Is it time for Lou to get his walking papers

[apice3*]

Lou Conte should stop paying attention to conventional opinions of scouting services and do more homework on these draft eligible prospects-especially in Europe.

Unbelievable

 

[MichaelJ]

But he played in our backyard. Shame on our scouts and Conte for passing him and Carlson up in consecutive seasons.

And Carlson actually is a Devils fan...probably wouldn't have had him jumping ship anywhere else when his UFA hit, something we seem to have a big problem with.

 

[Kensu]

But he played in our backyard. Shame on our scouts and Conte for passing him and Carlson up in consecutive seasons.

if we drafted Palmeri and Anaheim drafted Josefson they both probably would of developed differently from where they are today.

 

[NJDevs26]

he hasn't been given a consistent chance either aside from that one year, and he produced. points are points.

Twenty-two points in 58 games really is not a big deal. He went two months between scoring goals in that stretch under Lemaire he supposedly produced in. If he was so talented he would have at least produced in the AHL, he got minutes there. But there's always another excuse.

 

[NJDevs26]

See, these are the dumb ****ing misconceptions that drive me nuts. So incredibly easy to look back in hindsight and blame Conte.

How quickly forget that Josefson was regarded as a top 3 Euro and was a top 10-15 pick on some team's boards. Palmieri was barely in the top 20 NA skaters.

But one player pans out, one doesn't, and it's Conte's fault.

It's really not even that. It's where Palmeri was born and grew up. According to some we should more or less draft every player that ever grew up or played in NJ.

 

[MichaelJ]

if we drafted Palmeri and Anaheim drafted Josefson they both probably would of developed differently from where they are today.

Yep.

 

[NC107*]

Now we are talking Lou

Devils Waive Olesz

The start of something?

 

[MullerBrotenVerbeek]

Let's sell everyone over 25 for a pile of picks and just ice an AHL team for the rest of this disaster of a season. At least next year we'll have some young guys with some time under their belts and we can augment them with some FA signings since we'll have cap room for days. This team is going nowhere, tear it down.

 

[MartyOwns]

Let's sell everyone over 25 for a pile of picks and just ice an AHL team for the rest of this disaster of a season. At least next year we'll have some young guys with some time under their belts and we can augment them with some FA signings since we'll have cap room for days. This team is going nowhere, tear it down.

this guy gets it. lou, im afraid, doesnt

 

[Nick0930]

Blow up the team? Sign a bunch of guys in the offseason? Yeah, 'cause that's worked wonders for the Flyers the last couple years...And us this year.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

Ask yourself this: do you think Lou can put aside the way he has seemingly operated for two decades and do the following. Sell jagr, sell zidlicky, sell fayne, maybe even sell Salvador, zubrus, Ryder, look into moving guys like zajac for lesser pieces in order to open up flexibility moving forward.

Basically, do you think Lou is willing to start over fresh, because as much as I know we all hate the selling, tanking mentality, it is clear at this point that the salvation isn't coming from free agency, we need impact forwards and the only way to get them is in the draft.

There are pieces here. We all love our d prospects and expect to get practically a full lineup out of them, Schneider can carry us if we can get him re-signed, and between henrique, loktionov, josefson, brunner, and even guys like matteau and Boucher we have a good number of youngish support players, and guys like carter, bernier, etc to take care of bottom line minutes, but we have no true top liners besides Elias and we don't have the means to acquire any besides through the draft. Unless a legit first line center that was born in nj suddenly hits free agency, I just don't see any other way. If Lou isn't willing to do everything he can to get a blue chip forward prospect (and stockpiling picks seems to me to be the best way to do that) then we need to move on from Lou. It has nothing to do with what Lou has done in the past, only what he can and can't do for us now

I fully agree.

Lou has his own ways and we all know he'll sink or swim with the players he has and that's that. He'll never go on a "fire sale" and no one is expecting him to do so cause that would be way out of character right there.

With that said, we aren't the same organisation we once where and it's time to retool and look towards the future cause the present isn't getting it done ATM. We are the oldest roster out of 30 teams, granted we have Marty and Jagr who aren't helping the average but our main players are either past their prime or on the decline.

We have very little to show for when it comes to forward prospects and if the Rangers showed us anything over the years is that you can't build a legit contender threw free agency. Over the past couple of years, we've lost several key pieces only to replace them by quantity over quality. Depth was a concern, so I'm happy we got a couple of players to even things out but we went over the top this offseason. We need to stop shopping at the bargain bin and give a fair shake to our prospects. There's not one person who'll convince me that Josefson isn't a better player then Butler or Olesz, even if Yayo is still young. We're basically screwing with our rookies by signing those fringe NHL'ers and that needs to stop.

Sometimes, you just need to face reality and stop living in the past. Certain ways of doing things might of been to our advantage years ago, but we aren't dealing with the same situations today and just like Pete, Lou needs to adapt and I'm almost convinced he won't cause basically, you can't teach a old monkey new tricks.

 

[MartyOwns]

its hard enough teaching a young monkey new tricks

 

[Mory Schneideur*]

Let's fire the fans. A few losses & they stop showing up? Sad

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

its hard enough teaching a young monkey new tricks

I just had an image of Lou in a cage with Harris/Blitzer staring at him. Trying to teach him how to do things differently. And Lou flinging poop at them.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

Let's fire the fans. A few losses & they stop showing up? Sad

The nature of an unstable, young fanbase. I think it happens everywhere really so I'm not too upset with the fans.

I honestly believe that Lou is immune to being fired. He will go on his terms. There's no way these new owners fire a franchise icon. No matter how awful things get.

Firing Lou would be viewed as the biggest sign of disrespect in the history of our franchise I think around the league. Lou is going out with all the bells and whistles, good-bye parties and all. Even if we're 0-10000.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

Let's fire the fans. A few losses & they stop showing up? Sad

Did you start being a fan of this team weeks ago?

This is a mess that's been going on for several years now, let's not act like the poor start to our season is coming out of left field and we've been the cream of the crop for the past decade.

This is a on going problem that saw us reach the finals in what seems to be a "fluke" when landing favorable matchups all the way threw our Eastern conference championship.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

The nature of an unstable, young fanbase. I think it happens everywhere really so I'm not too upset with the fans.

I honestly believe that Lou is immune to being fired. He will go on his terms. There's no way these new owners fire a franchise icon. No matter how awful things get.

Firing Lou would be viewed as the biggest sign of disrespect in the history of our franchise I think around the league. Lou is going out with all the bells and whistles, good-bye parties and all. Even if we're 0-10000.

And that's just sad right there.

We as fans deserve a winning product and if the guy calling the shots can't make it happen anymore, for whatever reason, we can't let things slide just for the good of one single person.

I don't care if it's Lou, Marty or Wayne "the magnifique" Orr... when you don't have it anymore, you have to cut bait in order to salvage as much as you can.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

And that's just sad right there.

We as fans deserve a winning product and if the guy calling the shots can't make it happen anymore, for whatever reason, we can't let things slide just for the good of one single person.

I don't care if it's Lou, Marty or Wayne "the magnifique" Orr... when you don't have it anymore, you have to cut bait in order to salvage as much as you can.

In a vacuum (been using that a lot lately ) I agree. But it would be really hard, I think, to recruit an elite GM to take over for Lou if we fire him. I think loyalty means a lot in the small fraternity that is NHL GMs (and to an equal extent coaches). For the Devils to fire Lou, for new owners to fire Lou more specifically, after all he has done for this franchise would be looked at as the biggest slap in the face in the history of our franchise. And we would be the laughing stock of the league.

I understand that Lou might not be the best guy for this job anymore but he gave us 3 cups and is a large reason we're playing in Newark and not Kansas City or Quebec City or even Winnipeg. And for that he's earned job security that he would only forfeit if he spontaneously became a criminal.

I don't think it's the worse thing in the world either. But I agree that it's not for the best of the on-ice product but it might be for the best of the future stability of our franchise (given that we might get Lou to recruit a great GM here).

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

In a vacuum (been using that a lot lately ) I agree. But it would be really hard, I think, to recruit an elite GM to take over for Lou if we fire him. I think loyalty means a lot in the small fraternity that is NHL GMs (and to an equal extent coaches). For the Devils to fire Lou, for new owners to fire Lou more specifically, after all he has done for this franchise would be looked at as the biggest slap in the face in the history of our franchise. And we would be the laughing stock of the league.

I understand that Lou might not be the best guy for this job anymore but he gave us 3 cups and is a large reason we're playing in Newark and not Kansas City or Quebec City or even Winnipeg. And for that he's earned job security that he would only forfeit if he spontaneously became a criminal.

I don't think it's the worse thing in the world either. But I agree that it's not for the best of the on-ice product but it might be for the best of the future stability of our franchise (given that we might get Lou to recruit a great GM here).

We had the opportunity to land a very established and proven Gm in Brian Burke. Granted, he's the total opposite of Lou when talking about personnalities and how to handle the media but we can't ask for someone like Lou cause we'll still be looking for his replacement 50 years from now.

Burke is a loud mouth, we all know that but he isn't shy about doing what's right for his team and that's all I can ask for from a Gm. The rest is just a side show and doesn't really affect the on ice play of his club.

 

[NC107*]

Job Security two words that aren't in fashion in the USA any more.

 

[apice3*]

Lou Lamoriello took this team from a laughing stock in the 80's to a team that was a lock for the playoffs for 20 years. Missing the playoffs 2 out of 3 years (with the one year being a SCF berth) following 18 years of being a championship caliber team is not grounds for firing. This organization is not going to fire him. He's earned a life time contract. The fact that people are so eager to get rid of the guy is absolutely pathetic as a fan base and it's why Devils fans have quickly transitioned from being one of the most knowledgeable fan bases to being a fan base full of whining babies.

 

[sbresistor]

you want to get rid of Lou for Brian Burke? Give me a break - what the hell has he done lately?

If you are going to use that argument to bury Lou - don't ignore it for Burke

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

Lou Lamoriello took this team from a laughing stock in the 80's to a team that was a lock for the playoffs for 20 years. Missing the playoffs 2 out of 3 years (with the one year being a SCF berth) following 18 years of being a championship caliber team is not grounds for firing. This organization is not going to fire him. He's earned a life time contract. The fact that people are so eager to get rid of the guy is absolutely pathetic as a fan base and it's why Devils fans have quickly transitioned from being one of the most knowledgeable fan bases to being a fan base full of whining babies.

I'm going to have to agree. And don't get me wrong if this is a video game you fire Lou and don't worry about the consequences, loyalty, or backlash. But it's not. There's something to be said about what he's done here. And that something is "he's earned a lifetime contract."

Would another GM be better for the on-ice product? Maybe. Is a change in organizational philosophy needed? Maybe. But is it at all possible, is it at all within the realm of reality that Lou will ever be fired from his post as GM? That's a resounding no. My initial response to the thread title was, "is this a joke?" Because Lou will never "get his walking papers."

If the discussion is "should Lou retire" then I think we'd be discussing something even remotely plausible. But Lou being fired? Too many repercussions. We're talking players being pissed, fans being pissed, GMs being pissed, coaches being pissed - and some rightfully so. It would be like the Devils waiving Marty right now. Probably 10x worse than that.

 

[Rhodes 81]

Lou Lamoriello took this team from a laughing stock in the 80's to a team that was a lock for the playoffs for 20 years. Missing the playoffs 2 out of 3 years (with the one year being a SCF berth) following 18 years of being a championship caliber team is not grounds for firing. This organization is not going to fire him. He's earned a life time contract. The fact that people are so eager to get rid of the guy is absolutely pathetic as a fan base and it's why Devils fans have quickly transitioned from being one of the most knowledgeable fan bases to being a fan base full of whining babies.

i'm not saying i want lou fired. in fact i don't, because i very much so believe he is capable of building this team up again. the only reason i would want him gone is if he made it clear he is unwilling to do what is best for the team, which in my opinion happens to involve selling off a good deal of the older guard that aren't getting it done here.

your opinion on what is best for the team can differ, and that is fine, but you have to look at it this way. lou is ultimately the policy maker for a company here. regardless of what he has done for the company before this point, if he is not working for the best interest of the company anymore, the company needs to move on from him.

basically it comes down to two things. do you think lou is capable of turning it around, and if not are you willing to be a losing team for however much longer he wants to run it. i personally think lou is capable of building the team up again, as i already said, and would like to give him the chance to do it. however if he continues to make decisions like some of the decisions he has made in the past year, he will only be proving that he isn't going to turn it around, and if that becomes the case and i were the owners of the team, i would not be willing to allow my organization to suffer simply to reward someone who isn't getting it done anymore.

again, i don't want lou gone, i believe he can get the job done, but at the same time loyalty only counts for so much and lou is going to be approaching that point within a year if he doesn't start to make moves to change what clearly isn't working.

 

[Holtz My Bahls]

Lou Lamoriello took this team from a laughing stock in the 80's to a team that was a lock for the playoffs for 20 years. Missing the playoffs 2 out of 3 years (with the one year being a SCF berth) following 18 years of being a championship caliber team is not grounds for firing. This organization is not going to fire him. He's earned a life time contract. The fact that people are so eager to get rid of the guy is absolutely pathetic as a fan base and it's why Devils fans have quickly transitioned from being one of the most knowledgeable fan bases to being a fan base full of whining babies.

Completely agree.