GDT: Willy Wonka and the hockey game, Oilers @ Devils 7:30

[PKs Broken Stick]

welp looks like @StevenToddIves is gonna be our best friend again come April.

looking forward to the draft sucks

Isn't he retired

 

[New Jersey]

 

[guitarguyvic]

idk wtf Bahl was doing on the drai goal. He had a wide lane on other side to get the puck to Mercer, but noooo he's gotta skate right back into the mess.

I mean literally all of our guys do this. They have shit outlet options in this system. The breakout strategy look essentially non-existent.

I really do seriously believe most on here are underestimating how bad the structure is.

 

[Devilsfan118]

Wings are gonna spank us and this place might burst into literal flames.

Fun times ahead boys and girls

 

[NJDevs26]

They can’t possibly go 0-5 on the home stand can they? I’m not sure even the MacLean Devils managed that

 

[MadDevil]

As a fan, If Ruff isn't fired, I'm convinced Fitz also has Shero syndrome and that is very concerning.

It's not really about trying to get someone who is "good" at this point.

Sure, just pointing out that I don't think there is a Lemaire type just waiting to step in and fix a bunch of stuff. At this point you have to hope firing Ruff wakes the team up and they go off like the Oilers have after canning Woodcroft. Or the new coach bump is enough to keep them in the wild card hunt. I don't think dumping Ruff for Travis Green is the answer, which is where I'm afraid they'd go.

 

[glenwo2]

Hey, glenwo2, are we OK?

Were we ever "not ok"? You're confusing me.

 

[NJDevs26]

Isn't he retired

If we get another high pick, he’ll be unretired like Lou unretired Lemaire after the MacLoser fiasco

 

[Whaddagoal]

Not to be overly dramatic, but that was a pivotal point in a bad way for the way the season is going. We have now a 4 pt spread between the next place in Metro (Canes)

Metro won out again. Or 3 pt game.

Another 2 games like this in succession we are off the rails and even bubble is in doubt.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Bahl has more experience than Hughes and Nemec combined, so yes I'm going to differentiate them and not to mention he looked completely fine in the playoffs. He looks nothing like that in a more elevated role which is cratering us beyond belief.

You just explained the logic that I attempted to state in my last post. Just because Bahl has played more games given he had a full season under his belt last year doesn’t make him a veteran. He’s now in a much more significant role, and there is just as much of a learning curve for a young defender in that respect as there is for the other two who are just getting their feet wet.

To hold Bahl to that standard after one season will lead you to this state of frustration.

 

[Bleedred]

For the record, I think more of Fitz than to believe Travis Green is a potential long term heir to Ruff. I think he’s just a guy that Fitz knows that he thought could help the team on an assistant level and because we had an opening left behind by Brunette, and that when the time came to replace Ruff, he would look to go big game hunting.

I don’t think he really has any plans or will ever have any plans to make Green the permanent head coach here. Perhaps the interim if Ruff is ever fired midseason, but not a long term answer.

I’m mostly just paranoid. We haven’t had a head coach here worse than Green since MacLean, who is on a whole level of his own.

 

[Bankers Box]

I’m not one to call for a coaches head but I think this season can only be saved by a coaching change.

I’m tired of this stupid hockey that they play.

So much skill in this lineup yet they play so dumb.

 

[glenwo2]

Not to be overly dramatic, but that was a pivotal point in a bad way for the way the season is going. We have now a 4 pt spread between the next place in Metro (Canes)

Metro won out again. Or 3 pt game.

Another 2 games like this in succession we are off the rails and even bubble is in doubt.

Things are looking really bleak right now.

If I'm Fitz, I'm strongly considering coming down to the bench and "observing" things.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I mean literally all of our guys do this. They have shit outlet options in this system. The breakout strategy look essentially non-existent.

I really do seriously believe most on here are underestimating how bad the structure is.

I know. I just don't understand how it still is allowed to happen.

It's either:
1. the players themselves decide to make a dumb decision like that and Ruff does nothing about it.
2. Ruff tells them to do that specifically.

Both are terrible. I realize the way the system is setup there's not many options but Ruff should be telling Bahl he had an option to go behind the net to the other side.

Sure, just pointing out that I don't think there is a Lemaire type just waiting to step in and fix a bunch of stuff. At this point you have to hope firing Ruff wakes the team up and they go off like the Oilers have after canning Woodcroft. Or the new coach bump is enough to keep them in the wild card hunt. I don't think dumping Ruff for Travis Green is the answer, which is where I'm afraid they'd go.

I'm not expecting a Lemaire type.

 

[MadDevil]

Things are looking really bleak right now.

If I'm Fitz, I'm strongly considering coming down to the bench and "observing" things.

I'm pretty sure he can smell their shit play up in the press box lol

 

[Bleedred]

One guy I’m supremely confident is getting fired soon is Rogalski. I wouldn’t even be shocked if he’s fired any day now. And we normally don’t see an assistant or goalie coach changed midseason without the head coach also going with him. But I do believe we’re getting there with Rogalski.

I’m not saying it will happen, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was fired tomorrow.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

You just explained the logic that I attempted to state in my last post. Just because Bahl has played more games given he had a full season under his belt last year doesn’t make him a veteran. He’s now in a much more significant role, and there is just as much of a learning curve for a young defender in that respect as there is for the other two who are just getting their feet wet.

To hold Bahl to that standard after one season will lead you to this state of frustration.

Bahl was supposed to be, at the worst, a stabilizing piece in the top 4. Whatever Luke/Nemec added this year was gravy. I don't see how expecting more out of Bahl is somehow unfair to him.

 

[JK3]

Not saying we could have kept them but no Graves and Severson is a huge difference. Freaking Sevo was on the third pairing, now we have Bahl top four, ooooooof. Not having Dougie isn’t helping either.

 

[Comparison Ford]

the other insane part of this all is our PP is first in the league, yet our PK is in shambles. usually its the other way around. idk what all that means but I like to complain about it.

 

[NjDevsRR]

New Years is usually make or break for teams.

Changes have to be made by then

 

[Andre Palot]

Claude Julien is always available lol

 

[guitarguyvic]

I've liked what Fitz has done for the most part since he took over...but the coaching selections have been bad. There was no good reason to bring in a dinosaur to coach a young team. There was an article out a while back where Fitz admitted Lindy wasn't even someone he was interested in until someone else convinced him otherwise. Then he had the chance to move on from him before this season and roll with Brunette, but he chose to not only keep Lindy instead but gave him an extension and let Brunette walk to another team. Fitz either lacked the balls to make the bold move after a great season, or he was suckered. Either one is not what you want from your GM. Then on top of all that, he hires Travis f***ing Green of all people to replace Brunette.

This is starting to looks like Hynes 2.0 where they have a season where everything went well and they won in spite of a coach, sandwiched between shit seasons.

This team is going nowhere with Lindy at the helm, it's a question of if not when. Yeah the current options suck, but if you do it now at least you can see if you catch lightning in a bottle to salvage the season.

 

[Blackjack]

the other insane part of this all is our PP is first in the league, yet our PK is in shambles. usually its the other way around. idk what all that means but I like to complain about it.

Our PP hasn’t even been that good recently, the percentage just doesn’t go down much because we’re never get any calls.

 

[NJDevs26]

God are we pining for Craig f***ing Berube? Jag who rode a hot Binnington to a cup. We don’t know what a great coach looks like here anymore.

Thing is what was Berube before that? Just a guy who came in cause the Blues needed to do something. We’re at the point where we need to do something, whether it’s a coaching change or a goalie change. It almost doesn’t matter who you bring in, unless it’s John MacLean or the cremated remains of Antti Rannta you’re literally not going to get worse right now

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Thing is what was Berube before that? Just a guy who came in cause the Blues needed to do something. We’re at the point where we need to do something, whether it’s a coaching change or a goalie change. It almost doesn’t matter who you bring in, unless it’s John MacLean or the cremated remains of Antti Rannta you’re literally not going to get worse right now

Who's gonna be our Jordan Binnington? Daws?