MadDog2020 Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 1 minute ago, NJDfan1711 said: Maybe it's just me, but I'm trying not to be under any illusion that we're simply struggling right now because of injuries. I think there's way more issues than us just being banged up. Not to mention as we all know other teams deal with injuries too. Bottom line is players need to play better and coaches need to coach better. I think Fitz is using it as an additional excuse to keep Lindy and it infuriates me. Excuses are for fvcking losers. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Way back when (2000), the Devils won the Cup after dumping their HC…. WHEN THE LED THE EASTERN CONFERENCE. They can dump Lindy too to light a fire under their ass. He’s not untouchable. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 14 minutes ago, njbuff said: They can dump Lindy too to light a fire under their ass. He’s not untouchable. I wish Fitz knew that; he treats the guy like he’s Al Arbour. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devlman Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 33 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said: I think Fitz is using it as an additional excuse to keep Lindy and it infuriates me. Excuses are for fvcking losers. Sorry for blowing up your notifications with all the likes but you’re hitting the nail on the head. Injuries are not the excuse for the total ineptitude we see night in night out. Are injuries to blame for the bad first periods? The bad home record? The disappearing acts of many? I’m sorry but the GM has to build in plans for injuries. If losing Brendan Smith kills your defense corps so badly then what the fvck is your backup plan? Did you really think throwing our young future to the wolves 23 mins a night would go flawlessly and be good for their development? Cmon Fitz… 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaira_Devil_#9 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 15 hours ago, MadDog2020 said: I hear you, but that’s not something I can deal with right now. If they’re 8 or 10 points out at the end of February, fine. But what are we gonna get- picks? The rebuild is over. Picks don’t make us better until years down the road. Bottom line- if Fitz sells, we better be buried with no chance. I understand, I also haven't given up hope, there is so much parity in the NHL these days that it's an effort to be out of the race to the playoffs. An asset is an asset though. If you can move pieces for assets you could lose/don't intend to keep then you have to do it. Even if it's picks. With the contract thst are going to be needed for Hughes and Nemec in the future we need as many picks as we can get that could turn into low value, team controlled players. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 (edited) So here's my takes on some of what's being discussed here: First, I think the priority should be to make the playoffs. Even if I don't expect them to do all that much once they get there (more on that later), I think it's good for the many young players who don't have much playoff experience to get as much of it as possible. I also think it's a good look for the organization to find a way to still get in after facing as much adversity as it has, regardless of what the playoff results might turn out to be. I'm not making any right-now moves for pricey rentals to try to force the issue, but I'm not selling at this point either. But even if I still think the Devils shouldn't give up on the playoffs, once we factor in how bad of a year Lindy's had behind the bench, and the issues that continue to be issues, I don't know how ANYONE can possibly say that the Devils are going to be as dangerous as anyone come playoff time. I don't expect some switch to be flipped that will see Lindy suddenly implement anything resembling a system, not to mention see the goaltending drastically raise its game, and the wide-open looks that the Devils' opponents get way too often to magically disappear. Even if I think that the Devils can still squeak into the playoffs, this year's group is just too flawed for me to believe that they'll suddenly figure it all out against other teams that have largely had their sh!t together all season. But I still like the idea of Jack, Nico, Jesper, Luke, Nemec, and others at least getting another taste (and Nemec getting his first one of course), and the idea that by having gotten in, it won't feel like a wasted season. What do Patrik Elias, Nikita Kucherov, and Jason Robertson all have in common? All were second-round picks. Of course no pick in ANY round is necessarily a guarantee, but if the Devils are 6 points or more out of the final WC slot as the deadline approaches and showing zero signs of putting together any kind of run to solidify a playoff berth, then yeah, if some team is willing to rent Toffoli and cough up a second-rounder to do it, I'll take my chances and and hope the Devils pick a solid future asset. But to be clear, that's only if the Devils are not in the playoff hunt. If they are, I keep Toffoli and hope that they don't fall out of it, and explore adding a piece that either won't cost too much, and/or can help the Devils beyond this season. @Chimaira_Devil_#9 mentioned this in his last post, and it's true...Devils are going to need cheap ELC talent to sprinkle into the lineup in the years to come. Nice to get that from picks that turn into nice homegrown players later...like yet another second-rounder in Seamus Casey might very well turn out to be. IF it turns out that the Devils fall out of this, take your second-rounder for Toffoli and hope that Fitz either finds someone who can help the Devils down the line, or uses it in the offseason as part of a package to help the 2024-25 Devils. Edited February 1 by Colorado Rockies 1976 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lateralous Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 (edited) 1 hour ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said: I understand, I also haven't given up hope, there is so much parity in the NHL these days that it's an effort to be out of the race to the playoffs. An asset is an asset though. If you can move pieces for assets you could lose/don't intend to keep then you have to do it. Even if it's picks. With the contract thst are going to be needed for Hughes and Nemec in the future we need as many picks as we can get that could turn into low value, team controlled players. Agreed, I would also add that Fitz showed the ability last summer to turn that future asset into immediate help when he packaged the third rounder he got for Severson's sign and trade with Sharangovich for Toffoli. We don't necessarily need to wait years to see the benefits of anything we can recoup at the deadline if we do indeed fall out of the playoff race. Edited February 1 by Lateralous 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 https://newjerseyhockeynow.com/2024/02/01/devils-mailbag-devils-trade-ruff-hot-seat-michael-mcleod-replacements-more/?fbclid=IwAR1slI-BR8WWeTayPn7xQ7srLQdYVVR-jzECQZKodyiS4VtOch83C6_78HI_aem_AbW3U6cNvR_RcOcz8b44tZ_5TR5amgOOLiqKaxUoaEuCQmDyW8e97WMOdP_wSGwCvSE#ls3prp6urehxxbjb9e 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 On 1/31/2024 at 10:23 AM, RunninWithTheDevil said: I've liked a lot of these jerseys this year but this one looks too much like a practice jersey, just way too much empty space. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 Jack says he’s close https://newjerseyhockeynow.com/2024/02/01/devils-superstar-believes-return-is-really-close/?fbclid=IwAR3q-7V-B96Q-siNltjzdFTJejppm-NEi13M9bffE2JeNWZ4QxKsubjkFF0_aem_ARs8u50cf7pIZB_38pWJFr-uM5eEigJJeGCUBn7KMY1EEE50xBQHRlynCUyGOnx7nwg 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincois Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 On 1/31/2024 at 5:48 PM, devlman said: Sorry for blowing up your notifications with all the likes but you’re hitting the nail on the head. Injuries are not the excuse for the total ineptitude we see night in night out. Are injuries to blame for the bad first periods? The bad home record? The disappearing acts of many? I’m sorry but the GM has to build in plans for injuries. If losing Brendan Smith kills your defense corps so badly then what the fvck is your backup plan? Did you really think throwing our young future to the wolves 23 mins a night would go flawlessly and be good for their development? Cmon Fitz… Seriously! Back up plans? With Siegs & Smith out, who do you think should've been put in? Before the season started he traded for Miller as a 7th D. Who do you feel should have played in place of Luke and Simon. Thrown to the Wolves? Also, what contingency "plans" should Fitz have made? Isn't that the point of AHL? (call a substitute up)? We pleasantly found out that Nemec not only handled it well, but also showed he belonged. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 6 minutes ago, vincois said: Seriously! Back up plans? With Siegs & Smith out, who do you think should've been put in? Before the season started he traded for Miller as a 7th D. Who do you feel should have played in place of Luke and Simon. Thrown to the Wolves? Also, what contingency "plans" should Fitz have made? Isn't that the point of AHL? (call a substitute up)? We pleasantly found out that Nemec not only handled it well, but also showed he belonged. Don't forget Hamilton too. I know he wasn't playing well in his own end this year, but that was big loss too. Here's who was here to start the season (asterisks next to guy who have since missed significant time due to injury): Hamilton* Marino Siegs* Luke Miller* Bahl Smith* Nemec (who was promoted ahead of schedule but to his credit didn't have that much left to prove in Utica) Foote (who was more of a "break glass in case of emergency" guy, which unfortunately came into play) Yeah not sure how much more depth Fitz was supposed to have accrued. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devlman Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 (edited) 1 hour ago, vincois said: Seriously! Back up plans? With Siegs & Smith out, who do you think should've been put in? Before the season started he traded for Miller as a 7th D. Who do you feel should have played in place of Luke and Simon. Thrown to the Wolves? Also, what contingency "plans" should Fitz have made? Isn't that the point of AHL? (call a substitute up)? We pleasantly found out that Nemec not only handled it well, but also showed he belonged. Umm, exploring the trade market/waiver wire earlier? And yes, thrown to the wolves. Yes it’s been good to see what they’re capable of, but if you weren’t expecting bumps and big mistakes along the way then you’re not being realistic. For a team with playoff aspirations, sheltering them a bit more would go a long way. The Desimone add has been the only reinforcement and it just arrived. Is Fitz doing what he can? Is he waiting too long? I don’t know. It’s fair to wonder. Edited February 2 by devlman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ButlerBulldog Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 4 hours ago, devlman said: Umm, exploring the trade market/waiver wire earlier? And yes, thrown to the wolves. Yes it’s been good to see what they’re capable of, but if you weren’t expecting bumps and big mistakes along the way then you’re not being realistic. For a team with playoff aspirations, sheltering them a bit more would go a long way. The Desimone add has been the only reinforcement and it just arrived. Is Fitz doing what he can? Is he waiting too long? I don’t know. It’s fair to wonder. I don’t agree with this logic, as quality players generally don’t become available until closer to the trade deadline, when teams who’ve realized they’re out of contention start shopping veterans to organizations looking to add for the stretch drive. There’s no guarantee that Fitz would’ve found better options had he elected to make a move sooner. For all we know, he may have been looking but wasn’t comfortable with the asking price for certain players or otherwise didn’t find anything to his liking. We’re all frustrated by what has, to this point, been a disappointing season, but it’s unrealistic to expect Fitz to pull a rabbit out of his hat and unfair to think rushing into a trade would’ve been a better alternative than giving young players a chance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devlman Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 50 minutes ago, ButlerBulldog said: I don’t agree with this logic, as quality players generally don’t become available until closer to the trade deadline, when teams who’ve realized they’re out of contention start shopping veterans to organizations looking to add for the stretch drive. There’s no guarantee that Fitz would’ve found better options had he elected to make a move sooner. For all we know, he may have been looking but wasn’t comfortable with the asking price for certain players or otherwise didn’t find anything to his liking. We’re all frustrated by what has, to this point, been a disappointing season, but it’s unrealistic to expect Fitz to pull a rabbit out of his hat and unfair to think rushing into a trade would’ve been a better alternative than giving young players a chance. That’s fine to view it that way. Again, we don’t know what Fitz has done. We do know Brendan Smith was our 6th dman and Colin Miller was the next man up. To me, that’s asking for trouble. But if your view is that the depth was adequately solved by Fitz, then there can be no complaints when Lindy says ‘injuries’ over and over as the excuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ButlerBulldog Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 2 hours ago, devlman said: That’s fine to view it that way. Again, we don’t know what Fitz has done. We do know Brendan Smith was our 6th dman and Colin Miller was the next man up. To me, that’s asking for trouble. But if your view is that the depth was adequately solved by Fitz, then there can be no complaints when Lindy says ‘injuries’ over and over as the excuse. I don’t agree with this reasoning either, as the two scenarios aren’t mutually exclusive. That a team has adequate depth doesn’t mean it won’t be affected by injuries, particularly if said injuries necessitate players missing significant numbers of games and/or healthy players filling roles to which their less accustomed on a long-term basis. Depth can certainly slow declines in a team’s collective performance, but even the deepest roster will eventually feel the effects of attrition over time. In any case, I see roster construction and injuries as less serious problems than the lack of leadership provided by and preparation facilitated by the Devils’ head coach and don’t believe any group of players assembled by Fitz will reach its full potential until Lindy is ousted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lateralous Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 3 hours ago, devlman said: That’s fine to view it that way. Again, we don’t know what Fitz has done. We do know Brendan Smith was our 6th dman and Colin Miller was the next man up. To me, that’s asking for trouble. But if your view is that the depth was adequately solved by Fitz, then there can be no complaints when Lindy says ‘injuries’ over and over as the excuse. In a salary cap world, I’m not sure you can really prepare for the number of injuries we’ve sustained on the back end this year. The lineup @Colorado Rockies 1976 outlined from the beginning of the season seemed like a pretty reasonable way to start the season. Besides, with those 7 and Nemec waiting in the wings, there probably wasn’t a lot of additional 5-6 level guys willing to sign with us due to the lack of opportunity. Short of the crazy level of injuries we actually sustained, they probably foresaw the lack of available ice time and that they would be in the pressbox most nights. As to the last point, I think injuries are absolutely a significant reason we haven’t done better this year but I also think Lindy hasn’t done much to overcome them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 This guy is predicting we land Fleury https://thehockeynews.com/news/post-nhl-all-star-break-predictions-could-big-trades-and-playoff-upsets-happen-in-the-east?fbclid=IwAR1zry4GXM7l_0YLleBQn46HsfOsyblMGhI1SQ6mG1jt_HuPK2Xy13hnJpg_aem_AUkd4ERYd2eeoTJH1sXQpfHRvXH_8d45MnT_pZk1-ngGVfLTsMlzSyaFYqV4Mh84unY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lateralous Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 33 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said: This guy is predicting we land Fleury https://thehockeynews.com/news/post-nhl-all-star-break-predictions-could-big-trades-and-playoff-upsets-happen-in-the-east?fbclid=IwAR1zry4GXM7l_0YLleBQn46HsfOsyblMGhI1SQ6mG1jt_HuPK2Xy13hnJpg_aem_AUkd4ERYd2eeoTJH1sXQpfHRvXH_8d45MnT_pZk1-ngGVfLTsMlzSyaFYqV4Mh84unY I would do that. I think he’s a perfect short term fix at a reasonable cost 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 5 minutes ago, Lateralous said: I would do that. I think he’s a perfect short term fix at a reasonable cost 💯 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Ottawa Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Absolutely not. He's brutal in playoffs. Unless all we care about is making playoffs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsfan118 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 1 hour ago, MadDog2020 said: This guy is predicting we land Fleury https://thehockeynews.com/news/post-nhl-all-star-break-predictions-could-big-trades-and-playoff-upsets-happen-in-the-east?fbclid=IwAR1zry4GXM7l_0YLleBQn46HsfOsyblMGhI1SQ6mG1jt_HuPK2Xy13hnJpg_aem_AUkd4ERYd2eeoTJH1sXQpfHRvXH_8d45MnT_pZk1-ngGVfLTsMlzSyaFYqV4Mh84unY No way MAF would want to come here to a fringe playoff team. He's got, what, maybe one or two more years after this? Unless the devils are the only option available to him I don't see it. I don't mean to sound like I'm sh!tting on our team here, but I just don't think it's the right fit. It's got to be contender or bust for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 33 minutes ago, Lateralous said: I would do that. I think he’s a perfect short term fix at a reasonable cost FWIW, he has a .912 save% over his last 14 appearances. Not bad. 21 minutes ago, Rob_Ottawa said: Absolutely not. He's brutal in playoffs. Unless all we care about is making playoffs He had some rough playoffs in the past, but that stretch was over 10 years ago. He’s been tagged with the “Sucks in the playoffs!” label more than he really should be. He did figure into two Cups for Pittsburgh (he notched another ring there as well, but didn’t really play much in the playoffs for that one). What sucks is that I don’t know how much MAF can overcome the rest of the issues we’ve seen. Goaltending has been a problem this season but not THE problem. There’s company there and blame to go around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RizzMB30 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said: FWIW, he has a .912 save% over his last 14 appearances. Not bad. He had some rough playoffs in the past, but that stretch was over 10 years ago. He’s been tagged with the “Sucks in the playoffs!” label more than he really should be. He did figure into two Cups for Pittsburgh (he notched another ring there as well, but didn’t really play much in the playoffs for that one). What sucks is that I don’t know how much MAF can overcome the rest of the issues we’ve seen. Goaltending has been a problem this season but not THE problem. There’s company there and blame to go around. I think if you can bring him in as a 3rd goalie as an option. It might only cost some draft picks, he has familiarity with Fitz due to proximity to Shero I would bet. If we have playoffs and we have VV and Daws as the two goalies still, I think having MAF waiting in the wings like Vegas did with Quick last year is a great move. I would fully expect MAF to get in games once 1 of those two falter. VV, Daws, and Schmid combined games played don't even compare to MAF's total experience. He's great in the locker room. I think it could be the kind of small move that doesn't make a huge impact on the ice right away, but would be huge winner to have in the locker room, like Palat and Toffs. Roster limit should get lifted eventually and I think at this point, teams are foolish not to be carrying at least 3 capable goalies into the playoffs. Edited February 3 by RizzMB30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Ottawa Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said: FWIW, he has a .912 save% over his last 14 appearances. Not bad. He had some rough playoffs in the past, but that stretch was over 10 years ago. He’s been tagged with the “Sucks in the playoffs!” label more than he really should be. He did figure into two Cups for Pittsburgh (he notched another ring there as well, but didn’t really play much in the playoffs for that one). What sucks is that I don’t know how much MAF can overcome the rest of the issues we’ve seen. Goaltending has been a problem this season but not THE problem. There’s company there and blame to go around. He literally cost Vegas the series against Montreal in the playoffs like 2 years ago, which is also the last time he was depended on in the playoffs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.