The Devils are exciting

[BayStreetBully]

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.

They were out of the league after whatever they happened to go through in Jersey. Perhaps it's on the coaches. Perhaps it's on the players themselves. But whatever the reason, something happened after they arrived in Jersey. They were fine players before arriving.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

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.

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.

Add Ryane Clowe, Brian Rolston, Martin Havlat were horrible signings too. Many of Lou's later decisions were questionable.

Also trading a high pick that turned out to be Bo Horvat for a goalie, even as good as Schneider is, I am not sure of? The losing of a 1st rd higher pick(even though the regained #31 on later appeal) in the Kovy cap circumvention may be the kicker, he certainly did not leave the Devils in a great position when he left. Got to give credit to Shero for such a quick turnaround if the Devils continue playing exciting and successful hockey.

 

[chethejet]

Shero saw first hand that offense wins games and makes things easier. The emphasis has to be to build a team that can skate, score and be good enough on D. Every playoff series the Pens abused the third line defenders. It is simply to hard to have 6 top defenders as to cost and ability. A very good goalie and a team that can score is the way to go.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Add Ryane Clowe, Brian Rolston, Martin Havlat were horrible signings too. Many of Lou's later decisions were questionable.

I think Devils fans will take it, in exchange for decades of Stevens, Niedermayer, Brodeur, Lemieux, Daneyko, Gomez, Elias, Sykora, Arnott, Madden, Holik, Mackay, Rafalski among others. And 3 cups. And Schneider.

Speaking for myself, I know that the Devils' success with Stevens, Niedermayer and Brodeur (three top 100 players of all time) made me a fan back then. Now Hischier is making me a fan again. Hischier can be a real stud.

 

[AfroThunder396]

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?

When Shero came in he said his vision for the team was "fast, attacking, and supportive". We saw it in the Finals this year. SJ was a well built two-way team, but they simply had no answer for Pittsburgh's speed. That team has Hynes and Shero's fingerprints all over it. People bash Shero's drafting record in PIT but ignore quality depth guys like Rust and Kuhnhackl he brought in to help balance that team.

Guys like Nico, McLeod, and Bratt certainly fit the bill for fast and attacking. Some lesser known picks like Anderson, Gignac, and Talvitie are all guys that also fit that mold. Looking at trades - Hall, Palmieiri, and Johansson are all guys that are tremendous skaters and use that to our advantage. Even lesser known guys he's brought in like John Moore and Stefan Noesen have contributed to the team. Before Lou loved to take tough guys in later rounds - names like Brandon Baddock, Connor Chatham, and Reyan Rehill. Now we're taking skilled high-ceiling project players like Bratt and Marian Studenic.

For years our Achilles heel has been our defense, specifically the transition game. Our defensemen were low skill grenade handlers that couldn't exit the zone by passing or skating. Lou loved guys like Salvador and Volchenkov. Butcher has been a godsend in that regard. Before him, Severson was the only player we had that could reliably do that. Mueller has also been better than advertised, although I'm concerned about him getting too many minutes too quickly. Even Steve Santini, a supposed "stay at home" defenseman, is mobile and surprisingly competent with the puck on his stick. We haven't drafted as many defensemen as we have forwards, but Yegor Rykov and Reilly Walsh both look quite promising.

Last year Hynes was on record saying we weren't tough enough to play against. By December a lot of the team had mailed it in. That doesn't necessarily mean physical toughness. We couldn't make teams pay on the PP, so they could do whatever they wanted to us. If we turned the puck over, it was in our net (Schenider had a rough season last year). And WE couldn't capitalize on our opponents mistakes. There was a lot of complacency on last year's team. Shero said at the end of the season that he gave guys an opportunity to prove they belonged on this team and they failed, so they won't be back next year (you saw the offseason purge where guys like DSP, Cammalleri, and Bennett were cut). It's two games in and you can already see the killer instinct we never had last year. I think the new blood combined with purging the slackers has done wonders for the culture and morale in that dressing room.

So yeah. This is the first season in the first few years I'm actually excited for. The best part is that it's not like our window has opened up and we better win the next X years. We haven't spent all our assets, we have some fine prospects queued up for the next few years. Our core is still very young. Whatever this team is this year it's going to be better next year. Playoffs? Maybe. I don't see a Cup any time soon, but I think we'll surprise a lot of people. It will be a lot of fun either way. We certainly won't be picking bottom-3 this year like a lot of the armchair """"experts"""" on the main board seem to think (barring more lottery fun, of course ).

 

[Classic Devil]

When Shero came in he said his vision for the team was "fast, attacking, and supportive". We saw it in the Finals this year. SJ was a well built two-way team, but they simply had no answer for Pittsburgh's speed. That team has Hynes and Shero's fingerprints all over it. People bash Shero's drafting record in PIT but ignore quality depth guys like Rust and Kuhnhackl he brought in to help balance that team.

Guys like Nico, McLeod, and Bratt certainly fit the bill for fast and attacking. Some lesser known picks like Anderson, Gignac, and Talvitie are all guys that also fit that mold. Looking at trades - Hall, Palmieiri, and Johansson are all guys that are tremendous skaters and use that to our advantage. Even lesser known guys he's brought in like John Moore and Stefan Noesen have contributed to the team. Before Lou loved to take tough guys in later rounds - names like Brandon Baddock, Connor Chatham, and Reyan Rehill. Now we're taking skilled high-ceiling project players like Bratt and Marian Studenic.

For years our Achilles heel has been our defense, specifically the transition game. Our defensemen were low skill grenade handlers that couldn't exit the zone by passing or skating. Lou loved guys like Salvador and Volchenkov. Butcher has been a godsend in that regard. Before him, Severson was the only player we had that could reliably do that. Mueller has also been better than advertised, although I'm concerned about him getting too many minutes too quickly. Even Steve Santini, a supposed "stay at home" defenseman, is mobile and surprisingly competent with the puck on his stick. We haven't drafted as many defensemen as we have forwards, but Yegor Rykov and Reilly Walsh both look quite promising.

Last year Hynes was on record saying we weren't tough enough to play against. By December a lot of the team had mailed it in. That doesn't necessarily mean physical toughness. We couldn't make teams pay on the PP, so they could do whatever they wanted to us. If we turned the puck over, it was in our net (Schenider had a rough season last year). And WE couldn't capitalize on our opponents mistakes. There was a lot of complacency on last year's team. Shero said at the end of the season that he gave guys an opportunity to prove they belonged on this team and they failed, so they won't be back next year (you saw the offseason purge where guys like DSP, Cammalleri, and Bennett were cut). It's two games in and you can already see the killer instinct we never had last year. I think the new blood combined with purging the slackers has done wonders for the culture and morale in that dressing room.

So yeah. This is the first season in the first few years I'm actually excited for. The best part is that it's not like our window has opened up and we better win the next X years. We haven't spent all our assets, we have some fine prospects queued up for the next few years. Our core is still very young. Whatever this team is this year it's going to be better next year. Playoffs? Maybe. I don't see a Cup any time soon, but I think we'll surprise a lot of people. It will be a lot of fun either way. We certainly won't be picking bottom-3 this year like a lot of the armchair """"experts"""" on the main board seem to think (barring more lottery fun, of course ).

If the young forwards develop as we hope, and we can acquire one top-pairing defenseman (who will almost certainly have to come from outside our current pool of assets, because barring surprise development we just don't have one), we can be a contender inside of two years. That should be soon enough to compete with Schneider.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Shero saw first hand that offense wins games and makes things easier. The emphasis has to be to build a team that can skate, score and be good enough on D. Every playoff series the Pens abused the third line defenders. It is simply to hard to have 6 top defenders as to cost and ability. A very good goalie and a team that can score is the way to go.

I was 1st skeptical that Shero would be the right hire for the Devils, on the surface it seemed like a continuation of the old and perhaps antiquated methods of Lou. But once Conte was not rehired and Lou booted upstairs, I recall change was prevalent there. It was a signal that the old Devils were morphing into a new Devils style. Certainly like how they have scouted under Paul Castron. NJ are forging a new identity. No longer are they a defensive boring team, but one that is now relying more on skill and speed.

 

[BayStreetBully]

When Shero came in he said his vision for the team was "fast, attacking, and supportive". We saw it in the Finals this year. SJ was a well built two-way team, but they simply had no answer for Pittsburgh's speed. That team has Hynes and Shero's fingerprints all over it. People bash Shero's drafting record in PIT but ignore quality depth guys like Rust and Kuhnhackl he brought in to help balance that team.

Guys like Nico, McLeod, and Bratt certainly fit the bill for fast and attacking. Some lesser known picks like Anderson, Gignac, and Talvitie are all guys that also fit that mold. Looking at trades - Hall, Palmieiri, and Johansson are all guys that are tremendous skaters and use that to our advantage. Even lesser known guys he's brought in like John Moore and Stefan Noesen have contributed to the team. Before Lou loved to take tough guys in later rounds - names like Brandon Baddock, Connor Chatham, and Reyan Rehill. Now we're taking skilled high-ceiling project players like Bratt and Marian Studenic.

For years our Achilles heel has been our defense, specifically the transition game. Our defensemen were low skill grenade handlers that couldn't exit the zone by passing or skating. Lou loved guys like Salvador and Volchenkov. Butcher has been a godsend in that regard. Before him, Severson was the only player we had that could reliably do that. Mueller has also been better than advertised, although I'm concerned about him getting too many minutes too quickly. Even Steve Santini, a supposed "stay at home" defenseman, is mobile and surprisingly competent with the puck on his stick. We haven't drafted as many defensemen as we have forwards, but Yegor Rykov and Reilly Walsh both look quite promising.

Last year Hynes was on record saying we weren't tough enough to play against. By December a lot of the team had mailed it in. That doesn't necessarily mean physical toughness. We couldn't make teams pay on the PP, so they could do whatever they wanted to us. If we turned the puck over, it was in our net (Schenider had a rough season last year). And WE couldn't capitalize on our opponents mistakes. There was a lot of complacency on last year's team. Shero said at the end of the season that he gave guys an opportunity to prove they belonged on this team and they failed, so they won't be back next year (you saw the offseason purge where guys like DSP, Cammalleri, and Bennett were cut). It's two games in and you can already see the killer instinct we never had last year. I think the new blood combined with purging the slackers has done wonders for the culture and morale in that dressing room.

So yeah. This is the first season in the first few years I'm actually excited for. The best part is that it's not like our window has opened up and we better win the next X years. We haven't spent all our assets, we have some fine prospects queued up for the next few years. Our core is still very young. Whatever this team is this year it's going to be better next year. Playoffs? Maybe. I don't see a Cup any time soon, but I think we'll surprise a lot of people. It will be a lot of fun either way. We certainly won't be picking bottom-3 this year like a lot of the armchair """"experts"""" on the main board seem to think (barring more lottery fun, of course ).

Thanks, that's very helpful. I am excited about all this promise you mentioned. Hopefully they will pan out! I don't have much doubt about Hischier, but I will remain hopefully cautious about the rest. Time will tell.

 

[BayStreetBully]

If the young forwards develop as we hope, and we can acquire one top-pairing defenseman (who will almost certainly have to come from outside our current pool of assets, because barring surprise development we just don't have one), we can be a contender inside of two years. That should be soon enough to compete with Schneider.

I think that the Devils will always have a chance with Schneider. He's that good. Acquiring Schneider was probably the Devils' best move towards this new identity the Devils are building.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

When Shero came in he said his vision for the team was "fast, attacking, and supportive". We saw it in the Finals this year. SJ was a well built two-way team, but they simply had no answer for Pittsburgh's speed. That team has Hynes and Shero's fingerprints all over it. People bash Shero's drafting record in PIT but ignore quality depth guys like Rust and Kuhnhackl he brought in to help balance that team.

Guys like Nico, McLeod, and Bratt certainly fit the bill for fast and attacking. Some lesser known picks like Anderson, Gignac, and Talvitie are all guys that also fit that mold. Looking at trades - Hall, Palmieiri, and Johansson are all guys that are tremendous skaters and use that to our advantage. Even lesser known guys he's brought in like John Moore and Stefan Noesen have contributed to the team. Before Lou loved to take tough guys in later rounds - names like Brandon Baddock, Connor Chatham, and Reyan Rehill. Now we're taking skilled high-ceiling project players like Bratt and Marian Studenic.

For years our Achilles heel has been our defense, specifically the transition game. Our defensemen were low skill grenade handlers that couldn't exit the zone by passing or skating. Lou loved guys like Salvador and Volchenkov. Butcher has been a godsend in that regard. Before him, Severson was the only player we had that could reliably do that. Mueller has also been better than advertised, although I'm concerned about him getting too many minutes too quickly. Even Steve Santini, a supposed "stay at home" defenseman, is mobile and surprisingly competent with the puck on his stick. We haven't drafted as many defensemen as we have forwards, but Yegor Rykov and Reilly Walsh both look quite promising.

Last year Hynes was on record saying we weren't tough enough to play against. By December a lot of the team had mailed it in. That doesn't necessarily mean physical toughness. We couldn't make teams pay on the PP, so they could do whatever they wanted to us. If we turned the puck over, it was in our net (Schenider had a rough season last year). And WE couldn't capitalize on our opponents mistakes. There was a lot of complacency on last year's team. Shero said at the end of the season that he gave guys an opportunity to prove they belonged on this team and they failed, so they won't be back next year (you saw the offseason purge where guys like DSP, Cammalleri, and Bennett were cut). It's two games in and you can already see the killer instinct we never had last year. I think the new blood combined with purging the slackers has done wonders for the culture and morale in that dressing room.

So yeah. This is the first season in the first few years I'm actually excited for. The best part is that it's not like our window has opened up and we better win the next X years. We haven't spent all our assets, we have some fine prospects queued up for the next few years. Our core is still very young. Whatever this team is this year it's going to be better next year. Playoffs? Maybe. I don't see a Cup any time soon, but I think we'll surprise a lot of people. It will be a lot of fun either way. We certainly won't be picking bottom-3 this year like a lot of the armchair """"experts"""" on the main board seem to think (barring more lottery fun, of course ).

Thanks very informative post. Sounds like Shero was the right man taking over from Lou.
The Devils badly needed new direction, and the early results are they have it now. Funny you say, Lou like grenade handling D men, and he also liked overpaying for over the hill veterans. Had the Devils not made this paradigm shift, they are probably still filling holes with overpriced vets, playing the same style that is synonymous with trap hockey. I will admit, I was one of those that was doubtful when Shero was hired. But you are correct, he also brought in Rust and Kuhnhackl for the Pens.

 

[Binister]

Definitely the most entertaining team thus far! I really like how Hischier, Bratt and Butcher are playing the game.

 

[X66]

It's great that Lou has learned from those mistakes in New Jersey. The league and all hockey fans benefited from this because now Toronto and New Jersey are two of the more exciting teams(New Jersey shaping up to be).

 

[Nizdizzle]

Interested to see their forwards play tonight. Doubley interested in seeing Bratt play as he seems to have become an HF meme almost overnight.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

It's fun to see Devils getting praise (and Vegas) but im not buying them having a good season until i see it over a longer period of time.

Anyone can win games in bunches in this league, it's how you're able to handle losing what separates the good teams from mediocre/bad.

Last year Avs started the season 3-1, Canucks 4-0, Devils were good from late October to mid November, Detroit had a 6 game win streak in October etc..

 

[BayStreetBully]

It's fun to see Devils getting praise (and Vegas) but im not buying them having a good season until i see it over a longer period of time.

Anyone can win games in bunches in this league, it's how you're able to handle losing what separates the good teams from mediocre/bad.

Last year Avs started the season 3-1, Canucks 4-0, Devils were good from late October to mid November, Detroit had a 6 game win streak in October etc..

Absolutely agree. I like the Devils' promise, but they need to become a playoff team before I can really see that they have turned a corner. I like them already nonetheless, but it is premature to give anyone in that organization credit at the moment.

I think Hischier can lead his team to the playoffs in his first year post-draft. That would be the sign of a truly special talent. But time will tell.

 

[Devils090]

I'm not getting caught in the hype but it is so refreshing to see our team finally have some exciting young players again, seems as though we're done wandering the desert.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

The only thing that makes the devils potentially a decent team is if Schneider can return to form and the offense can become average.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

It wouldn't suck too much to suck this year. Imagine this forward core with Dahlin

 

[Jersey Fresh]

The premise that it's "wait and see" with this team is absolutely correct, but anyone that watched this team and last year's team wouldn't be drawing parallels. New Jersey may have started 9-3-3 last season, but they still looked awful.

This team can skate and string more than two passes together. The defense is of course still a work in progress.

 

[BayStreetBully]

The only thing that makes the devils potentially a decent team is if Schneider can return to form and the offense can become average.

Last year should be an anomaly for Schneider. He is very much an elite goalie, and that's something the Devils can build upon. I do agree with you that Schneider will be the main reason why the Devils resurge if they do.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Interesting to see Lou getting castigated here, but he too has a young exciting team.
Maybe not being the lone voice, has mollified him. Its also not his vision-he just subscribes to it.

Bratt is my pick for the Calder.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Interesting to see Lou getting castigated here, but he too has a young exciting team.
Maybe not being the lone voice, has mollified him. Its also not his vision-he just subscribes to it.

Bratt is my pick for the Calder.

I too am astounded to see Devils fans going after Lamoriello. He was the reason why I appreciated the Devils of the 90's and 00's so much. He put New Jersey on the hockey map and made that franchise one that will be remembered for all hockey history. But because he brought in Anton Volchenkov, all seems to be forgotten.

If I were a Maple Leafs fan, I don't think I would speak ill of Lamoriello for the 2% of his moves that don't work out, when everything else he has done is turning the Maple Leafs into a contender the way he once made New Jersey one.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

The only thing that makes the devils potentially a decent team is if Schneider can return to form and the offense can become average.

He had a bad year last year, but is quite capable of turning it around. It's funny I still think of him as a young Goalie but reality wise he was drafted way back when Nonis was GM for Vancouver in his first draft. He's 31 already, so now is the time for him to start paying dividends. With the promise shown thus far by the Devils, this year is as good a time to start beginning with tonight's game.

 

[Edmonton East]

I too am astounded to see Devils fans going after Lamoriello. He was the reason why I appreciated the Devils of the 90's and 00's so much. He put New Jersey on the hockey map and made that franchise one that will be remembered for all hockey history. But because he brought in Anton Volchenkov, all seems to be forgotten.

If I were a Maple Leafs fan, I don't think I would speak ill of Lamoriello for the 2% of his moves that don't work out, when everything else he has done is turning the Maple Leafs into a contender the way he once made New Jersey one.

Leaf fans don't get it. Lou has little to do with the Leafs' turnaround. He is nothing more than an advisor or figurehead; Shanny runs that organization. Lou just hopped over to it at the right time coinciding with some strong draft classes.

Lou was a top 3 GM in hockey for the better part of two decades. For that, Devils fans will always love him. However, he refused to adapt as the NHL changed mid-2000s onward. Mismanaged assets. Poor drafting. Horrendous signing after horrendous signing. Stubborn, old school negotiating tactics. Archaic player conduct rules/expectations, etc.

Plus, I still believe he knew Kovalchuk was probably gonna leave when he traded for Schneider. That trade alone pushed the rebuild back 5+ years. Anyone with eyes could see that roster was beyond trash without Kovy (having previously lost Parise). That trade made no sense if he knew Kovy was heading out a week later. And he was too stubborn to forfeit the damn Matteau pick after the Cup run with a team on the downswing

 

[BayStreetBully]

Leaf fans don't get it. Lou has little to do with the Leafs' turnaround. He is nothing more than an advisor or figurehead; Shanny runs that organization. Lou just hopped over to it at the right time coinciding with some strong draft classes.

Lou was a top 3 GM in hockey for the better part of two decades. For that, Devils fans will always love him. However, he refused to adapt as the NHL changed mid-2000s onward. Mismanaged assets. Poor drafting. Horrendous signing after horrendous signing. Stubborn, old school negotiating tactics. Archaic player conduct rules/expectations, etc.

I may not get it, as I am not a Maple Leafs fan in the conventional sense (I like the Maple Leafs as I do many teams, including New Jersey), but I would attribute a good portion of Toronto's turnaround to Lamoriello.

But back to New Jersey, I would disagree with your assessment of Lamoriello. He kept the Devils in contention from the 1990's all the way through to 2012, more or less. Devils fans may have become spoiled by Lamoriello's long track record of success, which simply speaks for itself. However, rest assured it is the norm among the rest of GMs NOT to have that type of long standing success with one organization.