50 replies to this topic

[Jerrydevil]

Ovechkin couldn't have won in Atlanta though.

Agreed. Atlanta is a poor organization. And they should have traded Kovalchuk long before they did.

[jonnyd91]

Second, the fitting thing is precisely the problem. That Devils hockey should be in the past and make way (finally) for new ways of playing. If we keep bouncing people that don't fit the system, the system will never change.....and the damn system keeps failing in the playoffs.

This is the key. The sooner the upper management realizes this the closer they will be to another cup. With brodeur having a few seasons left and no superstar goaltender to replace him the team needs to be rebuilt on offense. Add a center, add a top 3 Dman and resign kovy. Dont know how in the hell to do it but Lou can find a way. idk i just have some feeling in the back of my mind they will resign him. If zubrus can play the way he played the end of this series with those 3 additions and a more offensive minded coach this team is a sure contender. THere is too much friggen talent on this team. They need to find a way to dump dorn. As much as i dont want to, use clarkson as traid bait for a Dman, he is replaceable. Not sure who is out there for centers but the 1 mill deal the rags got for prospal make out neidermucker contract look like a retard pulled it off. I think he had like 20 goals 30 A on the rangers. Where the hell were we on that one.

[Bryan]

I too really really hope Kovalchuk stays. This is a really good team and with a couple tweaks can be a great team. If anything else Game 2 should have proved that to any naysayers.

Kovy brought speed and skill and more importantly, a threat to score every time he was out there. And that keeps teams on their heels and allows other players to make something happen. They just didn't this playoffs.

But I sincerely believe that a full season with Kovalchuk could produce some awesome things for us.

And of course some other changes as well.

[Brandon]

Loved having Kovy on the team. Gotta respect any guy that brings that kind of fire and passion every night. hope to see him next year

[Devs3cups]

Kovy thanks for the hard work and determination!

I hope to see you in a Devils uniform next october!

[devlman]

Kovy worked hard and did what he could. Surprised at how good an attitude he has.

Please re-sign Kovy, Lou!

[run_to_the_ditch]

Look how happy...SIGN HIM LOU!!!!

[njdevil26]

One of two things will have to happen for Kovy to be here in October.

1. He takes a one year contract at almost whatever they can figure out. This way, the following year, losing Zach isn't a real issue as they can both work our something or Kovy will have to go to keep Zach.

2. He can take a ridiculously front loaded contract like Hossa did to bring down the cap number. He's young enough to sign that long of a deal.

[MantaRay]

Thanks for turning a solid team into the New Jersey Thrashers.

Have fun playing elsewhere next year.

Good riddance.

[Jerrydevil]

Thanks for turning a solid team into the New Jersey Thrashers.

Have fun playing elsewhere next year.

Good riddance.

I don't feel as angry as you, and I don't blame him alone for this team going down the crapper, but I agree that he doesn't fit here. Plus, I can't believe the applause some people are giving him for the "effort." Yikes.

[Daniel]

Make a concerted effort to re-sign him, but don't go overboard. I would take Kovy over Martin in a second (even though I was undecided a few months ago). Martin showed me absolutely nothing, and doesn't deserve to get paid like a top tier defenseman, but some team out there will.

I don't buy this "not fitting in" stuff. Unless you're a total dimwit, a good coach and team culture can make you fit in, so long as you're not a diva, which I saw no evidence of. Learning to play smart hockey is not like learning quantum physics.

[Jerrydevil]

I don't buy this "not fitting in" stuff. Unless you're a total dimwit, a good coach and team culture can make you fit in, so long as you're not a diva, which I saw no evidence of. Learning to play smart hockey is not like learning quantum physics.

So where's our good coach and team culture? On vacation since December?

[Daniel]

So where's our good coach and team culture? On vacation since December?

That's my point, at least on the coach front. Lemaire was awful and it showed with Kovy.

I still think the culture is there, which I interpret as playing smart and disciplined, but for whatever reason it didn't show this year. At the very least, it's very prevalent as compared to most teams in the league, especially from where he was coming from.

[DevsMan84]

So where's our good coach and team culture? On vacation since December?

Team culture took a huge blow in 2005 when stevens retired, and then finally died a silent death when niedermayer and rafalski left.

[sundstrom]

here's the thing though and really, we just can't know not being in the room.

it's certainly possible that lemaire essentially giving the keys to the team to kovalchuk with a full two minutes on the PP and running plays specifically for him did not sit well with some players. there was a lot of trying to fit him in and perhaps the notion that the team said "management doesn't think we're good enough so they went and got this guy to do it all."

now that could simply be an indictment of lemaire (what else is new) doing too much for one player.

i believe kovalchuk is a great talent and would be fine re-signing him at Gaborik money. i'd also be ok if he went somewhere else.

but i think it's important to take into account what, if anything, his arrival did to the room. this team might have had a choker label but it never had a quitter label until this year.

this is really where beat writers could get a bit better pulse but likely wouldn't publicly share it.

[DevsMan84]

here's the thing though and really, we just can't know not being in the room.

it's certainly possible that lemaire essentially giving the keys to the team to kovalchuk with a full two minutes on the PP and running plays specifically for him did not sit well with some players. there was a lot of trying to fit him in and perhaps the notion that the team said "management doesn't think we're good enough so they went and got this guy to do it all."

now that could simply be an indictment of lemaire (what else is new) doing too much for one player.

i believe kovalchuk is a great talent and would be fine re-signing him at Gaborik money. i'd also be ok if he went somewhere else.

but i think it's important to take into account what, if anything, his arrival did to the room. this team might have had a choker label but it never had a quitter label until this year.

this is really where beat writers could get a bit better pulse but likely wouldn't publicly share it.

Exactly, last year we had a breakdown in 80 seconds that cost us the series. This year, we had a breakdown the lasted the entire series with the exception of game 2. Like you said, this team didn't choke, they just gave up.

[peterstastny]

not sure what this love affair with kovy is.. personally i 100% do not want to see him as a devil next year. he was exciting to watch but the devils are not that type of team.

time after time in the playoffs he refused to just dump it in the corner and go to work. the team became reliant on him every shift.
...
"i have the puck? oh look for kovy, i have to pass to him"

then kovy would skate in on 5 guys, while everyone watched, lose and it would come back the other way. instead of 5 guys working together, getting the puck in the corner and out working the other team.

[MantaRay]

not sure what this love affair with kovy is.. personally i 100% do not want to see him as a devil next year. he was exciting to watch but the devils are not that type of team.

time after time in the playoffs he refused to just dump it in the corner and go to work. the team became reliant on him every shift.
...
"i have the puck? oh look for kovy, i have to pass to him"

then kovy would skate in on 5 guys, while everyone watched, lose and it would come back the other way. instead of 5 guys working together, getting the puck in the corner and out working the other team.

+1

I agree with everything here.

Kovy is a great individual talent, the kind of player that will put up 3 points a game against Edmonton or Flordia, but not the type your going to win anything with.

Its not what Kovy "could do" for the team, its how the team and management responded to him. He changed the dynamics of the team, instead of working as a unit, it was always "get the puck to our new superstar, since we aren't that good anymore".

Dead on analysis Mr. Stasny. The team changed for the worse.

[MantaRay]

I don't feel as angry as you, and I don't blame him alone for this team going down the crapper, but I agree that he doesn't fit here. Plus, I can't believe the applause some people are giving him for the "effort." Yikes.

I am angry and frustrated that this was a bad idea from the start. I don't blame Kovy, he actually surprised me the way he tried to fit in and play to win which is commendable.
But the team and management changed and we turned into another version of the Thrashers (just get Kovy the puck).

I didn't recognize this team after the trade, the roles changed, the strategy changed and the confidence just disappeared.

I blame Lemaire a lot for this failed experiment. Lou tried something different and it just didn't work. He makes mistakes too.

[NJayDevil]

Thanks for turning a solid team into the New Jersey Thrashers.

Have fun playing elsewhere next year.

Good riddance.

Idiot you are.