GDT: Basic GDT Edition: Devils @ Kings 4PM EST

[Bleedred]

But that's all we have ATM, so just accept it and move on. Unless Shero makes another trade to bring a forward, we're stuck with the same group of guys you don't like in our bottom 6. Do you think the rest of this board loves the fact that our bottom 6 is borderline AHL material in terms of offensive production?

What should Hynes or Shero do since you seem to have all the answers? Two of our top forwards are injured and until then, we'll have to play guys in roles they're not supposed to be playing in and hope we can stay competitive in the time being.

I'm actually surprised and satisfied by our start to the season but for whatever reason, negativity seems to feed certain posters here on HF. If those same posters could turn all that negative energy into positive energy, this place would be a whole lot more interesting to visit from time to time.

That's not all we have at the moment.

Promote Lappin to one of the top 3 lines, make a 4th line out of Josefson Fiddler and Kalinin.

Someone playing on their off side? It didn't stop Hynes from doing it quite a few times earlier in the season....

 

[Triumph]

I don't agree with moving Lappin up, but casting him as being not 'half as good as Zacha' is ridiculous. He's been very impressive.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't agree with moving Lappin up, but casting him as being not 'half as good as Zacha' is ridiculous. He's been very impressive.

Why not? He's clearly shown more potential than having to continue to play with Kalinin and Fiddler.

 

[Triumph]

Why not? He's clearly shown more potential than having to continue to play with Kalinin and Fiddler.

Because the goal of a hockey team isn't to move everyone up to the level where that player might get the best numbers, bottom of the lineup be damned, it's to win hockey games. With Hall out, and even with Hall in, the Devils are trying to be a 4 line team - you don't see anyone under 10 minutes a night.

Putting Kalinin, Josefson, and Fiddler on a line together is guaranteed to fail. We've seen how bad Josefson is at wing. Fiddler away from Lappin was below a 40% Corsi. That's not all Fiddler's doing - he had Wood and Speers and some other poor linemates - but it suggests that Fiddler cannot carry his line. Kalinin, at least last year, was just kind of there - he didn't push things forward, but he wasn't being pushed backwards either. You just cannot put those 3 guys together and expect them to have any success at all together.

I didn't like dressing Pietila and I didn't like putting him with Boucher and Smith-Pelly, but I cannot see breaking up that Kalinin-Fiddler-Lappin line. It works.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

That's not all we have at the moment.

Promote Lappin to one of the top 3 lines, make a 4th line out of Josefson Fiddler and Kalinin.

Someone playing on their off side? It didn't stop Hynes from doing it quite a few times earlier in the season....

Sorry but that's a terrible idea. Josefson isn't efficient on the wing and I don't see Fiddler playing the wing either. I say leave everyone where they are and let's get Henrique and Palmieri going cause if both those guys aren't are best players offensively during the absence of Hall and Cammalleri, we're going to have hard time racking up wins.

I'm not a fan of Bennett on our top line but I have to admit that they and the Fiddler line have been our best lines in the past weeks.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I don't agree with moving Lappin up, but casting him as being not 'half as good as Zacha' is ridiculous. He's been very impressive.

He hasn't shown half the offensive instincts or ability Zacha has IMO. Even defnsively I dont see the same ability from Lappin as I do Zacha, but maybe the gap isn't quite as wide there. "Half as good" was an unfair general statement, I admit. That said, from what I've seen, it's pretty clear who the better player is.

 

[MissMyDevs*]

Hi. Hate for my first post to be negative but I think this team is in real trouble.
I understand something weird is going on with Cammalleri but I honestly wouldn't bank on him even coming back this season. If he does I don't think it will matter much because something doesn't seem right with him. With that being said and Taylor Hall being some what of a reckless skater I don't think the team can depend on him to come back and really contribute the way we all thought he would. It's crazy how a span of a few days can make me think this team is back to square 1 again but how could you not? We have PA & Bennett on our top line? I mean it's like all 3rd line players all over again. Same story year after year with this team. There's potential but the depth is just not there yet and I hope they just continue to sign goal scorers in the off season if they can because I'm not putting my faith in Henrique and Palms to carry this team or the defense/Cory to be honest. /:

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Hi. Hate for my first post to be negative but I think this team is in real trouble.
I understand something weird is going on with Cammalleri but I honestly wouldn't bank on him even coming back this season. If he does I don't think it will matter much because something doesn't seem right with him. With that being said and Taylor Hall being some what of a reckless skater I don't think the team can depend on him to come back and really contribute the way we all thought he would. It's crazy how a span of a few days can make me think this team is back to square 1 again but how could you not? We have PA & Bennett on our top line? I mean it's like all 3rd line players all over again. Same story year after year with this team. There's potential but the depth is just not there yet and I hope they just continue to sign goal scorers in the off season if they can because I'm not putting my faith in Henrique and Palms to carry this team or the defense/Cory to be honest. /:

What are you talking about? He had minor meniscus surgery by all accounts and will not have heightened risk of re-injury. There's no reason to expect him to be any different when he comes back. There may be a few games of rust but it's stupid to suggest that he'll be a shell of himself. This isn't major reconstructive knee surgery he's going through.

 

[billingtons ghost]

What are you talking about? He had minor meniscus surgery by all accounts and will not have heightened risk of re-injury. There's no reason to expect him to be any different when he comes back. There may be a few games of rust but it's stupid to suggest that he'll be a shell of himself. This isn't major reconstructive knee surgery he's going through.

He has a long documented history of NOT being able to play 82 games.

 

[Triumph]

He hasn't shown half the offensive instincts or ability Zacha has IMO. Even defnsively I dont see the same ability from Lappin as I do Zacha, but maybe the gap isn't quite as wide there. "Half as good" was an unfair general statement, I admit. That said, from what I've seen, it's pretty clear who the better player is.

It is clear that right now it's Lappin, that's true. Zacha will be the better player in the future, of that I have no doubt.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Hi. Hate for my first post to be negative but I think this team is in real trouble.
I understand something weird is going on with Cammalleri but I honestly wouldn't bank on him even coming back this season. If he does I don't think it will matter much because something doesn't seem right with him. With that being said and Taylor Hall being some what of a reckless skater I don't think the team can depend on him to come back and really contribute the way we all thought he would. It's crazy how a span of a few days can make me think this team is back to square 1 again but how could you not? We have PA & Bennett on our top line? I mean it's like all 3rd line players all over again. Same story year after year with this team. There's potential but the depth is just not there yet and I hope they just continue to sign goal scorers in the off season if they can because I'm not putting my faith in Henrique and Palms to carry this team or the defense/Cory to be honest. /:

It's just the standard panic.

This team isn't as good as we thought it was a couple of days ago, and it isn't as bad as it seems right now.

A win against the Sharks and we're back to being right as rain.

The truth of the matter is that we are rebuilding - and after 20+ years of success, there comes a time when reloading doesn't work. Four years is a blip. Ask the Cubs.

The bright side is that we've got a number of very good pieces in place, we've got a number of good young kids who are starting to show their ability.

There shouldn't be an expectation that we go on a long west coast road trip against very good HEAVY teams, and win them all. It would be nice to steal a couple, but let's be realistic. At this point, we should be fairly overjoyed - as with the exception of the last two games, we've been in every single game this year - and have had a good chance to win them.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

He has a long documented history of NOT being able to play 82 games.

Except for playing 82 last season. And what the hell does that have to do with my comment? He'll be no different when he comes back.

 

[njdevil26]

The most troubling things to me right now are Henrique and Palmieri.

Also, Zajac started very well... but is pointless in 4 games. So I am hoping he bounces back.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

Hi. Hate for my first post to be negative but I think this team is in real trouble.
I understand something weird is going on with Cammalleri but I honestly wouldn't bank on him even coming back this season. If he does I don't think it will matter much because something doesn't seem right with him. With that being said and Taylor Hall being some what of a reckless skater I don't think the team can depend on him to come back and really contribute the way we all thought he would. It's crazy how a span of a few days can make me think this team is back to square 1 again but how could you not? We have PA & Bennett on our top line? I mean it's like all 3rd line players all over again. Same story year after year with this team. There's potential but the depth is just not there yet and I hope they just continue to sign goal scorers in the off season if they can because I'm not putting my faith in Henrique and Palms to carry this team or the defense/Cory to be honest. /:

First off, welcome aboard !!!

For starters, you'll fit right in with your post, so don't worry about a thing. Secondly, this team is in its first full year one of the Shero era, so expectations should be tempered since we've been a bottom 10 team for several seasons.

Shero has us going in the right direction but it's still a work in progress type of thing. For the first time in a long time, I feel management has a template they want to follow and that template is based on speed. We were able to add Taylor Hall, we have Zacha who looks like he'll be a very solid top 6 forward, we picked McLeod in the 1st round of last years draft and we'll continue to go down that path in the years to come cause that's what the NHL is all about now.

I can see us being legit contenders in the next 2 to 3 years and in the meantime, we're a bubble team with a solid foundation. Expectations shouldn't be threw the roof with our current squad cause we still have several "bandaids" on our roster.

Just my 2 cents