GDT: Devils @ Flyers 12/14 7pm

[Devil Dan 56]

12 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

 

Im sure a….slew of teams will be interested. 

 

[Jerrydevil]

8 hours ago, Brewskies said:

Talent Wins. Devils lack talent within the players and the coaching staff this season again. 

I believe there's enough talent to be competing for a playoff spot. What the Devils are going through right now is not a talent problem, that's my take. I see a team begging for a bad cop for a coach. 

1 hour ago, mfitz804 said:

Im sure a….slew of teams will be interested. 

It's always a good time for a dad joke.

[NJDevils1214]

1 hour ago, Jerrydevil said:

I believe there's enough talent to be competing for a playoff spot. What the Devils are going through right now is not a talent problem, that's my take. I see a team begging for a bad cop for a coach. 

It's always a good time for a dad joke.

Last year I would have said I believe you, but now I am starting to at least second guess some of our guys "potential". Sharon, kuok, Smith, McLeod, and Nico(I think he'll be fine in the long run) all seem to have regressed. The plan for this team to compete this year hinged on guys like them taking a step forward, not back. Couple this with with 2/3 big signings(Bernier and Tatar) not working out, injuries, Covid-- it has been an unmitigated disaster...

The only player on the team from last year that looks unequivocally better is Johnsson and the only two players even challenging him as being our most effective player are Bratt and our younger than "young team" rookie Mercer.

Coaching is 100% an issue, it has to be, but I don't understand how we have so many sophomore slumps happening at once, posts, injuries, illnesses... How much bad luck can a team have?

Idk where I'm going with this. I'm just frustrated.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

3 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

I'm just frustrated.

This club has many members right now.  

[lazer]

in the last 14 games devils scored four more goals and allowed four less goals before hughes

 

lets say the pp is slightly better in that time, lets say 4 goals for the pp

 

its basically four more points in the standings not 8 pts

 

not much of a stat but just throwing that out there

 

i cant help but think how nico is like a lou type guy and hughes is a shero type guy, again not really making a point here.

 

oh, like chico was asking, do you want a tight game win or lose or a loose game win or lose?

[Jerrydevil]

36 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

Last year I would have said I believe you, but now I am starting to at least second guess some of our guys "potential". Sharon, kuok, Smith, McLeod, and Nico(I think he'll be fine in the long run) all seem to have regressed. The plan for this team to compete this year hinged on guys like them taking a step forward, not back. Couple this with with 2/3 big signings(Bernier and Tatar) not working out, injuries, Covid-- it has been an unmitigated disaster...

There's some dead weight there, there's a lot of guys not scoring, too many. Kuokkanen looks to be a fill-in guy, but I'm not quite ready to write off the other guys yet. McLeod is a frustrating player. There's a role for him in this league. He wins a ton of faceoffs, but he needs to do more to be a catalyst physically. I think he's capable but maybe he isn't ... or maybe the coach hasn't lit a fire under him? We are just dying for for a spark plug player to give us a lift every now and then. The team is lifeless.

Then again it just may be that the terrible power play makes everything else seem darker than it is. 

[Brewskies]

6 hours ago, Nicomo said:

People can keep trying to defer to a lack of talent, but the fact is special teams have sunk this season once again. And there’s plenty of talent on a PP with Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, Pavel Zacha, and Dougie Hamilton. It’s clear as day where the problem stems from. 

And the PK is even less reliant on needing top tier players. It’s much more about the systems being implemented, and how badly they’re not working. It’s literally the coaches job to correct that. 

I will accept your point but there isn't enough talented players on the Devils to consistently win as well.

[Jerrydevil]

23 minutes ago, lazer said:

oh, like chico was asking, do you want a tight game win or lose or a loose game win or lose?

I'd like a team that could play both styles. 

[mfitz804]

1 minute ago, Jerrydevil said:

I'd like a team that could play hockey. 

Fixed. 

[lazer]

flyers broadcast was celebrating recchi last night and mcleod 

 

i only listen to the opposing team commentating now

[Devil Dan 56]

2 minutes ago, lazer said:

flyers broadcast was celebrating recchi last night and mcleod 

 

i only listen to the opposing team commentating now

I’m sure most opposing teams celebrate Recchi. He sure makes their lives easier 

[lazer]

13 minutes ago, Jerrydevil said:

I'd like a team that could play both styles. 

that is the holy grail of sports, combing power and skill in so many words, yes

 

its funny no matter what sport it is when a team is dominating its almost comical, making a joke out of the game

 

devils are not there but they can be for sure

[lazer]

also, last thing is flyers cancelled hughes out last night like textbook, even with everyone being sick.

[mfitz804]

1 minute ago, lazer said:

also, last thing is flyers cancelled hughes out last night like textbook, even with everyone being sick.

I’d like to say Hughes didn’t do sh!t last night, but that was basically true of the entire team.

[lazer]

6 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

I’d like to say Hughes didn’t do sh!t last night, but that was basically true of the entire team.

just that the team is hughes so its like dominos, but im not ready to argue that now.

[mfitz804]

3 minutes ago, lazer said:

just that the team is hughes so its like dominos, but im not ready to argue that now.

Not sure I agree on that.  People would like to think that Hughes will be the team, but you’re talking about a guy with less than 60 career points. He can’t be the team until he 1) plays a significant amount of games, and 2) actually carries the team for more than one game. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

10 minutes ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

I’m sure most opposing teams celebrate Recchi. He sure makes their lives easier 

I'd love to be an opposing team on the PK and think, "Well, if anything, we have just as much of a chance to score as they do over the next couple minutes...AND WE'RE DOWN A MAN!"  

[lazer]

9 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

Not sure I agree on that.  People would like to think that Hughes will be the team, but you’re talking about a guy with less than 60 career points. He can’t be the team until he 1) plays a significant amount of games, and 2) actually carries the team for more than one game. 

i hear that but i dont think he will ever have that power and that that is not the best solution for the team

 

there was something else i wanted to add but cant think of it now...

 

edit: not that utica is the answer either but if dineen will coach than that is a no brainer, id pay to see utica vs newark 

Edited December 15, 2021 by lazer

[mfitz804]

Just now, lazer said:

i hear that but i dont think he will ever have that power and that that is not the best solution for the team

Remains to be seen, which is why I thought his new contract was so interesting. First time I can recall that we had to give a contract based almost completely on speculation for the future. Even Nico’s deal, he at least had a full season under his belt. 

Not that it’s Jack’s fault, because there hasn’t been a full season. 

[lazer]

^yeah speculation^ "were the devils" hah 

[lazer]

13 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I'd love to be an opposing team on the PK and think, "Well, if anything, we have just as much of a chance to score as they do over the next couple minutes...AND WE'RE DOWN A MAN!"  

yeah mine as well take the foul 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

8 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

Remains to be seen, which is why I thought his new contract was so interesting. First time I can recall that we had to give a contract based almost completely on speculation for the future. Even Nico’s deal, he at least had a full season under his belt. 

Not that it’s Jack’s fault, because there hasn’t been a full season. 

He basically has 1.5 seasons of actual games under his belt.  And yeah, like everyone else, I was all in favor of Jack being re-signed, just like I was with Nico.  But goddamn, both were risky...especially Jack's.  I still believe in them, but I think they need a coach with a clear system where everyone has a general idea of what they're supposed to do and where they're supposed to be.  Because they're so far removed from that at the moment it's getting hard to tell who can really do what.  

Edited December 15, 2021 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mfitz804]

36 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

He basically has 1.5 seasons of actual games under his belt.  And yeah, like everyone else, I was all in favor of Jack being re-signed, just like I was with Nico.  But goddamn, both were risky...especially Jack's.  I still believe in them, but I think they need a coach with a clear system where everyone has a general idea of what they're supposed to do and where they're supposed to be.  Because they're so far removed from that at the moment it's getting hard to tell who can really do what.  

But it’s 1.5 seasons in 2.5 (give or take) season’s time. He didn’t even have 55 points in his career and they gave him $64m. I’m not saying it was wrong to do so, but you can’t argue that’s not based almost totally on what he will be as opposed to what he is now. 

If Nico’s deal was risky in terms of speculation, then Jack’s is even more so. Point-wise, Jack’s was even more so. Nico had in 82 games nearly what Jack has in 126 over 3 seasons. Granted Big Lips was definitely responsible for increasing that total. But it’s a track record of what he could do. 

Jack doesn’t really have that. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

6 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

But it’s 1.5 seasons in 2.5 (give or take) season’s time. He didn’t even have 55 points in his career and they gave him $64m. I’m not saying it was wrong to do so, but you can’t argue that’s not based almost totally on what he will be as opposed to what he is now. 

If Nico’s deal was risky in terms of speculation, then Jack’s is even more so. Point-wise, Jack’s was even more so. Nico had in 82 games nearly what Jack has in 126 over 3 seasons. Granted Big Lips was definitely responsible for increasing that total. But it’s a track record of what he could do. 

Jack doesn’t really have that. 

Yeah, I said that Jack's was especially risky.  And I said at the time that his contract is strictly based on potential...without question, going purely by the numbers, he didn't earn that kind of a deal.  We're basically completely in agreement here...I'm just pointing out that even though it's his third season, he's played considerably less games than the number of seasons would indicate.  He's at least 50 GP behind where he could have been, if not for injuries and Covid.  I'm pointing this out more as a hope that the overall lack of games has hindered his development some.      

Edited December 15, 2021 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Fansinz88]

If we missed on all these top picks including the number 1’s we are in a ton of trouble. I’ll be honest. I like Hughes as top center with a skillful, powerful, winger. Obviously they don’t grow on trees. I like Mercer as 2nd line center. I believe that young man is a leader and can carry a line some nights, and tougher than most. And unfortunately I see Nico as a 3rd line center. I tried to think better but it’s settling in as such. McLeod can stay as a 4th line center based on size and faceoff percentage. I’m not trying to piss anyone off but this is what I view. By no means am I a professional but I played for 20 years and watched this game for over 30 years. I just want to be good again. 
 

we made the playoffs in 2018 on the back of a out of body other world Taylor Hall performance. Didn’t sniff since 2012 and haven’t sniffed since then. And we were out in 5. Not saying it’s a losing culture but it’s putting losing on a level of being ok and whatever we are a “young team”.