Jerrydevil Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 It's time for these boys to step up their game. It's going to be very difficult to win playoff series without significant contributions from both. I saw glimpses from Elias last night, but not enough. He's just not using his speed and ability to put pressure on the other team's defense. The days of being the most underpaid player in the league are over. It's time to live up to his billing and his paycheck. And Gomez? He's so out of sync right now. Last night, he was crashing into teammates and not making good passes. I could be wrong, but I think Gomez is playing a little timid out there, and he needs to play with a chip on his shoulder. Right now, he's getting pushed around along the boards, and when he's going good, that doesn't happen. Nieuwendyk's line doesn't appear to be slowing down. If the Gomez line becomes just as effective, the Devs are gonna be extremely hard to beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NothingFace Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Well said... but Elias is a bum and he won't step it up. I would trade him NOW before his trade value goes down even more. I never liked Gomez. At first, I thought he would develop into a great player, and that is 70 point season wasn't a fluke. BOY was I wrong. This guy is HORRIBLE. There is no one in the nhl that doesn't know how to use his speed more then Gomez... He skates FULL SPEED into the zone just to throw the puck blindly into the crease even if no Devil is there. Gomez is WORTHLESS! We need a solid play maker, and a guy that earns his $$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylbert Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Gomez and Elias are invaluable to our team... Slumps happen, the thing with this team is when one guy slumps, the others pick up... ie. the WC line... There was a point where 2/3rds of that line was criticized as bad acuisitions.... now we praise them... Langs is just devloping into a great player... Elias-Gomez-Brylin was a great line... and I think if you put them together in the playoffs, they will find thier scoring niche again... The only problem is Gomez and Elias are streaky... they are always on one end of the spectrum or the other.... put them with a stable player that has a well-rounded game with offensive upside, and that line will do great... Elias and Gomez are just loose out there, they have nothing to anchor to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Elias has not been burying his chances. I'm really not sold on pairing him with pando and madden. He really hasn't had a lot of chemistry with anyone left on this team (including gomez). As for Gomez, his style has become ridiculously predictable. He skates into the offensive zone through the middle and drops a pass. Lately, 9 out of 10 of these are to the other team. From all accounts, this team is very cohesive. They get along in the room and it seems like there aren't any bad apples (i.e arnott, sykora) who are upseting the balance. Dumping Elias is a mistake at this point. A lateral move doesn't make sense as he's an alternate captain and has grown up with the organization. Even if he were to be traded for a much better player (i.e Iginla), that would upset the team idea that there aren't any superstars (except for Brodeur). I would not mind Gomez being traded if it brought back solid players in return. His departure wouldn't upset the team nearly as much as Elias'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I thought that Elias looked good when he was playing earlier with Bicek. I've been disappointed with the Elias-Gomez combo, no matter who they were playing with because it seemed like a half-assed effort was being put out. I couldn't see last nights game (bleeping Metro) so I hope that the glimpses of effort from Elias are true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamode Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I'd say they were both toast for the season. Someone needs to pick up their game before the playoffs come or one of them gets traded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerrydevil Posted March 5, 2003 Author Share Posted March 5, 2003 NothingFace, I'm not as harsh as you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NothingFace Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 How come there are always players slumping? Why can't the Devils have all there players playing 100%? Look at Vancouver, Colorado, Detriot, etc... on those teams everyone plays how they are supposed to.There is always a problem. The Devils need a consistent 30-40 goal scorer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Whine, whine, whine KD.. Who cares about the regular season? And yeah, look at Colorado, they had a great first half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bg. Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 If you guys can get the right (youngish) player I'd move Gomez in a second (Doan in Phoenix would be one guy I'd be very into). Elias would be a totally different story. There aren't too many players I'd send him packing for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I agree bg. Gomez I'd trade to whoever offered a young player of the Doan (or Lecavalier last year) ilk. I'd want them to be big young power forwards. Elias I wouldn't trade for anything less than a sniper (Satan, Iginla, or perhaps Palffy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bg. Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I think Doan will turn into a Glen Murray type in short order...might even be better, Doan has done more things at his age than Murray had. Size, skills, once he really puts it all together he'll be an all-star. Like I said not yet, but give him another two or three years, he'll be there. Kind of like Isbister, sooner or later that guy is going to break out and really have a season...hopefully its not on the Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brylin18 Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 gomez+berglund for doan. doan has a much more physical edge to his game than murray, and he plays center too. this guy could be what arnott should have become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bg. Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 That would't be a horrible trade for either team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I like it, brylin, except that the Devils would then need a RW (or C) for him.. Problem is, the Devs don't have much more to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brylin18 Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 scrounge up some prospects/picks and get thornton. check this lineup: elias-doan-thornton friesen-nieuwendyke-langenbrunner pandolfo-madden-gionta rupp-rheaume-stevenson and then brylin comes back......talk about team hustle..... there'd be no quit in that team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 No quit, but no first line either. I don't like Scotty Thornton that much. Would love to have Doan, but Thornton's not a first liner. It's questionable whether Doan is either. The problem with dealing Gomez is, as we both have said before, center depth. I am not sure Doan is a center, hasn't he just been moved there this year (ostensibly to put the overrated Daniel Briere on the wing)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risky Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Gomez, Tverdovsky, Gionta, Berglund, Danton and Ahonen to Calgary for Drury and Iginla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 if gomez goes, send la a 3rd rounder for smolinski. same type player as gomez and great on faceoffs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Gomez, Tverdovsky, Gionta, Berglund, Danton and Ahonen to Calgary for Drury and Iginla. risky. i'd love that. but i really don't think that iginla is going anywhere. philly's supposed offer is better than that anyway. and then you have to worry about the chaos that could show up in the room bringing in two guys like this (one who is considered a superstar). although the guys that we're sending out aren't really core guys (outside of gomez) that have any real dimensions when it comes to team chemistry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieuwy25 Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Iginla plays like a superstar, but from everything I've seen & read, he doesn't think or act like one. I don't think he'd be a problem. But then, I don't think the Flames are gonna trade him either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJayDevil Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 I really hope the Flames keep Iginla. And trade Drury here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetReal Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 It's amazing to me that one game can get so many to see the light about Gomez. When I suggested trading him last season because any player that can't get going by himself and needs a special player like Almo to get himself going isn't worth constantly changing lines to get production from one player. All of you laugh at me. Now after a second season of the same the Light has gone on. Gomez should have been traded before, what can he really bring now, all other teams don't fear him and they all see he's a potential problem even though he is young. The trade will happen if some GM or coach or both think they can do what NJ can't do. That's happened beforfe look..... at Zyuzin. He hurt the Devils last night on defense. He was everywhere. he will be a good steady defenseman for years to come since Lemaire got him under his thumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risky Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Actually, if you remember, Gomez was our best player heading into the post-season last year right before he broke his hand. Look back to the posts (if they still exist) when the Holik train ran into him - we knew that was MAJOR trouble. Gomez is all about the chemistry he can build with the guys around him. After all, he's a playmaker. Hopefully, if we hang onto him, he can develop some kind of potency with whatever wing Lou ends up acquiring at the deadline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Scott Gomez is 23 years old. I don't think the Devils should be giving up on Gomez, he is still third on this team in points and will be a 20-55-75 player in this league. If the Devils trade him, they must get a similarly talented player back. Gomez has skills that cannot be taught. He scored 70 points as a rookie, and as Risky said, he was playing exceptionally well with Holik and Brylin. Where Gomez plays best is with players who are big that can give Gomez the space to operate. He still has not had an ideal situation in New Jersey since Mogilny left. Every other player on the Devils needs other players to produce, why should Gomez be any different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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