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GDT: What fresh hell is this? (NJD Vs PHI) 11pm BST..


Chimaira_Devil_#9

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7 minutes ago, John Wensink said:

It's like when we got Stevens. We had talented youth coming up or playing, but he let us jump the line. One good move allows other players to move into spots that work for them and the team much better. 

Let's hope they hit on that this summer.

Geez, I didn't even need to bring Keith and baseball into it, lol...Stevens is exactly the kind of guy who I'm thinking of (though I can't expect a future Hall of Famer...I'll settle for a solo homer...Stevens was a grand slam and then some...we were so lucky to see the Devils to land that kind of special player).

But other than that being the absolute max of what I could ever dream of hoping for, yeah, Stevens fits what I was thinking of:

Didn't come cheap (cost the Devils Shanahan, though obviously it wasn't a real trade).

Was still young enough to have potentially many prime more years ahead of him (and wound up have several more than anyone had any right to expect, really, though became a different-but-still very effective player after 1994).

Wanted nothing to do with his new "This is a big step DOWN" team initially (Hernandez actually considered retiring when he was dealt to the Mets, but then GM Frank Cashen got him acquainted with the youth in their system, which sold Keith on the Mets turning things around before too much longer).  But then warmed up and became a leader and a guy everyone looked to.  

 

  

 

 

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15 hours ago, NJDfan1711 said:

I know, but he should've been in the top 3.

Bring in anyone.  Put someone in a monkey suit.  It couldn't possibly be worse. 

Less pressure?  Confidence that they trust him to be in the top 3?  That's just a few ...

So you want me to coach the Devils is what you seem to be saying.....

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6 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Hear what you're saying, but at this point, you're probably grading them using the wrong scale.  I don't think it's because the players didn't want it or wouldn't have loved to come out of there with a win.  This is a very young team basically being left to fend for itself, with some longtime vet experience stripped away.  I hate the way the season is ending up, don't get me wrong...but I really didn't expect this team to have very many good moments to wrap up the season, post-deadline.

And as much as I know it's not all on nASS...I've just seen enough.  It just feels like with guys like him around, there's that much less hope.  

Me either, but I think there's a pretty clear distinction between simply not "having very many good moments", and having some flat out nauseating and embarrassing moments.  I'd be totally fine if this team lost 15 of its final 20 games while being competitive, losing by a goal or two in most games, and some areas of the team showed signs of improvement (i.e. the PK or PP getting better, or even just the team as a whole surrendering fewer turnovers, things like that).  But we're not getting ANY of that.  Instead, we've lost 10 straight games, 4 to the Rangers who, yeah, are playing better lately, but they're not world-beaters by any stretch of the imagination, then we get absolutely streamrolled by the Penguins, giving up so many early goals in games and having multiple different goalies get lit up, and now it appears we're well on our way to getting humiliated by the Flyers too, after last night's amazing come-from-ahead loss.  

So essentially my issue is not that we're losing, it's how we're losing.  As others have pointed out, I fear that this could have lasting effects on some of our youngers guys, as evidenced by how lethargic Hughes looked in his shootout attempt last night.  And who could blame him?   Dude's gotta be fed up with this horsesh!t.  It's only his second season in the league and this year is pretty much gonna go down as worse than last year.  As a young and talented player, that's not what you want to see and it's not going to get you pumped, motivated, or excited for the future.  

 

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6 minutes ago, NJDfan1711 said:

Me either, but I think there's a pretty clear distinction between simply not "having very many good moments", and having some flat out nauseating and embarrassing moments.  I'd be totally fine if this team lost 15 of its final 20 games while being competitive, losing by a goal or two in most games, and some areas of the team showed signs of improvement (i.e. the PK or PP getting better, or even just the team as a whole surrendering fewer turnovers, things like that).  But we're not getting ANY of that.  Instead, we've lost 10 straight games, 4 to the Rangers who, yeah, are playing better lately, but they're not world-beaters by any stretch of the imagination, then we get absolutely streamrolled by the Penguins, giving up so many early goals in games and having multiple different goalies get lit up, and now it appears we're well on our way to getting humiliated by the Flyers too, after last night's amazing come-from-ahead loss.  

So essentially my issue is not that we're losing, it's how we're losing.  As others have pointed out, I fear that this could have lasting effects on some of our youngers guys, as evidenced by how lethargic Hughes looked in his shootout attempt last night.  And who could blame him?   Dude's gotta be fed up with this horsesh!t.  It's only his second season in the league and this year is pretty much gonna go down as worse than last year.  As a young and talented player, that's not what you want to see and it's not going to get you pumped, motivated, or excited for the future.  

 

The bolded sounds great, but look at who's getting trotted out there on D (and don't forget Ty Smith is out)...and look who's "coaching" them.  Sadly as much as I hate it, these are the kinds of results you're going to get.  At least three of the current D shouldn't be on the team next year.  

I like Jack a lot and he may be fed up (no one likes losing), but he's a 19-year-old who got drafted #1 overall by a team that clearly had to have issues to be able to draft him that high in the first place...not saying that he feels this way, but if he was expecting his team to become magically competitive in just his second year, he was fooling himself.  I can only feel sorry for the young guys for so long...yeah, the current situation sucks, but Jack and others aren't the first kids to be stuck on bad teams to start their careers.  And they should want to be part of the solution...you don't always get to drop into ideal circumstances to start your career...look at the 1995 Devils, and how many of them had to slog their way through some lousy years...Dano, MacLean, Terreri...friggin' Bruce Driver was a Colorado Rockies pick!  

That being said, I am absolutely hoping for some "We're really trying" moves this offseason.  If anyone deserves a little help and good faith at this point, I'd say it's Nico.   

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Whatever we do, I'm glad there's a real foundation of young talent in New Jersey and a couple of minor league/junior players who show real promise. We have players to build around ... not 10, but at least 6 or 7. Including a budding star in Jack Hughes, and maybe one in Ty Smith, too. I'm worried about Blackwood, but maybe I shouldn't be. Hopefully we can get a real backup goaltender, I think that's important. The emergence of Sharangovich and McLeod was a very good development. Kuokkanen looks to be solid but I'm more enthused about the other two.

I wish we could package, say, Severson and Bratt with a first-round pick to "weaponize our cap" and make a whopper of a trade for a top winger, but I waver on whether such a move is wise with shallow organizational depth. If it's not possible, then we just have to hope Zacha makes another step forward.  

People have mentioned going after Adam Larsson. Yes, I think a defenseman is a priority. God, I hope some of our D prospects will be good players. This is the black hole!

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