Is it time for Lou to get his walking papers

[PKs Broken Stick]

I was surprised by the signings but never changed the fact I want and have wanted Lou gone.

I've wanted Lou gone since like 2005 but if I kept talking about it then I probably would've gotten banned from HF

 

[Tundra]

Lou is also protected by being in the tame Jersey market. In a hockey mad market, the journalists would be calling for his head if the pick forfeiture is severe. So he can drag this on for another 2 or 3 years if he is stubborn. Spending bad money after bad.. Refusing to rebuild or improve draft philosophy.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Once again, none of what has gone on in the past decade you could have seen beforehand - after we lost Stevens, Dano and Nieds, we were done for, after we started off the post-lockout horribly and our star contracted hepatitis, we were done for, when we lost Gomez and Rafalski, we were done for and so on and so on

Most of what has gone on in the past decade are results that many teams in all sports wish they could do

We've been spoiled with consistency in a positive way, now when the going is getting tougher than what we're used to, you want to just say **** it throw it all away? No Lou's never done that and it's why he's remained one of the most successful GMs in sports history while plenty of others have been shown the door because they've tried to rebuild and prolonged the struggles

All of these players that Lou got were a direct result of sucking for however long it was. Then these players matured and produced championship teams. Now that they are gone, where is Lou's success now? After they have left, He hasn't exactly done much. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Lou is a terrible GM but some people are refusing to acknowledge that it's just time for him to go. He's had his moments.

 

[BahlDeep]

Lou did the right moves this offseason with what he could of got in the FA. Only thing I'm really going to blame Lou is the famous 29th pick and the fact he waited too long to fire Johnny Mac. Other then that, he did a good job.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

Lou did the right moves this offseason with what he could of got in the FA. Only thing I'm really going to blame Lou is the famous 29th pick and the fact he waited too long to fire Johnny Mac. Other then that, he did a good job.

Lou has done a mediocre job building our current and past blueline. He signed a bunch of misfits to cover up our lack of firepower up front and now, we're stuck with multiple players on butal deals.

Add to the fact that the players he signed are either ultra slow or at the end of their rope. Outside of Jagr, every other signing he made this offseason was a knee jerk reaction. Jagr has the track record so inking him was a no brainer but guys like Clowe, Ryder and Brunner are all complentary players we're trying to flip into primary players.

We need a breath of fresh air, we need to groom our youngsters the proper way and we need someone that can adapt to today's game instead of building a team who would compete in the era of 1980's. Why sign someone like Olesz when you have Josefson and Tedenby, who are both waiver eligible? I honestly think Josefson can turn into a real solid #2 or #3 center but we're throwing road blocks in his path by signing chumps who aren't that good anymore.

This team needs to restock and rebuild, not sign "baind-aid" players left and right. If we're going to look like a total mess, why not see what our rookies have to give us instead of losing with a bunch of veterans.

 

[PROMputt]

To use a great analogy, it's like trying to wallpaper over a 10 x 10 hole in your living room wall. The massive hole has not been repaired. That's the Lou creed. No rebuild.....EVER. Even when you're sitting with a crap hand.

I'm an Islander fan and I am not trolling here just want to point out re-builds are not fun and can totally depress a fan base. It usually will cost the current GM and coach their jobs(which is why a existing GM really never wants to commit to one). Most top tier FA's will not commit to sign because they do not want to be part of a re-build and there is not an exact time frame to return to respectability. If re-builds were easy and a guarantee(and short term) all teams would do it once they have a bad season. JMO

 

[MartyOwns]

I'm an Islander fan and I am not trolling here just want to point out re-builds are not fun and can totally depress a fan base. It usually will cost the current GM and coach their jobs(which is why a existing GM really never wants to commit to one). Most top tier FA's will not commit to sign because they do not want to be part of a re-build and there is not an exact time frame to return to respectability. If re-builds were easy and a guarantee(and short term) all teams would do it once they have a bad season. JMO

fair enough. but this isnt 'one bad season'. they are starting to add up.

personally, i want lou to stay...mentor marty for a few years past 30's retirement and then its marty's team.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

I'm an Islander fan and I am not trolling here just want to point out re-builds are not fun and can totally depress a fan base. It usually will cost the current GM and coach their jobs(which is why a existing GM really never wants to commit to one). Most top tier FA's will not commit to sign because they do not want to be part of a re-build and there is not an exact time frame to return to respectability. If re-builds were easy and a guarantee(and short term) all teams would do it once they have a bad season. JMO

Rebuilds aren't fun... but sometimes they're necessary. Avoiding to take that route will only extend our misery cause we're sucking ass with veterans, so instead of crushing our own prospects by signing over the hill players to attempt to make the post season, we're basically shooting ourself in the foot... TWICE.

1) We're not icing a playoff team with the signings we made.

2) We're delaying the progression of our own prospects by signing veterans who aren't improving our team.

 

[Loyal Lou]

I'm an Islander fan and I am not trolling here just want to point out re-builds are not fun and can totally depress a fan base. It usually will cost the current GM and coach their jobs(which is why a existing GM really never wants to commit to one). Most top tier FA's will not commit to sign because they do not want to be part of a re-build and there is not an exact time frame to return to respectability. If re-builds were easy and a guarantee(and short term) all teams would do it once they have a bad season. JMO

We couldn't sell New Jersey to any free agent for all of king midas' silver (dodgeball reference). The Devils needs to rebuild from within not through free agency or trades. If you look at all the Devils Stanley Cup teams most of the team was home grown. Gotta get back to basics.

 

[MartyOwns]

we need draft picks, and a lot of them. like, a whole ton. we ought to be sellers at the deadline, acquire as many 14 and 15 picks as possible, and re-stock the shelf. particularly on offense

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

We couldn't sell New Jersey to any free agent for all of king midas' silver (dodgeball reference). The Devils needs to rebuild from within not through free agency or trades. If you look at all the Devils Stanley Cup teams most of the team was home grown. Gotta get back to basics.

We're currently using the "Rangers" method ATM and we're getting the same results they've been getting for years now.

Adding talent from the UFA market isn't the solution when building a contender. You can add one player to solidy a solid core but you can't add 4 UFA's to build a core.

We chose to take route #2 and we'll have to live with the bad contracts that Lou handed out, for years to come.

 

[Loyal Lou]

We're currently using the "Rangers" method ATM and we're getting the same results they've been getting for years now.

Adding talent from the UFA market isn't the solution when building a contender. You can add one player to solidy a solid core but you can't add 4 UFA's to build a core.

We chose to take route #2 and we'll have to live with the bad contracts that Lou handed out, for years to come.

I'll take Cutting the cord for 600 Alex.

Seriously I'd sell everyone picks and hope that someone sticks that we draft.

 

[Benedict Parisechuk]

we need draft picks, and a lot of them. like, a whole ton. we ought to be sellers at the deadline, acquire as many 14 and 15 picks as possible, and re-stock the shelf. particularly on offense

And they actually need to hit with those picks instead of whatever the hell Lou Conte have been doing for the last decade. A lot of there drafts going back to the early 2000's have been complete ass. A lot of those picks were lower first round but that doesn't excuse anything. There recent draft history regarding forwards is awful minus Henrique and Zajac. This is why I wouldn't be against giving Conte the boot and bringing in some new blood in the draft/development area because what there doing isn't working. See: Tedenby, Josefson, Bergfors

 

[Bleedred]

Conte should definitely go before Lou IMO. I've been wanting his worthless ass gone for years. I even got blasted by a couple people on here last year for it. My how a year changes things fast.

 

[bmqdevils]

in my opinion, the only bad thing lou did was not giving up the 29th pick. he did what he could when kovalchuk left, he was put in a very tough situation.

 

[R8Devs]

I would blame development over drafting. All the guys they picked were picked where they are supposed to go.



I don't want a complete rebuild but they really need to start getting more picks. And injecting more youth. We're losing with the oldest team in the NHL which is really sad.

 

[Bleedred]

I can't stand Matteau. I bet he's a 4th liner if even an NHL regular. I never saw anything that led me to believe he'd be a nice player when he was up last year.

To be fair, it's not his fault he was up last year. He had no business being up. Why Lou forced him onto the team last year is beyond me. Sestito or Matt Anderson could have gotten those minutes and it wouldn't have made a difference.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I mean I hate the Matteau situation too but hes 19 years old. lets relax.

 

[Benedict Parisechuk]

Conte should definitely go before Lou IMO. I've been wanting his worthless ass gone for years. I even got blasted by a couple people on here last year for it. My how a year changes things fast.

Especially since these next few drafts are ridiculously important for the direction of the franchise. You HAVE to draft impact forwards at some point because of the age of the team. I have no idea what he's been doing behind the scenes but something is clearly wrong with the scouting and development department.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

and yes, development is more to blame over drafting IMO.

 

[Capt Nico Poo]

Canning Lou (or DeB or whoever at this point) would be like replacing the captain of the Titanic after it already hit the iceberg. The damage is done. The roster is a mess and will take some time to fix. So I guess getting a new regime in sooner rather than later couldn't hurt, but I don't think it'll save this season.

To belabor the Titanic analogy, they need to choose wisely who they put in the lifeboats and who's cut loose.

Aye. The maintenance begins when the ship is on the dock, now its just questiona bout steering it safely to harbor.

 

[apice3*]

Conte should definitely go before Lou IMO. I've been wanting his worthless ass gone for years. I even got blasted by a couple people on here last year for it. My how a year changes things fast.

It isn't Conte's fault that we rush players into positions they aren't ready to handle.

 

[NJDevs26]

I would blame development over drafting. All the guys they picked were picked where they are supposed to go.



I don't want a complete rebuild but they really need to start getting more picks. And injecting more youth. We're losing with the oldest team in the NHL which is really sad.

It isn't Conte's fault that we rush players into positions they aren't ready to handle.

It's debatable, depending on the player. I'd blame development on Josefson, Fayne and Larsson stunting (all of whom actually had 'some' niche in the league at one point) and the whole Matteau situation last year as well but I'd blame drafting on Tedenby, Corrente and guys like that who just aren't NHL players.

 

[Benedict Parisechuk]

I'm not sure who's to blame for the Tedenby and Josefson mess but those 2 picks are really coming back to bite them in the ass. You absolutely cannot draft forwards midway through the first round and 3-4 years later they can't get in the lineup or are AHL fodder. That doesn't mean I don't think Josefson will still have OK NHL career but hes nothing more than a 4th liner at this point which is someone you really can't take with the 16 pick or whatever it was. Tedenby is a lost cause.

The D-Men are definitely on Pete and Stevens for screwing around with there development.

 

[Bleedred]

It isn't Conte's fault that we rush players into positions they aren't ready to handle.

Some of it is development, but I don't think he's been good. Devs26 summed it up nicely.