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GDT - 11/25/14: Devils @ Canucks 10:00pm EST


Mike Brown

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When will lou make a fvcking move. Lets go!!!!! This is getting to be ridiculous

Elias zubrus need to go

 

Elias is on a lifetime achievement contract that will pay him $5.5 million next season.  Only shot you have to move him right now is to take an equally putrid contact back.  Only thing you can do with him is hope he picks it up, but we all know how it goes with older players. 

 

No one wants to pay Zubrus $3.5 million for next season either.  There's guys on expiring deals who will be easier to move, should it come to that. 

 

Devils have scored 41 goals in their last 20 GP, after that 11-goal outburst in their first two games.  Couple that with Schneider's somewhat inconsistent play (though I think he's been better than people think...he's quietly put up a .929 save% in his last 12 appearances, and his season save% is now up to .916), injuries to guys like Cammalleri (always to be expected with him though), and the younger defensemen's growing pains (Gelinas...yikes)...well, that's how you go 7-10-3 in those 20 GP.  I'm hoping for a quick improvement, but I think we're probably going to see more of the same for now.   

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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Lou was good for the team for a long time but he has completely destroyed this team. Bad unmovable contracts, built an old and slow team, lost too many assets for nothing, bad drafting, bad roster management. his bad moves/decision from the last few years is heavily outweighting the few good ones. No one else to blame other than him, he ran that team to the ground with his stubborn win now no matter what mentality. 

 

with the structure he built i don't even see how he could turn it around. To me there's nothing he could do to turn this team over this season, not even in the next few season.

 

I honestly can't be mad at the players, not even Zids. He's doing his best, it's clearly not enough but he shouldnt be playing that much

Edited by SterioDesign
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well the zid harrold offensive pairing worked great, lol  cant win a game if you cant score one goal. Im going to lie to myself and say this was a west coast time diff catching up to them.  the cannucks were everywhere, they got the puck out of the zone before we could get in the zone, and they stuffed all passing lanes...they presented us with a turkey for thanksgiving, thanks guys!.  we wont be beating most western teams, we need to beat the sabres, jackets, panthers and caps and pretend that we are in a PO chase

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Lou was good for the team for a long time but he has completely destroyed this team. Bad unmovable contracts, built an old and slow team, lost too many assets for nothing, bad drafting, bad roster management. his bad moves/decision from the last few years is heavily outweighting the few good ones. No one else to blame other than him, he ran that team to the ground with his stubborn win now no matter what mentality. 

 

with the structure he built i don't even see how he could turn it around. To me there's nothing he could do to turn this team over this season, not even in the next few season.

 

I honestly can't be mad at the players, not even Zids. He's doing his best, it's clearly not enough but he shouldnt be playing that much

Well said, it's sad

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Well said, it's sad

 

The only problem is he insists on saying what amounts to the same thing over and over and over and over again, as though it's some profound discovery.  There's some truth to what he's saying, but it's enough.  At this point I don't even care what got the Devils to where they are...we all know the various causes (some of which could've been helped, others not as much), as they've been discussed to death in multiple threads.  I'm not interested in what-ifs and if-only-Lou-had-done-this-or-that...there's no rewind button.  The team is where it is.  To me it's more about what happens next.  Obviously Step 1 will be trying to move some of the more palatable contracts for whatever the Devils can get in return, but it's probably still too early in the season for that.  It's a bit of a Catch-22...yeah, this team doesn't look like it's going to be terribly good, so why keep it together, but at the same time, if Lou starts dumping players now, it's a clear signal to the fans that the Devils are punting on 2014-15, and with no real "Man I can't wait to see this guy" prospects to call up, attendance is REALLY going to plummet at the Rock.  Even if Lou knows deep down that this team probably won't be much better than an 82 to 85-point team, I can't blame him if he wants to give it another 10 to 15 games before he starts tearing things down.     

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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The only problem is he insists on saying what amounts to the same thing over and over and over and over again, as though it's some profound discovery.  There's some truth to what he's saying, but it's enough.  At this point I don't even care what got the Devils to where they are...we all know the various causes (some of which could've been helped, others not as much), as they've been discussed to death in multiple threads.  I'm not interested in what-ifs and if-only-Lou-had-done-this-or-that...there's no rewind button.  The team is where it is.  To me it's more about what happens next.  Obviously Step 1 will be trying to move some of the more palatable contracts for whatever the Devils can get in return, but it's probably still too early in the season for that.  It's a bit of a Catch-22...yeah, this team doesn't look like it's going to be terribly good, so why keep it together, but at the same time, if Lou starts dumping players now, it's a clear signal to the fans that the Devils are punting on 2014-15, and with no real "Man I can't wait to see this guy" prospects to call up, attendance is REALLY going to plummet at the Rock.  Even if Lou knows deep down that this team probably won't be much better than an 82 to 85-point team, I can't blame him if he wants to give it another 10 to 15 games before he starts tearing things down.     

 

Where did i say that it's some profound discovery? cmon now.

 

All my point is saying is that there's a tendency going on and that tendency suggests that Lou won't be able to pull off anything that could help the current team and it's by his own fault.

 

More on that, whatever im posting now about Lou's way of doing things. Is exactly the same as i was posting 4 years ago (which back then you were already calling me out on it, and look now... what i said would happen actually happened). It's all following the same path with the same mentality (which is exactly the #1 reason why were in the situation we are now). So of course there's no rewind button but "not caring" about the past is simply a willingness to close your eyes on the real problem here. And it's Lou. Every single problem we have now (no depth, old team, slow, not enough skills, badly managed, missing top players, no assets) is a consequence of a stubborn decision Lou took that is now biting us in the ass.

 

And also u have to realize that the problem is not about "bad moves that didnt pan out (aka badluck)... i don't expect any GM to be perfect or see all their moves pan out. For Lou it's not the moves that didnt pan out that is the problem, it's his mentality. Thats the driving force of all his decision and he's wayyyyy too stubborn and all of nothing to accept a rebuilt im pretty sure.

 

So yeah, he might prove me wrong and i'd give him credit if he does but it's definitely fair to be worried about it based on his recent history. 

Edited by SterioDesign
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Lou was good for the team for a long time but he has completely destroyed this team. Bad unmovable contracts, built an old and slow team, lost too many assets for nothing, bad drafting, bad roster management. his bad moves/decision from the last few years is heavily outweighting the few good ones. No one else to blame other than him, he ran that team to the ground with his stubborn win now no matter what mentality. 

 

with the structure he built i don't even see how he could turn it around. To me there's nothing he could do to turn this team over this season, not even in the next few season.

 

I honestly can't be mad at the players, not even Zids. He's doing his best, it's clearly not enough but he shouldnt be playing that much

^^^^Well, that pretty much sums it up...

 

I'll carry it a bit further, Lamoriello's horrendous contract signings to many Devils, especially the 30+ age group. With the way the contract negotiations resulted, even if you waive players with 35+ contracts, it's still full cap hit against the team. So count on a franchise handicap with Cap Space for years.  Sad situation

 

The speed of the game, with all the rule changes, increase scoring, etc, the systemic results will equate to earlier retirements and obviously, it exposes huge mistakes made by GMs/Owners with player acquisitions/contract signings.

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I'm not sure why Zidlicky has priority over Gelinas at this point.

 

They're both incredible defensive liabilities.  Gelinas, one could argue, has a future ahead of him.  Zidlicky is pretty much knocking on retirement's door.

 

Re: Lou.. maybe the game has moved past him.  You never want to believe/accept that, given his legendary career.

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Last night was strike 3 for DeBoer of the 5 strikes I think he should get - 2 more games like this before the New Year and I think he's done, unless the rest of the games are wins.  I'm not sure he's the problem, but the team does not appear to be playing any kind of system, the breakouts are terrible, and it seems like people are trying to do it on their own.  Elias just looks flat out bad out there too, I'm not sure what can be done about that because there's really no one the Devils have anywhere who can replace what he's supposed to do.


^^^^Well, that pretty much sums it up...

 

I'll carry it a bit further, Lamoriello's horrendous contract signings to many Devils, especially the 30+ age group. With the way the contract negotiations resulted, even if you waive players with 35+ contracts, it's still full cap hit against the team. So count on a franchise handicap with Cap Space for years.  Sad situation

 

The speed of the game, with all the rule changes, increase scoring, etc, the systemic results will equate to earlier retirements and obviously, it exposes huge mistakes made by GMs/Owners with player acquisitions/contract signings.

 

Cap space is not going to be this team's problem going forward.  NJ has 2 D who should be in their top 4 on entry level contracts.  They have nobody signed to a contract worth more than $6M.  They are just fine with cap space.  There's not talent available on the free agent market that will help this team in a meaningful way.


I'm not sure why Zidlicky has priority over Gelinas at this point.

 

They're both incredible defensive liabilities.  Gelinas, one could argue, has a future ahead of him.  Zidlicky is pretty much knocking on retirement's door.

 

Re: Lou.. maybe the game has moved past him.  You never want to believe/accept that, given his legendary career.

 

No.  They're not.  Zidlicky had a bad game last night, but he's still miles ahead of Gelinas in terms of defensive awareness.  

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SD, I didn't say you actually said "Wow!  I made a profound discovery today!".  I said you post what amounts to the same thing constantly (a bucket list of what a fvck-up Lou is), as though it's some revelation.  Like I said, we all know what led the Devils to this point, and yes, some of Lou's moves obviously factored in.  Poor drafts (especially from a forward standpoint) is reason #1 as far as I'm concerned...that's led to Lou (uncomfortably) dipping into the UFA pool more than he ever wanted to, led to him keeping guys beyond their expiration dates.    

 

As for you playing Nostradamus with "I told you so I just KNEW this would happen, I was saying it four years ago"...great, so I guess the 2012 SC Final run (which you tend to minimize) just doesn't count anymore.  Was that incIuded in the "here comes this sh!tstorm!" prediction?  I see shades of gray, you see black-and-white, so I know it's pointless to debate you on these things on a case-by-case basis (like Parise, etc), which is why I don't do it anymore.  Teams sometimes do lose players for - gasp! - nothing, so stop posting that like it happens only to the Devils.  I'm not closing my eyes to anything, but what's the point of just bitching and bitching and bitching about the same things?  It's solving nothing.  No, the past couple of seasons haven't been Lou's finest (some due to bad luck, some due to bad moves)...no one's disputing that.  And I'm not advocating that Lou holds the job for life and never has to be held accountable...I appreciate everything Lou's done, more than many, but I can also understand fans who think it's time to move on, and would like to see someone else build the Devils back up.  27 years is a very long time for a GM...there's a reason guys who hold onto the job that long are so rare.       

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I understand your point and yes he is repeating himself. But the facts are correct. I repeat myself when I constantly say

Lou is the reason we are in this mess. He and his staff not coaching staff. You're also correct it is what it is. As fans we want improvement but we can't effect the change unless we all turn off the TV and don't go to games and don't buy merchandize. But that won't happen because someone will break the chain. So in frustration we point out who is the problem without gaining full agreement from others like the ones saying it's DeBoer's fault so we continue to repeat ourselves trying to convince others we are correct. If you like hockey as I do then the only choice after 3 years of the same sh!t is to pick another team and move on. Unfortunately for me I keep hoping things will change and hang in even when I know we could replace Lou and his staff and DeBoer and his staff and the same sh!t will be here because we are so deep into this sh!thole it will take years to fix. We could talk about building a new system but it would be a perfect world to then get players that can play in the new system, but it doesn't work that way with the mess. Maybe what I will do is start watching mm ore Bruins games but still followers the Devils.

The only problem is he insists on saying what amounts to the same thing over and over and over and over again, as though it's some profound discovery. There's some truth to what he's saying, but it's enough. At this point I don't even care what got the Devils to where they are...we all know the various causes (some of which could've been helped, others not as much), as they've been discussed to death in multiple threads. I'm not interested in what-ifs and if-only-Lou-had-done-this-or-that...there's no rewind button. The team is where it is. To me it's more about what happens next. Obviously Step 1 will be trying to move some of the more palatable contracts for whatever the Devils can get in return, but it's probably still too early in the season for that. It's a bit of a Catch-22...yeah, this team doesn't look like it's going to be terribly good, so why keep it together, but at the same time, if Lou starts dumping players now, it's a clear signal to the fans that the Devils are punting on 2014-15, and with no real "Man I can't wait to see this guy" prospects to call up, attendance is REALLY going to plummet at the Rock. Even if Lou knows deep down that this team probably won't be much better than an 82 to 85-point team, I can't blame him if he wants to give it another 10 to 15 games before he starts tearing things down.

I understand your point and yes he is repeating himself. But the facts are correct. I repeat myself when I constantly say

Lou is the reason we are in this mess. He and his staff not coaching staff. You're also correct it is what it is. As fans we want improvement but we can't effect the change unless we all turn off the TV and don't go to games and don't buy merchandize. But that won't happen because someone will break the chain. So in frustration we point out who is the problem without gaining full agreement from others like the ones saying it's DeBoer's fault so we continue to repeat ourselves trying to convince others we are correct. If you like hockey as I do then the only choice after 3 years of the same sh!t is to pick another team and move on. Unfortunately for me I keep hoping things will change and hang in even when I know we could replace Lou and his staff and DeBoer and his staff and the same sh!t will be here because we are so deep into this sh!thole it will take years to fix. We could talk about building a new system but it would be a perfect world to then get players that can play in the new system, but it doesn't work that way with the mess. Maybe what I will do is start watching more Bruins games but still followers the Devils.

Edited by BostonNala370
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SD, I didn't say you actually said "Wow!  I made a profound discovery today!".  I said you post what amounts to the same thing constantly (a bucket list of what a fvck-up Lou is), as though it's some revelation.  Like I said, we all know what led the Devils to this point, and yes, some of Lou's moves obviously factored in.  Poor drafts (especially from a forward standpoint) is reason #1 as far as I'm concerned...that's led to Lou (uncomfortably) dipping into the UFA pool more than he ever wanted to, led to him keeping guys beyond their expiration dates.    

 

As for you playing Nostradamus with "I told you so I just KNEW this would happen, I was saying it four years ago"...great, so I guess the 2012 SC Final run (which you tend to minimize) just doesn't count anymore.  Was that incIuded in the "here comes this sh!tstorm!" prediction?  I see shades of gray, you see black-and-white, so I know it's pointless to debate you on these things on a case-by-case basis (like Parise, etc), which is why I don't do it anymore.  Teams sometimes do lose players for - gasp! - nothing, so stop posting that like it happens only to the Devils.  I'm not closing my eyes to anything, but what's the point of just bitching and bitching and bitching about the same things?  It's solving nothing.  No, the past couple of seasons haven't been Lou's finest (some due to bad luck, some due to bad moves)...no one's disputing that.  And I'm not advocating that Lou holds the job for life and never has to be held accountable...I appreciate everything Lou's done, more than many, but I can also understand fans who think it's time to move on, and would like to see someone else build the Devils back up.  27 years is a very long time for a GM...there's a reason guys who hold onto the job that long are so rare.       

 

Once again, you're exaggerating. There was never a I KNEW this would happen. But i was certainly pointing out how risky his ways we're (risky with no reasons too) being able to foresee the results of doing things a certain way and again. Its simply common sense, i don't pretend i know more than anyone here. It's pure common sense.

 

Here's an example: Posters here have been calling me out as if i was crazy and had no clue what was going on to say that a GM should re-sign a player during the season, literally ripping me apart saying no one would do it because of injury risks and tons of crap they'd make up to defend Lou's policy. It was obvious to them that you NEVER re-sign a player mid-season. So again, please tell me how it's not obviously normal that when you see other teams doing EXACTLY what you've been suggesting, locking up their core players mid-season and that they are well off and doing fine. Who wouldn't feel like pointing it out? honestly. Thats the MAIN reason i keep commenting on those things, i've been call out so much about those things and it actually all happened.

 

And again, i was always pointing out the obvious risks (which is often a risk taken for no good reason) was never black on white THIS is gonna happen, i said it was way too risky to sign zach one year and let him go to free agency, i said it was risky to let clarkson and Fayne go to free agency, re-sign Salvador for too long, sign Clowe etc etc 

Edited by SterioDesign
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When will lou make a fvcking move. Lets go!!!!! This is getting to be ridiculous

Elias zubrus need to go

 

The major problem is what team in their right minds wants anything New Jersey has to offer? I mean, now even Gelinas and Merrill are less attractive on the market than they were a few months ago.

 

Outside of Schneider, Henrique, Greene, and maybe Larsson (now), what do teams even want from us?

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Lou was good for the team for a long time but he has completely destroyed this team. Bad unmovable contracts, built an old and slow team, lost too many assets for nothing, bad drafting, bad roster management. his bad moves/decision from the last few years is heavily outweighting the few good ones. No one else to blame other than him, he ran that team to the ground with his stubborn win now no matter what mentality. 

 

with the structure he built i don't even see how he could turn it around. To me there's nothing he could do to turn this team over this season, not even in the next few season.

 

I honestly can't be mad at the players, not even Zids. He's doing his best, it's clearly not enough but he shouldnt be playing that much

 

Everyone here always evaluates the team just based on the roster. Just STOP IT. It's really easy to gloss over the business aspect of running this team in the one of the most cramped and competitive sports markets in the country.  The transactions leading up to selling this team like encouraging Kovy to leave, letting Parise walk(he was NEVER signing here) and have Clarkaround go live a nightmare in his hometown were paramount to getting new owners.  The decisions then were made out of survival mode by ownership/Lou. .That Cup Run very well may have saved this franchise as those gate sales made this team look a lot more viable than it probably is. Luckily, after begging and borrowing from guys like Barroway and and even the league,  we were very fortunate to land ones with deep pockets, but even that has some perils.

 

The new owners needed at least a competitive team to help drive/develop sales for both STH and the corporate base. You can't marry an aggressive marketing/re-branding plan around a bottom feeder.  Having this roster is a result of this decision.  Yes, drafting hasn't panned out, but there are 29 other teams fans bases saying the same thing.  If you want to have this team remain here, then this mediocrity was almost inevitable. As I always cite, the organization is in real catch 22- trying to build a financially viable organization with a boring system and a roster that is saddled with aging vets and bad contracts, yet they are in the mix for playoffs each year.  How do you blow up the team with roster moves(trading is nearly impossible) and try to implement a new up tempo style?  If you have a plan that addresses this, then you shouldn't be typing on this forum.  I know I surely don't have the answers, but I don't see any real solution in the immediate future.  

 

Keep in mind these owners are master liquidators. if you don't think they have a backup plan if this team fails financially, then I don't know what to tell you.  Or if the support isn't there, you can bet your sweet ass the team becomes a cap floor team. Either way we lose as fans, which blows.

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Everyone here always evaluates the team just based on the roster. Just STOP IT. It's really easy to gloss over the business aspect of running this team in the one of the most cramped and competitive sports markets in the country.  The transactions leading up to selling this team like encouraging Kovy to leave, letting Parise walk(he was NEVER signing here) and have Clarkaround go live a nightmare in his hometown were paramount to getting new owners.  The decisions then were made out of survival mode by ownership/Lou. .That Cup Run very well may have saved this franchise as those gate sales made this team look a lot more viable than it probably is. Luckily, after begging and borrowing from guys like Barroway and and even the league,  we were very fortunate to land ones with deep pockets, but even that has some perils.

 

The new owners needed at least a competitive team to help drive/develop sales for both STH and the corporate base. You can't marry an aggressive marketing/re-branding plan around a bottom feeder.  Having this roster is a result of this decision.  Yes, drafting hasn't panned out, but there are 29 other teams fans bases saying the same thing.  If you want to have this team remain here, then this mediocrity was almost inevitable. As I always cite, the organization is in real catch 22- trying to build a financially viable organization with a boring system and a roster that is saddled with aging vets and bad contracts, yet they are in the mix for playoffs each year.  How do you blow up the team with roster moves(trading is nearly impossible) and try to implement a new up tempo style?  If you have a plan that addresses this, then you shouldn't be typing on this forum.  I know I surely don't have the answers, but I don't see any real solution in the immediate future.  

 

Keep in mind these owners are master liquidators. if you don't think they have a backup plan if this team fails financially, then I don't know what to tell you.  Or if the support isn't there, you can bet your sweet ass the team becomes a cap floor team. Either way we lose as fans, which blows.

 

Where did you get that idea from?  Everything I have read about them they do the opposite; take struggling businesses and turn them around to make them profitable again.

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Where did you get that idea from?  Everything I have read about them they do the opposite; take struggling businesses and turn them around to make them profitable again.

 

That is correct. Pretty sure they don't operate at 100% of turning businesses around and when they don't I am sure they have a plan to get their money back.  Theses guys buy with positions of leverage. They own a basketball team, they own a building with no NBA tenant, they have a financially distressed NHL team where other billionaires are slobbering at a chance to get a franchise, they have a building that does very well as an entertainment venue. They have a ton of ways they can go if things don't turn around in both NJ and Philly.  

 

Also, with them trying to turn around off ice product, I don't really see as I stated in my post how you can make drastic changes to the on ice product  at the same.   Quite the catch 22.

Edited by hystyk28
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whats the deal with clowe? the guy needs to step away from this contract and make a settlement, go to the league and get a doctor to deem him unfit to play.

that leaves elias ruutu and zubrus with 11+ mil for one more year. as bad as everyone is calling zubie, he's a fourth liner so who cares besides the 3.5 mil? same with ruutu

we have plenty of cap room, zero talent, but plenty of cap room lol

so in two years this team is going to look very different,

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