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2023-2024 NJ Devils season thread


MadDog2020

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32 minutes ago, 2ELIAS6 said:

Which is weird because he started out phenomenal, have to wonder if he’s struggling. The biggest thing I can’t believe is how Meier turned out this far. I want to love the guy so bad he just doesn’t seem to bring much. Highest paid player on the team and he looks like nothing more than a third liner. 

That's my biggest disappointment of the season, right up there with the defense and goaltending as a whole.  But for individual performances, it's Meier.  Dude has brought next to nothing. When he's out there on the ice it looks like a mere formality - forget about scoring or even creating chances, the way he skates is depressing.  When he has the puck, the dude has one move: skate into the zone wide near the boards, shoulder dipped, and try a power move into the slot, which rarely works and isn't even a great scoring opportunity in general. When he doesn't have the puck, he's invisible.  

I was really hoping he would be a big asset on the Powerplay too, but he hasn't even taken advantage of that either.  Can't score 5 on 5, can't score 5 on 4. 

Edited by NJDfan1711
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5 minutes ago, NJDfan1711 said:

That's my biggest disappointment of the season, right up there with the defense and goaltending as a whole.  But for individual performances, it's Meier.  Dude has brought next to nothing. When he's out there on the ice it looks like a mere formality - forget about scoring or even creating chances, the way he skates is depressing.  When he has the puck, the dude has one move: skate into the zone wide near the boards, shoulder dipped, and try a power move into the slot, which rarely works and isn't even a great scoring opportunity in general. When he doesn't have the puck, he's invisible.  

I was really hoping he would be a big asset on the Powerplay too, but he hasn't even taken advantage of that either.  Can't score 5 on 5, can't score 5 on 4. 

Out PP has looked absolutely horrible, another piece I don’t understand. I guess brunette played a role in that but I was at the game last night watching in person and the power play is irrelevant to this team. I’m sure you saw, they went out and banged in that shorty and then the pp comes along and it’s almost like they looked better short handed. At the end of last season I was so excited for this season, went out ordered a new authentic jersey for this year and it’s just deflating. Hughes seemed irrelevant last night as well, I know it’s only his first game back and I’m not worried about him but this whole team just isn’t producing on ice what they look like they should be on paper. 

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31 minutes ago, 2ELIAS6 said:

Out PP has looked absolutely horrible, another piece I don’t understand. I guess brunette played a role in that but I was at the game last night watching in person and the power play is irrelevant to this team. I’m sure you saw, they went out and banged in that shorty and then the pp comes along and it’s almost like they looked better short handed. At the end of last season I was so excited for this season, went out ordered a new authentic jersey for this year and it’s just deflating. Hughes seemed irrelevant last night as well, I know it’s only his first game back and I’m not worried about him but this whole team just isn’t producing on ice what they look like they should be on paper. 

Agreed. I always wonder how much of an impact previous coaching staff members had on a team when they're gone and the team seems to have regressed without them. Especially since the team as a whole is largely unchanged and consists of the same personnel. 

Also, even though the team is still mostly the same, there have been a few notable changes and I also wonder if chemistry is a bigger thing than we give it credit for. Look who we lost last year, Severson, Graves, Wood. I'm sure I'm missing one or two more.  And look who's new.... Toffoli, Luke, Nemec, William, Lazar, Tierney.  Hell, even Meier and Holtz are still technically kinda new to the group. That's nearly 8 guys who have played together for about half a season. Close to half the team. 

Part of me thinks the reason why Fitz is sitting on his hands is because he still considers this team on the rise and very much in the middle of still learning to gel together. And I think for the rest of us, at least I know I'm personally guilty of this, we tend to be pretty impatient and we saw the success of last year and think that the team should only be moving forward, with basically a Stanley Cup in sight. 

Edited by NJDfan1711
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With Jack back, I'm not overly concerned about the PP. It might not have played out in the results last night but Jack ranks 1st in the league in on-ice goals for per hour among all players with at least 100 minutes on the PP this season. Jack is the straw the stirs the drink on the PP, just give it time.

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40 minutes ago, nmigliore said:

With Jack back, I'm not overly concerned about the PP. It might not have played out in the results last night but Jack ranks 1st in the league in on-ice goals for per hour among all players with at least 100 minutes on the PP this season. Jack is the straw the stirs the drink on the PP, just give it time.

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Lindy also stirs the drink, but he only stirs it bad.

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2 hours ago, 2ELIAS6 said:

Which is weird because he started out phenomenal, have to wonder if he’s struggling. The biggest thing I can’t believe is how Meier turned out this far. I want to love the guy so bad he just doesn’t seem to bring much. Highest paid player on the team and he looks like nothing more than a third liner. 

I’ll give Timo a bit of a pass because he’s supposedly hurt but honestly a lot of players have regressed that you have to point the finger at coaching. Toffoli also just doesn’t fit this team’s style. He’s one of the slowest players I’ve ever seen that has been a good NHL player. 

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8 hours ago, ButlerBulldog said:

Any Vanecek tribute video must include last night’s bizarre sequence in which he ended up flopping against the boards halfway between his net and the blue line.

The goal he gave up earlier this season where he wasn’t even facing the right direction has to be on there, too. They can play the Benny Hill music during it. 

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Issac Poulter with a shutout for Utica tonight. Kid has been the best goalie the Devils currently have in North America for a while now. At this point send Vanecek down and give him a shot. If someone claims Vitek, good? 

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1 hour ago, jagknife said:

The drink is actually an empty bowl, the spoon is actually junk mail, lindy is on his couch and he has no clue how he got there

He has no clue how he got there, but he’ll probably just blame Holtz.

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In Key West right now…didn’t get to see Thursday’s game and won’t get to see tonight’s.  I’m finding it harder and harder to feel emotional about the 2023-24 Devils because it feels like at this point, they simply are what they are…a .500-ish team that will occasionally tease a run to solidify a playoff berth, only to fvck it up.  

I think they should be better (even with the injuries), but as long as Fitz isn’t going to address anything at all, I can’t really expect much to change.  At least Jack is back…hope he finds his A game relatively soon, because he’s as entertaining as it gets when he’s fully on.

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It’s not Lindy.  It’s the goaltending. Has been all year. 
 

Clear as day to anyone and everyone without an ax to grind. 

It is truly immaterial who the coach is when you have minor league play day in and day out at that position. Even Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl with Troy Aikman (while a Troy-less Jimmy Johnson didn’t even come close in Miami). 
 

if you don’t believe me because I’ve only been pointing this out since May, then listen to them. 
 

 

Edited by smelly
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32 minutes ago, smelly said:

It’s not Lindy.  It’s the goaltending. Has been all year. 
 

Clear as day to anyone and everyone without an ax to grind. 

It is truly immaterial who the coach is when you have minor league play day in and day out at that position. Even Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl with Troy Aikman (while a Troy-less Jimmy Johnson didn’t even come close in Miami). 
 

if you don’t believe me because I’ve only been pointing this out since May, then listen to them. 
 

 

Rhetoric of this sort, smelly, is why so many on this board are dismissive of you.

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56 minutes ago, smelly said:

It’s not Lindy.  It’s the goaltending. Has been all year. 
 

Clear as day to anyone and everyone without an ax to grind. 

It is truly immaterial who the coach is when you have minor league play day in and day out at that position. Even Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl with Troy Aikman (while a Troy-less Jimmy Johnson didn’t even come close in Miami). 
 

if you don’t believe me because I’ve only been pointing this out since May, then listen to them. 
 

 

It’s a message board. Don’t be so sensitive. You yourself are clearly not above the sarcastic comments when it comes to Lindy. I see your last classy rhetoric on that subject basically suggested he was senile.  Funny to some, perhaps. But no platform for any holier than thou finger wagging IMO. I at least don’t throw ad hominem darts at other people like you just did.  

Anyway, dismiss me all you want. Definitely plausible. 
 

But the substance is undeniable unless you bury your head in the ground like an ostrich. 
 

 

 

 

 

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14 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

The goalies and Ruff both suck 

This more or less summarizes my feelings, but jettisoning Ruff is easier than finding a goalie more serviceable than Daws or Vanecek (or Schmid, for that matter), hence my recent focus on his coaching as opposed to their play.

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20 minutes ago, devlman said:

Fitz is closer and closer to being added to the suck list the more he neglects our goaltending.

I’ve come to the realization there obviously aren’t any moves to be made atleast reasonable ones at this point. Teams know the deal and they’re all looking to cash in. Now if you’re talking about the choice of who is in net currently, yea i dont know… that’s what the coach gets paid to decide I guess. 

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