GDT: Wings @ Devils - Season Finale - 7:00 PM - MSG+

[Eggtimer]

It would be sooooo refreshing if one player just said in an interview “ Ya this year F’ing sucked . We got our ass kicked more often than not . It’s because our PP is trash and our goalies couldn’t stop a beachball. “

 

[Hollywood Nosebleed]

Was it the 2000 Stanley Cup team? Or was Elias just involved cause he was called up that season?

That's pretty sweet regardless!

You're right 2000. I luckily got to do both cause my friend's family had "Golden Circle" tickets I think. I just remember the 95 one more cause there were pics of me with tight black stonewash jeans, a red turtleneck on, and ice skates with my white blond hair. Those pics are etched in my memory out of embarrassment haha. We didn't take as many pics in 2000.

 

[Guttersniped]

I've said it before, I'll say it again. I often times wonder if Shero got watergated (not that he actually did anything controversial like watergate, but stay with me here) and if Fitz is just Gerry Fording the restof Nixon's (Shero) second term.

I'm not saying I hope that's the case, but between the odd one year extension as only GM, but multiple years just in other roles, to the abrupt Shero firing, only to turn around and promote his right hand man/vice president to take over, to the Chayka stuff (I HOPE he isn't a GM here or anything CLOSE to being the GM here), I wonder if they have it in their mind to clean house of the entire post-Lou guys. Like all the Pens/Shero guys that were brought in back in 2015.

I don’t quite understand this, it bounces around. Are you talking about Fitz’s extensions at the start of the last paragraph?

 

[Bleedred]

I don’t quite understand this, it bounces around. Are you talking about Fitz’s extensions at the start of the last paragraph?

Yes.

And I know he's since been re-extended for multiple years as GM specifically, but I wouldn't be surprised if ownership goes in a different direction and has known they were going in a different direction.

I'm not saying it WILL happen, but I think I'll be a little less shocked than almost anyone on here if it does happen.

 

[Omar Little]

I hope that we don’t do what some posters on here want to do . Have Foote amd all these kids in the lineup. Yes they looked “ ok” in two games but pump the brakes here . They will get caved in over a full regular season . Maybe Bahl and or Okhotiuk can win a spot but we can’t just hand out roster spots to the kids just because . We can’t have a full roster of kids learning the NHL game or we will be out of the playoffs again before Christmas .

We need to get rid of:

- Zacha
- one of Johnsson or Tatar
- Smith

We need to get :
- A legitimate top 6 winger with some physicality
- A middle six winger or a real 3rd line center with some size and physicality
- A bottom pairing RD with some size and physicality

 

[Omar Little]

We need to get rid of:

- Zacha
- one of Johnsson or Tatar
- Smith

We need to get :
- A legitimate top 6 winger with some physicality
- A middle six winger or a real 3rd line center with some size and physicality
- A bottom pairing RD with some size and physicality

I would also say I’m over McLeod and we should get a veteran to take his spot

 

[Eggtimer]

I’d pay good money to be able to ask Fitz in a televised press conference
“ You said last off-season in your post season interview that the PP was a massive issue that needed to be fixed . It was worse this year than last year . Why is that and why did you not address this during the season and what are your plans to “ fix” it this off-season ?

And “ Poor goaltending ruined this season and the season prior . What is your plan to fix that this off-season . Are you planning on relying on Blackwood and Bernier next season ? It appears that Blackwood is not a NHL goalie at this point in time and who knows if Bernier can come back from a very serious injury . Are you willing to gamble another season in those two being able to get the job done ?”

 

[Bleedred]

I’d pay good money to be able to ask Fitz in a televised press conference
“ You said last off-season in your post season interview that the PP was a massive issue that needed to be fixed . It was worse this year than last year . Why is that and why did you not address this during the season and what are your plans to “ fix” it this off-season ?

And “ Poor goaltending ruined this season and the season prior . What is your plan to fix that this off-season . Are you planning on relying on Blackwood and Bernier next season ? It appears that Blackwood is not a NHL goalie at this point in time and who knows if Bernier can come back from a very serious injury . Are you willing to gamble another season in those two being able to get the job done ?”

He's already said he plans to fix the goaltending. I know he's publicly said this at least once, if not multiple times.

 

[Guttersniped]

Subban is a UFA, he’s free to go wherever he wants. Fitz said he isn’t signing him.

We can’t give Subban a one year deal, if he’s going to take that he might as well go Cup hunting on a contender and maybe pump up his numbers. I don’t see us offering a bigger multi-year extension to make it worth his while to not do that.

 

[Bleedred]

Ruff just said ''We had a 2.5 month run where we were a top-5 power play''.

This is like the ''Cory Schneider was a .920% for 20 games there'' stuff.

 

[Eggtimer]

We need to get rid of:

- Zacha
- one of Johnsson or Tatar
- Smith

We need to get :
- A legitimate top 6 winger with some physicality
- A middle six winger or a real 3rd line center with some size and physicality
- A bottom pairing RD with some size and physicality

Yes yes yes and yes ! This is exactly my thoughts . I’d even go as far to say an intire 3rd line however Boqvist has looked good . Not sure where to use him as it seems like a waste if he’s not 3c . I just think the roster is poorly constructed as it is . We need to get harder to play against . It’s hard because we have very elite players that no way in hell we should move on from , we need to support them and build around them better . I want a big winger on both top two lines with Nico and Hughes . But where does that leave Mercer and Sharangivich and Holtz ?
Bratt is cemented in the top 6 for sure . Say with Nico . I’d like a heavy winger in that line if possible . Then a big winger with Hughes . Mercer has shown he is better at wing , and I like his game more than Shatangivch’s . So Hughes and Mercer then Nico and Bratt are the two pairs cemented in the top 6 . What do you do with Shara then and where do you put Holtz? Holtz has had an awesome AHL season but who knows if he’s ready next year . And I don’t want Holtz used in the bottom 6 and play with lesser skilled line mates ….
I don’t know what to do.
I know for certain that Johnson Tatar and Zacha are useless and not part of a well constructed roster .

 

[Bleedred]

Keeping Zacha for ONE more year at his qualifying offer (IF that rumor was really true and he listens to his agent and does that) isn't the worst thing we can do, but if we sign him for multiple years then that's just bringing him back to bring him back at that point.

 

[NJDevs26]

This has been the least fun season other than maybe 2014-15, if only cause you knew that was finally the end of the Lou era of success and we were headed into a dark place...where we're still in. All we've gotten out of this season is empty stats from a few forwards and a whole lotta losing Thrasher-style.

 

[Hisch13r]

This has been the least fun season other than maybe 2014-15, if only cause you knew that was finally the end of the Lou era of success and we were headed into a dark place...where we're still in. All we've gotten out of this season is empty stats from a few forwards and a whole lotta losing Thrasher-style.

Meh I thought this was the most fun year outside of the playoff year. Most other years there was no reason for any sort of hope. This year you could see the key pieces put it together. I don't know how anyone could possibly say this year was less fun than 2013, 13-14, 14-15 16-17, 18-19, 19-20, or last year.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Well this is sad. I’m going to miss Devils hockey. The playoffs should be fun but won’t compensate for this exactly. I have enjoyed this board and this group of commentators this season. I hope we can win a load more games next season.

Wasn’t that interview with Hughes good during the first intermission. And Hischier’s disappointment for the fans after the game. Yes. ‘Til next October then.

 

[NJDevs26]

Oooooooof Severson just trashed the goaltending.

Today or all season?

 

[Eggtimer]

This has been the least fun season other than maybe 2014-15, if only cause you knew that was finally the end of the Lou era of success and we were headed into a dark place...where we're still in. All we've gotten out of this season is empty stats from a few forwards and a whole lotta losing Thrasher-style.

We got to see Bratt and Hughes break out ?
That’s what I enjoyed from this season . Mercer looked good as well . Other than that … couple games of Bahl and Okhotiuk was nice to see and give some hope that someone can replace Smith as Smith got caved in all season

 

[NJDevs26]

Meh I thought this was the most fun year outside of the playoff year. Most other years there was no reason for any sort of hope. This year you could see the key pieces put it together. I don't know how anyone could possibly say this year was less fun than 13-14, 16-17, 18-19, 19-20, or last year.

I mean if you want empty 'entertainment' sure, this season was for you. Winning? Not so much. Another depressing nose-dive out of the race after an illusory ten-game stretch to start the season with off-ice drama (Blackwood) and injury mismanagement to go along with the on-ice mismanagement and ineptness.

As far as the Bratt, Hughes, Hischier numbers...all great, but let's see them do it again next year when they aren't playing meaningless pond hockey and the entire league presumably doesn't have as juiced numbers as they do (I mean Kreider has 50+ goals for goodness sakes).

 

[Bleedred]

Overall, I don't think this season was a failure, but with all the goalie stuff, I never got numb to it and I was at the point where I wanted the goalies get embarrassed even more (like Hammond last night), but they seemed to do well enough without me hoping for anything.

Like Blackwood tonight.

 

[Camille the Eel]

N.b. I wonder exactly how many losing streaks of at least 5 games we had this year? In getting better, we have to cut that out. One way to get to 500 anyway is to stop losing 2 in a row, much less 5 or 6 in a row on multiple stretches of the season.

 

[Hollywood Nosebleed]

Ruff just said ''We had a 2.5 month run where we were a top-5 power play''.

This is like the ''Cory Schneider was a .920% for 20 games there'' stuff.

Ruff is senile. I think after Xmas we were like 11th.....maybe for a little before Hughes got hurt, but it wasn't because of Recchi. Nico, Bratt, and Jack were scoring at an absurd pace. If Gilles wasn't in net we would have won a bunch of those games. I give Recchi zero credit for anything good. Goals were scored in spite him.

 

[Eggtimer]

All will be good . We suffered long enough . The hockey Gods will give us the lotto win plus we are trading for Hellbuyck .
Then Luke , Gritsyuk , Mukhammadulin , coming the year after .

 

[Hisch13r]

I mean if you want empty 'entertainment' sure, this season was for you. Winning? Not so much. Another depressing nose-dive out of the race after an illusory ten-game stretch to start the season with off-ice drama (Blackwood) and injury mismanagement to go along with the on-ice mismanagement and ineptness.

As far as the Bratt, Hughes, Hischier numbers...all great, but let's see them do it again next year when they aren't playing meaningless pond hockey and the entire league presumably doesn't have as juiced numbers as they do (I mean Kreider has 50+ goals for goodness sakes).

So years like 16-17 where there was absolutely nothing good going on outside of getting Hall who didn't even have a great year or 19-20 where it also fell apart and we were clearly much further away from anything than we were this year were more entertaining years? Or 15-16 where there was quite literally nothing good about the team besides our elite goalie getting wasted and watching him drag around our god awful roster to a few more wins.

 

[Eggtimer]

Ruff is senile. I think after Xmas we were like 11th.....maybe for a little before Hughes got hurt, but it wasn't because of Recchi. Nico, Bratt, and Jack were scoring at an absurd pace. If Gilles wasn't in net we would have won a bunch of those games. I give Recchi zero credit for anything good. Goals were scored in spite him.

Oh hell yes . We didn’t score because of Recchi but rather in spite of Recchi . .

 

[Bleedred]

Ruff is senile. I think after Xmas we were like 11th.....maybe for a little before Hughes got hurt, but it wasn't because of Recchi. Nico, Bratt, and Jack were scoring at an absurd pace. If Gilles wasn't in net we would have won a bunch of those games. I give Recchi zero credit for anything good. Goals were scored in spite him.

Yeah, he seems like a nice, sweet guy, he looked like he was about to cry in the post game.

I think this was his swan song, more than likely as an NHL head coach altogether, but almost definitely for us.

I giggled before he got on the air and said to myself wouldn't it be funny if he got on there and said ''Well.... I just got fired guys. I wanted to break it here on live TV, so I'm now effectively former Devils head coach and I guess we can do our interviews as scheduled and talk about this season''.

And then I felt kind of bad cause he looked dejected.