Confirmed with Link: Sheldon Keefe to be named the next head coach of the New Jersey Devils

[Oneiro]

Siegs should've been shut down period. Maybe need a bit more oversight on letting these guys back in. Timo, Jack, Wood, they collaborate too much on the return timeline and it's always backfired.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Yeah, and I said I'm pretty understanding of Siegs.

What's Marino's excuse?

Marino’s poor form is more excusable in my opinion because of the type of game he plays. The way he plays is difficult to maintain and can particularly suffer when things aren’t going well around him. But when it’s working it’s beautiful. Evades checkers well, hold’s forcheckers off, and makes tough plays. I also think his defensive game suffered a bit from trying to more involved offensively.

Siegenthaler despite the circumstances played lazy and just shitty hockey. We don’t need him to do anything special but I could care less what injuries he’s suffered if he’s just throwing pucks up the wall without looking or rimming it whenever he gets it.

 

[My3Sons]

Siegenthaler sucked and is going to keep sucking until he starts actually trying to make plays instead of just throwing pucks along the wall. Hopefully our new staff can get that out of him as well as Nemec who does that too much as well.

Siegs was pretty broken and good chunk of last season. Let's see how restored health does for him. I will say he looked much peppier at the Worlds than down the stretch for NJ. Hopefully he feels well and has no lingering pain in his foot. Just think how different Hamilton was with the broken toe compared to the next season.

 

[Dialamo]

Siegs was pretty broken and good chunk of last season. Let's see how restored health does for him. I will say he looked much peppier at the Worlds than down the stretch for NJ. Hopefully he feels well and has no lingering pain in his foot. Just think how different Hamilton was with the broken toe compared to the next season.

I hope Hamilton can still clap bombs even after his pec tear. Hopefully he can make a full recovery from that type of injury.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I'd like to see both Siegs and Marino in a structured system. If Keefe is going to bring that the way he's been described, I don't want to see either of them go yet.

 

[Rhodes 81]

I think there's a lot of similarities between the two. I'd like to keep them both.

I also think the fans and most the posters here have been incredibly unfair to Siegenthaler this season.... he's lost Hamilton and has been injured most of the year on a very bad defensive team.... similar can be said for Marino. These guys took the brunt of the criticism completely unfairly in my opinion.

I think it's fair to be critical of both of them for not being able to sustain their play with worse partners. I think Marino will turn around easier because his play was killed by the issues with our transition game.

Seigenthaler had a lot of injuries and was missing his most consistent partner for the better part of two years, but man he played poorly this year. I think he can get back to where he was but if he doesn't and we're relying on him to be a top 4 D again that could sink us. He's been at his best denying zone entries and letting Dougie/Severson take the puck and get it up ice. Hopefully Hamilton is close to 100% quickly next year and that can help raise Seigenthaler back up.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Siegs was pretty broken and good chunk of last season. Let's see how restored health does for him. I will say he looked much peppier at the Worlds than down the stretch for NJ. Hopefully he feels well and has no lingering pain in his foot. Just think how different Hamilton was with the broken toe compared to the next season.

It’s the way he’s playing that’s the problem for me. If he was out there trying to make smart simple plays and things were just a bit off I would be agreeing with you. But he wasn’t. He’s been playing lazy careless hockey since even before this season. Just throws pucks wherever. Seems unmotivated in a way.

I agree he looks better at the worlds. Because he’s actually trying to play good hockey and make plays. Not sure how people can use the injury excuse and say he should have been shut down when he jumps right to worlds after the season almost as if he’s completely fine.

Hopefully the new staff can get him playing good hockey again.

 

[kiwidevil]

I'd like to see both Siegs and Marino in a structured system. If Keefe is going to bring that the way he's been described, I don't want to see either of them go yet.

Exactly. Defensive Dmen struggle the most when they don't have structured passing outlets to rely on. They get in trouble when they have to improvise too much.

 

[JimEIV]

Yeah, and I said I'm pretty understanding of Siegs.

What's Marino's excuse?

Partners. Really green behind the ears partners. Everyone wants to make believe Luke was awesome and Simon was polished like a seasoned pro...but those two and Bahl threw our defense our of whack very badly this season... On top of that, and compounding all the problems our forwards are terrible at defense and soft to go along with shaky goaltending. That and injuries are in a nutshell what went wrong.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Exactly. Defensive Dmen struggle the most when they don't have structured passing outlets to rely on. They get in trouble when they have to improvise too much.

This a pretty big over generalization. Also not sure it’s the issue with either of the defensemen being discussed.

 

[Rhodes 81]

Just echoing what has already been said, but I'm fairly confident we could go into next year with the same group of D and see significant improvement with the combo of a more supportive structure that Keefe is bringing, better health, and hopefully better goaltending.

 

[My3Sons]

It’s the way he’s playing that’s the problem for me. If he was out there trying to make smart simple plays and things were just a bit off I would be agreeing with you. But he wasn’t. He’s been playing lazy careless hockey since even before this season. Just throws pucks wherever. Seems unmotivated in a way.

I agree he looks better at the worlds. Because he’s actually trying to play good hockey and make plays. Not sure how people can use the injury excuse and say he should have been shut down when he jumps right to worlds after the season almost as if he’s completely fine.

Hopefully the new staff can get him playing good hockey again.

Sometimes things snowball. Last season is over and let’s see what a full summer of rest and rehab does along with a new coach. I agree he was playing poorly but I’m skeptical all his ability just leaked out of his ears at his age.

 

[JimEIV]

It’s the way he’s playing that’s the problem for me. If he was out there trying to make smart simple plays and things were just a bit off I would be agreeing with you. But he wasn’t. He’s been playing lazy careless hockey since even before this season. Just throws pucks wherever. Seems unmotivated in a way.

I agree he looks better at the worlds. Because he’s actually trying to play good hockey and make plays. Not sure how people can use the injury excuse and say he should have been shut down when he jumps right to worlds after the season almost as if he’s completely fine.

Hopefully the new staff can get him playing good hockey again.

You can't play the same when don't know where you're partner is or is going to be. It's impossible.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

You can't play the same when don't know where you're partner is or is going to be. It's impossible.

Nope you can’t. Doesn’t mean you can’t at pick your head up and look for an option before deciding to just throw a puck along the walls.

He’s also the type of player who should be able to adjust to new partners the easiest. The losing his partner argument is bs and a terrible excuse IMO.

 

[Smitty426]

By the time that was said, Luke Hughes was back to playing quite well. He had a normal dip in play that rookies experience. It would’ve been nice if we had the option to sit Luke but we really didn’t. The left side depth didn’t allow for that. This is a team that was playing Brendan Smith almost every game.

I’m glad Luke hit the rookie wall and came out there other end. Wouldn’t have changed much about how Luke and Nemec were used — and they were flat better than just about every single other defenseman we used last year.

First part is incorrect, most fans were calling for it as soon as green and fitz said it. It easily could have happened. He played poorly defensively until Jack was shelved. Hattaki played as good as Bahl and better in many respects, could have and should have been done. Luke is GOING to be great but his defensive part of the game won't be ready even until end of next year, so be prepared.

 

[JimEIV]

Nope you can’t. Doesn’t mean you can’t at pick your head up and look for an option before deciding to just throw a puck along the walls.

He’s also the type of player who should be able to adjust to new partners the easiest. The losing his partner argument is bs and a terrible excuse IMO.

It's not "losing the partner" that's the excuse, it's Luke, Nemec and Bahl were much worse partners than anyone here is willing to admit.

Bahl being the best of the worst...he was far less erratic than the other two.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

It's not "losing the partner" that's the excuse it's Luke, Nemec and Bahl were much worse partners than anyone here is willing to admit.

Bahl being the best of the worst...he was far less erratic than the other two.

I get that. Again it doesn’t mean he should abandon trying to play half decent hockey. He’s been playing lazy throw pucks wherever for the last year + and there’s no good excuse for it whatsoever.

 

[Oneiro]

Guys throw the puck up the wall and rim it around without looking because they're compensating for compromised footspeed and young partners who also tend to roam and do less than ideal things positionally. It's dumb but it's reality. Injuries aren't independent of the mental game.

You can be excited about Luke and Nemec and also acknowledge they're both river boat gamblers. And Bahl is not yet a solid player. A guy like Siegs goes from perfectly timed pinches and breakouts in '23 to completely losing his IQ in a year?

This is the first true X's and O's coach we've had in a while. No new age overwrought coach's conference shit, no laissez faire golden retriever pat on the head from a retread. This is the time to take a microscope to the guys on the back-end. It's exciting.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Guys throw the puck up the wall and rim it around without looking because they're compensating for compromised footspeed and young partners who also tend to roam and do less than ideal things positionally. It's dumb but it's reality. Injuries aren't independent of the mental game.

You can be excited about Luke and Nemec and also acknowledge they're both river boat gamblers. And Bahl is not yet a solid player. A guy like Siegs goes from perfectly timed pinches and breakouts in '23 to completely losing his IQ in a year?

This is the first true X's and O's coach we've had in a while. No new age overwrought coach's conference shit, no laissez faire golden retriever pat on the head from a retread. This is the time to take a microscope to the guys on the back-end. It's exciting.

No they don’t. They do it when they’ve signed a long term contract and are now playing lazy unmotivated hockey. It’s not his IQ which is why it’s frustrating. Hopefully the new staff can whip him back to what he was.

 

[Dialamo]

I fully expect Luke and Nemec to be better next season. Bahl I don't know, there is potential but there's also a chance he just flames out as well.

 

[Rhodes 81]

Nope you can’t. Doesn’t mean you can’t at pick your head up and look for an option before deciding to just throw a puck along the walls.

He’s also the type of player who should be able to adjust to new partners the easiest. The losing his partner argument is bs and a terrible excuse IMO.

When your partner was Dougie Hamilton and now it's rookie Nemec it is not a BS excuse. His xGF% with Nemec was 44.69 (390 minutes) and with Hamilton was 57.08 (252 minutes). Those were the only two partners he played more the 150 minutes with at even strength.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

When your partner was Dougie Hamilton and now it's rookie Nemec it is not a BS excuse. His xGF% with Nemec was 44.69 (390 minutes) and with Hamilton was 57.08 (252 minutes). Those were the only two partners he played more the 150 minutes with at even strength.

Again it’s the way he played. Yes I’m sure his results were better when he played with a significantly better partner.

It’s a BS excuse for a player playing shitty unmotivated hockey.

 

[kiwidevil]

This a pretty big over generalization. Also not sure it’s the issue with either of the defensemen being discussed.

You don't recall Siegs randomly reversing the puck around the boards, as if he expects a forward to be there? Instead it tees up perfectly for the opposition point man to step into, with no Devil within 5 meters?

It happened a lot.

 

[Rhodes 81]

Again it’s the way he played. Yes I’m sure his results were better when he played with a significantly better partner.

It’s a BS excuse for a player playing shitty unmotivated hockey.

I simply don't think that's a fair characterization of the problem. Do you truly believe any time a defender sends the puck out of the zone its is because they're too lazy to pick out a pass?

 

[Captain3rdLine]

You don't recall Siegs randomly reversing the puck around the boards, as if he expects a forward to be there? Instead it tees up perfectly for the opposition point man to step into, with no Devil within 5 meters?

It happened a lot.

I recall it happening a lot. Because as I’ve said he just throws pucks wherever now. He shouldn’t ever be throwing a puck somewhere in the Dzone without knowing that a player is there.

I simply don't think that's a fair characterization of the problem. Do you truly believe any time a defender sends the puck out of the zone its is because they're too lazy to pick out a pass?

Unmotivated to pick his head up and try to make a play yes. He also wasn’t throwing it out of the zone. Lazy hope rims