NJDfan1711 Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 17 hours ago, lucifer91 said: I mean besides our defense, is it really that cringe worthy? Even if butcher and mueller turn out to be decent i dont see our roster as half that bad...but i am always optimistic... I was going to ask the exact same thing. It's funny because I usually try to be one of the more positive guys when it comes to evaluating our team, but obviously over the last few years, particularly when it comes to the offense, there has been little to be hopeful about, and I just had a pretty bleak outlook on them. Fast forward to today though, and when you look at the top 9 guys, it's actually pretty solid. There really aren't too many guys I look at among those 9 and think, "meh, that guys a borderline NHLer and needs to go", or, "that guy wouldn't even crack most of other team's lineups" -- thing's we've said way too many times over the past few years. I'm not saying those things right now when I look at our lineup. Sure there's a lot of young guys who are still questionmarks, but I think the upside and potential is far greater now than it was in the past. What's even more impressive is we still have guys like Zajac and Boyle not in the lineup, and someone like McCleod still waiting in the wings. It's really going to push everyone to try harder and get better, and our roster is going to get deeper as a result. 2 hours ago, SMantzas said: Hall-Zacha-Palmieri Johansson-Hischier-Stafford Bratt-Henrique-Hayes Wood-Coleman-Noesen Greene-Severson Moore-Lovejoy Mueller-Santini --- I think Blandisi or Q replace Bratt if/when they send him back. I'm thinking it'll take something like 5 pts in 9 games for Bratt for him to stick for the season. The defense will be interesting and it pretty much assures they're going to rotate out one of Mueller, Butcher and Santini every game with Prout being the other HS. Hopefully Lovejoy can play his way into that rotation. 100% agreed. I like those lines a lot, and also feel the same Blandisi or Quennville coming up. I've been calling for either of those two to get more playing time for a while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfitz804 Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 I’ll agree too, with the proviso that one more star caliber player in there would go a long way. And, those star types we do have need to play up to their potential. Other than that, trying not to be too optimistic, but let’s see what we can get done here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 https://articles.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2017/10/john_hynes_explains_why_joseph_blandisi_and_john_q.amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RizzMB30 Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 https://articles.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2017/10/john_hynes_explains_why_joseph_blandisi_and_john_q.amp Pretty standard stuff that I'd expect from a coach. It's good to hear that we should be seeing those guys and that he wants to see them back up here. I think he's saying that with Boyle and Zajac out, those are two guys who would "likely" play PK time and he wants the PK guys just for right now. Seems sound to me. He wants those guys to get quality time so we kind of have to take him at his word here. Maybe without Hayes signing we play Q or Blender on the right, but Hayes earned it. Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeControl Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Reading that, I feel sorry for mcleod.. sounds like he would have had a good chance to make the club as the PK specialist... then again I don't know how the OHL contracts work with going up or down.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 I can't make too big of a deal out of Blandisi not making the team out of preseason...outside of one monster OHL season as an overager, and some decent AHL production, he hasn't shown that much. He's also already 23 years old...still young, but not a kid-kid anymore. Not really sure how much better he's going to get. Anyway, it's on him to show enough in Binghamton to get another shot up here (and I think he's pretty certain to get one sooner than later anyway, as it seems like Bratt staying here beyond nine games would be a pretty serious upset at this point). If he dazzles down there, he'll force the Devils' hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmann422 Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Hey if there's ever a time to be positive it's at the start of the season... always nice for a fresh start and new opportunities... the sky's the limit. My fellow mets fans will be very familiar with this feeling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0asterleav1ns Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 2 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said: I can't make too big of a deal out of Blandisi not making the team out of preseason...outside of one monster OHL season as an overager, and some decent AHL production, he hasn't shown that much. He's also already 23 years old...still young, but not a kid-kid anymore. Not really sure how much better he's going to get. Anyway, it's on him to show enough in Binghamton to get another shot up here (and I think he's pretty certain to get one sooner than later anyway, as it seems like Bratt staying here beyond nine games would be a pretty serious upset at this point). If he dazzles down there, he'll force the Devils' hand. I dont get this at all. He's never really been given a shot to show anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 (edited) 49 minutes ago, dmann422 said: Hey if there's ever a time to be positive it's at the start of the season... always nice for a fresh start and new opportunities... the sky's the limit. My fellow mets fans will be very familiar with this feeling Actually, as you know, it's more "How long before it all goes to sh!t?" when you're a Met fan. I've always felt for the fans that root for the Mets AND the Jets...in a lot of ways it feels like they're the same fvcking franchise. I think this Devils team is actually going to be very surprising, in a good way...I definitely didn't feel that way going into last season. 31 minutes ago, Toasterleavins said: I dont get this at all. He's never really been given a shot to show anything. He got considerable ice time down the stretch in 2015-16 and managed 5 assists in his last 23 GP...also had just 16 SOG despite getting 15:46 of ice time on average per game during that stretch. Once he was called up last February, he got another solid look (not like he was playing one game, getting scratched in two more, then getting 7 minutes in another game, followed by another scratch or two, etc)...he played in 27 of the Devils' last 31 games, and after not getting much ice time in his first six games back with the Devils (just 9:58 per game), he got 14:20 on average for the next 21 games...he scored three goals and added six assists, but had only 17 SOG. He HAS gotten fair looks...I'm not saying to just give up on him, but I don't have any real significant expectations of him...and let's face it, the only reason anyone does is because he had that overage monster year in the OHL. He's had a couple of offensive bursts as an NHLer (12 points in 14 GP in 2015-16, 6 points in 6 GP last season), but I just don't see that much there to get too excited about. We'll see if he starts making some real strides this season. Edited October 5, 2017 by Colorado Rockies 1976 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Blandisi isn't going to be a huge scorer in the NHL but I don't think anyone reasonable expects that. He simply ran out of steam at the end of 2015-16 - he was bad in the NHL by the end and then went back to the AHL and stunk as well. He said his conditioning and nutrition wasn't up to pro level and improved that in the off-season. Last season he came up and wasn't great, but neither was anyone else - the team was terrible by the time he got here. I think he can still be a pretty useful NHLer, but I'm not sure if that will happen here. I'd like to see the Devils try to work with him on the penalty kill because with his speed he could be quite a weapon there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nessus Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 The reason I'm bothered by the Blandisi situation is because I really do believe he has been good, and that he has actually done something with the opportunities he has been given. I don't think I'm in the minority when I say that his big OHL season is not an indicator that he's a definite NHL player, and even less so, a good one. In fact, I tend to watch those players even closer than prospects with a less impressive junior resume, since these are the guys with potential, but a lot left to prove. With Blandisi, I was not a huge fan when he was first signed. He did not look NHL ready to me, he didn't play much of a smart game, and he seemed to become invisible a lot of the time. But I thought with his call up last season, he actually showed progress. He was playing harder, making smarter player, and really putting together some nice passes while showing some offensive instincts. His production was not great, but it's not like anyone he played with had decent point totals while he was around, anyway. Blandisi came to training camp a different player, in my opinion. This was also reflected in the maturity in his comments during interviews, putting full blame on himself and showing determination to make this team through the hard work he has put in, rather than giving those generic NHL player answers. Obviously he's not going to make the team over the NHL regulars on the roster, but I did think he outplayed a couple of them. He looked confident, and finally was playing like an experienced player. I thought his preseason games showed several steps forward, and definitely warranted a few games to start the season, at the very least. I don't expect him to ever be a top 6 player now, or ever. Shero made some comments about how he and Q didn't make the team because they would be stuck on the 4th line and PK, roles where they would be replaceable with the bottom 6 depth the organization has. It is better for their development that way, which makes sense. I think I just feel the vicarious frustration for someone who did everything right this time but didn't get rewarded for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0asterleav1ns Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 He was one of our best forwards the first year he came up when the entire team was dreadful and showed flashes of offensive ability. Yes he got tired. That's kinda to be expected and is one of the things hes supposedly been working on. He's been semi close to a ppg in the ahl which is a moderately accurate predictor of some offensive ability at the nhl level. Last year was disappointing, but again, imo, he wasn't given that much of a shot. He was noticeable every time he was on the ice this pre-season, his work rate had demonstrably improved and he produced. He was even noticeable defensively, but we need brian gibbons to kill penalties? Whatever. I think Blandisi could possibly do it well... but we arent going to ever find out if we keep him out so we can play brian gibbons. I don't think hes some elite scorer but I do think he has a pretty decent amount of skill and speed, is willing to work hard, and play defense. On top of that is a pest, and gets under the other teams skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 1 hour ago, Toasterleavins said: He was one of our best forwards the first year he came up when the entire team was dreadful and showed flashes of offensive ability. Yes he got tired. That's kinda to be expected and is one of the things hes supposedly been working on. He's been semi close to a ppg in the ahl which is a moderately accurate predictor of some offensive ability at the nhl level. Last year was disappointing, but again, imo, he wasn't given that much of a shot. He was noticeable every time he was on the ice this pre-season, his work rate had demonstrably improved and he produced. He was even noticeable defensively, but we need brian gibbons to kill penalties? Whatever. I think Blandisi could possibly do it well... but we arent going to ever find out if we keep him out so we can play brian gibbons. I don't think hes some elite scorer but I do think he has a pretty decent amount of skill and speed, is willing to work hard, and play defense. On top of that is a pest, and gets under the other teams skin. He wasn't going to get the playing time here right now. He will in Binghamton. Lots of it. That's a good thing. I'd rather Gibbons be more likely to be the warm body scratch at the NHL level right now. At any rate, I like that he's going to have to continue to work hard to get a spot on this team. Think it could serve him better in the long run. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBallofHate Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 FWIW: Darren Rovell Verified account @darrenrovell The @NJDevils have unveiled the biggest in-arena scoreboard in the NHL — 9,500 sq feet, weighing in at 88,000 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devlman Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 49 minutes ago, LittleBallofHate said: FWIW: Darren Rovell Verified account @darrenrovell The @NJDevils have unveiled the biggest in-arena scoreboard in the NHL — 9,500 sq feet, weighing in at 88,000 pounds. Whoa, the biggest?! Tampa's is pretty huge. If ours is larger than that then wow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBallofHate Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 They have released an article just about the scoreboard https://www.nhl.com/devils/news/largest-in-arena-scoreboard-in-the-world-unveiled-at-prudential-center/c-291642382 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck the Duck Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 That thing looks amazing and is light years ahead of our old scoreboard. At the end of the day, I'm not going to get overly excited about a videoboard, but it shows the financial commitment the owners are making in this franchise and the arena. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 We now have the largest indoor scoreboard on the planet: https://www.nhl.com/devils/news/largest-in-arena-scoreboard-in-the-world-unveiled-at-prudential-center/c-291642382?partnerId=njd_social_facebook_20171006Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 23 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said: We now have the largest indoor scoreboard on the planet: https://www.nhl.com/devils/news/largest-in-arena-scoreboard-in-the-world-unveiled-at-prudential-center/c-291642382?partnerId=njd_social_facebook_20171006 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk And yet some will likely continue to bitch about this ownership...who from what I can see seem to be doing everything in their power to try to improve the overall experience on and off the ice (even with the occasional misstep)...and to their credit, they let their GMs go about their jobs with minimal interference (even when Lou's last seasons were practically begging for some of that). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 And yet some will likely continue to bitch about this ownership...who from what I can see seem to be doing everything in their power to try to improve the overall experience on and off the ice (even with the occasional misstep)...and to their credit, they let their GMs go about their jobs with minimal interference (even when Lou's last seasons were practically begging for some of that). Just like in society in general, there's always gonna be a part of the fanbase who will complain just to complain because they aren't happy unless they're complaining about something. Ignore these people. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagknife Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 6 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said: Just like in society in general, there's always gonna be a part of the fanbase who will complain just to complain because they aren't happy unless they're complaining about something. Ignore these people. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Have already seen something to the likes of "on the eve of the season, we're bragging about scoreboards. telling of the team's confidence" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Have already seen something to the likes of "on the eve of the season, we're bragging about scoreboards. telling of the team's confidence" People are stupid. And you can't fix stupid.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBallofHate Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Well apparently the behemoth gives off a lot of heat & they had to move the practice from the regular rink to the practice rink because the new scoreboard messed with the ice! Let's get that fixed pronto! Andrew Gross Verified account @AGrossRecord One observation from #NJDevils players about new GIANT scoreboard. It emits a lot of heat. One player said felt 20 degrees hotter underneath. Second part of practice was conducted on practice rink. Players said ice was not very good on game rink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 (edited) This 82 game odyssey video was awesome. Really looking forward to watching these all year. Edited October 6, 2017 by Satans Hockey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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