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Watched the Wild Game


Jimmy Leeds

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Thoughts:

I have a problem with Zach the captain. The captain of a team in the midst of a finals run shouldn't be thinking about free agency, or talking to his buddy. Sure he played okay (not great) during the run, but the captain is held to a higher standard and should be. I don't know that it made a difference (I doubt it did; that team was locked in), but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and makes it tough for me to root for him.

That said, I have no problem with a free agent leaving. They've earned that right. I cheer Gio whenever he comes back. I boo Gomez not because he left, or even because he left to the Rags, but because he was a lazy sack of sh!t for much of his time in NJ, and when I didn't have to root for him, and in fact it was beneficial to my team for him to fail, I enjoyed hating him. Zach earning the right to play wherever the fvck he wants and choosing to play near his family is fine by me. Same thing for Nieds (though Carol's fvcking annoying).

Finally, I'm glad we didn't keep Zach. Not for any emotional reason, either. He's signed to a TERRIBLE contract. I would hate to lose a guy like Henrique because of Zach's cap hit, especially because Zach's size, age, and style of play suggest that he's going to decline hard in a couple years, and become a drag on Minny. Lou has always done a good job paying fair value (the exception being Kovy, but that appears to have come from above Lou), and it usually works out. When we lost Gomez, Lou signed Zubrus, and while Zubrus isn't as talented, or a natural center, and never replaced Gomez's production on the top line, he's still playing on the same contract, and he's a great value. Gomez fvcked the Rangers until Montreal was dumb enough to take him (and give up McDonough in the process), and then he fvcked them. Lou's gotten beat before, but not when he let FAs go. His biggest issue IMO in the cap era has been paying too much for guys who aren't that good (Rolson, Brian), and he didn't do it this time. It may hurt this year (though it hasn't yet), but the Devils are a strong organization because of the way Lou does things.

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I would have also understood it completely if we'd lost in the first round again. The fact that he left after we'd finally turned the corner and got so close (with it being 'his' team) is what makes everything doubly frustrating. This year's team would have been a major contender again with everything else still in place.

If we would've lost in the first round, he could say he was going to play w/ young guys in Granlund and Brodin and a d-man we haven't had the caliber of since Stevens/Niedermayer in Suter and maybe he would (not stupidly) think that team could be better soon. But to think that team's getting anywhere near the finals anytime soon is asinine

Edited by DH26
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Until I see a link I'm going to treat it as a rumor. For all we know it could've been harmless texting back and forth that took little time and perhaps it was Parise even trying to talk NJ up to Suter. Bottom line is no one on this forum knows what happened or what Parise truly thought. In the end the Devils got fantastic production from Parise at great value.

I think what some of the board members are talking about is that during the press conference someone asked Suter and Parise how long of a bond did they have together. Suter responded by saying that they both played for team USA and played high school hockey against each other (Shattuck and the Capitals(sp?). Because of this, they have become good friends. He also said that they always talked about playing together and that it finally happened. It didnt really sound like that they concocted a plan to sign together on the same team. The video is below starting at 8:05 mark

I always loved Parise and overall he had a great work ethic. Personally I think he was just stuck in a bind where if he said nothing, he would of been criticized greatly. Plus an hour before the deal was reported, a lot of people on twitter were reporting that he didnt make the decision until that day. I can't blame him for wanting to play home to be with family and friends. With free agency and the big money contracts now given out, team loyalty is hard to come by in sports. Personally, I think we put too much emphasis that athletes are supposed to have good character and the way I look at it, they are only paid to perform and thats it.

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It was always known that Parise and Suter were tight. I can't believe two friends wanted to play on the same team.

I have no problem if people want to boo and heckle him, that's our rights as fans. I just can't get upset at him taking a ton of $ to go home and play. I think most people would've made the same choice. If he had signed with a rival I'd be more upset about it.

Hey on the brightside, hopefully in the future NJ will produce some NHL'ers that 1) Spend all their pre-college/junior years in NJ and 2) Actually grow up Devils fans. :P

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Thoughts:

I have a problem with Zach the captain. The captain of a team in the midst of a finals run shouldn't be thinking about free agency, or talking to his buddy. Sure he played okay (not great) during the run, but the captain is held to a higher standard and should be. I don't know that it made a difference (I doubt it did; that team was locked in), but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and makes it tough for me to root for him.

Agree 100%

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