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All Aboard... A Thread for Believers


Devils Pride 26

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I'm guilty as anyone of thinking negatively of this team lately, and quite frankly they have given us good reason. At the same time, I'm sitting here and sulking about it and I'm starting to feel like as if it's affecting my daily moods without even realizing it. 

 

For better or worse, this team is going to snap out of it and make the playoffs. 

 

Lets go Devils

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I'm in too.  I get as frustrated as anyone else watching this team at times (there's nothing worse than watching a team that doesn't score), but I still think they can turn this damned thing around, and at least get into contention for a lower playoff seed.  Has to start pretty soon though. 

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Alright, I'll be that guy, sorry.

 

Do I want this team in the playoffs?  Absolutely (obviously).  However, what I don't want is another season where they have an admittedly enjoyable late season surge but run out of gas mid-March and end up missing by 7 or 8 points.  Because then the Devils will have made no progress toward future success, at all, and we'll find ourselves reliving this scenario next season.  

 

In an ideal world, this team has either pretty much secured a spot or are well out of the race by the deadline.  That won't happen, of course, but it'd be a damn shame if the team holds onto Jagr and other vets and misses the playoffs when they could've acquired picks to actually acquire some young offensive talent.

 

Do I believe?  Sure.  But I have realistic expectations and hopes as well.   :tomato:

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DF118, understand what you're saying completely, but at the same time, this team not making the playoffs two years in a row is hardly ideal, especially for this franchise.  I'm not saying the Devils should start mortgaging key pieces of their future to try to squeak in, but if they're in reasonable contention, I'm not sure that they can start dumping Jagr and others for whatever they can get...even if it seems like doing so would make sense. 

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DF118, understand what you're saying completely, but at the same time, this team not making the playoffs two years in a row is hardly ideal, especially for this franchise.  I'm not saying the Devils should start mortgaging key pieces of their future to try to squeak in, but if they're in reasonable contention, I'm not sure that they can start dumping Jagr and others for whatever they can get...even if it seems like doing so would make sense. 

 

If they're not in contention, I have no problem with dumping pieces like Jagr. It makes sense and it fits with what Lou did the last time we were out of contention (Arnott trade, etc.). I think this fanbase can handle two consecutive playoff-less years. The Devils aren't the underground team in NJ the way they used to be. It seems like more and more the state is really starting to embrace them as part of our identity as New Jerseyans. It only took 30 years, but it's starting to happen. I'm not saying that the attendance won't suffer, of course it will, but at the same time I don't think we'd be in as dire straits as we might have had we started missing the playoffs in the late 90s.

I cant believe Mike Brown hasnt chimed in yet

 

It's because he doesn't believe ;)

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If they're not in contention, I have no problem with dumping pieces like Jagr. It makes sense and it fits with what Lou did the last time we were out of contention (Arnott trade, etc.). I think this fanbase can handle two consecutive playoff-less years. The Devils aren't the underground team in NJ the way they used to be. It seems like more and more the state is really starting to embrace them as part of our identity as New Jerseyans. It only took 30 years, but it's starting to happen. I'm not saying that the attendance won't suffer, of course it will, but at the same time I don't think we'd be in as dire straits as we might have had we started missing the playoffs in the late 90s.

 

I agree with the bolded, but if the team is, say, 3-4 points out of a final playoff berth, and playing reasonably well just before the deadline, I don't know that they can start dumping key players.  I can definitely handle two playoff-less seasons, as can others...I've rooted for teams that have suffered through prolonged periods of irrelevance (like the Mets)...two years is nothing to me.  But there's a lot of young Devils fans who have grown up knowing nothing but success (or at the very least, a whole lot of winning records and playoff appearances), and haven't had to suffer through a downturn.  I'm not saying they'll go root for another team, but I think a lot of them won't be going to the Rock to watch a team that has little chance of being relevant.  I don't think it will take long for crowds to be 10,000 or less on a lot of nights.

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Count me in. I think we as a fanbase are snakebitten lately by the shortened season (a bad stretch of 14 games would be a dagger in a lockout year) and a historically bad 2010. Things are never as good or as bad as they seem, and this team has 68 games to get healthy, get rolling, and get it together in a weak division.

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I agree with the bolded, but if the team is, say, 3-4 points out of a final playoff berth, and playing reasonably well just before the deadline, I don't know that they can start dumping key players.  I can definitely handle two playoff-less seasons, as can others...I've rooted for teams that have suffered through prolonged periods of irrelevance (like the Mets)...two years is nothing to me.  But there's a lot of young Devils fans who have grown up knowing nothing but success (or at the very least, a whole lot of winning records and playoff appearances), and haven't had to suffer through a downturn.  I'm not saying they'll go root for another team, but I think a lot of them won't be going to the Rock to watch a team that has little chance of being relevant.  I don't think it will take long for crowds to be 10,000 or less on a lot of nights.

 

Oh I'm not going to say attendance won't suffer, but I think the team as a whole can survive it.

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BACK SPASMS, thats whats keeping me from jumping on the bandwagon.  an aging player with back problems. if zajac and elias are not back in a week this season goes down the drain :(

 

And here I thought you were saying that your aching back was giving you problems jumping onto the wagon. I'd have offered to stop the wagon and put a step stool for you.....

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Alright, I'll be that guy, sorry.

 

Do I want this team in the playoffs?  Absolutely (obviously).  However, what I don't want is another season where they have an admittedly enjoyable late season surge but run out of gas mid-March and end up missing by 7 or 8 points.  Because then the Devils will have made no progress toward future success, at all, and we'll find ourselves reliving this scenario next season.  

 

In an ideal world, this team has either pretty much secured a spot or are well out of the race by the deadline.  That won't happen, of course, but it'd be a damn shame if the team holds onto Jagr and other vets and misses the playoffs when they could've acquired picks to actually acquire some young offensive talent.

 

Do I believe?  Sure.  But I have realistic expectations and hopes as well.   :tomato:

 

The thread is titles "A thread for believers"  Get thee hence non-believer!!!

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