Matteau Matt..no

[DevsMan84]

 Haha!   No matter how superior you try to sound it's obvious: You have no answer!

You admit defeat!  You're wrong, You're wrong

 

 

Oh and I wasn't responding to you  in your quoted post  - wrong again!  Not your day, li'l fella.

 

Now you are making me break my promise after only 10 minutes. You really do have a gift.

 

You were not responding directly to me, but you were talking about me and made it quite clear.  You questioned my fandom about the Devils and quite frankly I do not take that too kindly.

 

Second, yes you win as I really do not have an answer.  My gf is a clinical mental heath counselor and she works at a mental hospital.  She tells me all the time that with her sickest patients, you cannot really talk to them as they are just stuck in their own world.  I have the same feelings about you that she does with her patients. No one can ever win against you as you cannot talk or reason with crazy.  This is why every time I respond to any of your posts I have a sinking feeling in my stomach as I know what I will be receiving is not a reasonable or rational response by any means.  Hence why I say that I must be a glutton for punishment.

[sundstrom]

he wouldnt be able to play until his Q team is eliminated though

 

after being released, i think he could but lou just said that he's not coming to NJ so scratch that.

 

like always, who am i to question lou.

[DJ Eco]

What Matteau did was either really bad or he's not a good enough player for Lou to look the other way.  With Merrill you had two separate incidents, one before the draft and one at Michigan.  Each time, Lou said something to the effect that he was aware of the issue, but that it didn't effect what the Devils thought of him.  The tone is a lot different here. 

 

I pray that the Devils are either a good team next year or that they somehow have a plan to successfully challenge the penalty.

 

 

I think this is because Matteau's incident is clearly hockey-related, whereas Merrill's Michigan incident was off the ice and being handled with due process by the powers that be (at the time).

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

Sounds like an immature kid got a taste of the NHL and doesn't want to "waste time" playing in the QMJHL as a result.   He's just being a brat it sounds like, trading him would be rather premature.

[Ollie McKraut]

Forfeiting that pick was more obvious than obvious. Shocking they didn't.

[newjerseydamo]

ruh-roh.

 

Rich Chere

‏@Ledger_NJDevils

Lamoriello has spoken to the junior team's GM and said: "We have a situation. You never like to hear something like this."

You know the problem is serious when Lou says we have a situation..

 

And DevsMan84.. probably best to use the ignore feature. might save you some sanity!

Edited April 22, 2013 by newjerseydamo

[ThreeCups]

I think there is a big deal being made out of a fairly small incident....

 

Seems Matteau mouthed off and threw a tantrum, and the team released him.....simple as that.

[Zubie#8]

I think there is a big deal being made out of a fairly small incident....

 

Seems Matteau mouthed off and threw a tantrum, and the team released him.....simple as that.

And I am guessing that his Dad being a coach made everything that much more emotional. Not a big deal in my opinion. He needs a sit down with Lou just to talk about what he has ahead of him.

Edited April 22, 2013 by Zubie#8

[The 29th Pick]

I think there is a big deal being made out of a fairly small incident....

 

Seems Matteau mouthed off and threw a tantrum, and the team released him.....simple as that.

Sounds like our coach and players at MSG on Sunday !!!

[Devs1965]

And the hits just keep on coming! Lol, this season...

I have a funny feeling we ain't seen nothing yet! Oh and Rooney has no right to wear pinstripes that scum bag!

[maniacdevsdude]

Sigh. ...even if Lou miscalculated with last year's pick I will put my trust in him. As far as fandom goes, there are two people whom you just can't bash IMO...Marty and Lou. Especially Lou... doing so should be grounds for forfeiting every single piece of NJ Devils memorabolia you own and a one way ticket to cheering for the NY Islanders for life. Hah.

[Marshall]

Wasn't there supposed to be a presser yesterday with the coach/GM? 

[SterioDesign]

Wasn't there supposed to be a presser yesterday with the coach/GM? 

 

there was yes

[Pepperkorn]

Sigh.

...even if Lou miscalculated with last year's pick I will put my trust in him. As far as fandom goes, there are two people whom you just can't bash IMO...Marty and Lou. Especially Lou... doing so should be grounds for forfeiting every single piece of NJ Devils memorabolia you own and a one way ticket to cheering for the NY Islanders for life. Hah

 

hahaha... I see what you're doing here....  keep an eye on ebay!  I say he's allowed to sell it - it is called "selling out" after all. 

[DevsMan84]

Sigh. ...even if Lou miscalculated with last year's pick I will put my trust in him. As far as fandom goes, there are two people whom you just can't bash IMO...Marty and Lou. Especially Lou... doing so should be grounds for forfeiting every single piece of NJ Devils memorabolia you own and a one way ticket to cheering for the NY Islanders for life. Hah.

 

This is just as silly as the fans who constantly bashing the players for the team they supposedly love, even when the player is doing well.

 

To think that Lou and Marty can do no wrong is complete lunacy.  Both Marty and Lou have had overall very successful careers, but in the last few years they have been slipping.  Even the most ardent Marty supporters see that he is no longer 29 years old and his play has slipped in the last few years.  It happens when you get at the age when most players retire.

 

Lou pulled rabbits out of his hat in what seemed to be on a yearly basis for many years.  However, outside the magic run of last year he has struggled with some of the free agent signings (I know some were out of his control and I am not blaming him for those), dealing with the cap until a couple of years ago, and for deals to blow up in his face more than being successful.  Can't fault him for trying as I think he has been, but I believe his ways of dealing with free agents is an outdated and archaic method, drafting has not been as productive (that is on Conte too), and just he seemingly lost his golden touch.

 

In a nutshell, Lou has been a great GM if you look at the big picture over the years.  However lately, it just doesn't seem to be working out for him or the team as much as it used to.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

DM84, I hear what you're saying, but the problem is you're coming off like Lou should be expected to have the golden touch every year.  Even the best GMs have downturns.  In the Devils' case, the downturns consist of either of making the playoffs and not going deep, or missing a playoff season here and there.  For other teams, it's missing the playoffs for seven straight seasons (I don't have to name the team).   

 

Clearly recent years haven't been as kind to the Lou and the Devils...the first-rounders aren't panning out like they used to, and the Devils' AHL affilate isn't churning out ready-to-step-right-in players like it once did.  That's forced Lou to try to make up for those deficiencies through UFA, which probably isn't his choice of how to do business, but even though some of those moves haven't worked out, you can understand why the Rolstons, Volchenkovs and others made sense at the time.  They just didn't work out.  Unfortunately those are the kind of moves a team makes when they're trying to stay on top, and avoid a true re-build.  And Lou's still made some pretty magical moves...the initial trade for Kovy was almost a fleece-job, he got Loki for almost nothing, he got Zidlicky for spare parts.  I'm not saying the last decade or so has been his best, but asking him to ALWAYS perform miracle moves and stave off a down cycle forever is asking too much.   

[Triumph]

Little late on this one, but this doesn't concern me all that much.  Matteau rolled into the NHL this year and probably made six figures after taxes, then goes back to a Montreal suburb to play junior hockey for a team he didn't play for before this year and one he wouldn't've been playing for next year.  Plus his dad's an assistant coach which complicates things more.  

[RowdyFan42]

Unfortunately those are the kind of moves a team makes when they're trying to stay on top, and avoid a true re-build.

I picked out this sentence because it hints at something no Devils fan wants to hear and very few are even willing to say:  This team needs a true rebuild soon.  I don't think it'll happen until Marty retires, and I doubt Lou will stick around long enough to pull it off.  Hell, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Lou retires a year or two after Marty does, leaving the charred remnants of a franchise for the next GM to deal with.  Regardless, the next few years will not be a good time to be a Devils fan.  It's gonna suck, but we're past the point where "the Devils don't rebuild, they reload!" is a valid perspective.

[Triumph]

I picked out this sentence because it hints at something no Devils fan wants to hear and very few are even willing to say:  This team needs a true rebuild soon.  I don't think it'll happen until Marty retires, and I doubt Lou will stick around long enough to pull it off.  Hell, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Lou retires a year or two after Marty does, leaving the charred remnants of a franchise for the next GM to deal with.  Regardless, the next few years will not be a good time to be a Devils fan.  It's gonna suck, but we're past the point where "the Devils don't rebuild, they reload!" is a valid perspective.

 

It shouldn't.  The Devils drafted 4th overall in 2011 and will draft close to the top 10 this year.  If both guys become top line players, they will not need a 'true rebuild' - even if both are just average guys, they should be in decent shape.  How can anyone think this team will have 'charred remains' when outside of Elias, players who are actually good on the team are 30 and under?

Edited April 24, 2013 by Triumph

[Muevelos]

We don't need a rebuild. More of a tune up

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I picked out this sentence because it hints at something no Devils fan wants to hear and very few are even willing to say:  This team needs a true rebuild soon.  I don't think it'll happen until Marty retires, and I doubt Lou will stick around long enough to pull it off.  Hell, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Lou retires a year or two after Marty does, leaving the charred remnants of a franchise for the next GM to deal with.  Regardless, the next few years will not be a good time to be a Devils fan.  It's gonna suck, but we're past the point where "the Devils don't rebuild, they reload!" is a valid perspective.

 

It really depends how Larsson and this year's first-round draft pick turn out, as well as how well the Devils draft in the next 2-3 years.  What I was referring to was more how Lou's done biz over the last number of years...he could've decided he wasn't going to dip into the UFA market, suck it up for two or three down years, get some higher draft picks and try to build that way...but with guys like Marty and Kovy and Elias and Parise on the roster, clearly he was trying to plug in "NHL ready now"-types to offset the AHL-pipeline not feeding him those players.  Like I said, I don't think Lou likes building his teams that way, going to outsiders who didn't come up through the system, but I think he probably felt like his hand was forced.   

 

It's simply impossible to predict whether or not this team will be charred remnants in a few years...I'll give you that there's a LOT of uncertainty in the short-term, but it can really go either way at this point.  I'm pretty much mentally prepared for all scenarios.  At the very least, we know that two mainstays, the two faces of the franchise, will be gone before much longer, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.  They are the identity of the Devils and have been for many years.  Clearly it's going to be Kovy's team (in many ways it already is), but who will the other face(s) be?  I have no idea.         

[NJDevs4978]

They don't need a rebuild provided they can get at least one more legit top six forward, possibly two.  If they don't get that player(s) and/or even lose more of our forwards to FA this year though then yeah they don't have a shot of doing much the next couple years.  Like CR said it could go either way, this offseason's going to be huge in seeing which way it does go.  And Lou's not going to want to sit on his hands with the specter of giving up a top ten pick if next year goes the way two of the last three did.

 

They need to start trending younger on defense and goal, but they don't need major overhauls there 'yet'.  I don't think they can afford to blindly roll with Moose again next year though.  They are going to need a legit backup, you absolutely cannot count on a 41-year old Marty staying healthy.

Edited April 24, 2013 by NJDevs4978

[Chuck the Duck]

They don't need a rebuild provided they can get at least one more legit top six forward, possibly two.  If they don't get that player(s) and/or even lose more of our forwards to FA this year though then yeah they don't have a shot of doing much the next couple years.  Like CR said it could go either way, this offseason's going to be huge in seeing which way it does go.  And Lou's not going to want to sit on his hands with the specter of giving up a top ten pick if next year goes the way two of the last three did.

 

They need to start trending younger on defense and goal, but they don't need major overhauls there 'yet'.  I don't think they can afford to blindly roll with Moose again next year though.  They are going to need a legit backup, you absolutely cannot count on a 41-year old Marty staying healthy.

 

Urbom looked very good last night (outside of his failure to clear the puck at the end of the second which ended up with Eller scoring).  He's a big body with good speed and vision.  He needs to get a shot here next season.

[RowdyFan42]

It really depends how Larsson and this year's first-round draft pick turn out, as well as how well the Devils draft in the next 2-3 years.  What I was referring to was more how Lou's done biz over the last number of years...he could've decided he wasn't going to dip into the UFA market, suck it up for two or three down years, get some higher draft picks and try to build that way...but with guys like Marty and Kovy and Elias and Parise on the roster, clearly he was trying to plug in "NHL ready now"-types to offset the AHL-pipeline not feeding him those players.  Like I said, I don't think Lou likes building his teams that way, going to outsiders who didn't come up through the system, but I think he probably felt like his hand was forced.

But that's exactly what leads me to believe there's a major overhaul coming fairly soon in the post-Brodeur era. Lou hasn't been able to build the team the way he's wanted to, coming up on a decade now, maybe? It's a combination of success leading to undesirable draft positions, inconsistent results from the draft picks they do have, and a few free agent signings that went sour. Yes, the Devils have still been able to do fairly well despite all that, and that's a testament to both the core Lou built his way and the fact that he still manages to pull a rabbit out of the hat every so often. I still think Lou's going to try to put together as good of a team as he possibly can for next season to give Marty one more shot at a Cup, but after that... things have to change, and it won't surprise me in the least if the first change is Lou calling it a career.

 

It's simply impossible to predict whether or not this team will be charred remnants in a few years...I'll give you that there's a LOT of uncertainty in the short-term, but it can really go either way at this point.  I'm pretty much mentally prepared for all scenarios.  At the very least, we know that two mainstays, the two faces of the franchise, will be gone before much longer, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.  They are the identity of the Devils and have been for many years.  Clearly it's going to be Kovy's team (in many ways it already is), but who will the other face(s) be?  I have no idea.

I'll admit I was exaggerating a bit with the "charred remains" line, but it's that short-term uncertainty that gives me reason to have some long-term uncertainty. Not having any clue as to what's in store for the organization after Marty retires is scary. You take one look at the farm to try and get some sort of idea as to what the future holds and... it's not good, guys. It hasn't been for years. They've been to the playoffs once in the last 12 or 13 years, and some of those seasons they were the absolute worst team in the league. I know the general attitude among most NHL fans is "who gives a crap how the AHL affiliate does as long as our prospects are ready", but that's really all you're getting, the handful of prospects that everyone already assumed were going to make it to the NHL anyway. And as you seem to recognize, that's not enough. Maybe Triumph and Hasan and everyone else are right and a full-on rebuild isn't needed, but I feel like it'll come fairly close.

[sundstrom]

the devils really don't build albany to win, if that makes sense so their record doesn't concern me.

 

The Devils defense looks to be in pretty good shape for the next 2-5 years depending on the development of merrill and severson.and the continued improvement of larsson. greene is a very good defenseman.

 

Kovalchuk, Henrique and Zajac are clearly top 6 forwards that have 3-5 years of above average to excellent capability.

Loktionov, appears to be a capable top 6 guy. If clarkson is resigned, that's another.

Josefson, at worst appears to be a nhl regular in a 3rd line role.

 

None of this takes into account the high pick they're going to get on 6/30 or boucher who may or may not turn into something.

 

what will be the key for the next 3 to 5 years is finding a reliable goaltender and one more top 6 forward who can score and consistently carry an above average shooting percentage.