coldply123 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I dont want to sound like a negative nancy here, but Ive been a little disappointed in David Hale's play of late, hes been very sloppy in front of the net, in clearing rebounds, or keeping players in check in the crease, he also has begun taking a few more penalties than any of us would like to see........Martin on the other hand has played quite well and to me has moved ahead of Hale on the defensive pecking order....... I think Hale's performance may be giving Lou some impetus to get a better defenseman than some of us think......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I agree completely. Hale has really not made any progress since his first game, whereas Martin certainly has improved his entire game. I suppose it was to be expected though, considering the large amount of time that Hale missed due to injuries throughout his college career. Hale still seems unsure out there and often makes the dan-0 play of just banging the puck away from where he is without a plan of where it's going or who is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Hale was playing well until he missed a couple games with the knee injury. Seems like ever since he came back, he has taken a step back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSkirt Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Well, thats rookies for ya. Sometimes you get a killer night & the next night they get killed. And the toll of the season can catch up to them also. Whereas Martin has gotten stronger the more he has played, Hale seems to have hit a small wall. Let's hope Martin doesn't run into that wall later in the season/playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I think that Hales conditioning isnt quite where it needed to be to play out the long NHL season, especially given the ammount of time he missed last year. I think he hit the wall that many college players do in their first year. I would expect him to take more steps as he spends more time the league. Martin is just great, and has really proved he belings but im still wary of him hitting the wall as well at somepoint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I still think Hale is playing decently. Every night he seems to be paired up with Brown or Albelin who don't exactly help him very much. You've got to expect rookies to go through some slumps but he has shown he has talent enough to play. If you could get a Jason Smith or Brendan Witt to replace him for th playoffs it would help the team, but I think if the team doesn't replace Hale he'll still do a serviceable job in the playoffs. -Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 I dont want to kill Hale because he also has a kidney disease that he has to watch and take care of, my point was that his play may signal to Lou a greater impetus to make a move, even though Im a 100% sure he would make a move for a d-man regardless........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 Hale and Martin wont both be playing in the playoff games, one of them will sit out every other game, then the other sits out the next.........I just dont see two rookie d-men being played in the playoffs........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Hale and Martin wont both be playing in the playoff games, one of them will sit out every other game, then the other sits out the next.........I just dont see two rookie d-men being played in the playoffs........... Yeah the Devils don't do that. Anyone remember White and Rafalski in 2000? B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 ?????? Rafalski wasnt a rookie........The guy was in his late 20's for crying out loud........... You cant have two 21 yr olds playing on your defensive corps in the playoffs......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insanity_gallops Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Psst. Coldply, age aside, Rafalski was still a rookie. Granted there is a difference between his season in 2000 and Martin this year because Rafalski had been kicking ass and taking names in Europe prior to coming to the Devils, but even so -- he was a rookie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 ??????Rafalski wasnt a rookie........The guy was in his late 20's for crying out loud........... You cant have two 21 yr olds playing on your defensive corps in the playoffs......... I know he was in his mid 20s, but they made a big deal of the Devils playing 4 rookies in 2000. Madden and Gomez were the other two. By that, I would guess Rafalski fit under the age requirement for rookies. Which I believe is 26. But the two 21yo have been playing since the beginning of the season. So they have NHL experience and are not raw. If the Devils don't make a deal or Stevens doesn't come back, they may have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 A rookie in NHL rules and standards, but in terms of playing, he was not a rookie, he had a ton of hockey, professional, not college in his past....... So i entirely disagree, Rafalski was not a rookie......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRASHER Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Devils actually played FOUR rookies in 2000 if you remember (White, Madden, Raf and that Gomez guy) given two of them were older rookies I just think people see how much Martin HAS progressed and wonder why Hale hasn't... that's unfair.. but hey.. that's the internet hockey community Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 Martin and Hale are 21, and they play DEFENSE, thats a huge difference, especially on a team that is not as talented as the 2000 team, and you need to rely on your defense more...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Martin and Hale are 21, and they play DEFENSE, thats a huge difference, especially on a team that is not as talented as the 2000 team, and you need to rely on your defense more...... And many of us feel that at the very least Martin has showed that is indeed ready to play every night in every situation. The guy has only gotten better as the year has gone along. You are right im not sure if Hale will play every game, but i bet he plays more then he doesnt, and Martin doesnt come out of the lineup unless hes hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfsharkalligatorhalfman Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 i bet some of you are more willing to trade david hale than anton kadeykin you guys are ridiculous when it comes to prospects. Give him time. Defensemen reach their peak at 30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas0nMacIsaac Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 i bet some of you are more willing to trade david hale than anton kadeykinyou guys are ridiculous when it comes to prospects. Give him time. Defensemen reach their peak at 30 Your dead one, you don't trade rookies because they are having an average rookie season. You develop them, not every player is ging to be great their first year. Hale is a defensive dmen which will take long to adapt their ruffed style in colege to a rugged style in the NHL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 I like Kadeykin more than Hale, yes I admit it.......... However, I am in love with Paul Martin.......hes going to be a very good two way defenseman........ Hale Im not sure his ceiling is as high as everyone believes, just because hes a first round pick doesnt mean hes the next Stevens...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Jester Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I've been on Hale's case all season, and have taken a lot of flak for it on this board. Maybe it's because Martin has been sooooo much better than his fellow rookie. Maybe it's because Hale has actually cost us points (see Montreal power play, less than a minute to go, earlier this week). I like Hale's size, and I like his potential. But he hasn't shown me anything that would give me pause as far as dealing him for a veteran defenseman. Hale's going to grow up to be like Persson or Bryan Muir: A guy you kick yourself for a season for giving away, and then you suddenly realize he's playing for a team called the Solar Bears four years later. <JESTER> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldply123 Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 Hale wont last long in a Devils uniform if he doesnt learn to play physical hockey and his positional play as of late leaves plenty to be desired, it seems every time Marty gets knocked around or beaten on a rebound Hale is standing right there, doing nothing, in fact I will go as far to say that Hale cost us in both the Maple Leafs and Canadiens games, he was terrible in both of them....In fact he wasnt much better in the Panthers game, taking that dumb penalty, and allowing guys like Bure and Huselius and Horton to prance in front of the net....., he doesnt add anything to the offense, so his defense is his only asset and it must improve......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas0nMacIsaac Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Its his rookie year! I can't believe you guys are pissing and moaning about him. You think Montreal is going to trade Komisarek becasue he isn't doing all that good. You seen what happened when we dumped, Souray, Smith, Mitchell, and Zyuzin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciyenne Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Don't forget that Hale's just a baby -we have to nurture him and feed him up first so he can be a big boy and play well in the future. Having said that I wouldn't strenuously object if he did go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaRay Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 You guys just crack me up with your lack of patience. I thought the Devils played their worst hockey of the season when Hale was out. Remember Vancouver (L 4-0), Philly (L 4-1) and NYR (L 3-1). Since he's been back, albeit a bit tentative, the defense has been much better positionally. Or would you all prefer Brown or Albelin get more ice-time??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarDew Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Hale and Martin wont both be playing in the playoff games, one of them will sit out every other game, then the other sits out the next.........I just dont see two rookie d-men being played in the playoffs........... Yeah the Devils don't do that. Anyone remember White and Rafalski in 2000? B) As long as a rookie is paired with a vet, ala white/rafalski of 2000, doesn't bother me how many rookies we use on the blueline...sounds like an echo eh DonW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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