GDT : Devils @ Blackhawks - 7:00 PM - 12/11/17 (NBCSCH, MSG+, NHL.TV )

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

1 hour ago, lucifer91 said:

Same thoughts here.  There isn't really a way you can drop him.  Noesen, Hayes and if need be Coleman are the ones that I would drop.  Move Zacha to wing as others have mentioned.

 

I would feel really bad for Hayes because he has earned that spot and been playing well in the role he has been given. But something has to give. 

Still not sure if we rushed Zachs' early development in bringing him into the fold.  Sure he is physically ready but mentally....

Now shifting him around or dropping him down to the AHL only seems like it would dent his confidence. Tricky situation. 

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Even worse when the vets are being signed strictly to be trade bait down the line for draft picks, young pieces, etc...obviously when you're in certain stages of a rebuild you sign guys like that, but it just kind of sucks when you have too many "just passing through" guys on your team.  Glad we've moved past that stage.

Yeah it's necessary to get the resources down the line. I was referring more to some of the moves Lou was making towards the end of his tenure. Cammallieri is an example. He was a player really more suited to a win now team in need of support for a playoff push. 

I didn't really see where he was going to fit in in term of the teams long term rebuild. 

I guess he wasn't too difficult to get rid of and he filled a need at the time, but at that stage it very much felt like there was no clear vision or direction as to where the team wanted to go. 

I had great fun watching Gomer and Jagr coming back but at the time we were supposed to be rebuilding we seemed to be getting older. 

Just glad that period seems to be over now. 

[Devilsfan118]

I do worry what might happen if/when we have to start cutting some of the "hard worker" type guys.  Coleman, Noesen, Hayes, Gibbons... team has a great locker room "play for eachother" thing going on.  Would hate to mess that up but you have to get the skills guys in there when they're healthy.

Don't envy Hynes in this situation.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Devilsfan118

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

7 minutes ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

Yeah it's necessary to get the resources down the line. I was referring more to some of the moves Lou was making towards the end of his tenure. Cammallieri is an example. He was a player really more suited to a win now team in need of support for a playoff push. 

I didn't really see where he was going to fit in in term of the teams long term rebuild. 

I guess he wasn't too difficult to get rid of and he filled a need at the time, but at that stage it very much felt like there was no clear vision or direction as to where the team wanted to go. 

I had great fun watching Gomer and Jagr coming back but at the time we were supposed to be rebuilding we seemed to be getting older. 

Just glad that period seems to be over now. 

I think as long as pieces of the old guard remained (in this case, Elias), Lou was going to try to keep a sinking ship afloat, almost no matter what.  Lou bringing in Cam is a GM's refusal to admit that it's time for a true rebuild...and that only adds to the mess...not knocking Lou for it, in that a lot of long-time, successful GMs have a very hard time cleaning up their messes (or even acknowledging that there's a mess to clean up).  That's why sometimes it's just best to bring in a new GM who doesn't have much attachment to the pieces in place, while the outgoing one might get a fresh chance to turn around some other team. 

As the new GM with an entirely different perspective of the Devils' roster, Shero clearly realized that no overpriced free agent(s) were going to help the group he inherited, so he tore it down and did everything he could to get some flexibility.  And man thank God that he did.  By his own admission he knows there's still a ways to go, but I think many fans thought this team was still at least one or two more seasons away from where it is right now...sure, it's great when you get to plug in a kid like Hischier, but I'm still impressed with what Shero has done given the timeframe and what he had to work with.   

[Aznjsn]

16 hours ago, Gunslinger27 said:

Ben Mcadoo should have a team meeting and force The NY Giants players to watch, this game........... lol

 

I'm sure it would still take him a few hours of "looking long and hard at the tape" to figure out he's watching the wrong sport

[EdgeControl]

nico is spending some time sprawled out on the ice lately, it might be time to cut his top line minutes.. his game is explosive change of direction and that is draining

stafford looks to be coming back down to his typical play, so hynes is dropping him down.. but im not sure if thats the correct move. hes still one of our best snipers

the guy who im wondering about is boyle. someone tell me what he brings to this new, fast nj devils team.. hate to be that guy, but will we have the ballz to cut him if he adds nothing?  he really looks slow out there and his FO numbers are , ehh..

[NJDevils1214]

18 minutes ago, EdgeControl said:

nico is spending some time sprawled out on the ice lately, it might be time to cut his top line minutes.. his game is explosive change of direction and that is draining

stafford looks to be coming back down to his typical play, so hynes is dropping him down.. but im not sure if thats the correct move. hes still one of our best snipers

the guy who im wondering about is boyle. someone tell me what he brings to this new, fast nj devils team.. hate to be that guy, but will we have the ballz to cut him if he adds nothing?  he really looks slow out there and his FO numbers are , ehh..

I agree on Nico. He is starting to look tired and he is getting thrown around a bit. I think when Zajac comes back you sub him in depending on the game situation so he isn't out there against the other team's top line/Dpair every single shift. 

The jury is still out as far as Boyle. I am not ready to make a judgement call on him just a few games into his season. I thought he has looked pretty decent out there and adds some much needed size. Size is where the Devils lack the most and it shows in their board play in their own zone. 

Edited November 13, 2017 by NJDevils1214

[Satans Hockey]

That was a wild game, so much fun to go down in games and not have to worry about it being over. I forgot what that feeling was like. 

[Muevelos]

Any official word on Mirco? 

[Daniel]

5 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I think as long as pieces of the old guard remained (in this case, Elias), Lou was going to try to keep a sinking ship afloat, almost no matter what.  Lou bringing in Cam is a GM's refusal to admit that it's time for a true rebuild...and that only adds to the mess...not knocking Lou for it, in that a lot of long-time, successful GMs have a very hard time cleaning up their messes (or even acknowledging that there's a mess to clean up).  That's why sometimes it's just best to bring in a new GM who doesn't have much attachment to the pieces in place, while the outgoing one might get a fresh chance to turn around some other team. 

As the new GM with an entirely different perspective of the Devils' roster, Shero clearly realized that no overpriced free agent(s) were going to help the group he inherited, so he tore it down and did everything he could to get some flexibility.  And man thank God that he did.  By his own admission he knows there's still a ways to go, but I think many fans thought this team was still at least one or two more seasons away from where it is right now...sure, it's great when you get to plug in a kid like Hischier, but I'm still impressed with what Shero has done given the timeframe and what he had to work with.   

Cam made sense at the time.  If we remember, the year before the Devils had great possession numbers, like in the top ten in the league, and you were going to get a full year with Schneider as the number 1 goalie.  A lot of analytics people liked the idea of getting a finisher.  

The decline and fall is owed almost exclusively to drafting issues... part bad luck, part bad drafting philosophy by Conte and part not giving up the pick in 2012.  I think Kovy could have kept things afloat had he stayed, but it was best for the long run that he left when he did. 

Edited November 13, 2017 by Daniel

['7']

21 hours ago, Nicomo said:

Didn’t see anyone mention it last night but apparently Dano got a text from Wayne Gretzky recently where 99 talked about how much he likes Nico’s game. NHL Tonight just mentioned it as well. Can’t get much higher praise than that. 

Can you imagine getting a text from Gretzky? Surreal. 1 New Message - Wayne Gretzky

Thing is though Gretzky is usually overly effusive in his praise. He's very gracious in praising others, almost too much so. 

[Daniel]

7 minutes ago, '7' said:

Can you imagine getting a text from Gretzky? Surreal. 1 New Message - Wayne Gretzky

Thing is though Gretzky is usually overly effusive in his praise. He's very gracious in praising others, almost too much so. 

Is he like Ron Jaworski?  Like, every QB in this years draft migh be the next Tom Brady?

[mfitz804]

9 minutes ago, '7' said:

Can you imagine getting a text from Gretzky? Surreal. 1 New Message - Wayne Gretzky

Thing is though Gretzky is usually overly effusive in his praise. He's very gracious in praising others, almost too much so. 

I just would have texted back “Mickey Mouse says fvck you!”

['7']

Just now, Daniel said:

Is he like Ron Jaworski?  Like, every QB in this years draft migh be the next Tom Brady?

He can be like that. I remember him saying some super high things about Ales Hemsky. Plus being the greatest doesn't necessarily mean you can spot greatness or be a leader of men. Always saw him as a below average coach

[devlman]

10 hours ago, RunninWithTheDevil said:

they do, its called the CN Tower

Umm yeah, not the space needle.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

15 hours ago, Daniel said:

Cam made sense at the time.  If we remember, the year before the Devils had great possession numbers, like in the top ten in the league, and you were going to get a full year with Schneider as the number 1 goalie.  A lot of analytics people liked the idea of getting a finisher.  

The decline and fall is owed almost exclusively to drafting issues... part bad luck, part bad drafting philosophy by Conte and part not giving up the pick in 2012.  I think Kovy could have kept things afloat had he stayed, but it was best for the long run that he left when he did. 

Oh no I got the idea of trying to bring in a finisher at the time (and I do remember how the Devils had solid possession numbers, but unfortunately there were just too many guys who couldn't find the back of the net)...just that Cam was not only not really that great of a finisher (not consistently, anyway), he was just way too injury-prone to count on (and not that young either, at 32).  There was just too much of a "Cross your fingers and hope for the best" feeling with Cam, and that had really become the problem with the Devils...they were becoming more and more of an IF-type team each year.  Sadly Cam's time here went about as I expected...definitely some good moments in his first two seasons when he was actually in the lineup, then a rough third season (I would've expected that more is his fourth year here...I thought he might've had another pretty good year in him).  The idea of a goal-scorer made sense...just not Cam. 

[Daniel]

36 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Oh no I got the idea of trying to bring in a finisher at the time (and I do remember how the Devils had solid possession numbers, but unfortunately there were just too many guys who couldn't find the back of the net)...just that Cam was not only not really that great of a finisher (not consistently, anyway), he was just way too injury-prone to count on (and not that young either, at 32).  There was just too much of a "Cross your fingers and hope for the best" feeling with Cam, and that had really become the problem with the Devils...they were becoming more and more of an IF-type team each year.  Sadly Cam's time here went about as I expected...definitely some good moments in his first two seasons when he was actually in the lineup, then a rough third season (I would've expected that more is his fourth year here...I thought he might've had another pretty good year in him).  The idea of a goal-scorer made sense...just not Cam. 

They more or less tried to get a scorer on the cheap, and by cheap, I mean a free agent (i.e. someone that you didn't have to give up assets to acquire, which the Devils couldn't really part with) who you didn't have to give a really burdensome contract to.  I don't have the inclination to go back and see who else was available at the time, but it seems like the Devils options at the time were limited. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, Daniel said:

They more or less tried to get a scorer on the cheap, and by cheap, I mean a free agent (i.e. someone that you didn't have to give up assets to acquire, which the Devils couldn't really part with) who you didn't have to give a really burdensome contract to.  I don't have the inclination to go back and see who else was available at the time, but it seems like the Devils options at the time were limited. 

Without going too much more into this...I do remember the analytic crowd pointing to some of his more favorable numbers (shots per 60), and talking about how he'd been playing with nothing-special linemates at the time of his signing...and yeah, I also remember the options not being that great.  For me, I just hate signing aging injury-prone players in general...especially to half-decade contracts at considerable coin...signing that particular player just had too much potential to blow up.  I give Shero a TON of credit for getting out from underneath that deal...it would have been VERY easy for him to say "OK, let's give him one more shot and see if he can be about what he was in his first two seasons here."  Some GMs would've done that for sure.   

[NJDevils1214]

17 hours ago, '7' said:

He can be like that. I remember him saying some super high things about Ales Hemsky. Plus being the greatest doesn't necessarily mean you can spot greatness or be a leader of men. Always saw him as a below average coach

To be fair, Ales Hemsky was a good player...he just wasted his prime years on craptastic Edmonton teams that managed one decent playoff run his entire career there. Not the kind of skill you can build a franchise around, but I still think he was pretty good in his prime. 

[mfitz804]

3 hours ago, Daniel said:

They more or less tried to get a scorer on the cheap, and by cheap, I mean a free agent (i.e. someone that you didn't have to give up assets to acquire, which the Devils couldn't really part with) who you didn't have to give a really burdensome contract to.  I don't have the inclination to go back and see who else was available at the time, but it seems like the Devils options at the time were limited. 

There was nothing at all wrong with that move. Except the results. On paper at the time, it was the right move.

[LittleBallofHate]

The Devils gave Miles 44 hats (which he'll hand out for charity) for his hat trick, according to this article: 

https://www.nhl.com/news/miles-wood-gets-surprise-from-new-jersey-to-celebrate-first-nhl-hat-trick/c-292960446

 

Interesting bit in the article about who helped him control his game better: 

"If you were to compare me from last year to this year I'd say it's a complete 360," Wood said. "I've worked a lot with assistant coach Ryan Clowe to help slow down my game, protect pucks and pick spots to use my speed. Don't just go 100 miles per hour all the time, so Clowe has been great and it's been great so far."

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

52 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

There was nothing at all wrong with that move. Except the results. On paper at the time, it was the right move.

The problem was that the results were not all that shocking given the player involved.  A 32-year-old injury-prone player reaching the end of his peak years wound up missing significant time in his first two seasons here (54 games combined), and in his third season declined sharply.  It's also fair to point out that he was averaging about a tick under 27 G/82 GP in the five seasons prior to his coming here...not too a bad of a rate, but he never played more than 67 games in any of those five seasons (one was lockout-shortened).  Agree that the idea was right given all of the circumstances, but the player was wrong...the Devils counted on him way more than they should have, both to produce AND stay healthy.  There were definitely Devils fans on here who weren't thrilled with that signing from Day 1 (I was obviously one of them)...I looked up the thread that announced his signing, and there were plenty of mehs and concerns that the deal could turn out, well, pretty much the way that it did.   

Edited November 14, 2017 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[nessus]

1 hour ago, LittleBallofHate said:

The Devils gave Miles 44 hats (which he'll hand out for charity) for his hat trick, according to this article: 

https://www.nhl.com/news/miles-wood-gets-surprise-from-new-jersey-to-celebrate-first-nhl-hat-trick/c-292960446

 

Interesting bit in the article about who helped him control his game better: 

"If you were to compare me from last year to this year I'd say it's a complete 360," Wood said. "I've worked a lot with assistant coach Ryan Clowe to help slow down my game, protect pucks and pick spots to use my speed. Don't just go 100 miles per hour all the time, so Clowe has been great and it's been great so far."

I agree that Wood's game has taken a complete 360

[njbuff]

What is most shocking is how all of sudden this team is now one of the deepest teams in the NHL up front. No freaking doubting that.

And it basically happened overnight.

ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING, REALLY.

[Jersey Sure]

21 minutes ago, njbuff said:

What is most shocking is how all of sudden this team is now one of the deepest teams in the NHL up front. No freaking doubting that.

And it basically happened overnight.

ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING, REALLY.

The depth on the forward lines is really showing.  Now that Zajac is back, Henrique playing on a line with Boyle and Wood, Henrique at LW.  And it's not what I would call a demotion to the 3rd line, but it makes sense.  A good face-off man with size in Boyle, speed and strength in Wood...plus a 22 year old who's starting to figure out how to play.  And a solid NHL 20-25 goal scorer and all around player in Rico.