Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - offseason edition

[Devils731]

Good to see Stillman assigned.

 

[Hisch13r]

This version of Holtz isn't an NHL player, but I don't think this version of Holtz is what we're bound to get. As we've seen with Hughes, it doesn't always come right away, and just because it doesn't come right away doesn't mean he'll never get there, but there's work to do.

I still think Holtz at least turns out fine but with Jack you could see it from the start. The flashes came often. Holtz showed nothing besides some neat passes here and there

 

[Omar Little]

Zetterlund was in an entirely different class. Actually our best player last night, some of those rushes dangling the puck. But - as they said on the radio - the question is can he do it for 82 games or was this an adrenaline fueled rush ? You see guys do stuff for a game or five or ten but where do they settle out when the tide is flowing the other direction.

But I don’t remember a more promising end of season call up. Within recent memory he’s the most promising. The guy was dominating the game.

One of the primary reasons why this team needs to acquire bonafide NHLers this off-season rather than hope and pray rookies take large steps. Great if they do, cause then we have a luxury problem. If they don’t and we’ve relied on them, we end up right back where we are today

 

[Devils731]

I still think Holtz at least turns out fine but with Jack you could see it from the start. The flashes came often. Holtz showed nothing besides some neat passes here and there

That’s how people talked about Holtz in the AHL last year too.

Some guys, particularly guys with proactive styles, will find their ways at new levels quickly. Other guys, particularly guys where the game comes to them, will take longer to learn how the game at the next level works.

 

[Triumph]

It just depends on what you as a fan would prefer. The Flyers have not been a Cup contender for years. They may have one young high end piece in Farabee for all of this time of not being a contender. The Devils have been worse but at least have some young talent in the org. The short spurts of the Flyers being "competitive" in the past gives them no advantage over the Devils moving forward.

The Flyers used to draft great no matter where they finished, Carter, Richards, Gagne, Williams, and Giroux were all drafted in a 9 year span as 1st round picks and none of them was taken in the top 10. But the latest run of Rubtsov, Patrick, Frost, Farabee, O'Brien, York, Foerster - obviously there's still hope for some of these guys, but Farabee looks to be the only real keeper so far, I wonder if the Flyers are hoping O'Brien walks as a UFA so they get a 2nd round pick out of it.

 

[Omar Little]

Holtz should not be penciled into any NHL lineup for next year. It’s great if he can earn that spot and push other players down or out of the lineup but we should not bank on him being in the lineup and doing so in lieu of pursuing legit NHLers will likely lead to disappointment.

 

[Bleedred]

Blackwood is an .893% over his last 55 games played.

That's alarmingly bad, like Schneider wasn't even that bad here in his last 55 games, nor was Kinkaid, nor was ancient Brodeur. Save percentages are a little lower these last two years than the prior 15-ish or so years, so maybe with the adjustments it's really not worse than those guys or at least not by much.

It's definitely called for to ask if it's really all the injuries or if he's just not any good. Between the last 55 games and his pretty mediocre AHL career and almost historically bad 17-18 AHL season, he's a GIGANTIC question mark of the utmost size going forward.

 

[RangerDoggo]

Even I'm not that negative lol...the key is HOW much better will it be - will we go from 65 points to 80-ish, or to borderline 90-ish? The former would be bare minimum of what I'd expect from a team that's presumably going to have at least one new staff member and goaltender, other younger players breaking into the lineup and Fitz having the cap space to make improvements (assuming he isn't a total 'process' GM, which judging by last offseason he shouldn't be), the latter would at least show some real chops out of Fitz because they just aren't getting to the 90 level next year without some real creative work this offseason.

We’ve been due to show improvement in the standings for years and haven’t come close to it. Why would it turn around?

 

[Devils731]

We’ve been tagged to show improvement in the standings for years and haven’t come close to it. Why would it turn around?

Well, pack it in. The Devils will never have a good season in the future because they have bad seasons in the past.

Why did the crappy Devils teams in the 80s not always stay crappy? Why did the dominant Devils teams become crappy?

Talent was a big one and this Devils team is getting more talented each year. It will reflect in the standings; similar to how Hughes’ better play last year but small production was a precursor to this year’s big production.

 

[Hisch13r]

Even I'm not that negative lol...the key is HOW much better will it be - will we go from 65 points to 80-ish, or to borderline 90-ish? The former would be bare minimum of what I'd expect from a team that's presumably going to have at least one new staff member and goaltender, other younger players breaking into the lineup and Fitz having the cap space to make improvements (assuming he isn't a total 'process' GM, which judging by last offseason he shouldn't be), the latter would at least show some real chops out of Fitz because they just aren't getting to the 90 level next year without some real creative work this offseason.

It would’ve been mid 80s this year with average goaltending. Find a way to get that and things already look much better. Jack played 49 games this year. In 2 of those he left in the first period. Another 11 he wasn’t himself because he was still recovering. We got 36 games of him showing what he can actually do. If you get 70+ next year that’s a big boost. Dougie as well clearly was not the same guy at the end of the year that he was at the beginning of the year. A healthy Dougie is a big boost. Then there’s Recchi who needs to go. The personnel is there for at least a top 10-15 PP. That’s a big boost

Outside of a “creative” goaltending fix there isn’t anything that needs to be done to get them to 90 next year and there will be additional upgrades as well. The team is much closer to being good than you think it is.

 

[ScottyK]

Other than mayyyyybe Sullivan, any coaches in the playoffs likely to get fired if they bow out first rd ?

 

[Omar Little]

Other than mayyyyybe Sullivan, any coaches in the playoffs likely to get fired if they bow out first rd ?

Bowness (who we don't want), maybe Cassidy, maybe Bednar.

 

[RangerDoggo]

Well, pack it in. The Devils will never have a good season in the future because they have bad seasons in the past.

Why did the crappy Devils teams in the 80s not always stay crappy? Why did the dominant Devils teams become crappy?

Talent was a big one and this Devils team is getting more talented each year. It will reflect in the standings; similar to how Hughes’ better play last year but small production was a precursor to this year’s big production.

Yet somehow we’ll manage find a way to screw it up like we have over the past decade.

I’m not even demanding playoffs or bust next year. I just want improvement. Talent means nothing, it’s about coalescing it into a team, and we seem completely incapable of doing so. I expect 70-ish points next season with the same coaching staff going in, a firing that will come much too late, and goaltending barely better than this year. That’s just how we roll.

 

[NJDevs26]

It would’ve been mid 80s this year with average goaltending. Find a way to get that and things already look much better. Jack played 49 games this year. In 2 of those he left in the first period. Another 11 he wasn’t himself because he was still recovering. We got 36 games of him showing what he can actually do. If you get 70+ next year that’s a big boost. Dougie as well clearly was not the same guy at the end of the year that he was at the beginning of the year. A healthy Dougie is a big boost. Then there’s Recchi who needs to go. The personnel is there for at least a top 10-15 PP. That’s a big boost

Outside of a “creative” goaltending fix there isn’t anything that needs to be done to get them to 90 next year and there will be additional upgrades as well. The team is much closer to being good than you think it is.

Why should anyone have any confidence in this team being good without any outside additions when they were so far from that this year? I don’t think people are being honest about just how awful a 63-point season in year #8 of rebuild 2.0 is. Christ it would have been more like a 50-point season if even one of Hughes, Nico or Bratt didn’t break out. You need a 30-point improvement just to get to 93 and we have no idea if they’ll even be able to appreciably improve the goaltending or if it’s just gonna be throw more linguini against the wall, and whether they just get another figurehead coach and buffoon staff or not.

 

[RangerDoggo]

Why should anyone have any confidence in this team being good without any outside additions when they were so far from that this year? I don’t think people are being honest about just how awful a 63-point season in year #8 of rebuild 2.0 is. Christ it would have been more like a 50-point season if even one of Hughes, Nico or Bratt didn’t break out. You need a 30-point improvement just to get to 93 and we have no idea if they’ll even be able to appreciably improve the goaltending or if it’s just gonna be throw more linguini against the wall, and whether they just get another figurehead coach and buffoon staff or not.

You have the correct and probably realistic view. Like I said, there is a very good chance we do not improve meaningfully next year. There are still gaping holes in the bottom of the lineup and we have zero NHL caliber goaltending. Yes, what happened in net this year can happen next year.

I’m not ready to write off Holtz yet but if he never progresses, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least.

Turturo is wrong, it’s not just the goaltending. It’s the culture.

 

[NJDevs26]

Like I said, there is a very good chance we do not improve meaningfully next year. There are still gaping holes in the bottom of the lineup and zero NHL caliber goaltending. Yes, it can be this bad next year.

It better not be or Fitz can join Ruff on the golf course with permanent leave. I do think they almost can’t help but improve from the worst season in 35 years of franchise history but it’s certainly not going to be any kind of meaningful improvement if they roll into next season with Ruff or an even less experienced coach who also won’t be allowed to pick his staff, and if the goaltending is once again short term vet plus an unhappy Blackwood (which quite frankly is the most likely scenario given the lack of options out there, hence why Fitz needs to be creative).

Get a real coach (and let him pick his staff), overhaul the goaltending then maybe I’ll buy 85 points with minimal change aside from that but if it’s just gonna be another year of waiting for Blackwood to stay healthy with a buffoon coaching staff playing pond hockey to juice the kids’ numbers and try to entertain the fans then we’ll be out of it by Christmas again.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Bahl’s and Okhotyuk’s performances at the end of the year have me a lot more confident about the D next season. If either of them can be competent 3rd pair guys over 82 games, that’s a big check off Fitz’s to-do list. Obvs it’s still a big if, but it’s a smaller if than i thought it was a month ago.

The only thing I’m clamoring for is a new coaching staff. It was clear pretty early on that goaltending ws going to be a struggle. Ruff had all season to say “well if we wanna win games, we have to tighten up and prevent chances.” And as far as i can tell, his only attempt at that was playing McLeod’s line like a second line every other game. He’s gotta go.

Recchi will surely get a job somewhere eventually but it won’t be deserved. Nas probably made a case to stay, but i don’t care at this point. He’s overseen some of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Time to go. I don’t even know who the goalie coach is but he needs to go too.

 

[OlfactoryHughes]

I think besides the on-Ice product the organization as a whole should very concerned about something else, and I am gonna relate it to my experience this year.

I have been a fan of this team for over 30 years they are my undisputed favorite of the 3 sports I follow. I have been an on and off season ticket holder in some capacity for the past 15 years (depends on my work/school schedule). I have always made it a point to watch all 82 games even if it is in replays or DVRed, I would read all the news and fan blogs, and regularly visit this site. Every season I would buy over $100 worth of merch. I did all this even with the miserable seasons of the past 12 years sticking it out through the whole season.

But this year...

After we were out by our usual date of Christmas and it turned to January, I found myself just not caring about the team or the season. And just to be clear, this wasn't a conscious decision. Its not like I made a statement like "I will no longer watch this crap team any more!" It was done completely subconsciously. I didn't realize I wasn't paying attention until the March 22 7-4 victory against the Rangers when my Rags fans friends were texting me. Not only was I watching Netflix instead of the game, but I had know idea they were even playing them. I would have never missed a NJ-NY game in the past. And only then did it dawn on me that I haven't watched a game since January or even visited any sites with Devils news. I then took stock of this year and saw that I didn't buy any new merch, wear my jersey regularly, and that even in my non season ticket holder years I still averaged 10 games a year. This year I did 4 and that was only because 2 games were free tix and I turned down 2 more free games because I didn't want to waste my weekends.

And this is why it's bad news for the future, if a die hard fan like myself, and I'm sure many people on this board, gets so disappointed year after year and start to tune them out they are gonna lose major revenue and a future fan base.

Again, I didn't abandon the team cause they have been crappy. I still love the team and always will, I'm just trying to show how a crappy product can cause apathy and uninterest. I'll still go into next season full of hope but who knows, if they are the same old team that they have been, maybe I'll stop caring by Thanksgiving.

Maybe you’re not as die hard as you think?! Lol, I’m sure you’ll be back when we’re good again.

The negativity is a little thick today, and trending away from reality. Which is, we have very young, very promising players, and obvious glaring weaknesses, that will be addressed. It’s called team building, and unlike previous seasons, the youngsters actually started to look legit this year, like we do have an actual foundation to build on.

 

[NJDevs26]

Maybe you’re not as die hard as you think?! Lol, I’m sure you’ll be back when we’re good again.

The negativity is a little thick today, and trending away from reality. Which is, we have very young, very promising players, and obvious glaring weaknesses, that will be addressed. It’s called team building, and unlike previous seasons, the youngsters actually started to look legit this year, like we do have an actual foundation to build on.

Why shouldn’t it be? I can’t say this enough, this was the worst season in 35 years for this franchise, going on year eight of the HF plan for rebuilding the Devils (almost never use cap, almost never sign older players, just keep piling up high picks in perpetuity) and it hasn’t worked. People make fun of the meme ‘that is not progress, that’s a disgrace’ regarding Hughes’ second year in the league and rightly so. Hughes was still a teenager who hadn’t played 100 games in the NHL at that point.

But in this case we’re talking seven plus years and the team hasn’t improved at all. THIS is actually a valid example of the meme. Seven full years without showing tangible progress is an actual disgrace.

 

[RangerDoggo]

Maybe you’re not as die hard as you think?! Lol, I’m sure you’ll be back when we’re good again.

Have you seen any indication that things are going in the right direction? You can be a doomer and still a hardcore fan.

 

[Oneiro]

Some of the optimistic posters here deserve the benefit of the doubt - they called the breakouts from the three guys up front, pointed out Zacha being carried by linemates with a high shooting %, Siegenthaler's encouraging sample run (as opposed to those talking about how he was scratched), etc.

They're telling you now that goaltending gets this team to league average and complementary additions on top of that could push us further.

I get that it's a show me, don't tell me thing as far as wins go. But look at this division and this conference - older teams curbstomping young teams all year long. We're not in some unique desperate place.

 

[RangerDoggo]

I’ll be singing a different tune if they fire the coaching

 

[NJDevs26]

I’ll be singing a different tune if they fire the coaching

I’d actually be surprised if they didn’t change the staff, and Fitz would be on my hot seat then. Point is are we looking at just Dineen, two assistants Fitz hires (well Nas and one other guy) and another too many cooks based approach to coaching? Or are we at least going to let Dineen have some actual autonomy or bring in someone else with more wattage and let them run their staff?

People talk about Shesty with the Rangers being the biggest reason they became a contender although some would rather credit them stocking up on role players, not enough people talk about how much going from Quinn to Gallant helped. We could have had Gallant too but our management team doesn’t want coaches to have any real say.

 

[RangerDoggo]

I had no idea until this thread that Fitzgerald hired the assistants, so that’s worrisome.

 

[OlfactoryHughes]

Have you seen any indication that things are going in the right direction? You can be a doomer and still a hardcore fan.

We’ve heard from fitz that this team will be ready to compete when jack and Nico are ready to compete.

This time last year, both players were question marks.

This season saw tangible breakouts from the top three. Welcomed siegs, and Mercer to the lineup/potential core. And exposed our goaltending, coaching/special teams, and lack of an interior game.

Heading into this off-season, and next season, knowing our two young centers are ready to take the next step, as evidenced by their on-ice production, as opposed to just underlying numbers like last year, is actual progress.

If you believe in what fitz has been selling, then we did see progress this year, and the ball is in his court. We’ve got pieces.