5 Things That Went Wrong

[msweet]

I know the Bleacher Report is not in favor here, but this is on-the-money

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1615485-nj-devils-5-things-that-went-wrong

[Zubie#8]

Yup, that is sadly spot on.

[Devils731]

For the PK, it's a little unfair to talk about how many goals they gave up without mentioning how many goals they got shorthanded.

[2ELIAS6]

They played better short handed then they did on the power play..

[NJDevs4978]

For the PK, it's a little unfair to talk about how many goals they gave up without mentioning how many goals they got shorthanded.

 

They got the shorthanded goals last year too.  For me the PK more or less comes down to no Parise and no Zubrus for half a year, and they were replaced with Gionta/Josefson.  Then you had Sal who fell down a crater this year and Volch who was already there as our primary PK'ers defensively.

[Devils731]

They got the shorthanded goals last year too.  For me the PK more or less comes down to no Parise and no Zubrus for half a year, and they were replaced with Gionta/Josefson.  Then you had Sal who fell down a crater this year and Volch who was already there as our primary PK'ers defensively.

 

Last year the Devils got 15, this year the Devils have 11.  If you adjust that for an 82 game season then the Devils scored almost 20 short handed goals this year.

 

My point was the guy is upset the Devils are 18th in PK percentage this season at 80.6%, but if you adjust every team's PK for shorthanded the goals then the Devils look significantly better.

 

If you cancel out the PP goals given up by the shorthanded goals scored, then the Devils are at 87% this season, which is just about the same as Philly who is ranked 5th in the league and I'm sure nobody feels their PK isn't doing well.  To give last years numbers as well, the Devils adjusted PK percentage was 95%, or an 8% difference.  

 

The Devils being only 8% worse than possibly the best PK season ever is still pretty darn good.

[devilsrule33]

That was pretty crappy. The Devils give up the least amount of shots in the NHL and have team save percentage well under .900. And goaltending isn't part of that list? What is one of the main reasons the PK was worse off...goaltending. Not mentioned. 

Edited April 24, 2013 by devilsrule33

[skeeter]

Didn't read it but I hope it was something like:

 

Not replacing Parise with someone even one tenth the player he is

 

Hiring Matt Shaw

 

Not showing up in the first ten minutes of the majority of games the last two months

 

A hapless shootout

 

Blowing leads that we somehow had.

 

Doing absolutely nothing at the trade deadline.

 

Injuries as usual.

 

What a forgettable season. So many what-ifs it's sickening.  Just imagine if we could have scored maybe three more timely power play goals and held those two leads in Florida.  Lou is making Garth Snow look like a genius.  A team that has Tim Thomas just to make the cap floor is making the playoffs over the Eastern Conference Champions.

[Triumph]

Didn't read it but I hope it was something like:

 

Not replacing Parise with someone even one tenth the player he is

 

Hiring Matt Shaw

 

Not showing up in the first ten minutes of the majority of games the last two months

 

A hapless shootout

 

Blowing leads that we somehow had.

 

Doing absolutely nothing at the trade deadline.

 

Injuries as usual.

 

What a forgettable season. So many what-ifs it's sickening.  Just imagine if we could have scored maybe three more timely power play goals and held those two leads in Florida.  Lou is making Garth Snow look like a genius.  A team that has Tim Thomas just to make the cap floor is making the playoffs over the Eastern Conference Champions.

 

How do you have Matt Shaw on this list and not Johan Hedberg and Martin Brodeur?  The Devils would be in the playoffs with this anemic scoring if those two could stop pucks at an average rate.

[Neb00rs]

Adam Oates's team is in the playoffs...just sayin....

[The 29th Pick]

Adam Oates's team is in the playoffs...just sayin....

Washington is the hottest team in the league right now

and OV is on fire after people were saying "he's not the same guy anymore"

[Devilsfan118]

Goaltending has to be the #1 or #2 problem with this team.  Moose played like absolute garbage (love the guy, he did a great job when Marty went down in the past...but not this year) during Marty's absence.  Then Marty comes back, and he's completely lost a step.

 

I think people will tiptoe around the topic, considering the respect Marty garners (and deserves) league-wide, but it's absolutely not debatable that if he plays this poorly early next year the team needs to look for a replacement #1.

 

Because he will be the #1 goalie next year, folks.  Might as well accept that now and save yourself the frustration next fall. 

[Joonas #6]

One thing that went wrong: Kovy's shoulder. The whole team got paralyzed after he went down. How many games did they win without him?

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Goaltending has to be the #1 or #2 problem with this team.  Moose played like absolute garbage (love the guy, he did a great job when Marty went down in the past...but not this year) during Marty's absence.  Then Marty comes back, and he's completely lost a step.

 

I think people will tiptoe around the topic, considering the respect Marty garners (and deserves) league-wide, but it's absolutely not debatable that if he plays this poorly early next year the team needs to look for a replacement #1.

 

Because he will be the #1 goalie next year, folks.  Might as well accept that now and save yourself the frustration next fall. 

 

Agree with this, pretty much.

 

The more I think about it, the more I really hope Marty takes Lou and his organization off the griddle, and at least lets Lou discuss the idea of Marty being a lesser 1, or ever a 1A-type (provided Lou thinks he can upgrade over Hedberg).  But I think that even though Marty probably knows he's not quite was he was, I think he still he believes that he should be the guy...which is unforunately what puts organizations and their fans in Mark Messier and Brett Favre kinds of situations, full of awkwardness as their organizations try not to disrespect the players (or come off as disrespectful) who clearly had a massive impact, in a championship-winning manner. 

 

In a perfect world, Lou would be able to say to Marty, "Thank you for everything, you are the best Devil ever to play for the franchise, we never would gotten to where we were and became the yearly contender we were all of these years without you.  But let's face it, things have changed.  As hard as you work and as much as you give, you are not the same player anymore.  That is the reality.  You have one year left on your contract, but you know you will always have a place in this organization, for life, if you want it.  So let's make your final year the best it can be, for you and for all of us.  Clearly you've been our #1 guy since 1993, and deservedly so, but we are going to have to begin the transition into the years where you're no longer a part of the team on the ice.  All we ask is, based on what other goalie(s) we have here next season, you assist us in helping us to make this transition, whatever that requires.  It could mean less playing time for you, even considerably so, but there has to be a way to make this work so both you and the organization benefit...please work with us on this." 

 

But like you said, I think they're going to tip-toe around this, and I doubt Lou is going initiate anything resembling the dialogue above.  I just hope Marty doesn't struggle badly next season, because, coming off this season, where he's clearly in decline, that's the kind of thing that starts to turn fans against you, starts to make them resentful...some Devils fans already are. 

Edited April 25, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Marshall]

Washington is the hottest team in the league right now

and OV is on fire after people were saying "he's not the same guy anymore"

 

Ovie has been hotter than the sun, but he's not gonna keep shooting at this clip on the PP. Might be able to sustain it for a few rounds in the playoffs, but it's not like he's gonna start potting 60+ seasons again. That problem lies in 5vs5 play/scoring.

[2ELIAS6]

i think ovie may be may favorite non devil.. hes not a little bitch like crosby.. sh!t he doesnt even attend half of the team practices, sits around smoking cigarettes and is still one of the very top guys in the league.. pretty sick

[SterioDesign]

Our PP was also really bad but that's nothing new its always bad in NJ so i guess thats why its not on there

[sundstrom]

Agree with this, pretty much.

 

The more I think about it, the more I really hope Marty takes Lou and his organization off the griddle, and at least lets Lou discuss the idea of Marty being a lesser 1, or ever a 1A-type (provided Lou thinks he can upgrade over Hedberg).  But I think that even though Marty probably knows he's not quite was he was, I think he still he believes that he should be the guy...which is unforunately what puts organizations and their fans in Mark Messier and Brett Favre kinds of situations, full of awkwardness as their organizations try not to disrespect the players (or come off as disrespectful) who clearly had a massive impact, in a championship-winning manner. 

 

In a perfect world, Lou would be able to say to Marty, "Thank you for everything, you are the best Devil ever to play for the franchise, we never would gotten to where we were and became the yearly contender we were all of these years without you.  But let's face it, things have changed.  As hard as you work and as much as you give, you are not the same player anymore.  That is the reality.  You have one year left on your contract, but you know you will always have a place in this organization, for life, if you want it.  So let's make your final year the best it can be, for you and for all of us.  Clearly you've been our #1 guy since 1993, and deservedly so, but we are going to have to begin the transition into the years where you're no longer a part of the team on the ice.  All we ask is, based on what other goalie(s) we have here next season, you assist us in helping us to make this transition, whatever that requires.  It could mean less playing time for you, even considerably so, but there has to be a way to make this work so both you and the organization benefit...please work with us on this." 

 

But like you said, I think they're going to tip-toe around this, and I doubt Lou is going initiate anything resembling the dialogue above.  I just hope Marty doesn't struggle badly next season, because, coming off this season, where he's clearly in decline, that's the kind of thing that starts to turn fans against you, starts to make them resentful...some Devils fans already are. 

 

 

re: marty - i agree he's clearly in decline but ILWT did an interesting study and found where he's absolutely dreadful in on the PK. his 5v5 sv % isn't that terrible (league average). just throwing that out there but yes, he is what he is which is an overall below average goaltender.

 

and moose sucks - i'm glad he thinks he'll be back next year. i hope he is the only one thinking that.

[mouse]

Tri alluded to this before it all went to hell, but sentimentality hurt this team. We kept trying to ride guys who weren't succeeding based on past success. If we'd benched Sal, paid for a new goalie in the offseason, broken up CBGB, traded a guy like Greene for a forward, or any number of other painful, but eventually smart moves, this would have been a better season. I tried to defend some of that stuff, but it definitely hurt. I don't know that any of it matters -- they couldn't win without Marty, and when Marty came back, he was a shell of himself, so they couldn't win with him, and just when they looked like they might steal enough points to sneak in, Kovy went down. I doubt any fixes solve those problems, but if we want to get back to being a contender rather than a team that sneaks in, we have to make the little fixes.

[SterioDesign]

eventhough its true that Marty has not being good losing games while we had less than 15 shots in a game, but again, the offence is big part of the blame this season, we finished last in scoring and its not because of Marty obviously.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

C'mon, they weren't going to pay for a new goalie...Hedberg had been good his first two seasons, and Marty was coming off a more-than-adequate playoff.  That being said, with having not one but two goalies who are Marty and Moose's age, where a decline can happen overnight in some cases, Lou definitely rolled the dice that both parties could be roughly what they were the past couple of seasons...in Marty's case, I think Lou was hoping he'd come close to what he did from 2/2 last season on through the playoffs.  (.920 save% over that span...51 GP...that's actually pretty impressive).  If you really think about it, you can understand why Lou thought these guys could defy their age. 

 

But like we've all seen, when guys are around 40, they become real wild-cards, in terms of how they'll perform.  Hedberg was a flat-out terrible puck-stopper this year, and Marty had been inconsistent the last two seasons before this one in that regard (in the first 32 GP before 2/2 last year, he was a good bit below .900 in save% for the season). 

 

Here's how I (and I'm sure many other Devils fans...I'm not breaking any ground here) am hoping Lou handles this:

 

Get Hedberg off the team...nothing against him personally, but I have almost no confidence in him being able to provide competent goaltending, in either short bursts or extended runs.

Come to the realization that the 51-game stretch of .920 save%-play from Marty was probably the last extended stretch of above-average play for his career.  If Lou is hoping that there's one more of those in Marty, I think Lou is making a huge mistake. 

 

So what Lou really has to do is 1) upgrade over Hedberg (which won't be hard), 2) find a guy who is capable of playing half or more of his team's games effectively (think .910 save% or better...he doesn't have to be elite), and 3) sell it to Marty that, in his swan song season, even if he's healthy for the entire season, he really shouldn't expect to start more than 45 games, and if he's performing to the level of the '13 season and the other guy is flat-out outplaying him, he would doing himself, the Devils, and even the fans a service by willing to start roughly 30 games or so. 

 

#1 probably won't be that tough, if Lou is willing to amnesty Hedberg, or Hedberg sees the light and retires.

 

#2 I'll admit I haven't looked to see who's out there, so this may not be easy, and since it seems as though some goalies are year-to-year, even the guy who looks good on paper may not pan out. 

 

#3 will probably be a very hard sell...I think Marty firmly believes he's got more Brodeur-near-his-prime hockey left in him, which means I can't see him envisioning himself as anything other than the #1 guy for one last season...which means if Lou brings in someone who really has a shot to be a #1, and not a caddy or nothing more than a #1B to Marty's set-in-stone #1A (emphasis on A), I have a feeling Marty isn't going to like it.  IF that's the case (and of course, nothing but speculation on my part...I have no idea how this is going to shake out), and Marty continues to decline, he may or may not realize that he risks some of the fanbase (some of whom already feel Marty's been selfish in the past) turning on him, in what preferably be a "Thank you for all you have done, you will be in our hearts forever" sendoff.  

[NJDevs4978]

#2 I'll admit I haven't looked to see who's out there, so this may not be easy, and since it seems as though some goalies are year-to-year, even the guy who looks good on paper may not pan out. 

 

Not exactly a deep UFA crop of goalies (and most of the guys who are starter-level like Smith/Backstrom you figure will either re-sign or merry-go-round with the other teams that need starters).

 

http://www.capgeek.com/ufa-finder/?position_id=G

[MantaRay]

If Marty is healthy the PK numbers improve drastically.

 

You can't replace a player like Parise, but Lou didn't even try.   Elias can only do so much to bring players numbers up (Clarkson this year, Sykie last year, Rolston-Arnott the year before, etc.)  I think Lou went to that well too often.

 

Zajac is looking like he benefitted more by being with Langs and Parise, as he looks lost without them.

Henrique, is still young and learning, but he needs a scorer on his wing.

 

Carter-Gionta-Bernier are still a very solid combo.

[LucifersDog]

Goaltending has to be the #1 or #2 problem with this team.  Moose played like absolute garbage (love the guy, he did a great job when Marty went down in the past...but not this year) during Marty's absence.  Then Marty comes back, and he's completely lost a step.

 

I think people will tiptoe around the topic, considering the respect Marty garners (and deserves) league-wide, but it's absolutely not debatable that if he plays this poorly early next year the team needs to look for a replacement #1.

 

Because he will be the #1 goalie next year, folks.  Might as well accept that now and save yourself the frustration next fall. 

 

Absolutely agree the number one reason. Two 40 year old goalies how stupid. And next season they both will be there again.

[sundstrom]

If Marty is healthy the PK numbers improve drastically.

 

You can't replace a player like Parise, but Lou didn't even try.   Elias can only do so much to bring players numbers up (Clarkson this year, Sykie last year, Rolston-Arnott the year before, etc.)  I think Lou went to that well too often.

 

Zajac is looking like he benefitted more by being with Langs and Parise, as he looks lost without them.

Henrique, is still young and learning, but he needs a scorer on his wing.

 

Carter-Gionta-Bernier are still a very solid combo.

 

i think a full season of elias-zajac-clarkson could be a good line for all three.

 

gionta SUCKS. playing him on the PK is brutal. he was outmuscled again last night against a disinterested pens team and missed a clear and was out of position on the PK for no other reason than his size and lack of reach. if they insist on him playing, then it's gotta be strict 4th line sheltered minutes and ZERO PK time.