The Devils are exciting

[Jerzey Devil]

They played the moribund Buffalo Sabres Monday; don't be so hasty to anoint The Devils high scoring or exciting for that win.... And I'm a Sabres fan.

It’s not only the two regular season games but the preseason games as well. It’s the addition of the young guys like Hischier, Bratt, and Butcher and the fast pace this team plays at now. Much different than last year.

Is that enough to say this team is a playoff team or even going to be good all season? No. But it is enough to say they are much more fun to watch than they have been in years past.

 

[tmg]

going to be a big game tonight....

Leafs should win by a margin, but should be our best test (well, maybe second behind Chicago) yet.

Amusing: Toronto and Chicago just faced on Monday, entering the game both undefeated and tied as the top-2 scoring offenses in the NHL (goals per game).

Tonight, Toronto faces the #3 team in GPG, and once again both teams enter undefeated.

 

[BayStreetBully]

I'm very excited to watch more of the Devils this year. I will be fascinated to see how fast Hischier adapts to the rest of the league. I'm hoping for a very solid 50 point season.

 

[mattcookefan]

its amazing how literally every thread, without question, will become a tread talking about the leafs if left open for long enough

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Insane speed matched with relentless forecheck and skill.

Hall
Hischier
Bratt
Johansson
Zacha
Palmieri
Henrique

They are going to give defenses fits this season. Has to be one of the fastest and most dangerous top 9s in the league.

Looking fwd to seeing Hischier and Bratt tonight. Also they have Mcleod in the wings. Ironic part of the Devils, they seemed to have gone faster and more skilled when they got rid of the old guard in Lamoriello and Conte's with their departures from NJ.

This in turn has made the Devils have been more exciting to watch and thus far more successful.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Looking fwd to seeing Hischier and Bratt tonight. Also they have Mcleod in the wings. Ironic part of the Devils, they seemed to have gone faster and more skilled with the old guard in Lamoriello and Conte's departures from NJ. And in turn the Devils have been more exciting to watch and thus far more successful.

They are definitely more exciting, with the buzz created by their lottery draft win of Hischier.

But it's too early to say they are far more successful. They finished near the bottom last year, so they need to prove they can be a playoff team. It will be impressive, for example, if they could turn from a 1st overall pick team from one year to a playoff team the next.

I hope #1 pick Hischier can lead them to the playoffs this year. That really would be something. I am always impressed when #1 or #2 picks can instantly overturn their teams' fortunes to a playoff team immediately after being drafted. For example, as you mentioned, what Lamoriello did last year.

 

[Cotton]

Anyone confident in Jersey wanna bet me on the game tonight?

its amazing how literally every thread, without question, will become a tread talking about the leafs if left open for long enough

Do you think that would be the case if they weren't playing each other tonight? I don't.

 

[Cotton]

I've been thoroughly impressed with Hischier, only a matter of time before he has himself a game. Loved it when he confronted Johnson.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Anyone confident in Jersey wanna bet me on the game tonight?



Do you think that would be the case if they weren't playing each other tonight? I don't.

Well a thread about Laines shot became a thread about Matthews. It's possible..

 

[The Winter Soldier]

That Bratt

Yes, whenever you can find a player 162th in the 2016 draft that can play impactfully in his D+2 season. You have to credit the scouts and the GM. Also picking Hischier over Patrick this summer was a clear shift away from how Lou Lamoriello and David Conte used to draft. It may have been successful in the past but it was less so in today's game.

Shero and new Head scout Paul Castron have injected life into the Devils prospects depth. The results are starting to show already. Nice to see them doing well again.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Yes, whenever you can find a player 162th in the 2016 draft that can play impactfully in his D+2 season. You have to credit the scouts and the GM. Also picking Hischier over Patrick this summer was a clear shift away from how Lou Lamoriello and David Conte used to draft. It was successful in the past but less so in today's game.

Shero and new Head scout Paul Castron have injected life into the Devils prospects depth. The results are starting to show already. Nice to see them doing well again.

I agree with Hischier as the right pick over Patrick. The Devils did well there. They have continued the trend of making the right 1st overall picks since 2014. Let's just hope now that Hischier can follow suit with his predecessors like Ekblad, McDavid and Matthews, and have a Calder-worthy season. I'm rooting for this Hischier kid.

 

[Cotton]

Well a thread about Laines shot became a thread about Matthews. It's possible..

That's a bit different, Laine had a pack of rabid Finnish posters who've been turning everything into a pissing contest. Even Jets fans and them get into it. So they get it back a bunch in Laine threads. Not saying it's right, but it's certainly a different situation.

 

[goonybird]

Full names:

2016 6th round draft pick Jesper Bratt
First overall Nico Hischier
Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher
Recently acquired Marcus Johansson

 

[sparxx87]

its amazing how literally every thread, without question, will become a tread talking about the leafs if left open for long enough

They play the Leafs tonight, the Devils are understandably on the radar for Leafs fans today. Crazy, I know.

I’m excited to see Jersey tonight - Haven’t seen them play this year and yet to see Hischier play as a pro..

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Full names:

2016 6th round draft pick Jesper Bratt
First overall Nico Hischier
Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher
Recently acquired Marcus Johansson

You can notice a shift starting in the summer of 2015 after that draft, when Paul Castron was hired from Columbus by then new GM Shero as the new Director of Amateur Scouting. Probably a year earlier would have been better, as the Devils would probably had drafted Werenski or Provorov over Zacha in 2015. Not a slight on Zacha, but those 2 guys look like D studs.

Still with new management in place Shero and Castron they have added McLeod, Nathan Bastian, and Joey Anderson, to already the promising Hischier and Bratt.

Looks like the Devils of old are no more, a new identity is starting to emerge.

 

[BayStreetBully]

You can notice a shift towards starting in 2015 after that draft when Paul Castron was hired from Columbus by Shero as the new Director of Amateur Scouting. Probably a year earlier would have been better, as the Devils would probably had drafted Werenski or Provorov over Zacha in 2015. Not a slight on Zacha, but those 2 guys look like D studs.

Still with new management in place Shero and Castron they have added McLeod, Nathan Bastian, and Joey Anderson, to already the promising Hischier and Bratt.

It's way too early to tout the horns of any of those prospects, except for Hischier, by virtue of him being a #1 pick. Traditionally, you could only count on a #1 pick usually living up to expectations in the NHL (with exceptions).

I love Hischier's game, and the Devils are very fortunate to have won the lottery to draft him. He is what you want in a cornerstone franchise player: center, highly skilled, can skate, be a playmaker, and a great ambassador for the team with a no-nonsense professional attitude.

I really have high hopes for this kid. He can become a top 5 young player/center of the game.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Don't forget that he got Hall, Palmieri, and Johansson for essentially Larsson + two 2nd and two 3rd round picks.

Signing Butcher. Picking Noesen off waivers, who has been a very effective bottom six player. Turning a PTO like Stempniak into assets (I have a feeling something similar will happen with Stafford). Picking up a 2nd for Savard's cap dump.

Shero has done a great job liquidating his assets into picks and parlaying those picks into young players that fit his vision of the team.

 

[Edgelord]

Don't forget that he got Hall, Palmieri, and Johansson for essentially Larsson + two 2nd and two 3rd round picks.

Signing Butcher. Picking Noesen off waivers, who has been a very effective bottom six player. Turning a PTO like Stempniak into assets (I have a feeling something similar will happen with Stafford). Picking up a 2nd for Savard's cap dump.

Shero has done a great job liquidating his assets into picks and parlaying those picks into young players that fit his vision of the team.

NJ has quietly built a team. I hope for their fans NJ continues to play this fast paced style.
As for the game tonight I have no idea what will happen. Will NJ be able to handle the relentless pressure
?

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Don't forget that he got Hall, Palmieri, and Johansson for essentially Larsson + two 2nd and two 3rd round picks.

Signing Butcher. Picking Noesen off waivers, who has been a very effective bottom six player. Turning a PTO like Stempniak into assets (I have a feeling something similar will happen with Stafford). Picking up a 2nd for Savard's cap dump.

Shero has done a great job liquidating his assets into picks and parlaying those picks into young players that fit his vision of the team.

Thanks! It is always good to get a viewpoint from a Devils fan.

I know Lou Lamoriello meant so much to the Devils past success, he is revered in NJ, but I think his approach was getting old and stale in NJ.

The new GM Shero with a new approach has been a breath of fresh air in NJ. No longer are the Devils a boring bland team, but one that is fast and more skill focused. Also reflected in their scouting and drafting. What is your opinion?

 

[BayStreetBully]

Thanks! It is always good to get a viewpoint from a Devils fan.

I know Lou Lamoriello meant so much to the Devils past success, he is revered in NJ, but I think his approach was getting old and stale in NJ.

The new GM Shero with a new approach has been a breath of fresh air in NJ. No longer are the Devils a boring bland team, but one that is fast and more skill focused. Also reflected in their scouting and drafting. What is your opinion?

I am also a fan of the Devils, among other teams. My opinion is that the Devils are now trying to emulate the success of their predecessors throughout the 90's and 00's. Not through their style of play, as I don't think Shero has the ability to acquire a Stevens or Niedermayer or a Brodeur like Lamoriello and Conte did, but through high end skill like Hischier.

As a fan of Hischier, I will be watching him closely this year, and will provide you with regular updates if you like.

 

[Colin226]

Thanks! It is always good to get a viewpoint from a Devils fan.

I know Lou Lamoriello meant so much to the Devils past success, he is revered in NJ, but I think his approach was getting old and stale in NJ.

The new GM Shero with a new approach has been a breath of fresh air in NJ. No longer are the Devils a boring bland team, but one that is fast and more skill focused. Also reflected in their scouting and drafting. What is your opinion?

By old and stale you must mean Michael Ryder, Tuomo Ruutu, and Anton Volchenkov just to name a few. And that's just some of the older guys, not even counting the younger-ish plugs Lou brought in who stunk.

 

[BayStreetBully]

By old and stale you must mean Michael Ryder, Tuomo Ruutu, and Anton Volchenkov just to name a few. And that's just some of the older guys, not even counting the younger-ish plugs Lou brought in who stunk.

Michael Ryder and Anton Volchenkov were fine players for their previous teams. If they did not work out in Jersey, it is more a reflection of the Devils' coaching staff's inability to utilize them properly.

 

[Classic Devil]

Michael Ryder and Anton Volchenkov were fine players for their previous teams. If they did not work out in Jersey, it is more a reflection of the Devils' coaching staff's inability to utilize them properly.

Eh, no. By the end of their tenure in New Jersey they were both just bad.

 

[Oneiro]

Michael Ryder and Anton Volchenkov were fine players for their previous teams. If they did not work out in Jersey, it is more a reflection of the Devils' coaching staff's inability to utilize them properly.

Haha, nope.

Both were quickly out of the league after leaving the Devils. Clear examples of players who, with a more forward thinking management/analytics team, would’ve been avoided.

 

[td_ice]

Very excited to see the Devils/Leafs game tonight.

It really is a great time for hockey with all these young guns in the game. The speed, the skill, love it.