Is it time for Lou to get his walking papers

[Uli Hiemer]

dude i would be so upset if Chris becomes the GM. So many better options.

I think Chris would just be a figurehead so Lou can run the team at home.

 

[frankthefrowner]

As a ranger fan.. Yes yes Please get rid of Lou that would be a great move.


However as an objective outsider, I will say Lou like any GM has made his mistakes but his body of work is still pretty good post lockout with the cup appearance. The only thing i still shake my head at is not giving up the 1st rounder in the cup year. You could very well have a top 5 pick this year if he did what everyone thought he should have done.

He dodged a bullet not resigning Clarkson, but took a bullet to the groin by signing Clowe to an oddly similiar deal.

But as a positive he actually found someone who may not fill Marty's shoes but will atleast be a solid goaltender for years to come. Which was always a big question for me.

Lou is a good GM. TRUST ME! It can and probably will be worse once hes gone.

 

[Bleedred]

I really don't see Schneider staying on if we suck the next two years.

 

[NC107*]

The fact is:

This team needs a transplant of its core players. It needs youngsters to come up and develop within the organization and become lifers, so that Elias and Brodeur can step aside. Sal, Volch, Zids, Zubes are all the past.

Zajac, Henrique, Greene, <Clarkson>, <Kovy>, <Parise>, Fayne, Schneider are supposed to be the present.

Larsson, Gelinas, Tedi, Josefsson, Lokti, Merrill and Boucher are supposed to be the future.

Ryder, Brunner, Jagr, Clowe are supposed to bolster the present. They are nice add-on parts but just mercenaries and not your core.

The 4th line shouldn't be in the conversation, except for maybe Bernier as part of the present.

This team is going to suck for a bit, and it is going to hurt until/unless:
The 'present' core guys step up.
The 'future' core guys come into their own.

I don't think Lou has us on a bad path - it's just transition. It would be nice if Lou changes some of that aging core and some of the add-ons into potential future core pieces - at the deadline.

This sounds and reads like Hockey 101.

I am sorry to tell you this won't work unless they have coaches that can properly teach the youth movement. DeBoer and Lou's coaching team haven't in the past nor are doing so in the present. So this Hockey 101 fails big time. Lemaire and Robinson were teachers, DeBoer is not, he never has been. Stevens doesn't now how to teach he takes direction from Lou and DeBoer.

 

[SeidoN]

He dodged a bullet not resigning Clarkson, but took a bullet to the groin by signing Clowe to an oddly similiar deal.

im 94.8% sure the Clowe deal is what was offered to Clarky

 

[Benedict Parisechuk]

They need a total organizational cleansing when it comes to team philosophies and such. Can they do that with Lou still here? I think so but some of the stubborn crap he pulls needs to disappear rather quickly a.k.a at the trade deadline and into the offseason.

Chris is probably the last person on Earth that I would want to replace Lou with by the way.

 

[NC107*]

dude i would be so upset if Chris becomes the GM. So many better options.

You read it here that's Lou's plan just like the Bush family !

 

[NC107*]

As a ranger fan.. Yes yes Please get rid of Lou that would be a great move.


However as an objective outsider, I will say Lou like any GM has made his mistakes but his body of work is still pretty good post lockout with the cup appearance. The only thing i still shake my head at is not giving up the 1st rounder in the cup year. You could very well have a top 5 pick this year if he did what everyone thought he should have done.

He dodged a bullet not resigning Clarkson, but took a bullet to the groin by signing Clowe to an oddly similiar deal.

But as a positive he actually found someone who may not fill Marty's shoes but will atleast be a solid goaltender for years to come. Which was always a big question for me.

Lou is a good GM. TRUST ME! It can and probably will be worse once hes gone.

Has Cory Schneider agreed to sign on after the two year contract? I missed that. I read he was upset how the Devils team were playing in front of him. Cory Schneider has a ticket to big time money and his stay with the Devils won't hurt him because everyone knows the Devils can't score with an open net.

 

[NC107*]

im 94.8% sure the Clowe deal is what was offered to Clarky

So neither was a good deal except Clarkson is still playing. It was a panic Lou deal he just lost Clarkson. Clowe reminds me of Rolston except Rolston played in most games.

 

[sbresistor]

Has Cory Schneider agreed to sign on after the two year contract? I missed that. I read he was upset how the Devils team were playing in front of him. Cory Schneider has a ticket to big time money and his stay with the Devils won't hurt him because everyone knows the Devils can't score with an open net.

Did Schneider really say he was upset by the way the team was playing in front of him? (if so, where can I find it?)

that would be a weird thing for a newcomer to say

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Clowe and Rolson deals are not really similar

clowe is like 5 years younger than rolson was when he signed

 

[Bleedred]

Did Schneider really say he was upset by the way the team was playing in front of him? (if so, where can I find it?)

that would be a weird thing for a newcomer to say

No, but he was not happy after that Winnipeg game. Seemed to be the only one that cared in the post game.

 

[R8Devs]

Clowe has a 35 year olds body. I don't even care about the cap hit the term is awful.

 

[SeidoN]

Did Schneider really say he was upset by the way the team was playing in front of him? (if so, where can I find it?)

that would be a weird thing for a newcomer to say

imagine yourself in that position

you are on a solid playoff team in a nice city, you are in a goalie controversy but all signs point to you being the go to guy for the future, a solid defense in front of you, you have a pretty good chance of getting a Cup within 5 years if the cards are played well

then one day you are traded to an old team with pitiful defense and a non-existant offense, who you have no particular emotional attachment or existing professional dedication to, who are on the downward slope of a success period, looking like a playoff miss for at least a couple of years, cutting into your prime Cup winning years, with a prospect pool and draft situation looking about as bleak as it gets around the NHL.

tell me if you resign, or walk.

 

[sbresistor]

imagine yourself in that position

you are on a solid playoff team in a nice city, you are in a goalie controversy but all signs point to you being the go to guy for the future, a solid defense in front of you, you have a pretty good chance of getting a Cup within 5 years if the cards are played well

then one day you are traded to an old team with pitiful defense and a non-existant offense, who you have no particular emotional attachment or existing professional dedication to, who are on the downward slope of a success period, looking like a playoff miss for at least a couple of years, cutting into your prime Cup winning years, with a prospect pool and draft situation looking about as bleak as it gets around the NHL.

tell me if you resign, or walk.

I think you are being overly negative, especially on the Devils future defense. He would be the clear starter on the Devils, probably beginning next year. At the end of the day, the guy probably signs with whoever gives him the best combo of years and millions.

 

[glenwo2]

He's saying they aren't going to keep just Lou because they fear the backlash of firing Lou. If they decide they want to fire Lou, they'll do it and not care what the fans think.

Correct.

So what is being said is :

If the Owners fired everybody EXCEPT Lou, there would be backlash when they ultimately fire him. But that said, even if there were backlash, they wouldn't give a rat's ass what we all think.


Is that correct? 'Cause I'm really trying to understand this but the wording is a bit tricky.

 

[billingtons ghost]

This sounds and reads like Hockey 101.

I am sorry to tell you this won't work unless they have coaches that can properly teach the youth movement. DeBoer and Lou's coaching team haven't in the past nor are doing so in the present. So this Hockey 101 fails big time. Lemaire and Robinson were teachers, DeBoer is not, he never has been. Stevens doesn't now how to teach he takes direction from Lou and DeBoer.

You seem to have lots of opinions, but don't want to share 'What you would do if you were Lou'.

People can rage all they want and call for Lou's head, but nowhere do I see anyone saying 'I would like XXXXX for GM'... or: 'I would've done this better'.

So far - the 29th pick fiasco, the Clowe contract, the Rolston contract and???

Don't start with Kovy/Parise/Clarkson would have stayed talk...

After that, he reloaded with the best available FAs that were out there and willing to come here. He resigned Zubrus, Elias, Henrique; picked up Schneider at the draft.

I don't know what else I would have done. Coming into this season I was aware that our core is getting older - the young guys that are supposed to step up and replace them (Zajac, Henrique, Fayne, Greene) haven't and our draft picks haven't panned out.

Outside of completely fleecing another GM out of a 25-yr-old phenom somewhere, I have no idea what else he could do.

 

[billingtons ghost]

imagine yourself in that position

you are on a solid playoff team in a nice city, you are in a goalie controversy but all signs point to you being the go to guy for the future, a solid defense in front of you, you have a pretty good chance of getting a Cup within 5 years if the cards are played well

then one day you are traded to an old team with pitiful defense and a non-existant offense, who you have no particular emotional attachment or existing professional dedication to, who are on the downward slope of a success period, looking like a playoff miss for at least a couple of years, cutting into your prime Cup winning years, with a prospect pool and draft situation looking about as bleak as it gets around the NHL.

tell me if you resign, or walk.

Two years from now we might have the best set of defensemen in the league.

 

[glenwo2]

I really don't see Schneider staying on if we suck the next two years.

BleedRed, I'm sure you'll agree with me that Lou would have to break the bank to keep Cory if this crap continues.....

 

[glenwo2]

So far - the 29th pick fiasco, the Clowe contract, the Rolston contract and???

Remember this guy?

I seem to remember an albatross contract....

 

[sbresistor]

BleedRed, I'm sure you'll agree with me that Lou would have to break the bank to keep Cory if this crap continues.....

Do you think he will come cheaper if the Devils make the playoffs? He is not Brodeur, why would he take a discount?

 

[SeidoN]

I think you are being overly negative, especially on the Devils future defense. He would be the clear starter on the Devils, probably beginning next year. At the end of the day, the guy probably signs with whoever gives him the best combo of years and millions.

Devils defense looks very good for the future. But you cant deny that our offense pool stinks, unless Boucher becomes Stamkos next year. So unless Schneider wants to be relied on as the crutch to winning 1-0 and 2-1 games....

as for the money and years, probably. but unless Lou seriously overpays for him, id wager theres gonna be at least 1 better team than us with a competitive offer

I will have massive amounts of respect for Schneider if he weathers the storm with us though

 

[sbresistor]

well, given the risk of on ice success and Schneider free agency - would you say Lou made a mistake by trading for him? Especially since everyone has a crystal ball and knew we were going to suck this year & next and would have little chance at signing him

I don't know, I can't fault Lou for making that trade even with the risks

 

[glenwo2]

Do you think he will come cheaper if the Devils make the playoffs? He is not Brodeur, why would he take a discount?

No but at the very least, he would be leaning more toward staying. I know it probably wouldn't make a difference but why give him the excuse to leave anyway?

 

[SeidoN]

well, given the risk of on ice success and Schneider free agency - would you say Lou made a mistake by trading for him? Especially since everyone has a crystal ball and knew we were going to suck this year & next and would have little chance at signing him

I don't know, I can't fault Lou for making that trade even with the risks

no, trading for him was exactly what we needed at the time. Marty + Moose on this team? we'd be blown out 2-80-0. the problem is we are performing alot worse than we should. I think this roster has some decent depth and talent, but its not showing up