Two Interesting Articles on Deboer

[devlman]

It's really not.  The power play has been fine (lucky, but fine) and he wasn't a good 5v5 scorer in any year here, really.

 

But what about offensive zone time generated? If Kovy were here, we'd at least be guaranteed a line that isnt over-cycling the puck to death. We'd have some variety in the attack...keeping the other team's D honest. Of course, this is not considering the whole contract factor.

[NJDevs4978]

You can't tell me with a straight face that a team with immense scoring trouble doesn't miss a 30-40 goal scorer

Not to mention becoming a plus player on the penalty kill, maybe the biggest threat on the pk out there in the history of the league that last year

 

Surprisingly they really don't miss Kovy this year.  At least not if you go by the premise that Jagr and Brunner aren't here if Kovy is.  Jagr was signed after Kovy left and clearly the best-case replacement at that point, and he's had a better season than two of Kovy's last three years.

Obviously it'd be peachy if we had Kovy WITH the current lineup but that wasn't really possible with the cap and the nine million defensemen Lou keeps hoarding.

[devlman]

Surprisingly they really don't miss Kovy this year.  At least not if you go by the premise that Jagr and Brunner aren't here if Kovy is.  Jagr was signed after Kovy left and clearly the best-case replacement at that point, and he's had a better season than two of Kovy's last three years.

Obviously it'd be peachy if we had Kovy WITH the current lineup but that wasn't really possible with the cap and the nine million defensemen Lou keeps hoarding.

 

I think I remember reading that Lou was going to go after Jagr, even if Kovy was still here. That wouldve been a nice little team for us

[Daniel]

Surprisingly they really don't miss Kovy this year.  At least not if you go by the premise that Jagr and Brunner aren't here if Kovy is.  Jagr was signed after Kovy left and clearly the best-case replacement at that point, and he's had a better season than two of Kovy's last three years.

Obviously it'd be peachy if we had Kovy WITH the current lineup but that wasn't really possible with the cap and the nine million defensemen Lou keeps hoarding.

 

I haven't done the cap math, but I think that Lou would have gone after Jagr if Kovy were still here (although obviously not Brunner).  If you recall, there were rumors last year that Lou wanted to trade for Jagr.  I recall it was reported in the same Czech source that said Jagr was going to sign with the Devils this past offseason.

 

The interesting issue is when Lou knew that Kovy was leaving, and if it was the reason he went after Clowe and/or Ryder. 

[Triumph]

Surprisingly they really don't miss Kovy this year.  At least not if you go by the premise that Jagr and Brunner aren't here if Kovy is.  Jagr was signed after Kovy left and clearly the best-case replacement at that point, and he's had a better season than two of Kovy's last three years.

Obviously it'd be peachy if we had Kovy WITH the current lineup but that wasn't really possible with the cap and the nine million defensemen Lou keeps hoarding.

 

Pick any 3 NJ defensemen.  Their salary matches or is less than Kovalchuk's salary this year.  

[EdgeControl]

PK's been among the best in the league, at least from a pure kill standpoint.

 

Whether or not Kovy would've been a 30-40 goal scorer now and going forward is definitely questionable.  He scored 11 goals in 37 GP last season.  He's not lighting it up in the KHL this season.  His shooting %s in the NHL last season and the KHL this season are not great.  I agree, a lot of things led to his leaving, and we'll never know what they all were, but he comes off like he's a pretty sensitive guy, and one who knew it was going to get ugly around here when he could no longer live up to that deal.  One could argue that he could never truly live up to it, but less-than-30 goals Kovy would've been hard for a lot of Devils fans to take, especially with his shortcomings elsewhere. 

I agree. and its partly why I dont hate the guy. the move was mutually beneficial .  I do think he's damaged goods at this point

[NJDevs4978]

Pick any 3 NJ defensemen.  Their salary matches or is less than Kovalchuk's salary this year.  

 

Salary makes no difference at this point, although it did in July.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I agree. and its partly why I dont hate the guy. the move was mutually beneficial .  I do think he's damaged goods at this point

 

I think that 2010-11 was very hard on him.  I don't think he was used to that kind of criticism and passion from a fanbase.  He was really starting to hear it from a number of sources that year, especially the fanbase (I was there when he flubbed that penalty shot, and he really got it from the crowd that night).  Some guys can handle that a lot better than others.  I don't think Kovy handles that kind of stuff well at all...doesn't make him a bad person, just one who's not terribly thick-skinned.  I don't think he ever wanted to go through another 2010-11-type season again.  I also don't think he was looking forward to hearing things like "The Devils kept the wrong guy, should've signed Parise", etc.  In Russia, at least he's hailed as a something of a hero for coming home, he's playing 30 less games per season, and doing it against easier competition.  Really was the best thing for all parties involved.  I get the feeling he would not have had a good 2013-14 at all if he had stayed here.      

[Daniel]

I think that 2010-11 was very hard on him.  I don't think he was used to that kind of criticism and passion from a fanbase.  He was really starting to hear it from a number of sources that year, especially the fanbase (I was there when he flubbed that penalty shot, and he really got it from the crowd that night).  Some guys can handle that a lot better than others.  I don't think Kovy handles that kind of stuff well at all...doesn't make him a bad person, just one who's not terribly thick-skinned.  I don't think he ever wanted to go through another 2010-11-type season again.  I also don't think he was looking forward to hearing things like "The Devils kept the wrong guy, should've signed Parise", etc.  In Russia, at least he's hailed as a something of a hero for coming home, he's playing 30 less games per season, and doing it against easier competition.  Really was the best thing for all parties involved.  I get the feeling he would not have had a good 2013-14 at all if he had stayed here.      

 

I don't think you need to delve into Kovy's psyche all that much to figure out why he left.  More money in Russia, that's where he's from, and he's never been shy about his nationalism. 

 

Assuming the Devils would still have Jagr, I think Kovy would be having a great year, like something similar to 2011-2012..  And we probably would have won at least a couple of shoot outs with him.  

[DH26]

40 points in 44 games is barely good enough for the NHL?

Oh.

 

for him at his salary yes. 

Edited February 5, 2014 by DH26

[DJ Eco]

Everyone going on about how much he was getting paid:

 

I'm sorry, but to win in today's league, you need at least a player or two who are making a sh!t ton of a money. A bloated ridiculous contract is unfortunately what you need to compete in this league. Giving a bunch of spare parts medium-sized contracts is obviously not working for us, despite probably working well for Vanderbeek's wallet last year. It's superficial I know, but every team in the standings except for Colorado agrees that you need to be able to overpay a few players here and there to be able to dress the lineup that can compete.

 

Who on this Devils lineup is making any more than Zajac's $5.75m? The answer is, no one. Some people on this board seem to think that's a great thing, but, considering our place on the standings and our offensive numbers, I think it highlights a lack of commitment to signing elite talent "just because". If we try to be a "Jersey Gardens" type bargain basement team, we're gonna keep missing the playoffs, especially if Schneider isn't given a substantial long-term offer that other teams can't match.

 

I'm not saying ALL TEAMS that overpay and hand out stupid contracts will do well. Looking at it the opposite way though, from the top down, all the top teams in the league have the common thread of having one or two (or three) ridiculously bloated contracts, even the Rags. And we can't compete.

Edited February 5, 2014 by DJ Eco

[devilsrule33]

Everyone going on about how much he was getting paid:

 

I'm sorry, but to win in today's league, you need at least a player or two who are making a sh!t ton of a money. A bloated ridiculous contract is unfortunately what you need to compete in this league. Giving a bunch of spare parts medium-sized contracts is obviously not working for us, despite probably working well for Vanderbeek's wallet last year. It's superficial I know, but every team in the standings except for Colorado agrees that you need to be able to overpay a few players here and there to be able to dress the lineup that can compete.

 

Who on this Devils lineup is making any more than Zajac's $5.75m? The answer is, no one. Some people on this board seem to think that's a great thing, but, considering our place on the standings and our offensive numbers, I think it highlights a lack of commitment to signing elite talent "just because". If we try to be a "Jersey Gardens" type bargain basement team, we're gonna keep missing the playoffs, especially if Schneider isn't given a substantial long-term offer that other teams can't match.

 

I'm not saying ALL TEAMS that overpay and hand out stupid contracts will do well. Looking at it the opposite way though, from the top down, all the top teams in the league have the common thread of having one or two (or three) ridiculously bloated contracts, even the Rags. And we can't compete.

 

Well the Devils gave Kovalchuk that ridiculous contract you are referring to, and everything reported says they were willing to give Parise that gigantic contract as well. So, I don't agree with the bolded part. That would have been two massive contracts.

 

The key is you want to give that gigantic contract to a player you drafted or developed rather than a UFA since you end up giving gigantic contracts to David Clarkson because so few great players make it to the open market.

[SterioDesign]

Everyone going on about how much he was getting paid:

 

I'm sorry, but to win in today's league, you need at least a player or two who are making a sh!t ton of a money. A bloated ridiculous contract is unfortunately what you need to compete in this league. Giving a bunch of spare parts medium-sized contracts is obviously not working for us, despite probably working well for Vanderbeek's wallet last year. It's superficial I know, but every team in the standings except for Colorado agrees that you need to be able to overpay a few players here and there to be able to dress the lineup that can compete.

 

Who on this Devils lineup is making any more than Zajac's $5.75m? The answer is, no one. Some people on this board seem to think that's a great thing, but, considering our place on the standings and our offensive numbers, I think it highlights a lack of commitment to signing elite talent "just because". If we try to be a "Jersey Gardens" type bargain basement team, we're gonna keep missing the playoffs, especially if Schneider isn't given a substantial long-term offer that other teams can't match.

 

I'm not saying ALL TEAMS that overpay and hand out stupid contracts will do well. Looking at it the opposite way though, from the top down, all the top teams in the league have the common thread of having one or two (or three) ridiculously bloated contracts, even the Rags. And we can't compete.

 

i agree with this and for some team from the outside it may sucks like lets say the Hurricanes with Eric Staal... might be overpaid but they HAD to keep him, sometime you have to overpay and keep your most important player. The canes without Staal at that point would have been in deep sh!t. You can really point the finger and say he was overpaid.

 

I'll briefly point out our situation and Zach... many were acting like it would have been the worst thing in the world to overpay for Zach, but we're in absolute no better position now without him and if we want to get someone to replace him, it wont be from our system so we'd have to overpay on the market anyway...

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

i agree with this and for some team from the outside it may sucks like lets say the Hurricanes with Eric Staal... might be overpaid but they HAD to keep him, sometime you have to overpay and keep your most important player. The canes without Staal at that point would have been in deep sh!t. You can really point the finger and say he was overpaid.

 

I'll briefly point out our situation and Zach... many were acting like it would have been the worst thing in the world to overpay for Zach, but we're in absolute no better position now without him and if we want to get someone to replace him, it wont be from our system so we'd have to overpay on the market anyway...

 

At the time Zach left, we all thought the Devils were going to be on the hook for two insane contracts if he had re-signed, and no one knew what the Devils' financial future held at the time, or thought that Kovy would bail on the rest of his deal.

 

Ideally, the replacement(s), either by one person or by aggregate, come from guys within your system, and not through UFA.   

[SterioDesign]

At the time Zach left, we all thought the Devils were going to be on the hook for two insane contracts if he had re-signed, and no one knew what the Devils' financial future held at the time, or thought that Kovy would bail on the rest of his deal.

 

Ideally, the replacement(s), either by one person or by aggregate, come from guys within your system, and not through UFA.   

 

well fair to say we have no one remotely close to be a Zach in our system

[cgb6397]

well fair to say we have no one remotely close to be a Zach in our system

Yeah but we picked up Bobby Butler and he was a perfect replacement

[DJ Eco]

Well the Devils gave Kovalchuk that ridiculous contract you are referring to, and everything reported says they were willing to give Parise that gigantic contract as well. So, I don't agree with the bolded part. That would have been two massive contracts.

 

Okay, you're definitely right on this, I'll give you that. We'll see what July/UFA season brings. All indications are our new ownership can handle the higher cap, I hope Lou realizes what he has to do.

I'll briefly point out our situation and Zach... many were acting like it would have been the worst thing in the world to overpay for Zach, but we're in absolute no better position now without him and if we want to get someone to replace him, it wont be from our system so we'd have to overpay on the market anyway...

 

To agree with devilsrule33 though, all indications are that we DID offer him an absurd contract. His heart (and his "buddy" Suter) were set on going to Minnesota.

[CaptainRafalski]

Parise wanted to play in Minnesota with his buddy Suter and no contract offered by the Devils would have been good enough to keep him here. 

[2ELIAS6]

Parise wanted to play in Minnesota with his buddy Suter and no contract offered by the Devils would have been good enough to keep him here.

i think thats exactly what it came down to.. wouldnt have mattered what contract nj would have offered up the player had already made up his mind and was probably looking forward to the opportunity to go home for a long time.

[Devils Pride 26]

Parise wanted to play in Minnesota with his buddy Suter and no contract offered by the Devils would have been good enough to keep him here.

You mean even if Lou and Parise did have talks to re-sign in season he was going to UFA either way?

[LucifersDog]

Parise wanted to play in Minnesota with his buddy Suter and no contract offered by the Devils would have been good enough to keep him here. 

 

I don't beleive that. Lou should have given Parise a deal the year before he became an URF.  Not Lou's style.

[Devils Pride 26]

I don't beleive that. Lou should have given Parise a deal the year before he became an URF. Not Lou's style.

He did, according to someone in the know he rejected 7/49 in season.

[Devil Dan 56]

I don't beleive that. Lou should have given Parise a deal the year before he became an URF.  Not Lou's style.

Parise was RFA the year before. He took a one year deal.