GDT: Devils vs Leafs

[Devilswede]

Organization is a joke. That's all there is to it. It doesn't help that we barely have any NHL caliber players.

And we don't have any good prospects on the way either. And we can't even suck bad enough so we can turn it around either. We will probably end up with pick no 12 or 13 again and draft another bust.

It's just so frustrating.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

Organization is a joke. That's all there is to it. It doesn't help that we barely have any NHL caliber players.

And we don't have any good prospects on the way either. And we can't even suck bad enough so we can turn it around either. We will probably end up with pick no 12 or 13 again and draft another bust.

It's just so frustrating.

I just don't want them to turn into my White Sox of old. They had a couple of key pieces but just not enough to compete, keeping them in the middle of the pack for years. They finally got fed up this winter and sold key pieces for top young talent and are committed to a full on rebuild.

I think Shero has a plan and I don't see him "pulling a Lou" and by that, I mean trying to compete despit have a very mediocre to average roster.

 

[John Pedro]

I'm not even mad. Leafs are an extremely talented team, even though their defense sucks. In fact, I'm happy that Merrill and Santini keep playing really well, especially the hated Merrill.

Liking it or not, it's a skill league. You need skilled players to succeed, especially on the PP. Devils don't have them. Devils' 'top' center hasn't scored a goal in 16 games.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Too many coaches have lost the team over the past several seasons. I think they need to take a good look at the roster and figure out if there is a cancer there somewhere. Maybe, I dunno, Henrique?

 

[Bleedred]

The more I think about it the more annoyed I get. They played two periods of decent hockey that doesn't matter at all because they played one of the worst 1st periods I've seen in a long long time.

I'm not even sure if it was another classic no-show from the start. The power play completely murdered them. The first one was dead and useless, like a majority of the 30 that preceded it. I think it completely deflated the team. Then the second power play was just as dead, then Cory gives up the 2012 Bryz to Clarkson special and the team completely gave up. Team broke a ball joint after that one or maybe a tie rod broke and one of the wheels just rolled down the highway. Both the third and fourth goals looked like a team that had given up and mailed it in.

The Leafs took their foot off the gas after leaving the period 4-0.

I thought the ceremony was really well done. It was even nice to see Shanahan and Lou wearing Devils jerseys too.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm not even mad. Leafs are an extremely talented team, even though their defense sucks. In fact, I'm happy that Merrill and Santini keep playing really well, especially the hated Merrill.

Liking it or not, it's a skill league. You need skilled players to succeed, especially on the PP. Devils don't have them. Devils' 'top' center hasn't scored a goal in 16 games.

Once again, did you see who Zajac was playing with tonight? Good luck on him scoring another 4 points this season, the longer he has to play with Kal1n1n and his 3 points. Lappin is probably on an even longer goalless streak and pointless streak altogether.

Too many coaches have lost the team over the past several seasons. I think they need to take a good look at the roster and figure out if there is a cancer there somewhere. Maybe, I dunno, Henrique?

I don't think any of the coaches in recent years have lost the team, other than Hynes.

I don't think Pete ever really lost the team and while I was calling for him to go for a while, I never thought he lost the team. The only time I thought he had lost the team was during the awful start to the 13-14 season. During October of that season and maybe a couple of those awful performances in November, like that embarrassing Ray Emery shutout game and then getting shutout by Minnesota the next night. It turned out that he didn't really lose the team, I just think it was time to go, I don't think he exactly lost the team. Not even at the end.

MacLean didn't lose the team, he just actually never had the team.

I don't think the Hydra/N. Bench staff lost the team either. They just weren't good coaches. Oates time in Washington confirms that and who the hell was really even coaching the team then? Under the Hydra staff, we looked a lot like last year under Hynes, only worse offensively (as if that was possible) and slightly worse defensively.

 

[John Pedro]

Once again, did you see who Zajac was playing with tonight? Good luck on him scoring another 4 points this season, the longer he has to play with Kal1n1n and his 3 points. Lappin is probably on an even longer goalless streak and pointless streak altogether.

Zajac plays almost 21min in every single game, including top PP minutes. If he can't chip a goal here and there while playing that much every single game... Lappin barely plays more than 12min per night and has just one less EV goal than Zajac.

 

[Combat Koala]

Glad I didn't waste my time watching this. Even by watching just the highlights you can see they are lost and have given up. Toronto is a young team with a lot of talent though, but four goals against in the first? Sheeesh. We really need some defensive help.

 

[NJDevs26]

First Devils game I've watched in weeks as I was getting physically ill watching them play this embarrassing hockey. Not much has changed I see lol. What the hell is up with Schneider this year? It's getting late quick this season and if he doesn't get his head out of his ass soon the season could be over in a couple weeks for this team. The whole team needs to get their head out of their own ass, sans a couple players. I'll watch tomorrow for Larsson but it's getting hard to even watch this team. Even if we can't figure out team defense it would at least be nice to score some goals but they're even hard to come by at this point.

Hopeless.

The sad part is Cory actually looked like the previous seasons' version of Cory the previous two games but he was right back to being the stumbling, bumbling JAG he's been most of the season.

 

[Wingman77]

Too many coaches have lost the team over the past several seasons. I think they need to take a good look at the roster and figure out if there is a cancer there somewhere. Maybe, I dunno, Henrique?

Eh, the long term guys who have been here for 5+ years (anything less is too small a sample) are Zajac, Greene, and Henrique. Zajac and Greene are about as laid back and humble as they come, they've been here for 10 years and on a number of teams that were solid. Henrique has been here for essentially 2 coaches (the hyrda doesn't count as that wasn't for long).

Don't think this is the issue. It's a combination to a lesser extent coaching and to a larger extent, a poor roster.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Team stinks, plain and simple

They are outmanned in talent/skill by basically every team in the league.

Take our #1 dman out and its even worse .

Unless they get near perfect goaltending they are not in games.

 

[Zippy316]

Eh, the long term guys who have been here for 5+ years (anything less is too small a sample) are Zajac, Greene, and Henrique. Zajac and Greene are about as laid back and humble as they come, they've been here for 10 years and on a number of teams that were solid. Henrique has been here for essentially 2 coaches (the hyrda doesn't count as that wasn't for long).

Don't think this is the issue. It's a combination to a lesser extent coaching and to a larger extent, a poor roster.

Josefson is the third longest tenured Devil right now. That'll ruffle some feathers.

I think the weak mental game definitely has a bit to do with how humble those guys are. Doesn't seem like we have enough leaders with that fire to call guys out when the time comes. Coach can do it all he wants but if he doesn't have players sending the message for him so he doesn't have to all the time, it'll eventually fall on deaf ears.

 

[The Wumpus]

We scored two goals, eventually!

Turned this one off in the first, and I never do that. Last night just looked unusually hopeless.

Which wait feels longer: from the end of the season in April to the beginning of the next in October, or from when the season is lost in January to the draft in June?

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Organization is a joke. That's all there is to it. It doesn't help that we barely have any NHL caliber players.

And we don't have any good prospects on the way either. And we can't even suck bad enough so we can turn it around either. We will probably end up with pick no 12 or 13 again and draft another bust.

It's just so frustrating.

I guess you missed the WJC. And we should have another top 10 pick this year and Zacha will be ready to make a bigger impact next year (if you haven't completely given up on him yet - wouldn't be surprised). The team stinks, but your pessimism is ridiculous.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Organization is a joke. That's all there is to it. It doesn't help that we barely have any NHL caliber players.

And we don't have any good prospects on the way either. And we can't even suck bad enough so we can turn it around either. We will probably end up with pick no 12 or 13 again and draft another bust.

It's just so frustrating.

So Hall, Henrique, Palmieri, Cammalleri, Zajac, Parenteau, Greene, Severson and Schneider are "barely NHL caliber?"

Zacha, Wood, Santini, Quenneville, McLeod, Bastian, Speers, Anderson, Rykov, Gignac and Blackwood aren't good prospects?

I get the frustration that this team can't suck enough to get the elite/franchise guy to put them over the top, but they still have some really nice pieces to work with. A blue chip prospect up front and some upgrades on defense will have this team in great position to become contenders. It requires a lot of patience, unfortunately.

 

[JimEIV]

I still like this team and I still think cupboard is way underrated.

And with each day that passes I hate this coaching staff a little more. Soon we'll have to ask why Shero allowing this staff to remain.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Attended the game. Enjoyed the ceremony and tributes; did not enjoy much of the game itself. Extremely sad to watch this team come out sleepwalking and unable to be anything but an embarrassment on a night meant for honor. At this point, I'm not even angry or particularly disappointed (disappointed would require an expectation to be better than this, and currently this kind of performance is about what I predict). I'm just numb: numb to the losing and the absence of effort and pride from this team; numb to the ineffectiveness of our coaching staff. Maybe I'm disconnecting from the team as a mental and emotional coping mechanism. Whatever it is, I can honestly say, I won't be upset if almost anyone on this team (including Cory, who has not acted at all like a star goaltender this season) gets traded or if this joke of a coaching staff gets canned.