Devils talked with Gallant

[SterioDesign]

haha typical.

i mean... just gotta love how interviewing Gallant, Laviolette, Gillis, Olczyk, Gronborg, Nas... reports from reputable reporters saying "Fitz has spoken with several other candidates as well"... 

to some fans somehow translate to "sitting on their hands" lol 

Probably the same guys mad during free agency when top free agents like Tavares ONLY signed somewhere else "because Lou or Shero didn't even try"

It's very possible that right now they've had multiple interviews.. probably have a ranked list and that a top candidate wants to see how the season goes or what his options are post-season first and that since there's time they are willing to wait a bit. Or something like this. If they are waiting, there's a reason

Edited June 12, 2020 by SterioDesign

[jagknife]

2 hours ago, SterioDesign said:

haha typical.

i mean... just gotta love how interviewing Gallant, Laviolette, Gillis, Olczyk, Gronborg, Nas... reports from reputable reporters saying "Fitz has spoken with several other candidates as well"... 

to some fans somehow translate to "sitting on their hands" lol 

Probably the same guys mad during free agency when top free agents like Tavares ONLY signed somewhere else "because Lou or Shero didn't even try"

It's very possible that right now they've had multiple interviews.. probably have a ranked list and that a top candidate wants to see how the season goes or what his options are post-season first and that since there's time they are willing to wait a bit. Or something like this. If they are waiting, there's a reason

Hey if you’re content with the team being indecisive, that’s entirely your call.

At some point Fitz deserves to know if this is his team to run or not. Sure times aren’t normal but he’s either the guy or he isn’t.

the coach is a different story, cause a GM should be decided first, but there is zero reason to not give Fitz a straight answer by now. 
 

but if they go Nas full time, holy hell will I lose a lot of confidence in the direction of this organization.

also, sorry I had an opinion which I rather throughly described saying I’m desperate to talk about anything other than current events. But glad I got you to laugh

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

4 hours ago, jagknife said:

Hey if you’re content with the team being indecisive, that’s entirely your call.

At some point Fitz deserves to know if this is his team to run or not. Sure times aren’t normal but he’s either the guy or he isn’t.

the coach is a different story, cause a GM should be decided first, but there is zero reason to not give Fitz a straight answer by now. 
 

but if they go Nas full time, holy hell will I lose a lot of confidence in the direction of this organization.

also, sorry I had an opinion which I rather throughly described saying I’m desperate to talk about anything other than current events. But glad I got you to laugh

https://www.nhl.com/news/nasreddine-could-remain-coach-of-devils/c-317143614

Please God no.

A number of times, I pointed out the Devils having a solid record over their last 38 GP (19-12-7...that's a pace good for 97 points over 82 games), but SO much of that was based on getting lights-out goaltending, especially from Blackwood.  Sadly there wasn't much else that suggests that run could've continued for much longer (fun as it was to watch at times).  I don't see anything there that suggests that Nas should get the job.

I'm fine with Fitz staying on as GM, ties or no ties to Shero.  Fitz made some fine moves this season.  

As for a coach, ideally I'd love a younger guy with upside who can be here for many years as the team grows with him, but Shero already tried that with Hynes.  Laviolette definitely seems to be one of those coaches whose message eventually wears thin, but that's true of a lot of coaches...one of which was Pat Burns.  I don't think there's a hire that will have an 100% approval rating from this fanbase, but if the Devils wind up with Laviolette or Gallant, I'm definitely not going to be upset about it.  

[jagknife]

29 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

https://www.nhl.com/news/nasreddine-could-remain-coach-of-devils/c-317143614

Please God no.

A number of times, I pointed out the Devils having a solid record over their last 38 GP (19-12-7...that's a pace good for 97 points over 82 games), but SO much of that was based on getting lights-out goaltending, especially from Blackwood.  Sadly there wasn't much else that suggests that run could've continued for much longer (fun as it was to watch at times).  I don't see anything there that suggests that Nas should get the job.

I'm fine with Fitz staying on as GM, ties or no ties to Shero.  Fitz made some fine moves this season.  

As for a coach, ideally I'd love a younger guy with upside who can be here for many years as the team grows with him, but Shero already tried that with Hynes.  Laviolette definitely seems to be one of those coaches whose message eventually wears thin, but that's true of a lot of coaches...one of which was Pat Burns.  I don't think there's a hire that will have an 100% approval rating from this fanbase, but if the Devils wind up with Laviolette or Gallant, I'm definitely not going to be upset about it.  

 Morreale had to reach so damn hard to find notable wins, he picks the Caps (good win), Blues (okay another good win) and the Rangers (good... wait what?). Sure it was back to back with St Louis and NYR but holy sh!t if that is the best you can offer, and a quote from a headcase of a backup-now-fringe-NHL goalie, at best? Woof.

And like Zajac is going to trash anyone?

i hope Fitz is just giving lip service in the media, I really freaking hope.

the article completely omits the ungodly solid run Blackwood went on, instead opting to highlight a team being one game above NHL-.500 while cherry picking comments from current players.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

4 hours ago, jagknife said:

 Morreale had to reach so damn hard to find notable wins, he picks the Caps (good win), Blues (okay another good win) and the Rangers (good... wait what?). Sure it was back to back with St Louis and NYR but holy sh!t if that is the best you can offer, and a quote from a headcase of a backup-now-fringe-NHL goalie, at best? Woof.

And like Zajac is going to trash anyone?

i hope Fitz is just giving lip service in the media, I really freaking hope.

the article completely omits the ungodly solid run Blackwood went on, instead opting to highlight a team being one game above NHL-.500 while cherry picking comments from current players.

This is my main issue with that article...all one has to do is check out the goaltending numbers under Hynes and when Nas was struggling to get his first win (.882, including empty-netters), to how it was during that 19-12-7 run (.910, also including empty-netters).  Of course, Blackwood was a huge driving force...he went 14-5-4 with a .923 save% in his games during that "turn-around" stretch.  Cory appeared in seven games and put up a .922 mark in those contests.  Even though Domingue was the obvious weak link (.890 save% in 11 appearances during this time frame), he did have those terrific back-to-back games against the Caps and Lightning.  You did have some guys picking it up (Bratt immediately comes to mind), but I never really felt like Nas was some great difference maker, as much as the team finally stopped getting replacement-level goaltending.  

There were some nice wins in there...like I said, it was a fun sample, even if it didn't appear to be sustainable.  FINALLY beating the friggin' Blue Jackets felt like winning the damned Cup that day (sadly).  

Edited June 12, 2020 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mfitz804]

8 hours ago, jagknife said:

At some point Fitz deserves to know if this is his team to run or not. Sure times aren’t normal but he’s either the guy or he isn’t.

Maybe he does know, or at least maybe it's been represented to him that it'll be him. Maybe its just us who don't know. 

To me, if you were going to replace him, it'd have been done already. Why let him go into the draft and select a coach if he's not going to be the guy going forward?

Of course, that's logical so it could be completely wrong. 

[sundstrom]

it may not just be the devils' fault that they don't have decisions yet.

the prospective coaches and GM's may be waiting for the entire season to be over to see what their options are.

they're getting paid - there's no rush for them.

[SterioDesign]

3 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

https://www.nhl.com/news/nasreddine-could-remain-coach-of-devils/c-317143614

Please God no.

A number of times, I pointed out the Devils having a solid record over their last 38 GP (19-12-7...that's a pace good for 97 points over 82 games), but SO much of that was based on getting lights-out goaltending, especially from Blackwood.  Sadly there wasn't much else that suggests that run could've continued for much longer (fun as it was to watch at times).  I don't see anything there that suggests that Nas should get the job.

I'm fine with Fitz staying on as GM, ties or no ties to Shero.  Fitz made some fine moves this season.  

As for a coach, ideally I'd love a younger guy with upside who can be here for many years as the team grows with him, but Shero already tried that with Hynes.  Laviolette definitely seems to be one of those coaches whose message eventually wears thin, but that's true of a lot of coaches...one of which was Pat Burns.  I don't think there's a hire that will have an 100% approval rating from this fanbase, but if the Devils wind up with Laviolette or Gallant, I'm definitely not going to be upset about it.  

This is fair but we have to keep in mind that we got a very bad record because of that too. Maybe the coaching wasn't great but early in the season both goalies couldnt stop a beachball. It was not Hynes fault that our goalie couldnt swallow the puck and leave it sitting right there for McDavid to just push in the net, god knows how many times Schneider was beat on the first shot of the game. I know it's more fun to use the coaches as a scapegoat but goaltending was more of a factor than most are willing to admit. 

[mfitz804]

9 minutes ago, SterioDesign said:

 god knows how many times Schneider was beat on the first shot of the game. 

I would say "every game" and probably be closer to being right than being wrong. 

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 hour ago, SterioDesign said:

This is fair but we have to keep in mind that we got a very bad record because of that too. Maybe the coaching wasn't great but early in the season both goalies couldnt stop a beachball. It was not Hynes fault that our goalie couldnt swallow the puck and leave it sitting right there for McDavid to just push in the net, god knows how many times Schneider was beat on the first shot of the game. I know it's more fun to use the coaches as a scapegoat but goaltending was more of a factor than most are willing to admit. 

As far as Hynes went, I felt that he'd simply run his course.  I just couldn't take the passive dumb but angry no-answers-at-all presence on the bench anymore.  Not that it would've been guaranteed to have helped, but just once I wanted to see that guy lose his sh!t when his team wound up on the wrong end of another "WTF?!" referee call.  

Goes without saying the goaltending was a serious issue to start the season...Shero bet on Schneider yet again (and I can't kill Ray for that too much because Cory's contract obviously complicates things, and he did have that solid tease stretch to finish out the previous season, and it seemed like damned near EVERYONE on the Devils was talking about how great Cory was looking the following preseason.  And to Ray's credit, when he had no choice but to mothball Cory to the AHL for a while, he had the balls to do it).  Problem is that when you look at Nas' sample as the head coach, the goaltending is really the only aspect that improved under his watch...the remaining numbers were all still simply, well, not terribly good.  And to me, he's Hynes 2.0.  I'm ready for a new HC voice.   

Edited June 12, 2020 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mfitz804]

2 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

 Not that it would've been guaranteed to have helped, but just once I wanted to see that guy lose his sh!t when his team wound up on the wrong end of another "WTF?!" referee call.     

That wasn't going to happen because I'm 99% sure that dude is actually a robot. Add him to the list of people I suspect are robots, which is a whole other conversation. 

[jagknife]

1 hour ago, SterioDesign said:

This is fair but we have to keep in mind that we got a very bad record because of that too. Maybe the coaching wasn't great but early in the season both goalies couldnt stop a beachball. It was not Hynes fault that our goalie couldnt swallow the puck and leave it sitting right there for McDavid to just push in the net, god knows how many times Schneider was beat on the first shot of the game. I know it's more fun to use the coaches as a scapegoat but goaltending was more of a factor than most are willing to admit. 

But coaches need to be able to adjust their strategies. And how many times did we discuss (or more accurately bitch and moan) game after game our team doing what looked damned near the same thing over and over? Also, the teams ability to close out games should fall on the shoulders of the staff.

of course players bear that responsibility too, and 100% agree the goaltending sucked severely, but Hynes’ blind faith that his buddy Nas was doing the right thing when anyone who has ever watched the sport could easily figure out our defense was justifiably his downfall. The fact that the author is ignoring the defensive incompetency to write that rose-colored glasses article is weak, at best.

[jagknife]

Just now, mfitz804 said:

That wasn't going to happen because I'm 99% sure that dude is actually a robot. Add him to the list of people I suspect are robots, which is a whole other conversation. 

Robot or lizard? Those things can seem robotic too...

[SterioDesign]

1 hour ago, jagknife said:

But coaches need to be able to adjust their strategies. And how many times did we discuss (or more accurately bitch and moan) game after game our team doing what looked damned near the same thing over and over? Also, the teams ability to close out games should fall on the shoulders of the staff.

of course players bear that responsibility too, and 100% agree the goaltending sucked severely, but Hynes’ blind faith that his buddy Nas was doing the right thing when anyone who has ever watched the sport could easily figure out our defense was justifiably his downfall. The fact that the author is ignoring the defensive incompetency to write that rose-colored glasses article is weak, at best.

Sure but no matter what shots will ALWAYS come. I mean what kind of team strategies can you make so that your goalie doesn't let in a softie on his first shot?

If shots would have been coming from players letting guys walk in for a perfect shot all the time... sure (and it happened). But cory was also getting beat by unscreened wristers from the outside. There's really nothing you can do as a coach other than screaming at the shooter to try to distract him at that point lol 

[SterioDesign]

2 hours ago, mfitz804 said:

That wasn't going to happen because I'm 99% sure that dude is actually a robot. Add him to the list of people I suspect are robots, which is a whole other conversation. 

well its the offseason and there's not much to talk about. 

Please proceed.

Other than Mark Zuckerberg who's on your list? 

[Jerzey]

Imo there isn’t as much of a rush to sign a coach as there is/was to sign a GM. At this point I think the draft belongs to Fitz but if they are going to hire a new GM to replace him I would have preferred they already hired him to give him time before the draft to get his ducks in a row.

[mfitz804]

26 minutes ago, SterioDesign said:

well its the offseason and there's not much to talk about. 

Please proceed.

Other than Mark Zuckerberg who's on your list? 

I can’t say any more. You could be on the list and you could report me to the Overlord at the next meeting. 

But Zuckerberg 100%. 

[mfitz804]

18 minutes ago, Jerzey said:

Imo there isn’t as much of a rush to sign a coach as there is/was to sign a GM. At this point I think the draft belongs to Fitz but if they are going to hire a new GM to replace him I would have preferred they already hired him to give him time before the draft to get his ducks in a row.

Especially when you had months of no hockey going on, they could’ve focused on that. That’s why I tend to think Fitz is the man. 

Well, that plus Fitz is always the man. But I’m biased. 

[Devilsfan118]

This is more or less the coaching search thread now, right?

I wouldn't hate it. Better than Nas.

[DevsMan84]

5 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

This is more or less the coaching search thread now, right?

I wouldn't hate it. Better than Nas.

While I prefer Gallant, Lavi would be a nice consolation.

I also saw people say on social media that Gallant is apparently not interested in working with a team that is still a few years away from contention.  Not sure how much truth there is in that.

[SterioDesign]

25 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

I can’t say any more. You could be on the list and you could report me to the Overlord at the next meeting. 

But Zuckerberg 100%. 

Well to be fully up front, i do have metal parts in my arm. Required after shattering it playing hockey lol But i'm a cyborg at best in this scenario.

Funny enough i did call out many times a member in here about clearly being a robot. But i think that was before your time. He's not as active anymore too.

Edited June 12, 2020 by SterioDesign

[mfitz804]

14 minutes ago, SterioDesign said:

Well to be fully up front, i do have metal parts in my arm. Required after shattering it playing hockey lol But i'm a cyborg at best in this scenario.

Funny enough i did call out many times a member in here about clearly being a robot. But i think that was before your time. He's not as active anymore too.

Someone forgot to charge him. 

[jagknife]

1 hour ago, SterioDesign said:

Sure but no matter what shots will ALWAYS come. I mean what kind of team strategies can you make so that your goalie doesn't let in a softie on his first shot?

If shots would have been coming from players letting guys walk in for a perfect shot all the time... sure (and it happened). But cory was also getting beat by unscreened wristers from the outside. There's really nothing you can do as a coach other than screaming at the shooter to try to distract him at that point lol 

Fair points all around, but when your defense gets visibly worse year to year, and you somehow get a promotion and possibly have that promotion stick, there is an issue.

[moustic]

If Laviolette is the coach... What about Subban ? It wasn't really a dream relationship in Nashville right ? 
(In Rikard Grönborg i still trust) 

[SterioDesign]

1 hour ago, moustic said:

If Laviolette is the coach... What about Subban ? It wasn't really a dream relationship in Nashville right ? 
(In Rikard Grönborg i still trust) 

Almost every coach Subban had had problems with him and his attitude... talking back, arguing with them or teammates and continuously making the same bad decisions and trying to do too much. Some are just handling it better or being more vocal about it than others. There's a good reason he barely made team canada and didn't suit up the year after he won his Norris*. 

You guys have seen it now and through the season i've seen some members here finally turning the corner. I fully understand the love for Subban when all you see is his great highlights videos from time to time and nice plays or when don't know hockey too much and all you care about is those fancy looking plays. But his fancy and exciting looking spin-o-ramas wears thin compared to his constant bad positioning, turnovers and terrible decisions... then you start getting annoyed more and more. The same can be said about any offense first and flashy guy around the league really... and it's obviously getting even worst when the offense is not even there anymore.