27 replies to this topic

[CarpathianForest]

I've been posting this many times but look how well this team while being about 70% healthy. No doubt Kovy, Zids and Clarkie are all injured to some extent. I thin many up and down the roster are injured to some degree. Despite the injuries they beat the Cats, Flyers and Rags and almost made an historic comeback in the SCF. The Rags were healthy and we beat them and the Kings were healthy and we put up a sold fight. So that being said, if we did this well when we were only 70%, imagine how good we'll be next season at 90 to 100% healthy. So if most of the same cast returns next season I believe there is a very solid chance that we'll be cup contenders.

[Marshall]

Assuming we are healthy. I consider us to have been fairly lucky with injuries, despite Tallinder and Zajac. They were there when it mattered the most.

[sundstrom]

there will be changes. hopefully they aren't major which a parise defection would be. but if parise stays, there's a ton to work with and a strong season is in the cards for next year.

actually - i was going to write an offseason thought but i can't put the effort into it.

thinking to next year, it's gonna be henrique, zajac, kovalchuk and a very very good defense that gets us where we need to be. if parise is part of it, all the better. 10.1/70.1 - take the under and he's here.

[Satans Hockey]

Won't matter. Lockout is gonna extend to end of December. World ends in December.

[CarpathianForest]

Won't matter. Lockout is gonna extend to end of December. World ends in December.

Keep your fingers crossed. It may be resolved and we might get a few weeks of hockey in.

[SMantzas]

At this point I'm somewhat hoping for a lockout. Give young guys like Josefson and Larsson more time to get bigger and stronger and Kovalchuk, clarkson and whoever else time to recover. I hope to see hockey by mid-November

[Martyisth3b3st]

This season has proved that all you have to do is be decent in the regular season, decent enough to get into the playoffs, and that being hot at the right time with a good team is better than being cold at the wrong time with an amazing team.

Edited by Martyisth3b3st, 12 June 2012 - 07:51 AM.

[ThreeCups]

This season has proved that all you have to do is be decent in the regular season, decent enough to get into the playoffs, and that being hot at the right time with a good team is better than being cold at the wrong time with an amazing team.

That's always been the case!

[Pepperkorn]

I hope Marty does stay now... why? Because this is actually the best part of hockey. He never had the climb up really. He was too young and sort of dropped into a team on the final top rung... but this... SEE????? This is just my favorite part of hockey. When you're on the right track and you know it and there is real work ahead of you and -- it's just, for me, what life is all about. It's not adversity... it's learning and growing and invigorating. I've written here many times that I missed those times with the growing Islanders. I felt so lucky because their climb was just long enough and their success was verification that I was indeed watching the building a an amazing foundation.

The latter half of the 20th century Devils taught me that it's not so sucky to be on top and fighting to stay there either. I loved that lesson. But this is ... it's life to me. Marty is just so blessed -- it's unbelievable.

I feel like the Rangers fans who are posting how sad Marty is now... what are they thinking? That it's true? They're just so far off the mark of reality --- part of me honestly wonders how they can have decent lives, you know? If their vision is so skewed, so limited -- if they're for real? Thisis why I'd never be able to really have meaningful relations friendship whatever with a Rangers fan like that. I miss Derek. and I also think we can be real a$$holes when we don't give Derek-like Rangers props when they're really close to getting a real hockey team on ice. There are fatal flaws but their improving only makes out team better and makes hockey better.

The only annoying thing for me about the Kings win is the as shoes (as shoes... nice apple -- nice euphemism for butthole %@#$* I hate autocorrect) who think they've earned this. The Flyers trio for example. I don't give a fun (a fun? That was my grandmothers euphemism...) about on ice stuff if your off ice behavior sucks -- because it's not sustainable and you fvck EVERYTHING up the next year. BUT I'm really happy for some guys who really put in the effort for HOCKEY not themselves. Chances are the fvckwads doing all the jawing are the unworthy.

Edited by Pepperkorn, 12 June 2012 - 08:49 AM.

[Pepperkorn]

This season has proved that all you have to do is be decent in the regular season, decent enough to get into the playoffs, and that being hot at the right time with a good team is better than being cold at the wrong time with an amazing team.

I just want to amend the train of thought --- it's not just being decent... it's allowing flaws taking chances making a choice you think is brilliant in game situation so you see how actually stupid you are and that you have to trust people. It's for the sake of learning. Making mistakes before it's too late. Some things you can only learn in real life situations. you can't replicate the pressure of being on the brink of a historic come-back to win the Stanley Cup.... but lots of the little stuff -- you can figure out how to squeak out a win or how you'll handle something when it hits you full-on, on steroids in the playoffs.

No the regular season is not about winning and losing - it's about preparing.

[Martyisth3b3st]

That's always been the case!

But it'll put it into perspective a bit more when people here scream "MUST WIN" for a game against the rangers in October.

Assuming we are healthy. I consider us to have been fairly lucky with injuries, despite Tallinder and Zajac. They were there when it mattered the most.

Our best player, Kovalchuk, wasn't.

[Chuck the Duck]

Kovy clearly was hurting throughout the playoffs and was a shell of his normal self. That's what made this run even more amazing. Guys like Salvador, Gionta, Henrique, and Carter really stepped up at key times. Elias had a rough playoffs, and Parise just couldn't do much in the finals. The depth of this roster on both F and D is what has impressed me the most these last 3 months.

Edited by Chuck the Duck, 12 June 2012 - 09:12 AM.

[ThreeCups]

Kovy looked dead all Final long...

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

I don't know about Juggernaut.

If Parise comes back I can see this team being better next year with improved play from Josefson, Henrique, and Larsson. But I don't expect them to improve enough to counter the loss of Parise. Also, I loved Marty's postseason run. But there's still a decent chance he's horrible next year. I'd be surprised if the Devils missed the playoffs but a juggernaut seems overly optimistic.

[Daniel]

In a parity era, there are no juggernauts. The closest any team came to looking like one this year was that stretch the Penguins had, and we see how that ended.

[EdgeControl]

its not all roses, kovy's back needs to heal, will it be chronic? Zach? sykora and clarkson scored 50 goals. where are those coming from next year. how old will patty look? we'll be tough and deep, but it will be a daily battle. scoring goals may be a problem. 2014 is a different story

[Marshall]

Our best player, Kovalchuk, wasn't.

There when it mattered the most = playoffs, not just the final. He was invisible in the final but not the first three rounds.

[Zubie#8]

There when it mattered the most = playoffs, not just the final. He was invisible in the final but not the first three rounds.

Its impressive that he managed 19pts, imagine if he was 100%.

I thought Kovy was great during the Flyers and Rangers series, and we must remember that he had key assists throughout the playoffs. He had primary assists (two amazing passes) for Zajacs and Ponis ot winners and he had the key hit on the Carter game winning goal. Hell, he even helped cause that puck go underneath Henriks pads for Henrique to bury it. I thought he had an amazing playoffs.

Edited by Zubie#8, 12 June 2012 - 01:40 PM.

[BlueSkirt]

Let's enjoy what happened, yet there will be differences next year. Veterans like Sal, Patty, and Brodeur can have big differences year-over-year at this time in their careers.
Its been fantastic seeing Brodeur respond during FLA and have a great run. Sal may be good this fall, but perhaps not. Elias has at most 50 goals left in his career, over the next 2 seasons.
If we're realistic, then we can be surprised when a Sykora nets 20, or a Clarkson gets 30. I for one hope we go a bit younger.
But that's for October, until July 1 it will be great to enjoy the accomplishments of this season

[CaptainRafalski]

For players like Broduer it is important to remember that they may feel great now after going on a run like that where they really played well. I think a lot of older guys want to play every season until they are 50 years old but then when they look at the calendar, the training camp, all of the games and travel, the physical stuff, they all of a sudden realize that they should just hang them up.