The New Jersey Devils 2021-22 Regular Season Thread

[DevsMan84]

It's almost February.  At this point, I am expecting him to do nothing about Ruff and to mostly focus on being a seller at the trade deadline.  In other words, same sh!t that Fitz/Shero have been doing for the past few years.

Any action on Ruff that would have been meaningful would have happened before the new year.  Instead, either him, ownership, or both are comfortable with punting yet another season away.

[MadDog2020]

16 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

It's almost February.  At this point, I am expecting him to do nothing about Ruff and to mostly focus on being a seller at the trade deadline.  In other words, same sh!t that Fitz/Shero have been doing for the past few years.

Any action on Ruff that would have been meaningful would have happened before the new year.  Instead, either him, ownership, or both are comfortable with punting yet another season away.

I’m so tired of this garbage. There is absolutely no piss and vinegar in this organization at all. Just passive acceptance, and continued FUTURE’S BRIGHT BRAH, GOTTA LEARN HOW TO WIN BRAH, YOUNG TEAM BRAH bullsh!t. Is ANYONE mad about the other night besides Nico? I saw some post the social media team posted of Johnsson pretending to be a reporter asking Mercer questions yesterday, laughing, joking, like all is well. Someone throw a fvcking water cooler or something. 

[Devil Dan 56]

31 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

It's almost February.  At this point, I am expecting him to do nothing about Ruff and to mostly focus on being a seller at the trade deadline.  In other words, same sh!t that Fitz/Shero have been doing for the past few years.

Any action on Ruff that would have been meaningful would have happened before the new year.  Instead, either him, ownership, or both are comfortable with punting yet another season away.

The Arizona loss is a rock bottom loss. If they didn’t do anything after that, you’re right. They won’t be doing a thing. It’s yet another year of selling at the deadline, and staring at top prospect lists, and cheering for ping pong balls.
 

But hey at least we were sorta in the race until January this time so everything’s good. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

35 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

It's almost February.  At this point, I am expecting him to do nothing about Ruff and to mostly focus on being a seller at the trade deadline.  In other words, same sh!t that Fitz/Shero have been doing for the past few years.

Any action on Ruff that would have been meaningful would have happened before the new year.  Instead, either him, ownership, or both are comfortable with punting yet another season away.

The Flyers changing coaches ultimately didn't pay off (after an initial surge), but at least they fvcking TRIED to shake things up.  And were able to recognize that Vigneault was no longer the right guy.

Yeah, like MD2020 just said, just seems like there's this passive acceptance of losing, and with Shero/Fitz, it's the same chain of events:  make some offseason moves and hope they pay off...if they don't, oh well, preach patience and "trusting the process", then do little to nothing until the deadline, sell off what you can, then maybe next year it will be different.  I feel like I'm among the most patient of Devils fans, and even I've finally had enough.  That absolutely putrid disaster of a game vs the Yotes should have been the final straw for Retread and the Retards.  But nope, they apparently get to keep on fvckin' up.  

[DevsMan84]

The culture of the Devils right now comes from all the way at the top.  Do you think Reynolds puts any sort of pressure on Fitz?  Do you think Weber puts any pressure on Reynolds?  Do you think Harris/Blitzer put any pressure on Weber?  By the way things appear, the answer is no to all three.  This sort of apathy eventually trickles down to the players and here we are at.  We have a team that seemingly is OK to punt season after season, have a press corps of just team employees, cheaps out on things that requires no cap ceiling or, more importantly, floor (coaching) and seems to care little about maintaining arena outside of window dressing and ways to squeeze every penny out of every fan.

33 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

I’m so tired of this garbage. There is absolutely no piss and vinegar in this organization at all. Just passive acceptance, and continued FUTURE’S BRIGHT BRAH, GOTTA LEARN HOW TO WIN BRAH, YOUNG TEAM BRAH bullsh!t. Is ANYONE mad about the other night besides Nico? I saw some post the social media team posted of Johnsson pretending to be a reporter asking Mercer questions yesterday, laughing, joking, like all is well. Someone throw a fvcking water cooler or something. 

It was very quick, but did you notice how empty the room was?  Literally the only "media" people in the room are Devils employees.  Even the post-game press conferences are a giant show.

[MadDog2020]

3 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

It was very quick, but did you notice how empty the room was?  Literally the only "media" people in the room are Devils employees.  Even the post-game press conferences are a giant show.

Clown show sh!t. It’s a joke.

[MadDog2020]

15 minutes ago, MB3 said:

So I've been checked out of hockey for weeks now, and my buddy from Philly was texting me that the Flyers now have TWO different 10-game losing streaks this season. Which made me laugh. 

And then I looked at the standings. Which made me cry.

I’m so done with this hockey season. I don’t even care anymore. It’s not even enjoyable with the way things are right now. Pretty much every team I loathe is good (except the Flyers), and we blow. It’s honestly not even fun at this point. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by MadDog2020

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

How about coaching?  

[MadDog2020]

2 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

How about coaching?  

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[Devilsfan118]

2 hours ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

If not for him poking his head out to watch his son play for Buffalo I'd have assumed he was a missing person at this point. 

Straight out of the Ray Shero school of GMing.  

Land a job in a small market with no accountability (media, ownership or otherwise) and come out from behind the curtain a handful of times a year.

6 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

How about coaching?  

I mean this presser is just embarrassing.  I don't know if this is Ruff's new state of being but this lethargic, tired act is getting old.  Give me a fvcking coach with some passion that holds people accountable.

I mean, to be clear - I listen to some podcasts that cover Canadian markets and they would SHRED this guy DAILY for some of these answers.

Loser franchise.  How the mighty have fallen.

[PacificDevil]

11 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

How about coaching?  

How about if this was a high school team and not an NHL team this all would be all nice and cool

Edited January 21, 2022 by PacificDevil

[Devilsfan118]

1 hour ago, MadDog2020 said:

I’m so tired of this garbage. There is absolutely no piss and vinegar in this organization at all. Just passive acceptance, and continued FUTURE’S BRIGHT BRAH, GOTTA LEARN HOW TO WIN BRAH, YOUNG TEAM BRAH bullsh!t. Is ANYONE mad about the other night besides Nico? I saw some post the social media team posted of Johnsson pretending to be a reporter asking Mercer questions yesterday, laughing, joking, like all is well. Someone throw a fvcking water cooler or something. 

Nothing makes me feel like "old man yells at cloud" than following the team on social media.

Was this actually post game?  Like the post-game press conference?  It can't be that, it must've been at a practice or something the following day.

[MadDog2020]

1 minute ago, Devilsfan118 said:

Nothing makes me feel like "old man yells at cloud" than following the team on social media.

Was this actually post game?  Like the post-game press conference?  It can't be that, it must've been at a practice or something the following day.

It was yesterday after practice.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

6 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

I’m so done with this hockey season. I don’t even care anymore. It’s not even enjoyable with the way things are right now. Pretty much every team I loathe is good (except the Flyers), and we blow. It’s honestly not even fun at this point. 

Yeah I'm becoming indifferent in a hurry...I can only be told to "be patient" and "trust the process" so many times.  After the latest rock-bottom, my daughter simply asked me "Daddy, when are the Devils going to be good?"  I told her that I have no fvcking idea...she saw some classic Daddy meltdowns Wed night.  

Like I said previously, there's a handful of players that I'm keeping, and it's line with MB3's list:  Nico, Jack, Dougie, Dawson (might be someone I'm forgetting).  I'll give Smith more time because young D don't always figure things out right away, especially when a useless moron is tasked with working with them.  I'm not opposed to some others staying...McLeod and Bastian should be solid young 4th-liners, and the 4th line is hardly the main issue right now.  I think Graves could be a nice piece going forward, even though he hasn't always been on.  Siegenthaler's been pretty good most nights.  But the rest...I won't be heartbroken to see ANY of them go.  

[Devilsfan118]

2 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

It was yesterday after practice.

Thank goodness, that makes me feel slightly better.  

But still - all smiles and giggles and jokes after getting blown out by a team with SINGLE DIGIT WINS IN JANUARY.  A team that is clearly tanking, and has been from before the season even started.

I hate the culture surrounding this team now.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Devilsfan118

[MadDog2020]

7 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

Thank goodness, that makes me feel slightly better.  

But still - all smiles and giggles and jokes after getting blown out by a team with SINGLE DIGIT WINS IN JANUARY.  A team that is clearly tanking, and has been from before the season even started.

I hate the culture surrounding this team now.

THIS is how you handle losing. 

 

[Guadana]

2 hours ago, jagknife said:

New coaching staff, get the cancerous nASS and co out from behind the bench. Let Dineen come up and work with this mentally Charmin 10-ply Ultra Soft team and if he’s not the right fit, let him go back to Utica next season.

Who will be our new coaching stuff? Whats a purposeto make it now?

ANd.. Khm-khm. 
Nasserdine haiting IS OVERRATED. You, guys, try to find problems not where to look.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

4 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

THIS is how you handle losing. 

 

That's it, you sold me.

Brad Pitt playing Billy Beane as the new Devils GM.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

2 minutes ago, Guadana said:

Who will be our new coaching stuff? Whats a purposeto make it now?

ANd.. Khm-khm. 
Nasserdine haiting IS OVERRATED. You, guys, try to find problems not where to look.

For me, I don't want nASS and the rest working so much as another practice with this team.  I think every week they're given to stick around, they're doing more harm than good.  These guys are not the answer...Shero and Fitz sure do seem to have a thing for going down with their coaching ships.   

I'd be fine with Dineen as an interim.  

[MadDog2020]

27 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

For me, I don't want nASS and the rest working so much as another practice with this team.  I think every week they're given to stick around, they're doing more harm than good.  These guys are not the answer...Shero and Fitz sure do seem to have a thing for going down with their coaching ships.   

I'd be fine with Dineen as an interim.  

At this point I’m starting to think a TOTAL house cleaning is what’s needed. Get rid of everyone. GM and coaches. It’s becoming clear Fitz ain’t the answer either. I want the organization completely purged of the ex-Penguin brigade. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by MadDog2020

[jagknife]

9 minutes ago, Guadana said:

Who will be our new coaching stuff? Whats a purposeto make it now?

ANd.. Khm-khm. 
Nasserdine haiting IS OVERRATED. You, guys, try to find problems not where to look.

Nasraddine should have been let go when they overhauled the staff, I’ll die on that hill. He failed as a head coach, consistently fails as a defensive coach.

make the change now and see what Dineen has to bring for 40+ games. Maybe the boys get hot, maybe they flounder. But it can’t get much worse with the staff’s message falling on deaf ears currently. 

1 minute ago, MadDog2020 said:

At this point I’m starting h to think a TOTAL house cleaning is what’s needed. Get rid of everyone. GM and coaches. It’s becoming clear Fitz ain’t the answer either. I want the organization completely purged of the ex-Penguin brigade. 

I’m also okay with this. He can recruit players but he cannot manage a staff if his life depended on it.

And clearly his job apparently doesnt

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 minute ago, MadDog2020 said:

At this point I’m starting h to think a TOTAL house cleaning is what’s needed. Get rid of everyone. GM and coaches. It’s becoming clear Fitz ain’t the answer either. I want the organization purged of the ex-Penguin brigade. 

You can see where the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...Shero and now Fitz never seemed to have a Plan B, though like I've said, in Shero's case he had so little to work with that Plan Bs were going to be harder to come by.  But I'm sorry, this whole "Oh well maybe next year" vibe...I can't take it anymore.  Look at 2010-11 as an example...you got a coaching change, Lou said soyonara to Langs...he at least TRIED, even when it seemed like the team was already toast.  If that team was playing now, MacLean probably gets the whole season.  

[Guadana]

47 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

For me, I don't want nASS and the rest working so much as another practice with this team.  I think every week they're given to stick around, they're doing more harm than good.  These guys are not the answer...Shero and Fitz sure do seem to have a thing for going down with their coaching ships.   

I'd be fine with Dineen as an interim.  

About Nass. And the team.

for all of you guys. 
I know it is frustrating to watchin loses. I`m younger, only 33. But im` watching games when normal people sleep. 03-00 in St Petersburgh. And I`m doin it more than 15 years. It ruined my life) so

Lets start to talk about team.

You would be surprised(hope you dont), but goaltending is a thing, team is really young and if we did have AN AVARAGE goaltending - Devils will be playoff team\fight for the playoff spot. I will talk about team, defense etc

Devils are 10th in shot against. And 14 in shots for. It`s a GREAT. But somehow 25 in goals against. How? Because Blackwood fokin svcks! He is sevond WORST in SV% 5on 5 and 3rd worst in SV% overall between 40 goaltenders who play more than 15 games.
If you think that our goaltending play against harder situations, no its not. (time for advenced stats). Devils create more dangerous chances than opponents. they are 14th in the league in that range(defference between HDC). 
Blackwood doesnt have load that doesnt see any regular goalie. More than that - his work is easier! Just check Shestyorkin numbers. Rangers did score 72 EV goals. As DEVILS DID! They  are worser in defense and doesnt create more offense. Even in shots. But somehow (Blackwood) we missed A LOT MORE goals.

And Devils are 11! in PK! 

Nas made good job this season. And its a reality. Even more - when he was head coach two years ago and this year, Devils were winners. I dont say "lets hire Nass as headcoach!", no I`m not, but he is making his job well. 

 And our team is the youngest. That make problems when we talk about consistency. This is reality.  
If we did play with AVARAGE goalie (just imagine, avarage regular goalie has 91.5%+ 5on5, Blackwood has 89%) in game with Arizona (only 5 dangerous chances against, 11 HDC for) and lose - no one care. Because devils did control the game. Yes, we have two three sh-tbeds in our zone, but that it. Sometimes your opponent luck, and you are not. Especially if all of your leaders are young. But that was a game. Because we lost again and again, and even against Arizona. 

________________________

I`m absolutely agree that changes must happened. But no one will trade starter level goalie now. Absolutely no one. 
Do we need in trigger man? of course. But we are no where playoff team and never were before the season. To overpay for.

Coaching. I agree that Ruff must be replaced. And I was talking before even Ruff hiring that Bodreau is a good option. But other than that? 
I think they will give Ruff the time to the end of the season and... will watch closely how Dineen works. He just started. If Comets are second\third round playoff team, I trully believe he is our next HC. And I was thinking about it from the biggining. He was to good to be only HC in AHL. It was an raising opportunity from the beggining on my taste. 

I know i`m angry too. I`m starting to work with next draft. IN JANUARY! I was thought I will not do it this year, but I have not enough interest in regular season. It`s a sign. 

But i wil not hate this team. Because there are enough talent, potential and I have enough of love. I saw  how another team built, how they did changed. And How dark and deep was our emptyness, when Lou gone. I really love Lou, I`m thanksfull to him for everything he did, but his Conte protection left us with oldest roster without any prospect, any persective.
And Shero did make a lot of mistakes. 
And Fitz did some. The thing I dont like - he didn`t trade for better backup when Crow fall, and when Bernier fall after. Maybe he try - we dont know. 
But the thing is - we can`t find any good option now. Coaching? I dont think we have good options now. 

 

But, please, lets love your team. It`s hard to do it after games like this, but we are closer than some thinking. SMith svcks, Severson is a Severson, Zacha cant play 200 foot game and Tatar is Tatar. But team start to spend money, it`s a proccess, no matter how hard it is goin. We have core. And with games this core goin better and better. Nico and Jack play as we wannit. They are doin better and better. We have solid defense and some good defensive prospects. There are a lot to work with, there enough to change. It`s painfull sometimes. But Fitz did sign, did trades and trades works. I`m not a full liker of his job(we didnt sign defensive forward this summer, I dont like how he works on the draft day, I dont like we didnt find goalie right after Bernier injured), but the works is on. Hughes and Nico are better, defense(except SMith) is good enough, we have good prospectcs, Mercer will be better, may be Yegor will play on the top-6 level(I stil dont sure, but he have tools), AHL team is good and some of the guys will develope.

If fitz will goin into the next season with Blackwood\Bernier tandem, k-ll him, guys, he is traitor. Im not against to change full management and coaching stuff, but I dont see a reason to make it as fast as we, angry fans, want.
 

Edited January 21, 2022 by Guadana

[mfitz804]

 

[Guadana]

I want Okhotiuk up! But I think they will use White.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Guadana