DevilMinder Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 1 hour ago, jagknife said: he’s going nowhere. For fvcks sake wake up and smell the coffee Yea that does not ring of a pending coach change. Crappppp. Going to need Saint Jack to save this season with a full team bounce back. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 I’m pretty on the fence about extending Toffoli to a multi-year deal tbh. Need to see how he does the 2nd half of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 4 hours ago, NJDfan1711 said: Wasn't Marty President of Hockey Ops, or something similar? I think he was just an “advisor” to hockey ops or some such. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevils1214 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 5 minutes ago, Nicomo said: I think he was just an “advisor” to hockey ops or some such. I seem to remember his title implying more involvement with the business side of things and not so much the hockey operation directly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 4 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said: I seem to remember his title implying more involvement with the business side of things and not so much the hockey operation directly. That was his first role with the team - Executive VP of Business Development. The hockey ops thing came a couple years later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 21 minutes ago, Nicomo said: I’m pretty on the fence about extending Toffoli to a multi-year deal tbh. Need to see how he does the 2nd half of the season. Same. He’ll probably wind up with 30+ goals this year for the second straight time, but I get the feeling when his decline comes, it’ll be swift. No more than two years, though I’d prefer one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 1 minute ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said: Same. He’ll probably wind up with 30+ goals this year for the second straight time, but I get the feeling when his decline comes, it’ll be swift. No more than two years, though I’d prefer one. Yeah, and I don’t think he’d take one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) 1 minute ago, Nicomo said: Yeah, and I don’t think he’d take one. Yeah one ain’t gettin it done for sure. But some other team can take the risk signing him for 3+. I max out at two. Edited January 24 by Colorado Rockies 1976 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevils1214 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 29 minutes ago, Nicomo said: That was his first role with the team - Executive VP of Business Development. The hockey ops thing came a couple years later. Ah, I am behind in the times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitico12 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 For an owner to give a GM a mid-season contract extension, there may be tactical reasons related to this beyond this season that required Blitzer to think ahead or else risk losing some value down the line. First, it's down to economics. On the open market, perhaps Fitz will command a large pay raise by a desperate club. By signing him now, Blitzer hedges future wages by signing at a more team-friendly deal, while at the same time guaranteeing the most essential front-office position is locked up. Secondly, was Fitzy up for renewal at the end of the season? If so, then I'm guessing Blitzer wanted to get a lock on Fitzgerald or else risk losing him AND whoever is loyal to him. No time to go through an interview process at season's end, especially with the draft needing to be planned for. Thirdly, perhaps future-thinking Fitzgerald has names of players that he can coax into coming to NJ, we're talking big names, and so signing him could ensure that Fitzy keeps working on those leads to help stabilize the future team. He may also have an "inside connection" to a future coach of NJ, with that coach's services only being guaranteed if Fitz is at the helm of the team. Fourthly, there may be buzz around the building about the team's front-office's lack of performance. The team is underperforming this year - and nothing worse than to be at the center of all the rumors that this or that may get "axed." What way to quash those rumors is to give your lead guy an extension - just like they gave Ruff an extension at the beginning of the year. In the end, it's a business. Guys like Blitzer could care less if the Devils win the Stanley Cup. It would be a bonus for them, but not essential. What's essential is creating value for the team, raising its worth, and ensuring the bottom line is in the black. Blitzer wouldn't know the difference of a boomerang and a hockey stick if Gretzky were to give him a personal lesson on the two himself. Who we kidding. He and his partners are worried about $$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) I don't think Fitz was ever in danger of leaving, or at all interested in seeking other opportunities. This is a perfect place to work as an NHL GM, if you think about it: 1) Non-meddlesome owners who don't pretend to be hockey people and allow Fitz to spend on players as needed. 2) Fitz generally likes this area to the point where he makes it a part of his sales pitch to either bring in or keep players. 3) He doesn't have to deal with nearly the level of press and media attention that other markets do. On another track, I think we'd all agree that Fitz is a competent and intelligent guy...so why the hell is he so firmly in Ruff's corner? I decided to attempt to get inside Fitz's head to try to figure that out. To be fair, GM's have issued votes of confidence before, only to rescind them relatively quickly; that being said, based on what Fitz said yesterday, I genuinely believe he still feels that Ruff is his man, and that we shouldn't expect a change anytime soon. If asked directly and without GM-speak filters, here's how I think Fitz would defend keeping him: "The team finished last season with a franchise-record 112 points and came back down 2-0 against the Rangers to win an important series. Technically we weren't even all-in last season. THEY were. And WE beat THEM!" "The goalies have not played up to last season's level; not even close. Our best player has missed 13 games total and he's still not back yet; Timo also missed 13 games, and is only now starting to look more like himself. My top two centers have already missed 24 games. Our top defenseman who scored 22 goals last season and is a PP and OT beast could very well miss the rest of the regular season. And let's not forget all of the other guys who've missed time; yet here we are firmly in the wild card chase, and we only figure to get better once these guys start to trickle back into the lineup. What's he done that's so terrible? It's not like we've fallen off a cliff here!" I also think based on past quotes, Fitz is a guy more likely to hold his roster accountable over his coach...well, THIS coach, anyway. I think he truly believes that the players are more to blame for the more shaky and frustrating moments. My beef still remains the same: the lack of a real system and the same mistakes cropping up again and again, with no signs of being solved. Right now it looks like Devils are trying to win solely on pure effort, talent, and by winning 4-3 and 5-4 types of games, with not enough coaching and guidance. Will that keep working? As the Devils get healthier, will we see some of the more notable issues finally start to correct themselves? Obviously we're gonna find out, with Lindy having a firm hand on the reigns. Edited January 25 by Colorado Rockies 1976 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) I find it hard to believe Fitz was on a lame-duck deal for this long, especially after last year. Especially after the head coach got an extension this offseason too. They weren't gonna let Tom give Lindy an extension and be cool with letting his contract status play out, especially since he would be sought after if he were a free agent. Edited January 24 by NJDevs4978 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muevelos Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Saying Lindy is the same coach he was 10 years ago, in today's NHL isn't actually a good thing imo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 26 minutes ago, Muevelos said: Saying Lindy is the same coach he was 10 years ago, in today's NHL isn't actually a good thing imo. Heh heh I was thinking the same thing when I read that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 1 hour ago, Muevelos said: Saying Lindy is the same coach he was 10 years ago, in today's NHL isn't actually a good thing imo. 💯 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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