GDT: Devils @ Islanders 7:30 PM MSG, MSG+, MSG+2

[slasher72]

3 hours ago, Guadana said:

"Last year" Sharangovich was in Belarus camp, after that he did play in KHL, after that NHL camp, NHL season, after that he did play on WC, after that he was play with Belarus team in olympic qualification, and the last game was 29 august as I remember correctly. He has no rest and start NHL camp in september. He was absolutely lost physically in the beggining of the season, but now he start to gain his form and result is coming. I dont like his passing game, I think he isn`t great puck mover, but he have enough of tools and great shot. And I think he is good addition for our centers. Is he a core player? I don`t know, I think no he isn`t, but we dont have a lot of players with combo of his size(he must learn how to use it), speed, skating and shot. 
I dont think that 8 goals is a great result, but when he is on and play with Jack - he is scoring goals. Last year he was productive with Zajac too.
He scores 8 goals in 31 games, Hall scores 7 in 34. Lafrenier scores 8 in 37 games, Kakko 5 in 34. 

I don`t think that Yegor and Janne are on the same level of talent.

_____

The funny thing is Bastian success and impact. I remember some guys on twitter and on forums tell me that "this type of guys doesn`t matter" blablabla. They do. Always do. Hockey game is not the only about passing, scoring and saving. And this is how it works. 

Zacha thing is strange for me. I see how he lost his clicking. He was very productive in the long segment in the end of 19-20 season, last season and in the beggining of this season. But now I dont see enough effort from him. And we always didn`t. I think devils needs in power scroing winger in top-6 and Zacha is obvious candidate for trade\replacement. Ofcourse we have rw spot with Hischier, but I think longterm it is a place for Holtz after Tatar will gone. And like someone said - there are no successfull teams with lazy skilly guys in top-6.

That's the maddening part about Zacha. He has the skills, he's just lazy and grossly inconsistent...  1 goal in 17 games.

I'm not going to harp on him being a former 6th pick overall and who we could have gotten (*cough* Barzal) ...that horse has been beaten to death. But for a lazy person who doesnt give a sh!t to take up a top six spot, it's not conducive to winning. He could probably benefit from a change of scenery and the Devs need a forward who can score. Not a "sniper" who takes most nights off and leisurely skates around the ice. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I’m past the point of going game-by-game with Zacha…I still give him the balance of this season to right himself.  If he doesn’t, I’m absolutely open to the idea of moving him.

[MadDog2020]

31 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I’m past the point of going game-by-game with Zacha…I still give him the balance of this season to right himself.  If he doesn’t, I’m absolutely open to the idea of moving him.

That locker room needs something to shake them up. I honestly think sh!t is stale. Zacha could maybe use a change of scenery.

Edited January 14, 2022 by MadDog2020

[mfitz804]

37 minutes ago, slasher72 said:

That's the maddening part about Zacha. He has the skills, he's just lazy and grossly inconsistent...  1 goal in 17 games.

I'm not going to harp on him being a former 6th pick overall and who we could have gotten (*cough* Barzal) ...that horse has been beaten to death. But for a lazy person who doesnt give a sh!t to take up a top six spot, it's not conducive to winning. He could probably benefit from a change of scenery and the Devs need a forward who can score. Not a "sniper" who takes most nights off and leisurely skates around the ice. 

2015 Draft humor is some of my favorite:

 

On 6/26/2015 at 8:16 PM, Onddeck said:

I know he was injured but Barzal put up like 10 goals last year didn't he? You can't take that with a lotto pick cmon

 

On 6/27/2015 at 7:58 PM, William D'Aquila said:

Barzal was so good that he fell 15 spots.

 

On 6/29/2015 at 8:51 AM, redruM said:

Love this Pick, donot understand all the love for Barzal.

 

On 6/26/2015 at 10:25 PM, Onddeck said:

Merkley is Barzal 2.0. Wish we could've made moves to get him

 

On 6/26/2015 at 8:10 PM, ghdi said:

 

And are you convinced Zacha can't be as good if not better? Regardless of position.

 

Zacha's upside > Barzal. Barzal's ceiling is lower.

 

On 6/5/2015 at 3:06 PM, Jas0nMacIsaac said:

If we can trade down to 9 and still get Barzal i'm all for it.

 

On 6/24/2015 at 3:43 PM, SterioDesign said:

http://pucksandpitchforks.com/2015/06/22/new-jersey-devils-nhl-draft-notes-barzal-vs-zacha/

 

this article is saying that NHL comparison to barzal and Zacha would be Henrique and Lucic............... well color me underwhelmed if that's the case

 

On 6/26/2015 at 2:39 PM, SterioDesign said:

the forward we'll get we'll likely be our best forward in 2-3 years no matter what.

 

On 6/26/2015 at 7:59 PM, Devilsfan118 said:

You can't take Barzal with the number six. Just can't do it.

Maybe they could've traded back but.. I like this pick.

 

On 6/26/2015 at 8:02 PM, fsu1852 said:

Yeah you cant take Barazl at 6

 

On 6/26/2015 at 8:03 PM, ghdi said:

Can't be mad about Zacha whatsoever. If they weren't trading back he was the guy to take. Barzal is a reach at 6. 

 

On 6/26/2015 at 8:15 PM, Muevelos said:

He wasn't the best available and he's still on the board

 

On 6/26/2015 at 8:18 PM, ghdi said:

 

Then how come Barzal is still on the board?

 

There are not Zacha's in every draft. Find a 6'3 big mean bastard that can fly and has his shot in every draft.

 

Zacha was also one of the few players who actually gave McDavid any sort of trouble.

Honorable mention for us trying to trade up with 2 second rounders and Gelinas for the #8 pick. 

On 6/26/2015 at 8:42 PM, ghdi said:

 

The 2nds yes, Gelinas included, absolutely not.

 

[MadDog2020]

6 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

2015 Draft humor is some of my favorite:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable mention for us trying to trade up with 2 second rounders and Gelinas for the #8 pick. 

 

That’s some funny (and painful) sh!t to read.

[Devil Dan 56]

9 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

2015 Draft humor is some of my favorite:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable mention for us trying to trade up with 2 second rounders and Gelinas for the #8 pick. 

 

Eh win some lose some. It sucks but the draft is such a crap shoot (that we don’t win much). Both Barzal and Zacha pretty much went where they were expected in the draft and that’s what most people were saying, which is that Barzal was in the 10-20 range for a reason. Whatever that reason was, he clearly overcame it and made people look foolish for skipping him (including the Bruins 3 times). Zacha unfortunately is a lot like his agent Stefan. Loads of talent but major motivation issues. Such a waste

I remember people being ecstatic about Zacha because Crouse looked like a Conte wet dream and some of us were sure that was where we’d go

Edited January 14, 2022 by Devil Dan 56

[mfitz804]

1 minute ago, MadDog2020 said:

That’s some funny (and painful) sh!t to read.

Absolutely. It’s fun to go back and look at stuff. People state things so matter of factly and some of them don’t age well. 

There were many that were right on the money also, but those aren’t funny lol. 

[RunninWithTheDevil]

IIRC didn't Shero try to make some moves at the draft, speculating that he was trying to get Barzal also? That's in my brain for some reason. I remember being disappointed

[Guadana]

If we did draft Barzal, we will not draft Hughes after. You can see Isles now - it`s great result to have two eastern finals, but they stuck. It`s not Barzal fault, but sometimes it is what it is. We could have 2nd spot in 2017 and 2nd spot  in 2019. Just imagine - Barzal, Patrick and Kakko. 

Devils were good enough on the draft. And it`s time to close the book and think about what we will do in the next draft or it is finally time to trade our first pick if it isn`t top-6 or something like that.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Parise with 5 assists in 25 games...against everyone else.  Of course he's scored his only goal of the season and added two assists in 3 games against the Devils.  I never really had much against Parise for leaving, but something just really bothers me about that.  

Edited January 14, 2022 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mfitz804]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Parise with 5 assists in 25 games...against everyone else.  Of course he's scored only goal of the season and added two assists in 3 games against the Devils.  I never really had much against Parise for leaving, but something just really bothers me about that.  

I did, because of the way he left. One year deal to showcase himself before signing somewhere else long term. Doesn't sit well with me. 

[slasher72]

5 hours ago, mfitz804 said:

Absolutely. It’s fun to go back and look at stuff. People state things so matter of factly and some of them don’t age well. 

There were many that were right on the money also, but those aren’t funny lol. 

These were my favorites lol. Pure gold. 

Zacha's upside > Barzal. Barzal's ceiling is lower...

The forward we'll get will likely be our best forward in 2-3 years no matter what....

There are not Zacha's in every draft. Find a 6'3 big mean bastard that can fly and has his shot in every draft....

 

 

[mfitz804]

3 minutes ago, slasher72 said:

These were my favorites lol. Pure gold. 

Zacha's upside > Barzal. Barzal's ceiling is lower...

The forward we'll get will likely be our best forward in 2-3 years no matter what....

There are not Zacha's in every draft. Find a 6'3 big mean bastard that can fly and has his shot in every draft....

 

 

Side note, I liked Merkley being Barzal 2.0 lol. 

[titans04]

 

[mfitz804]

The biggest impact AJ Greer may ever have in the NHL was to his head. 

[DevsMan84]

On 1/14/2022 at 1:02 PM, Devil Dan 56 said:

Eh win some lose some. It sucks but the draft is such a crap shoot (that we don’t win much). Both Barzal and Zacha pretty much went where they were expected in the draft and that’s what most people were saying, which is that Barzal was in the 10-20 range for a reason. Whatever that reason was, he clearly overcame it and made people look foolish for skipping him (including the Bruins 3 times). Zacha unfortunately is a lot like his agent Stefan. Loads of talent but major motivation issues. Such a waste

I remember people being ecstatic about Zacha because Crouse looked like a Conte wet dream and some of us were sure that was where we’d go

In a draft where there it ended up being 8 winners and 2 losers in the top 10 and we are one of the two, it hurts quite a bit.  Kinda feels like we lost that crap shoot while playing with loaded dice.

[MadDog2020]

21 minutes ago, MB3 said:

Could be worse. Could be Boston, with 3 consecutive mid-round picks in the best draft in NHL history, and go off-board with "wtf picks" like Zboril-DeBrusk-Senyshyn (directly before Kyle Connor, Matthew Barzal, Thomas Chabot, Ilya Samsonov, Brock Boeser, Travis Konecny.......)

The only reason Don Sweeney didn’t lose his job for that is because the Bruins were right in the middle of their window. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 hour ago, DevsMan84 said:

In a draft where there it ended up being 8 winners and 2 losers in the top 10 and we are one of the two, it hurts quite a bit.  Kinda feels like we lost that crap shoot while playing with loaded dice.

The good news is that Zacha's done just enough over the last three seasons (and there's those 84 games of course) that some team who thinks they can get more out of him might be willing to give up something decent for him, if it comes to that.  Of course that means signing him to another deal (doubt his RFA rights alone would bring much back, especially if he doesn't ever pick it back up this year)...still very curious to see if the Devils let this get to arbitration, and if they don't, what they sign him to...more and more, I feel like it's going to be two years...a final "Show Us Already!" deal that should be movable.      

With the lack of games lately, it's really hard to try to decide what the hell Zacha is...is this 20 games just a brutal slump?  Is the 84-game sample of production that came before just the ultimate tease, in a career that's seen its fair share of teases?

At any rate, Zacha should have about 380 GP or so by the end of this season, heading into his Age 25 season...I'm sure some would like to continue to be patient with him, but if doesn't get back on track by the end of the season, I say it's time to move on.  I know it's not like the Devils have tons of Top-6 forwards in their system, but when do you say enough is enough?  When does a guy stop being an intriguing prospect with upside, and simply is who he is?  How long does a guy get to stick around and never consistently take steps?  Six seasons seems like it's enough to decide if this guy should be in the Devils' plans...if anything, I hope behind the scenes someone, anyone (Fitz, Ruff, etc) is telling this kid "We really need to start seeing more from you, now!"  

  

[mfitz804]

8 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

The good news is that Zacha's done just enough over the last three seasons (and there's those 84 games of course) that some team who thinks they can get more out of him might be willing to give up something decent for him, if it comes to that.  Of course that means signing him to another deal (doubt his RFA rights alone would bring much back, especially if he doesn't ever pick it back up this year)...still very curious to see if the Devils let this get to arbitration, and if they don't, what they sign him to...more and more, I feel like it's going to be two years...a final "Show Us Already!" deal that should be movable.      

With the lack of games lately, it's really hard to try to decide what the hell Zacha is...is this 20 games just a brutal slump?  Is the 84-game sample of production that came before just the ultimate tease, in a career that's seen its fair share of teases?

At any rate, Zacha should have about 380 GP or so by the end of this season, heading into his Age 25 season...I'm sure some would like to continue to be patient with him, but if doesn't get back on track by the end of the season, I say it's time to move on.  I know it's not like the Devils have tons of Top-6 forwards in their system, but when do you say enough is enough?  When does a guy stop being an intriguing prospect with upside, and simply is who he is?  How long does a guy get to stick around and never consistently take steps?  Six seasons seems like it's enough to decide if this guy should be in the Devils' plans...if anything, I hope behind the scenes someone, anyone (Fitz, Ruff, etc) is telling this kid "We really need to start seeing more from you, now!"  

  

I agree with all of this, except insinuating he is a top 6 forward. 

[Guadana]

Zacha is top six forward when he is on. When he is off he isn’t an NHL forward. He will never be physically involved and this is what devils needs in top six(and bottom six too). 
Time to capitalize Pavel, give him time in pp1 brigade and trade him after another hot streak. Hischier looks more open for play and more independent when he did play with fourth liners Bastian and Vesey because they can do some board work.

I was PZ protector all the time before, but even if he will hit 50+ he will never be a player, that will really help Nico or Jack on the ice. He doesn’t play on boards, he doesn’t drive the play, he is close to be ghost in own zone. Sorry, but we are trying to go on the another level. 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Guadana

[mfitz804]

7 minutes ago, Guadana said:

Zacha is top six forward when he is on. When he is off he isn’t an NHL forward.

So, like for an 80 game period and not for the rest of his career. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 hour ago, mfitz804 said:

I agree with all of this, except insinuating he is a top 6 forward. 

He did produce like one for an extended period...doesn't mean that I think he's a lock to become a consistent one (or one who won't frustrate the hell out of his team's fanbase when he disappears) but he did just enough that I'm guessing even if the Devils gave up on him, there's a handful of teams that think he might still have it in him to be a second-liner.      

[Guadana]

6 hours ago, mfitz804 said:

So, like for an 80 game period and not for the rest of his career. 

I`m not tellin about periods, I`m tellin about his skill set.  Period of top-6 Zacha, period of lazy-shmazy-loosy Zacha. Well, I wait for period of traded Zacha.