted this before but it still makes me laugh.)

I’m skeptical that’s specifically our actual bench in Prudential Center but it’s a definitely a bench.

 

[njdevils1982]

>the year of our lord 2022
>people still take the bait with Jim
>people still don’t have him hidden

haiku day was about 2 months ago

 

[RSeen]

I have heard this song before. It's a classic here.

You understand we can improve by 30 points next year and still be nowhere near a playoff spot and most likely still be a bottom 10 team.


But how you can claim "all this talent" is truly beyond me. This was a 63 point team. I'm not sure if people aren't grasping how bad that actually is, making believe it didn't happen, or trying really hard to convince themselves that is was just goaltending.

We had literally the worst goaltending in the league. It was a massive factor. Even with better goaltending, we would have missed but Jack missed substantial time and Dougie was not himself for most of the year.

Another year of growth for our young players, better goaltending and added talent with Holtz and acquisitions will make us a team that should be close to the playoffs.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Is this serious? Colorado moved from Quebec in the 95-96 season...since then they've missed the playoffs 8 times... that's 8 times 26 years...

Tampa in the same frame missed the playoffs 10 times in 26 years..

We missed the playoffs 10 times in the last 12 years.

I love how you didn’t answer anything else lol.

I’m also not sure what any of that that has to do with what I said. I was talking about the time it takes for our young core to bring us to contention. You’re sitting there acting like Hischier and Hughes haven’t gotten us anywhere and our young players haven’t led to anything but they haven’t had close to enough time and we are still the youngest team in the league. You seem to be stuck in the past man.

Lou left us in the shit and we made some bad draft choices in the early parts after. Since 2017 we have done a great job at building one of the most exciting young teams in the league and a large majority of the league can see that we are probably gonna be a very good team in the not so distant future. What does that have to do with how many times we’ve missed the playoffs in the past. We’re in the present and we’ve never been in the situation we’re currently in. The vast majority of the devils fanbase is very excited for the future as they should be. I have yet to see a single good reason not to be.

But if this team is so bad and has no hope I ask you again. Why do you waste time talking and complaining about them? It’s kind of sad that all you seem to do is come in and complain and downplay what the devils are doing. If they suck this much and aren’t gonna get anywhere go support someone else.