2023-2024 NJ Devils season thread

[ButlerBulldog]

4 minutes ago, ringtwins said:

Whos farooquin team is this ? Nicos? Jack? Ruffs? Anyone?

My thoughts exactly.  All the above quotes point to the same issue, that is, a lack of leadership from this team’s alleged leaders.  I’m willing to give Nico something of a pass because he’s missed time due to injury and hasn’t had the opportunity to be around the rest of the team until recently, and his is hardly the only voice that matters.

Of the remaining players, only Jack seems genuinely upset by the Devils’ struggles.  The rest are just spouting cliches, likely because they know they won’t be held accountable for mistakes by Lindy, his coaches, or the team’s veteran players.  It’s disgusting.

[RizzMB30]

54 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

What a mess. 

 

Pretty spot on assessment by Haula. It's difficult to give the media the long quote on a struggling team. Hopefully DET was rock-bottom. We need team defense or this whole this is gonna come crashing down. 

 

The question is if it comes crashing down, does Fitz alter expectations and call it a blown season and try to run it back next year? Fitz has been so patient before and it's paid off. 

[Lateralous]

I don’t use this term lightly but tomorrow feels like the first official “must win” game of the season.  I can’t imagine the narrative if we lose to Columbus.   Honestly, anything less than 3 points this weekend doesn’t cut it.   

[Lateralous]

12 minutes ago, RizzMB30 said:

The question is if it comes crashing down, does Fitz alter expectations and call it a blown season and try to run it back next year? Fitz has been so patient before and it's paid off. 

I’m a big believer in the roster Fitz has constructed.   Almost every move he makes, makes total sense to me.  This should all work…on paper.   IMO, before you make any type of major roster shakeup,  the first bullet has to be the coach 

[NJDevils1214]

7 minutes ago, Lateralous said:

I don’t use this term lightly but tomorrow feels like the first official “must win” game of the season.  I can’t imagine the narrative if we lose to Columbus.   Honestly, anything less than 3 points this weekend doesn’t cut it.   

I don't think the game tomorrow is "must win" in the context of the success of the season. They just need to make the playoffs. If you consider it to be "must win" to prevent some sh!t having to go down, then I agree. If they lose tomorrow then it is official that Fitz needs to do something.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

10 hours ago, ButlerBulldog said:

Play good defense?  What a novel concept.

Perhaps Brendan should take his own advice and actually do his job for once.  Until then, he should just STFU.

I’ve finally found out what Smith is good at:

Stating exactly what needs to be done and then not doing any of it himself.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

So the Devils have gone 1-5-0 in their last six and haven’t looked very good doing it.

There’s another team that went 1-7-1 over a nine-game stretch:  last year’s New Jersey Devils.  All they did was put up 112 points and set the team record for most points in a season.

Really hope these guys can start to turn this damned thing around.  I still feel like the talent is there to do it (especially is Nico and Timo can get back into the lineup).

[SKA1989]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

So the Devils have gone 1-5-0 in their last six and haven’t looked very good doing it.

There’s another team that went 1-7-1 over a nine-game stretch:  last year’s New Jersey Devils.  All they did was put up 112 points and set the team record for most points in a season.

Really hope these guys can start to turn this damned thing around.  I still feel like the talent is there to do it (especially is Nico and Timo can get back into the lineup).

The only difference between that team and this one was that last year's team actually had strong underlying analytics. There simply wasn't puck luck during that stretch. This is not the case now. From lack of effort, to poor defensive zone coverage and poor goaltending, this team is quite different (in all the wrong ways). 

IMO, this all stems from coaching. Until this staff understands that they need to tinker (not completely change) the system given the issues at hand, nothing will really change. They will win on talent (When healthy), NOT because of a strong system. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

6 minutes ago, SKA1989 said:

The only difference between that team and this one was that last year's team actually had strong underlying analytics. There simply wasn't puck luck during that stretch. This is not the case now. From lack of effort, to poor defensive zone coverage and poor goaltending, this team is quite different (in all the wrong ways). 

IMO, this all stems from coaching. Until this staff understands that they need to tinker (not completely change) the system given the issues at hand, nothing will really change. They will win on talent (When healthy), NOT because of a strong system. 

Assuming you’re new to the boards…welcome aboard!

I agree, I do think there are a lot of issues at the moment, and I absolutely think that coaching is a big factor.  I also feel that the Devils are in need of some kind of a shakeup very soon…the team is simply too talented to see this season potentially come apart by the New Year.

[Devilsfan118]

On 11/21/2023 at 8:20 AM, Devilsfan118 said:

So I'm certainly not suggesting the team is out of it completely, but just as a consolation prize as we're likely going to be out of the playoffs at Thanksgiving...

What's this draft looking like? Are they legit talents to be had in the middle of the first round?

Bump.

fvcking disappointing

[Nicomo]

7 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

Bump.

fvcking disappointing

Unbelievable. I never thought they’d completely fall off a cliff like this. Particularly the offense. 

[smelly]

32 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

Unbelievable. I never thought they’d completely fall off a cliff like this. Particularly the offense. 

If they don't turn it around soon (and IMO that will require more than is in the organization at the moment) Fitz is going to find himself confronted with whether to sell off guys like Toffoli come March.

[smelly]

And Mercer will be on a very short term bridge deal next year - I'd guess a one year deal.  After this crash Fitz rightfully won't break the bank on a multiyear deal, and Mercer's reps are unlikely to leave money on the table by signing a lengthier deal coming off of this performance.

Fitz needs to realize that he likely has a little more cap to play around with (insofar as it affects 2024) then he likely previously thought.

 

That's if Dawson is still around of course.

 

HF proposal of Zadorov (50% retained then UFA) and Markstrom (50% retained for remainder of contract, this year and two more) for Mercer and a second.

 

Setting aside how unrealistic I think that is from Calgary's perspective, I might just bite if I were Fitz.  And Mercer was untouchable IMO coming into the season.

Edited November 25, 2023 by smelly

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Man, was I dead wrong in hoping that Lindy might indeed somehow turn out be the right guy for this current Devils team…it turns out that they DO need more of a real taskmaster and someone much more rigid (and less “fun” to play for).

Of greatest concern is that even with Lindy’s many warts, it felt like his teams always at least gave a serious effort most nights.  Now it’s starting to look like he doesn’t even have that going for him.

Couple that with the fact that he appears to be incapable of having his team prepared to play out of the gate game after game after game…either he’s incapable of getting his message across or implementing game plans, or his players are flat-out no longer responding to him.  But either way, it’s time for a change.

[ButlerBulldog]

Much of what we’ve been saying is echoed herein by the NHL Network.  Why are the Devils’ problems obvious to everyone but their coach?

[smelly]

29 minutes ago, ButlerBulldog said:

Much of what we’ve been saying is echoed herein by the NHL Network.  Why are the Devils’ problems obvious to everyone but their coach?

"Not scoring 5 on 5."

"Can't play D, can't get a save."

Yup, that about nails it.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Safe to say that it’s gut-check time for Fitz too.

To be VERY clear, there is a LOT that I like about Fitz.  He’s made a lot of good personnel moves, both as a buyer AND a seller.  I think we were all impressed with how he was able to spread the wealth, in retaining both Bratt and Timo for the long-term.  Of course he did bank on VV and Schmid being an extremely cost-effective tandem again, and given that VV has basically been solidly average for his career overall and that Schmid had showed promise, I understood the gamble at the time.

And though I’ve seen some revisionism here and there, the room was NOT there to keep Seves and/or Graves, and one of their intended replacements is already here, and the other will be fairly soon.  The right move was to bring in a stopgap, and that’s exactly what Fitz did.

BUT, Fitz can no longer get away with “Oh well, Plan A didn’t work, guess we’ll see how things go next year!”  Even when it was aggravating to see in past seasons, there were reasons to go that route.  Not now…this season can’t become some passive “oh well, at least we’ll get a nice pick” acceptance.

I get why Lindy got the job initially; he had considerable experience, and the Devils’ HC gig at that time wasn’t exactly highly in demand.  And yeah, he was there for the Devils’ record-setting 112-point season, so it’s easy to assume that he had a lot to do with that.

But I think it’s become incredibly obvious that Lindy has taken the Devils as far as he possibly can.  He’s just far too limited in what he’s able to do, in terms of making adjustments and attempting to correct glaring issues.  It even appears that his players are no longer responding to him.

So for once Fitz, you’re gonna have to make some kind of move in-season…and not just at the deadline or offseason.  The answer is not behind the bench, and “There’s always next year” or “We need to be patient” is no longer acceptable.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[jagknife]

Hell, don’t forget he also punted Mercer contract talks a season to make sure the kid could reproduce the magic he had last year before handing him any contract, and so far that looks to have been very smart. 4 points in just under a quarter of a season is unacceptable from a guy who going into the summer was pretty much untouchable and a lock for the top 6.

But this loyalty to Ruff when it is crystal clear a shakeup MUST happen before we absolutely piss away one of the most talented lineups we’ve had in a freaking decade. Fire Ruff, trade Palat, do SOMETHING about the defense, (NOT condemning a 2 GAA outing by any means) or address the goaltending.

Do something to stem the tide cause the ONLY thing that was consistent was the offense/power play and now even that is gone for now.

Big fvcking shocker, other teams adjusted, yet the coaches have them doing the same. Exact. Thing. Every. Single. Game. And not even with speed nor effort, THAT is coaching and a heart issue. 

If Fitz keeps sitting on his hands, they should start to feel awfully warm if he sticks with LindyQuo

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Also fair to keep in mind that Fitz did get a nice break when Gaudreau decided to sign with Columbus instead of here.

re:  Palat, he’s untradable at his hit and level of performance.  With him, gotta hope for the best.  What else can they really do with him?

I’ve seen some call for Dougie to be healthy-scratched, and sadly it might indeed be time for that, even if it’s only for one game.  Solid point total aside, he’s been awful for much of this season.

[RunninWithTheDevil]

I blame my "season predictions" thread

[Lateralous]

3 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

BUT, Fitz can no longer get away with “Oh well, Plan A didn’t work, guess we’ll see how things go next year!”  Even when it was aggravating to see in past seasons, there were reasons to go that route.  Not now…this season can’t become some passive “oh well, at least we’ll get a nice pick” acceptance.

 

3 hours ago, jagknife said:

But this loyalty to Ruff when it is crystal clear a shakeup MUST happen before we absolutely piss away one of the most talented lineups we’ve had in a freaking decade. Fire Ruff, trade Palat, do SOMETHING about the defense, (NOT condemning a 2 GAA outing by any means) or address the goaltending.

Re: Fitz and his loyalty to Ruff

I don't feel like this is anywhere close to the Shero/Hynes blind loyalty thing YET.   Tomorrow if you're going with an interim coach, or after the Sharks game for a full staff change when you have 3 days off, is the first time Fitz could realistically fire Lindy since he made the choice to stick with him for the '22-'23 season (After game 2 last season was never going to happen).  While I don't think he's the greatest gameday coach, I haven't necessarily been on the "Fire Lindy" bandwagon until these last two games which changed everything for me.   The entire group looks like they are dejected and out of answers.   If they can't find a way to get 2 points tonight (fire him tomorrow) AND at least 6 points this week in 4 winnable games before leaving for the West coast, then I think Fitz needs to pull the plug and I will have him on the clock to do something. 

As for a shakeup trade or acquiring another goalie that others have mentioned, those things don't happen on demand.  You need to have a dance partner.  If things don't change starting tonight, the first move has to be the coach.  This roster is too good not to see if someone else can get significantly more out of them.      

Edited November 25, 2023 by Lateralous

[ringtwins]

This team needs to watch that flyers effort against the rags. Thats what i want to see, even in a loss.

[Satans Hockey]

4 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Safe to say that it’s gut-check time for Fitz too.

To be VERY clear, there is a LOT that I like about Fitz.  He’s made a lot of good personnel moves, both as a buyer AND a seller.  I think we were all impressed with how he was able to spread the wealth, in retaining both Bratt and Timo for the long-term.  Of course he did bank on VV and Schmid being an extremely cost-effective tandem again, and given that VV has basically been solidly average for his career overall and that Schmid had showed promise, I understood the gamble at the time.

And though I’ve seen some revisionism here and there, the room was NOT there to keep Seves and/or Graves, and one of their intended replacements is already here, and the other will be fairly soon.  The right move was to bring in a stopgap, and that’s exactly what Fitz did.

BUT, Fitz can no longer get away with “Oh well, Plan A didn’t work, guess we’ll see how things go next year!”  Even when it was aggravating to see in past seasons, there were reasons to go that route.  Not now…this season can’t become some passive “oh well, at least we’ll get a nice pick” acceptance.

I get why Lindy got the job initially; he had considerable experience, and the Devils’ HC gig at that time wasn’t exactly highly in demand.  And yeah, he was there for the Devils’ record-setting 112-point season, so it’s easy to assume that he had a lot to do with that.

But I think it’s become incredibly obvious that Lindy has taken the Devils as far as he possibly can.  He’s just far too limited in what he’s able to do, in terms of making adjustments and attempting to correct glaring issues.  It even appears that his players are no longer responding to him.

So for once Fitz, you’re gonna have to make some kind of move in-season…and not just at the deadline or offseason.  The answer is not behind the bench, and “There’s always next year” or “We need to be patient” is no longer acceptable.

I think Lindy's leash is a bit longer simply because of the injuries. They still shouldn't be playing this bad without Nico and Timo but once those 2 come back there are no more excuses. 

[MadDog2020]

 

[MadDog2020]