Hopefully they turned the corner with that win...Hopefully.
This team needs a quality forward...Really if you look at the entire roster the ONLY highly skilled forwards the Devils have are Kovalchuk and Elias (Henrique maybe on his way). I would love to see a pure goal scorer added to the top 6. Doesn't have to be a "world beater" that scores 40 or 50 goals but someone who just knows how to put the puck in the net.
Something I've been wanting to say for a while: I think Zidlicky takes far too much crap on these boards...Sometimes I think some of our fans are schizophrenic..This board complained about not having a PMD for years...You finally got one, and a good one and we pick apart every single deficiency in his game. It doesn't make sense. Zicklicky, in his role has done a very good job. As a matter of fact he has been one of the bright spots of the team this season. He moves the puck better than anybody on the team except for Kovalchuk and he creates opportunities every game. That is what he is there for.
Another bright spot on this team is Steve Bernier. I absolutely love the way he has been playing this season and his confidence continues to grow. I get the feeling that he has a lot more to offer this team in a more expanded role. I think Bernier has the ability to complement more talented forwards if given the opportunity in a Zubrus kind of way. I think the Devils have some untapped ability with Bernier, it is hard to think that a 28 year old might still be developing but I think this particular player is still learning how to be consistent and what it means to pro.
Going to bump this again because it's that good.
Zid has made some mistakes this season but he's a player that's off limits in terms of criticism to me. There is no other defenseman on this team that can do what he does and his positives far outweigh his negatives, which there aren't many. I thought he was one of the best players on the ice last night. I'm also a big fan of Bernier as well. I'd personally like to see both him and Carter become bigger cogs on this team.
As for the quality forward, it's definitely something that this group is lacking. I've been pretty critical of this roster lately and it has nothing to do with me not liking them or thinking they suck. I happen to feel that there are strong players on this team, but the loss of Parise and Zubrus has really left a big dent in the forward ranks. That's two quality hockey players and it's putting a lot of strain on the rest of the group. Add in that Josefson has disappointed this season and you have a rookie in Matteau learning on the fly, the team is just too damn thin imho. A healthy Zubrus plus a legit forward could give this group a chance to at least operate close to what they had going at the end of last year.
Your comment about a pure goal scorer makes me think of Sykora oddly enough. I know that he was a mess by the end of the season, but even with all of his drawbacks, he potted 21 goals with the time that he did receive. Dude knows how to put the puck in the net. He had a knack for scoring timely ones too. Now just imagine at least replacing Sykora's production but with a better player of his mold. It would be a huge boost to this team I feel.
