PTO: [NJD] G Michael Hutchinson, D Jakub Zboril, F Kevin Labanc, D Andy Welinski signs PTO with the Devils

[Smitty426]

Wish I could share that optimism. Team seems to have some nice individual pieces but there doesn't seem to be much cohesiveness nor accountability from the top.

We'll see how it goes but until there is a standard in place and the team establishes a core of leaders that plays together for several years don't see much changing.

The bad luck of injuries was the killer. Look at how they started. Their goaltending is at least league sufficient. Dougie will bounce back, new defenders will look to make an impact. Should be fun to watch, but I get it!

 

[BruinLVGA]

players taken right after 3 bb picks
Mathew Barzal
Kyle Connor
Thomas Chabot
Evgeny Svechnikov
Joel Eriksson Ek
Colin White
Ilya Samsonov
Brock Boeser
Travis Konecny
Jack Roslovic

Ahahah, hfboards, a community of miners! Ahahah

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

The bad luck of injuries was the killer. Look at how they started. Their goaltending is at least league sufficient. Dougie will bounce back, new defenders will look to make an impact. Should be fun to watch, but I get it!

Except Hamilton isn't a defender when he's healthy. There's a reason New Jersey is his fourth team. And unlike the other three, Devils don't have a shutdown defender to cover for his shortcomings.

 

[banks]

Zboril is terrible.

It's worse because of the terrible Boston draft. But even if you put that aside and ignore his draft position/situation entirely, he's still just not NHL quality. He's never once stood out to me in a positive way when I see the Bruins play. He's either invisible or noticeably over his head.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Except Hamilton isn't a defender when he's healthy. There's a reason New Jersey is his fourth team. And unlike the other three, Devils don't have a shutdown defender to cover for his shortcomings.

If Dougie is such a disaster defensively, then why doesn’t it show up in any stat?

Or is there just some ineffable quality to him that allows him to be a traffic cone, but have those chances not turn into goals? And if that’s the case, why would it suddenly stop happening now?

 

[CraigBillington]

I'm shocked that this has never been brought up here before. Nice job bringing it to all of our ( especially Bruin fans ) attention.

It's about as overplayed as vancouver and the riots. Zero originality and yet some people think it's continually funny

 

[Czechboy]

It also discounts how much of a major role Coyle played on that cup run which he may have not been acquired if Barzal was drafted. That team as constructed made it to the Stanley Cup finals and there is no guarantee if said draft players would have changed said outcome. This is why revisionist history on a draft that happened 9 years ago is pointless. Bruins fans can bring up how many teams skipped on drafting Pastrnak and McAvoy, but what does that solve?

On Zboril, he has the tools but no toolbox. He can be a serviceable 7D but consistency has not been his strong suit.

As an Oiler fan I've always marvelled at Boston. We got a lot of very high draft picks and some of them really flopped on us (JP and Yak come to mind). Then, for a decade, we didn't have many 2nd to 7th round picks on our roster. Almost none of them made the show with a few exceptions which were more recent (VD, Skinner)

Then I'd look at Boston's perfection line and that was a

Late first rounder
a second rounder
third rounder

One of the best lines in the NHL for a long time! An oiler equivalent from that time frame would be something like Kailer Yamamoto, Raphael Lavoie and Slepyshev.

Yet, I still read how Boston f***ed up a draft in 2015.
Swayman as a 4th rounder too.

 

[Smitty426]

Except Hamilton isn't a defender when he's healthy. There's a reason New Jersey is his fourth team. And unlike the other three, Devils don't have a shutdown defender to cover for his shortcomings.

I'll take his 77 points

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

I'll take his 77 points

And yet the position is called DEFENSEman.

 

[TBF1972]

And yet the position is called DEFENSEman.

i am sure every defenseman needs to think defense only when his team has the puck.

i am not a big fan of hamilton and his ability to defend in transition. but emphasizing his weaknesses while completely ignoring his strengths is equally pointless as highlighting his prowess and hiding his warts.

 

[Smitty426]

And yet the position is called DEFENSEman.

Eric Karlsson as a Norris winner says hello
Now do Foxy across the river
Maybe Josi or Gio gets you there

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Eric Karlsson as a Norris winner says hello
Now do Foxy across the river
Maybe Josi or Gio gets you there

Karlsson has been to the playoffs once in the last seven seasons - playing on a defense corps that had Vlasic, Braun, Dillon and Burns.

The Norris Trophy hasn't been about defending since Rod Langway in the early 1980's.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

Devils team defense was the chief reason for the team missing the playoffs last year. While that wasn't all the fault of the defensemen on the ice, the team pretty much made wholesale changes.

If nothing else, this could add to the group in Utica. If Sheldon Keefe wants to truly make his mark, it could allow some of the younger Devils to marinate at the AHL level a bit longer.

Dude your schtick is so beyond old, nobody on the Devils is good blah blah blah.
Trust me guys I actually like the team, I just hate everyone that has ever put on the Devils jersey.

"positive vibes" my ass

 

[Smitty426]

Karlsson has been to the playoffs once in the last seven seasons - playing on a defense corps that had Vlasic, Braun, Dillon and Burns.

The Norris Trophy hasn't been about defending since Rod Langway in the early 1980's.

Well I can't really argue with that

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Dude your schtick is so beyond old, nobody on the Devils is good blah blah blah.
Trust me guys I actually like the team, I just hate everyone that has ever put on the Devils jersey.

"positive vibes" my ass

For the record, Nico is one of my favorite Devils of all time.

But as someone who saw the franchise go from its infancy to Stanley Cups during the Lamoriello/Lemaire days, watching the Blitzer/Harris/Fitz era of favoritism and corporate marketing hockey has been a bit difficult to take.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

For the record, Nico is one of my favorite Devils of all time.

But as someone who saw the franchise go from its infancy to Stanley Cups during the Lamoriello/Lemaire days, watching the Blitzer/Harris/Fitz era of favoritism and corporate marketing hockey has been a bit difficult to take.

I became a Devils fan when Gretzky called them a Mickey Mouse team so I've been around a long time too. I choose to see the positives instead on constantly bitching about everything like yourself.
Doesn't surprise me that Nico is one of your all time favorite players though, he's the only one I never see you talk about.

 

[Brodeur]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1834275999757877718

Hughes was spotted in an arm sling at last weekend's Michigan/Texas football game. So perhaps the Zboril PTO was related. I haven't seen any updates about Simon Nemec yet, but it's possible that the Devils will be down two defenseman to start training camp.

So maybe a spot to be won on the opening night roster between Zboril, Santeri Hatakka, etc.

 

[My3Sons]

For the record, Nico is one of my favorite Devils of all time.

But as someone who saw the franchise go from its infancy to Stanley Cups during the Lamoriello/Lemaire days, watching the Blitzer/Harris/Fitz era of favoritism and corporate marketing hockey has been a bit difficult to take.

You could be a bit more balanced in your criticism. Give credit where credit is due. Your posts too often read like an angry fan who was snubbed for an autograph.

 

[biturbo19]

Yikes. Even with the Hughes injury, the Devils are not the club i'd want to be trying to make if i were in Zboril's shoes. That's tough sledding.


Guess maybe he figures, with their depth...he'll get more chances to play with decent NHL defencemen and impress in camp, to try to sign on somewhere else? Otherwise, it's a big ooof...to sign on to a PTO with a team he doesn't stand much of any chance of making.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Yikes. Even with the Hughes injury, the Devils are not the club i'd want to be trying to make if i were in Zboril's shoes. That's tough sledding.


Guess maybe he figures, with their depth...he'll get more chances to play with decent NHL defencemen and impress in camp, to try to sign on somewhere else? Otherwise, it's a big ooof...to sign on to a PTO with a team he doesn't stand much of any chance of making.

Deleted. Hadn't seen the Tweet about Hughes before posting.

You could be a bit more balanced in your criticism. Give credit where credit is due. Your posts too often read like an angry fan who was snubbed for an autograph.

Fair point. Just frustrating to see what's become of a once great franchise.

 

[My3Sons]

Deleted. Hadn't seen the Tweet about Hughes before posting.


Fair point. Just frustrating to see what's become of a once great franchise.

These things are cyclical. NJ is on the cusp of being competitive again. I don't think it's simple in today's world for a team to build once it has lost its mojo which definitely happened to NJ. They also didn't really go full scorched earth which has ultimately slowed their ability to recover.

 

[Czechboy]

Is this still about Zboril?lol

 

[My3Sons]

Is this still about Zboril?lol

Is any thread on hf really about what it purports to be after a certain point?

 

[Moist ReadOnly]

For the record, Nico is one of my favorite Devils of all time.

But as someone who saw the franchise go from its infancy to Stanley Cups during the Lamoriello/Lemaire days, watching the Blitzer/Harris/Fitz era of favoritism and corporate marketing hockey has been a bit difficult to take.

Would you rather the Devils be relocated? Because thats what would have happened if the Harris and Blitzer duo didnt come around

Building a team is more than what it was when Lamoriello did it - times have changed

 

[Czechboy]

Is any thread on hf really about what it purports to be after a certain point?

Fair point! And I'm no innocent in that regard.lol