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Caps: you have your marching orders. You know what must be done. Ovie, you magnificent bastard: it’s time to shine like a motherfvckin’ diamond. Oshie: play like it’s the shootout, and the Rags are the Russians. Connor McMichael: for two weeks, your assignment is to channel Connor McDavid. John Carlson: you grew up a Devils fan in Colonia, NJ. You of all people understand the mission. The hopes of an entire nation rests on your shoulders gentlemen. You must prevail for the good of all mankind. Good luck and Godspeed. We’re all counting on you.

This is just choosing to put a negative spin on it. You could also say that Mercer was a 20 goal scorer even in a down season. Holtz scored 16 goals despite being buried on the 4th line most of the year. And Casey was just days ago named First Team All-American.

If it were up to me, I’d ban opposing fans from the Rock altogether 🤣

I'd be surprised if the Caps win a game, that team stinks. Need Ovi to go insane or something.

I don't want them on our ice.

Oh I'm with ya, I didn't mention that specifically because I already consider that an absolute no-brainer given. Still hoping for an announcement that the Devils are moving on from Green sooner than later.

I hope Wilson takes somebody's head off

As far as player transactions go, I'm not expecting much of anything until the season ends. Maybe some signings (think Fitz just signed some undrafted college player to a two-year deal). Curious to see if Luke gets an extension ahead of his final ELC season, but I can see his camp waiting until he's a RFA before signing; if he takes a big step forward, hard to imagine he won't be among the top-paid Devils, on a max-term deal, come 2025-26. The situation that's going to be interesting to see play out is Mercer's...assuming that he's not moved. I wouldn't go more than two years for him at this point...Fitz doesn't have to lock up EVERYONE long-term. I think 2 years $3 - 3.5 million is pretty fair...that's still a big raise, and he really finished out this season in meh fashion. If he puts up numbers closer to 2022-23 (and can become more consistent), then maybe he gets bigger money. BUT, gotta admit, I have a feeling this is all going to become another GM's deal to figure out. If the Devils have to pay a top-end veteran goalie and are expecting to have to pay Luke and Nemec and eventually plan re-up Nico (he's already four years into his current deal), hard to think that Mercer won't become the odd man out...just a "Can't pay everybody" kind of scenario.

I always see these tournaments the same way: PLEEEEEASE DON’T GET HURT!

Probably the worst outcome for us, as far as wanting the Rangers to lose. They are going to sweep the Caps, easily. I would have enjoyed seeing the Red Wings make it, these last two games were nuts.

At least that Rags team can be rattled. And the Caps have Tom Wilson.

Caps grab the last spot and play the Rags. You know what you have to do Caps.

All I ask of our new coach is to let lines develop chemistry and for the love of freaking god stop with the selective accountability.

The most notoriety that guy should ever get is when people see him bagging groceries at some local yokel grocery store and say “That guy coulda been a star but he messed up, so now he’ll work here and have to think about that forever”

Yes, that idea was discussed on this board a few months ago. I don’t mind opposing fans sitting wherever they want. I just don’t like the idea of the Rock being overrun by them.

Yeah that would do it. And he definitely did not look right for a while.

No wonder he looked the way he did early on, holy hell...

So, Leafs-Bruins AGAIN in the first round. If the Leafs finally manage to beat them, do they march to the cup like the Caps did when the finally managed to beat the Penguins? Leafs nation will be on suicide watch if the B's take care of them again.

For that last WC2 spot, let's face it, ALL of the teams that didn't get in have several games that can be pointed to, in terms of why they didn't make it (and why they didn't deserve to). What's bad for a team like Philly is that they went 13-19-5 over their last 37 GP (much closer to original predictions). Yes, it's expected that they'll make changes this offseason, but do they have another massive-overachieve 25-14-6 start in them? Or a stretch like that in them at any point next season? Given their plan, they might not come as close to a playoff berth as they just did for another couple of seasons.

Fitz better be in action right now as we speak, let alone 23 days from now.

Hope we start to see Fitz in action by then too.

And as much as I hate to admit it, had the Devils found some way to win just enough games to squeak in the WC2 slot, hard to imagine that the Rangers wouldn’t have absolutely destroyed them. It would’ve been ugly.

No pens, no nonstop Crosby coverage, no torts rants are all good for me. The single grace on an otherwise sh!t season

He squeezed a lot out of his team, but can’t imagine his antics over the last quarter of the season were any help.

oh absolutely, it was no more than 90 seconds after the goal to boot

I'd be so irritated if I was a Red Wings fan lol

Mercer is junk? Holtz? Casey? I disagree. Those are the assets that would be moving in meaningful deals.

MacDermid will be back. Fitz said as much. And that’s fine. His mere presence keeps other teams in line.

We've had this convo before, I want away team sections. Speaking of this kind of thing at our last home game no bobbleheads should have been handed to anyone wearing Islanders stuff. Yes, mainly me lol

That, too. Seeing that group of Rangers fans posing on the Devils logo at center ice pissed me off.

I don't understand, so people sitting in the club level can't wear Panthers jerseys/colors? I don't agree with the policy and think it's dumb, but I thought a lot of teams were already doing it? Aren't there a bunch of people on this forum who like the idea and complained about the need for a specific section for away fans?

Oh no doubt, the Yankees had some really sh!tty people playing for them back then, or guys who simply weren't worth what they were being paid. Remember Danny Tartabull, who went for Ruben Sierra in what was more or less an a$$hole-for-a$$hole trade? I remember Suzyn basically saying the Yankee clubhouse pretty much ignored him his first time around, but he did come back many years later, apparently a changed man.

True, true. I guess they're just more likeable, to me.

He better be looking for a coach RIGHT NOW. I wasn’t really referring to player transactions.

It's not like Detroit was any good either. In 2 must win games they needed to tie it last minute against a sh!t Montreal team both times.

Ah the Stump Merrill and Bucky Dent years. And who could forget Mel Hall? Don’t know if you remember Star Ledger Yankee beat reporter Moss Klein, but back then he was constantly ripping what the Yankees had become. Steinbrenner being suspended was the best thing to happen to that franchise. Allowed Stick to build and retain a nice nucleus. And George could still be George when he came back, but no longer to such an insanely destructive degree.

Nice! This should be a good opportunity for growth for both players.

Heh heh one thing a lot of Yankee fans really suck at is handling any kind of adversity. Did the “on the ledge” gang really think the Yankees weren’t ever going to lose a few in a row? They want everything to be easy, and at the first sign of “trouble”, they want to trade a bunch of meh-ish guys for whatever star they think they’re entitled to. Because snagging Soto somehow wasn’t enough. Not saying YOU’RE like that, just a lot of Yankee fans that I’ve seen and heard.

I’m sure a lot of Rangers fans will say this over the next few days because they don’t realize that buffoon like Rempe won’t even play in the postseason. Maybe we should send Ovie a bunch of Subway sandwiches and Cheetos.

"ReMpE iSn'T sCaReD oF wIlSoN"

Definitely not. Healthy-scratching Couturier was the beginning of the end for him and his team.

Yup, I had the Detroit game on they scored and regulation ended and then switched to the Flyers and they pulled the goalie. I wonder how much of a delay there was in relying the information because the Flyers were eliminated already when they pulled the goalie. Crazy stuff

Exactly this. There’s more depth here than some realize. They will also have a Top 10 pick in this year’s draft.

Agreed. That he’s being allowed to continue his career despite his conviction makes me wonder about the NHL decision-makers who decided to look the other way on this. If predatory behavior is the standard they accept, what in the world have they done behind closed doors?

The Devils need someone like him after the Lindy/Green sh!tshow, but I’d be surprised if he were fired.

Now we've finally got to the end of this season we can, hopefully, say goodbye to the following UFAs: Nosek, Tierney, Smith, MacDermid, DeSimone and Kahkonen. I will miss none of them. The RFAs are Mercer, Nolan Foote, McLeod and Cal Foote. I'm guessing the last two will be gone. Nolan Foote could still have a bottom six role imo if he is finally healthy, so, maybe a one year prove yourself deal. I'm pretty sure we all want Mercer back. After this season I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a bridge deal as I don't think anyone really knows where he's going to end up yet. At the AHL level there will be the usual large turnover of players with the only notable RFAs being Clarke, Hatakka, Daws and Schmid, and it wouldn't shock me if they all return.

They replaced Sharongovich, Wood, Tatar with guys like Toffoli, Nosek and Tierney. And it showed. The 2023 team was built on speed and transition, and the players Fitz brought in didn’t fit that at all.

Let me see any of this sh!t actually happen (catering to Jack and Luke). I think (or at the very least, HOPE) that Fitz will make his hire based strictly on who will be the best man for the job. His job here depends on it.