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Line Combos: Guess the 22-23 Opening Night Lineup

Bleedred

Bleedred

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McDuffz88 said:
Blackwood shouldn't start. I agree with Bleed on this. People only are pegging him as the starter because he's "home grown" & played decent a few years ago. Vanecek should be given the mantle. Let Blackwood earn his throne back. If Blackwood is as good as you think he will have no problems doing that.
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Well said. If he’s really as good as a lot of people think he is, he will have no problems grabbing the net and being in there more than Vanecek.

Although, I’m not sure Ruff is to be trusted to actually not play him more than he should, as he seems to have the most wood for Blackwood. But if he chooses to live by the Blackwood sword and he’s not vastly improved from his last 55 games, Ruff will die by the Blackwood sword. Ruff won’t be here long enough to make those decisions if things go bad fast.

I’m not sure if Blackwood is just overrated around here or if people just assume he’ll be as good as he was before the first covid pause. While he did show some very solid play, it was never nearly on the level of Cory Schneider pre-groin/hip problems. He’s also not nearly as old as Cory either, so there’s a little more hope.
 
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Jack Be Quick

Jack Be Quick

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My3Sons said:
At this point a Blackwood extension probably has more to do with Vanacek and Daws than Blackwood absent a really great season for Blackwood. If Vanacek has a season of say .910-915 and Daws progresses at the AHL and maybe earns a callup and plays a handful of games with better results than last season I’m skeptical they give Blackwood more than his last RFA year if he has a good but not great season.
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Daws, Daws, Daws.

I can't say it enough or louder but I like him so much and frankly if he reaches his potential I'm convinced we will reach the promised land again.
 
Bleedred

Bleedred

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A Blackwood extension could f*** the shit out of us if he has either a good or passable year, then regresses back to the last two years when the extension kicks in.

If he has anything less than an average season I’d say cut ties because Vanecek is already on the books for over $3 million next year. If we have a tandem of $7 million after this year and it’s still a huge question mark in net then god help us.

The life of a salary cap team.
 
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My3Sons

My3Sons

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Bleedred said:
A Blackwood extension could f*** the shit out of us if he has either a good or passable year, then regresses back to the last two years when the extension kicks in.

If he has anything less than an average season I’d say cut ties because Vanecek is already on the books for over $3 million next year. If we have a tandem of $7 million after this year and it’s still a huge question mark in net then god help us.

The life of a salary cap team.
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Extending Blackwood is something to worry about after the season most likely. I don’t see them jumping on an early one. If he’s good it still probably has more to do with Vanacek and Daws. If Blackwood has a solid year and so do the other two I imagine the team would have an opportunity to trade him. He’s a bit of a safety net at this point as I see him. That’s not terrible.
 
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bossram

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TBF1972 said:
i am very close to this. the bottom 6 would include other names (wood, mcleod, johnsson). but i would switch first and second line and first and second pairing.

i would use palat - hischier - bratt - siegenthaler - severson against opposing top lines with the intention to neutralize their impact. and with the hughes - hamilton combo i would try to make the difference on offense.
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Yeah, that's the route I would go to. Palat - Hischier - Bratt is your hard minutes lines, along with whichever pairing has Siegenthaler on it. Hell, they could even go Siegs-Marino for a pure shutdown pair, but that would probably limit Severson and Dougie's minutes too much.
 
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Stephen Gionta

Stephen Gionta

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If all players are healthy, here's how I'd likely start.

Sharangovich - Hughes - Mercer
Palat - Hischier - Bratt
Wood - Haula - Zetterlund
Johnsson - Boqvist- Bastian

Graves - Hamilton
Siegenthaler - Severson
Smith - Marino

Vanecek
Blackwood

Scratched: Tatar, McLeod

In Minors awaiting call-ups:
F - Holtz, Thompson, Geertsen
D - Okhotiuk, Bahl, Walsh, Nemec

I find it both fascinating and encouraging that many of us are penciling Zetterlund at 3RW. His play at the end of the year earned him that spot. It's his to lose.
 
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Eggtimer

Eggtimer

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Stephen Gionta said:
If all players are healthy, here's how I'd likely start.

Sharangovich - Hughes - Mercer
Palat - Hischier - Bratt
Wood - Haula - Zetterlund
Johnsson - Boqvist- Bastian

Graves - Hamilton
Siegenthaler - Severson
Smith - Marino

Vanecek
Blackwood

Scratched: Tatar, McLeod

In Minors awaiting call-ups:
F - Holtz, Thompson, Geertsen
D - Okhotiuk, Bahl, Walsh, Nemec

I find it both fascinating and encouraging that many of us are penciling Zetterlund at 3RW. His play at the end of the year earned him that spot. It's his to lose.
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As much as I’d like to ice the players that are the best lineup possible, I don‘t see Tatar being a healthy scratch.He will be in the lineup for better or for worse
 
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My3Sons

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Eggtimer said:
As much as I’d like to ice the players that are the best lineup possible, I don‘t see Tatar being a healthy scratch.He will be in the lineup for better or for worse
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Sadly you are probably right. There is always some pressure to play the guy making the big bucks, at least early before it's clear his style is probably not what the team needs right now.
 
Eggtimer

Eggtimer

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My3Sons said:
Sadly you are probably right. There is always some pressure to play the guy making the big bucks, at least early before it's clear his style is probably not what the team needs right now.
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It would be hard to scratch him. If I was makig the decision , I could not scratch him. The guy is a veteran and moved his family here, chose to sign with us for two years. Scratching his ass would be difficult for me. Id want to scratch him if he sucks and a kid like Zetterlund or Foote or Holtz etc. is a better option but… when it came down to it l I couldn’t lol. Good thing I am not our GM / HC.
I wonder if Ruff has the power to scratch players like Tatar or if it’s a Fitz decision or both of them discuss it and they or multiple people ( assistant coaches?) all get in on it and decide?
Im sure different teams have different setups where the HC has limited say in the roster ?
 
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McDuffz88

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Eggtimer said:
It would be hard to scratch him. If I was makig the decision , I could not scratch him. The guy is a veteran and moved his family here, chose to sign with us for two years. Scratching his ass would be difficult for me. Id want to scratch him if he sucks and a kid like Zetterlund or Foote or Holtz etc. is a better option but… when it came down to it l I couldn’t lol. Good thing I am not our GM / HC.
I wonder if Ruff has the power to scratch players like Tatar or if it’s a Fitz decision or both of them discuss it and they or multiple people ( assistant coaches?) all get in on it and decide?
Im sure different teams have different setups where the HC has limited say in the roster ?
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Yeah I rock with Tatar & hopefully the dude has a slight rebound season. If he does there's a small possibility we can retain half on him at the deadline for a pick.
 
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My3Sons

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Eggtimer said:
It would be hard to scratch him. If I was makig the decision , I could not scratch him. The guy is a veteran and moved his family here, chose to sign with us for two years. Scratching his ass would be difficult for me. Id want to scratch him if he sucks and a kid like Zetterlund or Foote or Holtz etc. is a better option but… when it came down to it l I couldn’t lol. Good thing I am not our GM / HC.
I wonder if Ruff has the power to scratch players like Tatar or if it’s a Fitz decision or both of them discuss it and they or multiple people ( assistant coaches?) all get in on it and decide?
Im sure different teams have different setups where the HC has limited say in the roster ?
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Tatar was bypassed by the team when they signed Palat in my view. If he can outplay a third liner that’s probably ok. If he’s on a fourth line at his salary it’s not good. I think the team is trying to be a bit tougher to play against which makes his role a bit less tenable but we will see.
 
Hockey Sports Fan

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Yeah I don't think Tatar is the odd man out. Plus knowing the Devils, he'll have plenty of opportunity in the top-6 when injuries hit, or Mercer has a sophomore slump, or when Fitz trades Bratt for Gudbranson and a 3rd and a ticket to the Columbus Zoo.

It's the fringe young guys that I think are gonna have a tough time cracking the roster. Holtz I think gets a chance in the top-9 assuming he looks good in camp. But after that, I don't see how any of Foote, Zetterlund or Thompson make the team unless Wood isn't ready AND someone is moved or waived.

Tatar and Johnsson know they need to make an impression if they want to generate some interest for their next contracts. Assuming they're around, they're gonna be motivated.

Shara - Hughes - Bratt
Palat - Hischier - Holtz
Tatar - Haula - Mercer

There's a lot of interchangeable parts there, and Boqvist, Johnsson, Zetterlund, and possibly Wood are all gonna be fighting for top-9 spots as well. There's gonna be a lot of tough decisions to make, but hopefully it leads to a much more effective group of forwards than we've seen recently.
 
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My3Sons

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Hockey Sports Fan said:
Yeah I don't think Tatar is the odd man out. Plus knowing the Devils, he'll have plenty of opportunity in the top-6 when injuries hit, or Mercer has a sophomore slump, or when Fitz trades Bratt for Gudbranson and a 3rd and a ticket to the Columbus Zoo.

It's the fringe young guys that I think are gonna have a tough time cracking the roster. Holtz I think gets a chance in the top-9 assuming he looks good in camp. But after that, I don't see how any of Foote, Zetterlund or Thompson make the team unless Wood isn't ready AND someone is moved or waived.

Tatar and Johnsson know they need to make an impression if they want to generate some interest for their next contracts. Assuming they're around, they're gonna be motivated.

Shara - Hughes - Bratt
Palat - Hischier - Holtz
Tatar - Haula - Mercer

There's a lot of interchangeable parts there, and Boqvist, Johnsson, Zetterlund, and possibly Wood are all gonna be fighting for top-9 spots as well. There's gonna be a lot of tough decisions to make, but hopefully it leads to a much more effective group of forwards than we've seen recently.
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Keep in mind that some guys may require waivers to send down. If he disappointed to lose Zetterlund and/or Boquist at this point. Johnsson and Tatar are likely playing for contracts elsewhere. They are overpriced for what they bring and NJ could use that cap to better impact elsewhere. Guys like Zetterlund and Boquist might be able to provide some decent bottom six play at a reasonable price for the next few years. If they spin off Wood and maybe McLeod if he’s in that scandal the forward group will need some added depth.
 

TBF1972

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Stephen Gionta said:
If all players are healthy, here's how I'd likely start.

Sharangovich - Hughes - Mercer
Palat - Hischier - Bratt
Wood - Haula - Zetterlund
Johnsson - Boqvist- Bastian

Graves - Hamilton
Siegenthaler - Severson
Smith - Marino

Vanecek
Blackwood

Scratched: Tatar, McLeod

In Minors awaiting call-ups:
F - Holtz, Thompson, Geertsen
D - Okhotiuk, Bahl, Walsh, Nemec

I find it both fascinating and encouraging that many of us are penciling Zetterlund at 3RW. His play at the end of the year earned him that spot. It's his to lose.
Click to expand...
could you be so kind and edit this very offensive (?) post to avoid any future conflicts with me?

REMOVE GEERTSEN!!!

last warning.
 
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Guttersniped

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Ds88

Ds88

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Palat-Hughes-Sharangovich
Bratt-Mercer-Holtz
Haula-Hischier-Wood
Johnsson-Boqvist-Foote

Would be my best guess for the forwards. The D seems pretty set in stone.
 
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Stephen Gionta

Stephen Gionta

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Ds88 said:
Palat-Hughes-Sharangovich
Bratt-Mercer-Holtz
Haula-Hischier-Wood
Johnsson-Boqvist-Foote

Would be my best guess for the forwards. The D seems pretty set in stone.
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Well, I don't know what type of substance you're smoking thinking that's the best guess that Ruff does with the forward lines, because I'd be willing to bet my entire net worth those will not be the lines.... however I'll say this - I actually like them a lot! I think it gives the team a ton of balance.
 
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