I reiterate... Sutter is useless

[Daniel]

The guy fancies himself as a disciplinarian, yet all I see is the team taking stupid penalties. And the one he names captain is the primary offender. Apparently all of his motivational exercises have had zero effect. Now he's just a coach who yells a lot with nobody listening.

The injury excuse won't cut it either so far as I'm concerned. You show me an undisciplined team, and I'll show you a team that's going nowhere, regardless of the talent or lack thereof.

[hattrick]

The guy fancies himself as a disciplinarian, yet all I see is the team taking stupid penalties. And the one he names captain is the primary offender. Apparently all of his motivational exercises have had zero effect. Now he's just a coach who yells a lot with nobody listening.

The injury excuse won't cut it either so far as I'm concerned. You show me an undisciplined team, and I'll show you a team that's going nowhere, regardless of the talent or lack thereof.

DISAGREE!!! this is a minor league team.

Edited November 13, 2008 by hattrick

[Prucenterrules]

He needs to send a message to them to make them stop taking stupid penalties.

[sundstrom]

He needs to send a message to them to make them stop taking stupid penalties.

He could start by sitting Cap'n Hook for a period after his next stupid one.

In all seriousness, there is only so much a coach can do. He has put in a more aggressive forecheck but he can't turn guys with hands of stone into scorers. The best he can do it put players in a position to maximize their chances and to whatever extent a hockey coach can, manage the game.

tonight vs. the rangers, there was one chance for him to really manage the game. after drury's goal to put NYR up 2, he absolutely should have called a time out. the rangers were flying up to that point. they scored on the 5 on 3 and drury came shortly thereafter. he could've settled them down but did not. instead he put out Leach and Brookbank and the Rangers quickly scored another to end the game right there.

i understand lou likes this team in his image and sutter is the personification of that - which is to say he has ZERO personality. i don't think he's a great pro coach - i think he's fine.

that being said, he is not going anywhere anytime soon.

[HockeyR53]

You know, half of Lowell is hear already. Call ujp the rest; trade all the supposed NHLers(Minus Parise) for a sh!tload of draftpicks.

[Mitico12]

DISAGREE!!! this is a minor league team.

I wish it were a minor league team. Patrick Davis, Niklas Bergfors, and Petr Vrana actually had a decent showing against Edmonton, and what does this schmuck do...

Sends Davis back to Lowell...scratches Bergfors, and plays Vrana for warm-ups and a few inconsquential minutes of the game...

Go ahead Sutter, put your faith in Mike Rupp, David Clarkson, and Danius Zubrus...they've proven so much...

Give me a break...what a crock...

[Triumph]

re: a timeout -

there was a TV timeout after drury's 2nd goal. that seems kind of silly to waste your time out that way.

[HellOnICE]

I criticized Sutter all game tonight especially after the no timeout.

Edit: I did know the tv timeout was coming soon after that goal, but even still.

But also, the game is getting in the late stages, how do you not AT LEAST DOUBLE SHIFT ZACH and put him with PATRIK. OMG, if I have to see the Madden/Elias/Pando line for another game, I'm going to hang myself. It's a joke!

Edited November 13, 2008 by HellOnICE

[MadDog2020]

He could start by sitting Cap'n Hook for a period after his next stupid one.

In all seriousness, there is only so much a coach can do. He has put in a more aggressive forecheck but he can't turn guys with hands of stone into scorers. The best he can do it put players in a position to maximize their chances and to whatever extent a hockey coach can, manage the game.

tonight vs. the rangers, there was one chance for him to really manage the game. after drury's goal to put NYR up 2, he absolutely should have called a time out. the rangers were flying up to that point. they scored on the 5 on 3 and drury came shortly thereafter. he could've settled them down but did not. instead he put out Leach and Brookbank and the Rangers quickly scored another to end the game right there.

i understand lou likes this team in his image and sutter is the personification of that - which is to say he has ZERO personality. i don't think he's a great pro coach - i think he's fine.

that being said, he is not going anywhere anytime soon.

I wholeheartedly agree. I yelled at my TV after the Drury goal for Sutter to call a timeout at that point. The Rangers were really flying at that point and we were completely back on our heals. Who knows if it would've made a difference, but I was surprised he didn't call a timeout there.

[Triumph]

I am not sure what the Madden-Pandolfo-Elias line is doing either, but I can assure you a Pandolfo-Madden-Langenbrunner line would look that much worse

Stick Gionta with Madden and Pandolfo.

Elias-Zubrus-Clarkson

Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner

Pandolfo-Madden-Gionta

etc.

[jkrdevil]

re: a timeout -

there was a TV timeout after drury's 2nd goal. that seems kind of silly to waste your time out that way.

There are no TV timeouts after goals. In that situation you can't hope a quick stoppage will happen soon after because play can go on for minutes and the momentum might further go on the oppenents side. You have to use you timeout to calm the situation right there immediatly. If a quick stoppage then happens fine you then get extra time to calm things down.

[HellOnICE]

Am I the only one getting frustrated with Pandolfo and Madden combination. There's speed is just not up to snuff anymore...at least that's what I see. They could you see some young-speed on that line.

[Triumph]

There are no TV timeouts after goals. In that situation you can't hope a quick stoppage will happen soon after because play can go on for minutes and the momentum might further go on the oppenents side. You have to use you timeout to calm the situation right there immediatly. If a quick stoppage then happens fine you then get extra time to calm things down.

i'm aware of that but one happened right after the goal. the 3rd goal didn't come until after that commercial.

[sundstrom]

re: a timeout -

there was a TV timeout after drury's 2nd goal. that seems kind of silly to waste your time out that way.

i also forgot that the tv timeout was coming. still had the wrong guys on the ice so soon after that goal though.

If I have to see the Madden/Elias/Pando line for another game, I'm going to hang myself. It's a joke!

correct - it worked once. and hasn't since. you're playing elias on the RW - he will not succeed over the long haul there.

I am not sure what the Madden-Pandolfo-Elias line is doing either, but I can assure you a Pandolfo-Madden-Langenbrunner line would look that much worse

i understand why it could be worse but the line is a zero for offense. elias should not be with them and should not be forced to play RW consistently. sutter's biggest failings as a coach have been how he's treated elias.

[El Diablo]

Its scary to think this guy may be our future GM ...

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

I would put Vrana back with Elias, atleast when they were playing Elias was getting a lot of shots on net.

[SatansDevils]

Sutter is very questionable on some of the sh!t he has pulled last season and now this season. The guy makes some really bad mistakes. Just not a Sutter fan and never will be until he can stop juggling the lines (When healthy) and some of the things he does not do during a game and at practice.

You know the Devils PP and PK are 28th in the NHL which sucks, you think he would try to work harder on those aspects of the game. This team really misses Pat Burns, I'm sorry. Sutter keeps making these bad moves and decisions, yes Lou will fire him.

Right now I know its tough will all of these injuries the Devils have right now, BUT there comes a time where these VETERAN players need to step up their games and play like Parise plays in every game. The injuries excuses are getting played out now.

Zajac stepped up his game tonight and was feeding off of Parise. Maybe some of these veterans like Elias, Gionta, Langenbrunner, Zubrus and Madden need to take a look at Parise and feed off his hard play. Just getting fed up going to the games and seeing the same crap from Sutter and some of the veterans on this team. It is inexcusible.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

When special teams are that bad it is the coaches fault 90% of the time. That is one aspect that a good coach can control and make competitive. Get simple a simple ABC PP, stack in front and fire from the point. The PK has been bad because Madden and Pandolfo have been bad, maybe move them to the second unit to kickstart them.

[skeeter]

You know why not just blow this team up and then go on a Ranger spending spree this off-season? I mean if he's not gonna keep stable lines to try to develop some chemistry, why not just bring in a bunch of new blood that's never played together? What's the difference? At least it would create a buzz and some excitement, like we had for the first week and a half of the season.

When Sutter is gone, I bet you're gonna hear a lot of stories from these guys about how much they hated him. That was one of my favorite parts of Marty's book, his opinion and stories of past coaches.

Edited November 13, 2008 by skeeter

[ClutchDevil30]

It is time for a MAJOR shakeup. I realize we are not healthy right now but wow - Pando, Gio, Langs, Zubrus, Elias - USELESS! THis team has tons of talent and if it isn't being utilized correctly it IS the coach. I am so frustrated with this situation and I never even thought it till right this second but it's time to find another GM who is up to par with the Detroits, Penguins and even the Coyotes (who know how to draft and build a team). I won't bash Lou cuz he has done a whole hell of as lot for this franchise but he offers ZERO new insight into what it takes to build a post-lockout team. And if it's not Sutter's fault for the lack of discipline it is Lou's for not stepping on his toes a bit to let him know what must be done to make this team compete night in and night out. Sorry, this is a major vent but it was a much needed one...

Gio and Langs must go - Gio cannot shoot worth sh!t and Langs can't make anything happen. His head is always down and puck between his skates. We have plenty of guys to built this team around (Parise, Zajac, Vrana, Bergfors, Oduya). Its time to sell the underachievers mentioned above and start looking towards drafting a goaltender and some D-men.

Any thoughts on our scouting? How many guys have come through here and been a huge bust? Granted, we know how to find the Parises of he draft but our farm looks awful. ITS TIME FOR NEW BLOOD ALL AROUND!

[HellOnICE]

I am just not sure if it's the defense down low who are not doing their jobs or Madden and Pandolfo too old/weak/slow to handle what's being thrown at them, and their inabilities to pressure hard at all.

I think the bottom line on any of the Devils problems is that our defense is horrrrrrrid. This team won't get any better, until that does.

[MadDog2020]

You know why not just blow this team up and then go on a Ranger spending spree this off-season? I mean if he's not gonna keep stable lines to try to develop some chemistry, why not just bring in a bunch of new blood that's never played together? What's the difference? At least it would create a buzz and some excitement, like we had for the first week and a half of the season.

When Sutter is gone, I bet you're gonna hear a lot of stories from these guys about how much they hated him. That was one of my favorite parts of Marty's book, his opinion and stories of past coaches.

Do these guys like any of the coaches that have been here? This core group has developed a reputation over the years of being coach killers, and that shouldn't be news to anyone here. They don't like anyone.

[Triumph]

I am just not sure if it's the defense down low who are not doing their jobs or Madden and Pandolfo too old/weak/slow to handle what's being thrown at them, and their inabilities to pressure hard at all.

I think the bottom line on any of the Devils problems is that our defense is horrrrrrrid. This team won't get any better, until that does.

I think it's a little of both. For example, the Rangers' PP early in the third I think it was, the Devils never got the puck out of the zone. The Rangers didn't score but they pressured New Jersey the whole time - that's just unacceptable. You cannot penalty kill that way anymore.

[skeeter]

Do these guys like any of the coaches that have been here? This core group has developed a reputation over the years of being coach killers, and that shouldn't be news to anyone here. They don't like anyone.

You've got a point there, which is why I think the core has needed to be blown up for a few years now. I think most of them liked Burns, aside from Gomez (and Dano for a few games in the playoffs)

[Triumph]

You've got a point there, which is why I think the core has needed to be blown up for a few years now. I think most of them liked Burns, aside from Gomez (and Dano for a few games in the playoffs)

Who is this core?

Here are the players left from the 03 team: Elias, Langenbrunner, Pandolfo, Madden, White, Brodeur, Gionta. Are you really going to claim that these are the guys who got coaches fired?

Truth is, Lou has hired some crappy coaches.