GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (18-10-2, 38 Pts) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (16-9-2, 34 Pts), 7 PM, ESPN+/Hulu

[Louskoolaid89]

Cory somehow (and wrongfully) developed that kind of reputation for allowing a goal with 9 minutes left on the 35th shot he faced in a game where we we were up 1-0. One of the best games he ever played here was a game against Pittsburgh in I think 14-15 when the N. Bench was the coaching staff. It was scoreless most of the game and we went up 1-0. They had about 35-40 shots before they finally scored one on him late in regulation, and I think they won the game in OT 2-1.

Cory from 2016 on wasn't good and was dreadfully bad after the 2018 playoffs, but Cory between 2013 and 2016 was far too good for the teams we had.

I think Cory would tell you that he would have loved to have played for this current team in his prime. He did play for a cup finalist in Vancouver once, but this team is astronomically better than anything he played for while here.

I could totally see prime Cory sporting a .920% on this team.

And he wouldn't have held back the Chicago teams of that era from winning if he was the Cory in net instead of the highly overrated Cory Crawford. A B level goalie lucky to be part of a Dynasty team. People remember him being a champion goalie but, not his actual play. Which was good enough but, not great. Still a nice way to be remembered for sure. Rather have that hardware then say the Swedish Mattress Queen who didn't lift the cup in his illustrious HOF career.

 

[Call Me Al]

you don’t trade a first round pick and promising young d for “average goaltending.” i guess that’s my problem. being better than the last couple years’ is a pretty low bar, and with how good our defense has been in limiting chances there are probably a handful of goalies who could have been had for nothing that could put up similar performances.

i just thought it was weird that they telegraphed that they wanted this goalie and only this goalie, then basically outbid themselves for him.

anyway i still think our goalie coach sucks and a change there could probably do wonders

i’m not worried about the offense though. dry spells happen but this team is too talented and has been playing well enough on the whole to push through it

 

[Bleedred]

And he wouldn't have held back the Chicago teams of that era from winning if he was the Cory in net instead of the highly overrated Cory Crawford. A B level goalie lucky to be part of a Dynasty team. People remember him being a champion goalie but, not his actual play. Which was good enough but, not great. Still a nice way to be remembered for sure. Rather have that hardware then say the Swedish Mattress Queen who didn't lift the cup in his illustrious HOF career.

I actually Crawford was underrated, and one of the few goalies who was underrated by being on a stacked team. Usually being on a stacked team overrates goalies, like Niemi when he was with the Sharks.

But Cory before his untimely demise was a better goalie than Crawford, but Crawford maintained his play into 30s, which Cory did not. So it's hard to place Cory Schneider ahead of Corey Crawford on an all time list.

 

[Oneiro]

They were always going to get older on defense and they were always going to try to get a name goalie. The first is already relatively meaningless considering this is, at worst, a playoff team.

I think Logan Thompson probably could've been had but we went with the established guy because Fitz was done with betting on youth. Everything that's been done is about being a contending team now and there is no youth development going on at the NHL level anymore. A kid either does what Stankoven and Johnston have done or they're in Utica, college or whatever.

I don't think it's controversial to say that Schneider was probably better than everyone not named Price or Rinne for those 3-4 years. No one would fault you for saying that.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

you don’t trade a first round pick and promising young d for “average goaltending.” i guess that’s my problem. being better than the last couple years’ is a pretty low bar, and with how good our defense has been in limiting chances there are probably a handful of goalies who could have been had for nothing that could put up similar performances.

i just thought it was weird that they telegraphed that they wanted this goalie and only this goalie, then basically outbid themselves for him.

anyway i still think our goalie coach sucks and a change there could probably do wonders

i’m not worried about the offense though. dry spells happen but this team is too talented and has been playing well enough on the whole to push through it

You can definitely justify trading that for an average goaltender that you can reasonably expect ~60 games out of (hit that number 3 times plus 59 once). But more importantly, he was well above average last season with ~14 goals saved above expected per moneypuck.

 

[jkrdevil]

We're leaving points on the table.

Not enough to cost them a playoff spot and 3v3 doesn’t exist come playoff time.

 

[MasterofGrond]

We have not seen the best out of Markstrom. Doesn’t mean we won’t, though. He’s had rough patches before and then returned to playing very well.

If he’s on in April are you gonna be mad he was average in December?

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

We have not seen the best out of Markstrom. Doesn’t mean we won’t, though. He’s had rough patches before and then returned to playing very well.

If he’s on in April are you gonna be mad he was average in December?

No, but you can't just assume he'll turn it around. The Devils offense has bailed him consistently and we haven't seen him truly win a game on his own this year. Like others said last night, he virtually got gifted one of the best situations you can ask for a goalie last night and he still blew it. Allen's won a game with the Devils getting caved this year but the prized trade guy hasn't which is a bit annoying.

Not enough to cost them a playoff spot and 3v3 doesn’t exist come playoff time.

Doesn't matter, seeding still will matter a ton to this team. Maybe at this point, it's better they start on the road with how porous they are at home.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Cory somehow (and wrongfully) developed that kind of reputation for allowing a goal with 9 minutes left on the 35th shot he faced in a game where we we were up 1-0. One of the best games he ever played here was a game against Pittsburgh in I think 14-15 when the N. Bench was the coaching staff. It was scoreless most of the game and we went up 1-0. They had about 35-40 shots before they finally scored one on him late in regulation, and I think they won the game in OT 2-1.

Cory from 2016 on wasn't good and was dreadfully bad after the 2018 playoffs, but Cory between 2013 and 2016 was far too good for the teams we had.

I think Cory would tell you that he would have loved to have played for this current team in his prime. He did play for a cup finalist in Vancouver once, but this team is astronomically better than anything he played for while here.

I could totally see prime Cory sporting a .920% on this team.

Schneider was awesome the first half of 17-18 tbf

 

[Bleedred]

Schneider was awesome the first half of 17-18 tbf

I think he was too, but I’ve always wondered if he would have sustained that the entire year if he didn’t get hurt, but played 50+ games instead of missing about 1.5 months hurt.

He was literally unplayable from the 2018 part of the season until he came back in during the playoffs. I wonder if that was just an evening out (market correction lol) of the scales after having numbers like the Cory of old during the 2017 part of the season. He did the same thing in 18-19, only in reverse. Unplayable during the 2018 part of the season, Cory of old during the 2019 part of the season.

John Gibson did something similar in 2021-2022. I think he had a .920% or so through 30 or 32 games, only to finish the season with pretty identical numbers to the two previous years and the season following.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I think he was too, but I’ve always wondered if he would have sustained that the entire year if he didn’t get hurt, but played 50+ games instead of missing about 1.5 months hurt.

He was literally unplayable from the 2018 part of the season until he came back in during the playoffs. I wonder if that was just an evening out (market correction lol) of the scales after having numbers like the Cory of old during the 2017 part of the season. He did the same thing in 18-19, only in reverse. Unplayable during the 2018 part of the season, Cory of old during the 2019 part of the season.

John Gibson did something similar in 2021-2022. I think he had a .920% or so through 30 or 32 games, only to finish the season with pretty identical numbers to the two previous years and the season following.

Yeah, Schneider and Gibson had very similar career arcs. I think Sorokin's the next one on that list where he plays good for the Isles for another few years and takes them out of the lottery but once they actual build a roster, he'll be their issue.

Kinda ironic, the two things we're missing on the roster were our best players the last decade during the shit years in an elite goalie (Schneider 13-17) and a top flight winger (Hall 2016-2019)

 

[Saugus]

I think people are using hindsight bias to unfairly slag Fitz for the decision to trade for Markstrom.

Consider where we were last summer. We needed a goalie bad and everyone knew it. We had already tried the “trade for a journeyman and see if it works out” option and it blew up on us because Vitek sucked. We had already tried the “develop a #1 goalie ourselves” option and it blew up on us because Blackwood was a head case who couldn’t stay healthy. So it was down to “trade for an established goalie”.

Very few established goalies were actually available via trade, and in that environment, we had to pay handsomely for a guy who had even a decent shot at working out.

Yes it’s frustrating how inconsistent he is and how much we gave up, but I don’t think there are many better options we realistically could have pursued.

 

[Triumph]

you don’t trade a first round pick and promising young d for “average goaltending.” i guess that’s my problem. being better than the last couple years’ is a pretty low bar, and with how good our defense has been in limiting chances there are probably a handful of goalies who could have been had for nothing that could put up similar performances.

Yes, you do, although I do not think that Bahl was 'promising' - he's an NHL player, but I don't think he's much more than that. Critical to the deal is the fact that Calgary is picking up $1.875M in salary for both seasons. That's why the Devils traded a 1st round pick in this deal - they got what they hope to be an above-average goalie for 2 seasons, but they got him for a cheaper AAV. Goaltending is fickle and who knows what he'll be.

 

[Guttersniped]

i'm sure its known by many but last night first time i heard that guy was from jersey! is it that hard to get a jersey guy on this roster esp a position of need? having palm was really good

Unlike Palmieri’s family, who were from NY and were Isles fans…

Historically the Devils never cared about this sort of thing, to the point that it was actually shocking when we Casey happened.

 

[dgibb10]

you don’t trade a first round pick and promising young d for “average goaltending.” i guess that’s my problem. being better than the last couple years’ is a pretty low bar, and with how good our defense has been in limiting chances there are probably a handful of goalies who could have been had for nothing that could put up similar performances.

i just thought it was weird that they telegraphed that they wanted this goalie and only this goalie, then basically outbid themselves for him.

anyway i still think our goalie coach sucks and a change there could probably do wonders

i’m not worried about the offense though. dry spells happen but this team is too talented and has been playing well enough on the whole to push through it

Does anyone actually miss having Kevin Bahl on this team?

be honest please

 

[Emperoreddy]

I think people are using hindsight bias to unfairly slag Fitz for the decision to trade for Markstrom.

Consider where we were last summer. We needed a goalie bad and everyone knew it. We had already tried the “trade for a journeyman and see if it works out” option and it blew up on us because Vitek sucked. We had already tried the “develop a #1 goalie ourselves” option and it blew up on us because Blackwood was a head case who couldn’t stay healthy. So it was down to “trade for an established goalie”.

Very few established goalies were actually available via trade, and in that environment, we had to pay handsomely for a guy who had even a decent shot at working out.

Yes it’s frustrating how inconsistent he is and how much we gave up, but I don’t think there are many better options we realistically could have pursued.

It's also not even January and we are currently one of the best teams in the league.

Bit early to fully judge if the trade was worth it or not.

 

[Ducks4Cup]

Did anyone really expect Markstrom, after his past couple seasons, to walk in at 30 whatever he is and be a lock down #1 goal tender?

I think the hope was he wouldn’t be part of a tandem which is key in tanking the season.

Id like him to be a little better, but he’s been good enough to fullfill my preseason hopes.

What? He 100% is supposed to be THE guy. We gave up a first rounder and Bahl.
For the record I wasn’t happy with the trade because of his age

I would agree....if this team hadn't gotten shut out by the Wedgewoods and Blackwoods of the world before....

We could’ve gave up less and traded for stolarz

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

What? He 100% is supposed to be THE guy. We gave up a first rounder and Bahl.
For the record I wasn’t happy with the trade because of his age


We could’ve gave up less and traded for stolarz

Stolarz has been a journeyman and not an NHL starter. He would of been a big gamble. Fitzgerald wanted to get proven commodity. I feel like literally no one has been talking about him till last night's game.

 

[devilsblood]

What? He 100% is supposed to be THE guy. We gave up a first rounder and Bahl.
For the record I wasn’t happy with the trade because of his age

We gave up a first rounder because goal tending has been a massive issue with this team for I dunno 8 of the past 10 seasons. We overpaid to get someone in here who wont crash the ship.

If you thought he was going to be a leading goal tender in the league this season you need to go back and check his stats from the previous 2 seasons. He's playing pretty much in line with what I think would be a reasonable expectation.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Bahl has some pretty brutal advanced metrics this year from a quick glance. He is a dime-a-dozen bottom pairing DMan. If he wasn't a giant, no one would really care about him, and he doesn't use his size anyways.

 

[NJDevs26]

Bahl is playing like 23 minutes a night lol, could be a case of being played above the role he should have

 

[Ducks4Cup]

Stolarz has been a journeyman and not an NHL starter. He would have been a big gamble. Fitzgerald wanted to get proven commodity. I feel like literally no one has been talking about him till last night's game.

I was responding to the idea that markstrom was a ‘tandem’ goalie , kinda a sarcastic statement.

We gave up a first rounder because goal tending has been a massive issue with this team for I dunno 8 of the past 10 seasons. We overpaid to get someone in here who wont crash the ship.

If you thought he was going to be a leading goal tender in the league this season you need to go back and check his stats from the previous 2 seasons. He's playing pretty much in line with what I think would be a reasonable expectation.

I don’t think that, the GM thinks that. Who’s spends a #1 draft pick on a tandem goalie ? I was dumbfounded that Fitz would spend those assets on a 34 yr old .

 

[NjDevsRR]

@Ducks4Cup? NO

@Devs3cups? Oh hell yeah

 

[devilsblood]

I don’t think that, the GM thinks that. Who’s spends a #1 draft pick on a tandem goalie ? I was dumbfounded that Fitz would spend those assets on a 34 yr old .

Again, given that our goal tending has completely undermined our seasons in all but 2 of the last 10, (and even in one of those 2 good seasons it imploded in the playoffs) Fitz was looking for a vet who he could count on to play a lot of games and play decent enough at the position. He knew he wasn't getting Shesterkin.

And Markstrom has been a workhorse goalie, not a tandem goalie. That most likely played into Fitz's thinking.

 

[devilsblood]

Bahl is playing like 23 minutes a night lol, could be a case of being played above the role he should have

Really tough minutes as well.

His underlying's aren't too bad actually.

Not that I miss him, but I think the Flames are probably happy with the acquisition.