DaneykoIsGod Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Even if this season does end disappointingly, one thing cannot be denied ... Paul Martin has been phenomenal! Coming into this season, a lot of people feared the loss of Brian Rafalski. While his loss certainly hurt our depth on the blue line, I firmly believe that Martin has emerged as a far better defenseman than Raf. He's the ONLY player on the team who I'm confident won't make a mistake when he has the puck (unlike Raf who, despite all he brought to this team, was Mr. Turnover). His calm demeanor and coolness under pressure sometimes make it easy to overlook him, but at the same time give him the qualities that I want to see on this roster for a very very long time. We're spoiled in the fact that we've had the likes of Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer, and those two players cast huge shadows over any blueliner who will ever wear the Devils sweater. But Martin displays some of the qualities that made those two guys great. He is a stalwart in his own end, rarely making a mistake and rarely getting caught out of position. He makes everyone who plays with him better (See Oduya, Johnny) and he leads by example without being a rah-rah kind of guy. These can be considered very Stevens-esque qualities. At the same time, he has a deceivingly effortless-looking stride and is the only player I trust to always make a quality first pass. At times he shows flashes of end-to-end skill, a kind of "put it all on me and let's see what happens" brand of talent and confidence. He doesn't have the same wheels as Nieds (who does?), but he's got a lot of his tools. The best thing about Martin is that he's been improving by leaps and bounds over the last two seasons. He can still improve his game as a power play point man, although he has already gotten a lot better at it, and he's also been stepping up his physical play as of late. With his increasing role and rising confidence, one has to believe that the sky is the limit with him. There were points this season where I truly believed he looked like a captain out there, and maybe a C is in his future. I just hope that, should that day come, he's still a Devil. This guy is freakin GOOD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britoon Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Well said, Martin is oft overlooked but there is a reason why he is our number 1 D man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Martin really gets overlooked because he is rarely flashy and has a weak shot. In all other aspects he's been above-average. The Devils locking he and Zach Parise up to the deals they did is just great for New Jersey now and in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylbert Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Well said,Martin is oft overlooked but there is a reason why he is our number 1 D man. Because we haven't drafted, traded or signed a better one? I'm a big fan of Martin, but unfortunately, we need him to step up even more, or we need to get a bona-fide #1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 triumph hit it on the head - he's not flashy, he's just solid. that does get overlooked. that being said, he is not enough of a horse to be able to allow the devils to carry AHL defensemen on their roster like they have with Mottau. That's where a guy like Neidermayer, Pronger, Phaneuf, Lidstrom carry the real weight. they can be leaned on to hide deficiencies. i will say that if he cashed in on his inspector undresser move last night when he went through 3 guys, it would be the highlight of the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
American_Psycho Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I agree, Martin is most definitely the keystone for our defense, along with Oduya. If Oduya shows consistency and plays like how he has since December for awhile, we'll have at least two guys to build around for the future. Martin, who eats up ice time and plays a well rounded game, and Oduya who has some potential to become a legitimate point threat on the offense and PP. Consistency is the issue, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theamazingtiny Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Don't want to be a negative nelly but...tripped on the finish line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Devil Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Martin's stats don't tell how good he's been offensively this year. Pretty much all of his hard work to move to puck up doesn't get cashed in like it would on most teams. He should have a lot more assists. Martin sees the ice much better then any other defenseman on this team and he's absolutely solid on defense. He's come a very long way in 4 or so seasons. That said we do need a number one defensemen on this team. However there are none that are on the market that are of the type we need this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njskaguy33 Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 (edited) Because we haven't drafted, traded or signed a better one? I'm a big fan of Martin, but unfortunately, we need him to step up even more, or we need to get a bona-fide #1. IMO, we don't need a "better" d-man...we need a different one. Martin does alot of things well and rarely makes mistakes...what the team needs is someone who can QB the powerplay and contribute to the transitional game. Give us that d-man and we are a much better team. Edited April 17, 2008 by Bulletproof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brodeurrocks Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Martin has impressed me this year. I would like to see him elevate his play to the next level and enter the offensive rush a bit more. Something we lack so badly with the departure of Rafalski. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaneykoIsGod Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 There was one series last night that really summed it all up for me. We were struggling to get the puck out of our zone (as usual) with Martin and Oduya back and the Elias, Langs, Parise line up front. Oduya would get pressured by the forecheck into making quick decisions ... usually passing to Martin. Martin would calmly spin around one Ranger or deke around another and make a crisp pass to one of the forwards. The forwards would then inevitably fumble the puck, turn it over, and the Rangers would dump it in. The puck would be back with Martin and he'd again find a way to avoid the forecheck and make another crisp pass, and the receiving forward would again fumble, turn it over, and the Rags would dump it in. This happened three or four times for the entire shift. There are times (sometimes more than others) where Martin seems like the only Devil who doesn't have a hole in his stick. He's the only one I trust with the puck right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils26 Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 (edited) Don't want to be a negative nelly but...tripped on the finish line. Judging by your last 30 posts, I think you actually do want to be a negative nelly. Edited April 17, 2008 by devils26 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.