devils102

Gomez and Jagr... Someone needs to shoot the puck on that line.

Great pass.

I'm sure this will be said a number of times in this thread... but it's the first game under the new "regime". They're going with the same old lines Pete trotted out until they have a chance to see what they've got up close. If Gionta and Harrold were on the PP under DeBoer, that's what you're going to see tonight. Oates probably hasn't spoken with these guys in two years, never mind thought up PP combinations. If Gionta is still on the PP in a couple weeks, especially once some players are back, then I'll sharpen your pitchforks myself.

The crappy defense this year did DeBoer in. He just had no answers the last few months. Last year is an example of a crappy team playing a tight systems game and just not scoring enough to survive. This year the team defense hasn't worked. I'll agree with a lot of people here. DeBoer took an underrated and talented team in 2012 and got as much as he could out of them. I think it'll take a few years before people here appreciate him as a coach.

Happy Holidays!! Here's the best of the Devils holiday videos.

Didn't see the game, but based on the shot totals... thanks for the point Cory. Otherwise... pretty depressing.

Good thread. I can't believe this guy has been hanging around for 7 years. I always get him and his brother mixed up. Maybe that's why it's weird.

I'm not completely counting him out for this year. Maybe he goes on a another hot streak and scores 7-8 more goals over the course of a few weeks but it seems unlikely. I think he lost his buddy Clowe and just isn't good enough to crack those top two lines. Unless he's playing with our better players, he's not good enough to create on his own. It's too bad. I've always liked Ryder and felt for him because of the situation with his brother. Hopefully Boston or Dallas will remember the good years he had and he'll get another chance next year.

Haha! I haven't watched a ton of the games he's played in because of internet issues, but what I've seen I've liked. He can skate alright which is key those big guys. Not great with the puck, but as others have pointed out we have enough of those guys.

The Caps played a pretty stiffing game tonight imo. Not saying a better team couldn't have generated more against them. But I'll give them some credit.

I've thought the Devils actually had good energy tonight. But they look so disorganized. Nothing is clicking out there. Give some credit to the Caps, they are tight defensively compared to previous years. But the Devils just aren't good enough to generate anything.

Wasn't MacTavish just on TV last week saying that the team wasn't as bad as it's record suggested and the coach was safe? "He's a good role model for our players. He's passionate about the game. And he's growing as a coach." MacTavish said four coaches in five years is enough. The problem, he added, is the players' execution, and the accountability they face. "The accountability on the players to execute on the ice has to improve ... our execution on the ice at critical moments." This organization is a circus right now and a great example of why great players from "the good ol' days" don't necessarily make good managers/coaches/scouts.

As someone who has Nail Yakupov on a fantasy team, I'm not sure I would trade Larsson for Yak's 8 points and minus 13. As others have mentioned, it's too early to say who was worth picking and how players will look in a few years.

I don't know if that was Jagr's man, but he was doggin it on that backcheck.

That was such a sloppy goal.

Sucks it didn't work out. But he couldn't score, couldn't defend and wasn't physical. It didn't work out with Deboer or really with Babcock (he got off to a fast start in DET and then fizzled if memory serves). A lot of players have played well under both of those coaches. Wish him the best back home.

Long overdue. Never found any kind of chemistry with anyone and was a disappointment for the vast majority of his career here.

Thinking about this thread maybe realize I've been a member of this board for 10 years now! (exactly 10 years as of the 22nd of November). And there are a few people who were already posting back then who are still here. Thanks to DM for making it such a cool place to talk Devils. There is a pretty good roster of posters here.

The only problem is... they aren't going to play their best hockey that often. They've been inconsistent this year, and not only going through tough stretches within the schedule, but playing inconsistent within the games.

This is a another tough one.

Good question.

I've been to Newark once, and at the risk of being offensive, I did find it quite ugly. But the people we ran into were all friendly. We were tourists from Canada though, so maybe they assumed we were stupid and were trying to be nice, not sure. The friendliest/unfriendliest debates are fun, but ultimately so subjective. I'm sure if you went into a bar in Quebec City and started speaking English you wouldn't get the most friendly reception, same as if you walked into a place in Southern Ontario and started speaking French. You guys probably have similar dynamics down there. As long as you aren't noticeably different wherever you travel and aren't a total ass you'll probably find most people are fairly friendly.

I would like to have Kessel on this team, and as others mentioned, I don't think his contract is that terrible. The problem is that the Leafs, like the Devils, aren't really sellers yet. I don't think they will make the playoffs, but I would assume Leafs' management probably thinks they can, so they won't trade their key offensive player for what are essentially prospects. Things would have to go downhill in a BIG, BIG way (bigger than two loses in a row to Nash and Buf) for the Leafs to commit to a major rebuilt. The fan base and media in Toronto just don't work that way. And the Leafs are probably interested in a more steady defenceman than Eric Gelinas. I think you would have to warm up to the idea of trading Severson or at least Merrill to finish this trade.

I was going to say this, but the Leafs are two points ahead of us in the standings with the same games played

To be fair, if someone asked me how to make the Devils successful again, my first reaction would also be sheer panic. Did anyone else watch wrestling in the "Attitude Era"? I thought it was interesting to read about that stuff. The guy is clearly smart, but his Devils knowledge is pretty weak.