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We need to start winning again. Ok? Let me tell you, I've met Taylor Hall, tremendous, tremendous person. But he's got no help. We've got to stop getting killed on trade! I know Ilya very well, another wonderful person mind you, and he could help! I plan on assembling a team of the best and brightest. And folks, it's going to be HUGE. Ilya Kovalchuk is going to help this team in a big league way.

We'll buy McDavid and make the Rangers pay for it. Eventually, but at a later date so we can get started early, the Rangers will be paying, in some form, for the badly needed player.

Welcome to the boards. I started with the 1983-84 Devils myself. My parents took me to a 8-2 curbstomping at the hands of the Flyers (I was 13), but that was all it took for me to jump on board. Jersey design/re-design talk has been discussed a lot on here, with the usual cross-section of opinions. Some are fine with no changes at all, some wouldn't mind some tweaking as long as it's nothing too extreme (one member would like to see the black shoulder trim done away with, some others would like to see some green make its way back into the current design, etc), and some are OK with the idea of a more radical re-design in theory, but are afraid of Buffa-slug/Fishsticks-level disasters. I'm actually pretty open-minded on this (though I wouldn't complain one bit if the jerseys remained as is). There was a mashup of the older style jersey with black replacing the green, and the general striping and trim pattern being part current and part retro. I thought the very last photo on this thread (page 3) was kind of interesting:

Low energy response MadDog. Sad!

Dismissal?! This is the kind of stuff that I'm talking about, people just can't wait to cut this guy a break but everyone else gets shat on for leaving. And people make his 2012 playoffs to be Claude Lemieux like legendary. He had a decent postseason but you'd think he was Willis Reed with the way people talk about it, a lot of guys play seriously hurt in the NHL playoffs. Just ask Joe Thornton.

If it hasn't been said enough already, this playoff format is just terrible. Caps win the President's trophy and they get the 2nd best team in the league in the 2nd round as a reward. Just another way the league feels Mickey Mouse/gimmicky.

It's not like he's been sitting on his couch for that time drinking and smoking. He tore up the KHL and might have led that league in points (don't know for sure). He's 34, which is not that old for some players, although it is for others, so yeah, we don't really know for sure about that. Unless we're getting an overvalued return, like a top 15 pick or a top defense prospect, I want him back. EDIT: Or let me put it this way. Let's say after the last lockout, for whatever reason Pavel Datsyuk was Devils property, and you could negotiate a new deal with him or potentially trade his rights. We'd all be ecstatic. Well he was the same age as Kovy is now, and put up fewer points per game than Kovy did this past season. DOUBLE EDIT: Actually, f'd up my math. Two years younger than Kovy is now, but you get the idea. Or you can look at Datsyuk's numbers this year. Would you really be like "whatevs" if you could get Datsyuk right now?

Devils fans have a huge blind spot with this guy, and in more ways then one.... It's like a fvcking cult. If someone is willing to do a sign and trade, fine by me... I'm sick and tired of hearing about this moron though, so I'd welcome a deal that can get us an asset or two back, if it also assures I never have to hear his name mentioned by another Devils fan ever again. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Glad to be here, been a fan since the Tapio Levo and Marshall Johnston days. Was there when Lever scored the first goal in franchise history. Lets talk logo and uniforms. I read here previous that some Devils season ticket holders were asked to respond to a questionnaire sent out by management in relation to the uniforms? This was following a report by Chris Ryan in the SL that the Devils told him the unis were staying intact. Any thoughts on what we may see happening in the next few weeks ahead? I have seen some say that they would not have a problem if the Devils removed the circle that is the backdrop for the now iconic Devils logo. I don't agree with this at all, simply having the logo on the front of the jersey without the circle would look horrendous IMO. Thoughts?

That was not Kovalchuk's last season here. I'm talking about the following (lockout-shortened) season, after Parise was already in MN. I wouldn't say he put the team on his back in the postseason you're referring to.

And then we'll start building up the defense. A wall!

Coming out of the ether to comment on this, but it all comes down to the "The Plan". We as fans want to to win now, but what if Shero and Co's plan is to build a winning franchise? Based on that mindset, they may want to pass unless they find a dancing partner and do an immediate sign and trade. Here's what I'm thinking: Lets say we sign Kovy, and he has 40 points heading to the deadline. He's made the team better, we climb up the standings a bit and go from basement dwellers to an "in the mix" team. Kinda sorta in the race come March, but fall short of the playoffs. Middle of the pack. Now we're picking in the middle of the draft, and we have a 35 year old winger with back issues declining in value by the minute. Remember, Kovy isn't Jagr. The best we could do is move him for a pick to a contender, but with that production, you'd probably get a second rounder. Same price you would have gotten now with a worse opportunity to obtain good, cheap talent in the draft. And while I'm never in favor of tanking or punting seasons, I am in favor of building a team organically. Stapling Kovy onto this roster would make the team better next year, but I think it would set us back from the ultimate goal: becoming a perennial contender.

I wonder if Thornton came back under the assumption that this was probably his last chance at making a run to the cup. Playing on a blown out knee like that.. Jesus Christ is that dangerous. Not only for his playing career but his general ability to.. you know, walk and maintain mobility.

I wouldn't count out the Sens just yet. They play pretty differing styles than the Rags I think. They're a lot like we used to be, with a trap/1-3-1 style, which could possibly be suffocating to their team. I do see the Rags winning in probably 6 games, maybe 7, but wouldn't at all be surprised to see the Sens in 7 either.

I was bored on the plane today and bought the hockey news 2017 Future Watch issue. They have Ryan McLeod ranked 10th for 2018

The feed was absolutely unwatchable tonight but McLeod just scored the 2OT game winner in a 2-1 game 3 win for Missasauga. He also had an assist on the earlier goal by Watson.

I also think we should remember he was the guy despite being able to barely walk, got 19 points in the playoff run. He left it all out there with that bad back. That I remember. No one knows the circumstances behind his dismissal. We may never know.

Could not agree more. How many on the bandwagon have seen him play more than 4-5 games since he left here, if that.

If he's a top line forward, then he should stay here. On our top line.

He was just being a sore loser and declining to answer certain questions while getting an additude. He gave Pittsburgh credit once, basically only acknowledged they won, but mostly just said his team deserved better than a 4-1 series and crap.

From your lips to God's ears brother. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Of course they'll be excited that their mediocre team beat up on two other mediocre teams, they're fvcking Rag fans, and Rag fans generally aren't bright. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shero would be very short sided if he didn't try to get Kovy to come back to NJ. Kovy is a pure, natural talent and would be worth the price of admission. He comes at low risk, high reward. In the end, I think what prevents Kovy from coming back is Kovy himself and whether or not he wants to play on a team that is clearly not playoff bound.

I'd pay him $6 million each for two seasons if you'd guarantee 25 goals and 25 assists (although you might be low on the assists, he may be capable of more than that). Bottom line, we don't have cap issues. Worst that happens is he bombs out, at least you don't have him for 8 more years. At best he helps the team back to the playoffs. Somewhere in the middle he shows he can still play and you trade him to a contender for some prospects or picks. I just don't see a down side, assuming that spending the money on him doesn't prevent us from spending on someone else we could use. I'm not saying Kovy instead of say, Shattenkirk for example. But if you can sign Kovy and still get the other available guy or guys we want, why the fvck not?

The only thing I'd ever advocate when it comes to Kovy is a straight sign and trade. Get him in the league, then flip him ASAP. As for people suggesting he is worth a 1st + prospect, good luck with that. We'd be lucky to get a 2nd straight up for him. He's 34, left his team after signing a long term contract, hasn't been in the NHL for several years. If Shero gets a 1st, he is a GM god.

Parise - Gone DeBoer - Gone Lou - Gone looking at you, Rangers, next....

It's wasn't the cap hit so much as leaving before the big bucks on his deal really kicked in and because of that the Devils avoided a potentially disastrous recapture penalty.

Okay Ottawa, you have one job... Go do it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The scars will heal up real quickly if people are made to realize that Kovy did the team an enormous favor by leaving when he did only to return on a reasonable deal when he has a lot of good hockey left in him and the team might be on the upswing finally. You might actually tell the fans that it was the plan all along but for what could be another circumvention penalty.

anyone who thinks he "screwed" the devils needs to put the kool aid down

I feel bad for Hall though.

Fvck them both.

It's like getting diet advice from Chris Christie. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And yet we have to listen to his verbal diarrhea every time NBC airs a game, its like they hired anyone they could when they started, but now cant cut the cords

Milbury pretty much lost all credibility on anything hockey related when he left the Islanders regarded as the worst GM in history.