2017-18 Devils grades

MartyOwns

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Apr 1, 2007
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Boyle- C-
Bratt- B+
Butcher- A-
Coleman- B+
Gibbons- B-
Grabner- A+++
Greene- C
Hall- A
Hayes- lol
Hischier- B+
Johansson- C
Kinkaid- B+
Lovejoy- D
Maroon- B
Moore- C+
Mueller- B-
Noesen- B+
Palmieri- B
Schneider- C-
Severson- C
Stafford- D+
Vatanen- B+
Wood- C+
Zacha- C
Zajac- B+
 

Burner Account

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Feb 14, 2008
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A- Far exceeded expectations
B- Exceeded expectations
C- Met expectations
D- Below expectations
F- Far below expectations

Hall- A - MVP-caliber season. Dragged this team kicking and screaming to the playoffs.
Hischier- A - Incredible two-way game for an 18-year old. Playing in 82 games at that age is nothing to sneeze at, either.
Palmieri- C - Scored 24 goals despite missing 20 games. Kind of streaky.
Butcher- A - Huge numbers for a rookie at any position, let alone a defenseman. Looks like he will be a PPQB in the NHL for years to come.
Bratt- B - Displayed tremendous offensive talent in the first half of the year. This season only, I'll give him a pass for his lack of production in the second half. Before this season, he'd never played over 48 games - and that was against weaker competition. He was asked to play a lot against much bigger and more skilled opponents.
Wood- B - Basically doubled his offensive production in less games. His hands and brain need to catch up with his feet.
Vatanen- C - I expected this team to deploy Vatanen as its #1, and it did. A C looks harsh here, but it isn't intended that way. In a perfect world, he would be your #2 or #3 defenseman.
Noesen- B - Great guy to have in your bottom-six. Will score, forecheck hard, fight, anything you need him to do. By no means a franchise player, but still a kind of player you need if you want to be successful.
Zajac- C - I was tired of Travis Zajac last year and as he returned from injury, but he looks more comfortable and more able to meet expectations as a third-line center.
Gibbons- C - Started off hot and scoring shorthanded goals like a maniac, but trailed off toward the end. As a 30-year old, he doesn't get the same pass that Bratt does.
Coleman- B - See Noesen, but with better hands. Able to create scoring chances and partial breakaways with his speed.
Zacha- D - Basically matched his production from last season when the team needed him to take a step forward. Like it or not, draft position does impact the pressure on you to produce and develop. At this point, he looks like a 3C, which is certainly useful.
Severson- C - Right now, he looks like a solid second-pairing defenseman. It would serve him well to have a better partner to anchor him a bit.
Boyle- C - Great story. Good for 20-30 points as he has been for much of his career.
Moore- C - Second or third pairing NHL defenseman sometimes asked to play more minutes. 3-on-3 legend. Needs an anchor partner.
Stafford- C - I expected Stafford to be a 13th forward and score at roughly the pace he did.
Johansson- D - I sympathize with two concussions in one season, but when healthy he produced below what I expected. This team needs Johansson to be its 2C.
Greene- D - The game looks to be passing him by. Acquiring a better option on the left side should be the #1 priority this offseason.
Maroon- C - Knew we were getting a possession machine who could chip in offensively. His speed makes me question if he has a more permanent place on this team.
Hayes- D - Pretty underwhelming, even by 13th forward standards.
Lovejoy- C - I don't like him, but he is what he is. I know the coaching staff has to really like something about his game to keep playing him, but I don't know what it is.
Grabner- F - Shero saw a chance to add a 25 goal scorer for a relatively low price, but Grabner did not deliver. There are plenty of fast skaters who can't score in the sea.
Mueller- C - Looked solid when he was given the chance to play.
Schneider- F - This team made the playoffs despite Cory Schneider. There were games where his team didn't help, but your franchise goalie cannot go three months without a win - especially when your backup is winning.
Kinkaid- B - Career backup goalie seized the net when his team needed stability most. His March and April were impressive by any standard. Other parts of the season were not.
 

Nocashstyle

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Both of them pretty much met my expectations. Maybe your expectations for Severson were high.

Trust me, my expectations for Severson were pretty low. I'm not a fan of his at all - and he still managed to miss.

Vatanen greatly exceeded my expectations. I expected a decent middle pairing guy, but besides a couple hiccups, he played like a legit top pair dman since coming over .
 

Burner Account

Registered User
Feb 14, 2008
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Trust me, my expectations for Severson were pretty low. I'm not a fan of his at all - and he still managed to miss.

Vatanen greatly exceeded my expectations. I expected a decent middle pairing guy, but besides a couple hiccups, he played like a legit top pair dman since coming over .
Interesting. I expected Severson to play like a mid-pairing D, and I expected Vatanen to be an upgrade on him.

To reiterate, same letter grade =/= same performance. I graded each player on his own play vs. what I expected coming into the season.
 

Holtz My Bahls

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Jan 5, 2011
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Hall - A+ If you grade him lower you're nuts. MVP year and the best player to dawn a Devils sweater since prime Elias.

Hischier - A Nico is the 1C we have desperately needed for years. When he puts on some muscle look out.

Bratt - A Bratt was an unknown who took this team and the league by storm. I don't hold the slumps against him as I don't think he should be in a bottom six role and I also believe he's been playing hurt since the final Buffalo meeting.

MoJo - B Limited by injuries but his speed, and puck control were noticeable when he was healthy. Hopefully he has a full season in 2018-2019.

Zacha - C Look, he's taken steps forward but for right now it just is not enough. He is 6'3'' but plays like he's 5'9'' and he just does not get on the scoresheet enough for a 2C. I have not lost faith on him just yet.

Zajac - B- Wasn't his best year number wise but he's getting up there in age and it took him time to fully get into form after starting the season injured.

Palmieri - B+ I wanted to go A- simply based on how his season was marred by injury but he really played poorly at times and that brough

Henrique - C Definition of meh and with a lack of effort at times made himself expendable so thanks for Vatanen

Coleman - A+ What a year for Blake you cannot ask for more from a guy in the bottom 6. Speed demon who played with heart almost every damn shift.

Maroon - B He's not fast by any means but he played his role well wish he was better on the boards and I hope Shero can bring him back.

Noesen - B+ Another solid year from a bottom six player and scored some seriously clutch goals down the stretch.

Gibbons - B Another guy who played in the bottom six everyone was pissed he made the team to start the year and excelled practically out of nowhere he would have had a higher grade if he did not come back to earth after such a hot start.

Grabner - F Holy f**k this guy was a total flop. I almost want Shero to resign him just so we don't lose him for nothing since we gave up a 2nd for him. He was not mis-used either he cannot pass the puck if his life depended on it.

Wood - A- Major improvement this season despite not being his best at the end he's grown enough where i'm thrilled with his progress. I truly think the suspension got in his head. Did not look the same ever since. Bet he bounces back.

Stafford - D- Would be an F but someone has to score in the shootouts lol.

Hayes - D We get it he's slow but he's a character guy so that counts for something and given the role he did play I don't mind him being here.

Greene - C- I can't really put everything on him like some people will. Greene blocks a ton of shots and obviously helps his grade in my book. It also isn't Greene's decision on how much he plays. He cannot be in the top 4 anymore he's cooked. Personally I don't think he should have the "C" next season.

Vatanen - B+ Say what you want about a "slump" he took a bit to recover and get acclimated with our system. He was easily our best d-man on the team and ate all the minutes. Can't give him an A since at times he did make some poor reads.

Lovejoy - F I truly don't know how this guy still gets in the lineup he just gets abused constantly. I've never seen a player down on all fours more than him. He really has to go.

Moore - D I don't care if he scored 30 goals, okay that's a lie that would be awesome but he really was horrendous after December. Depending on what he wants I think Shero should look for a replacement.

Severson - C I honestly feel generous giving Severson a C he really did not look great this year. I have to think coaching is to blame but maybe i'm being overly critical when I say he reminds me of Henrique in that he doesn't hustle. He's also soft. I love the guy and want him to be here a while but he really disappointed me most nights.

Butcher - B I really can't knock him at all the reason he won't get an A is because the defense as a whole this year was not good enough for me. Butcher was playing sheltered minutes too but I don't really care about that I thought he was fantastic at times but I do wish he was a bit faster.

Mueller - C In my mind he wasn't terrible but also was not great either. He missed a ton of time because of injury so the jury is still out on him. He's better than Lovejoy but is that saying much?

Santini - C- Not thrilled with him right now. Clearly not favored by the coaching staff and he has not shown enough to justify playing every night. However, just like Mueller he should be playing over LJ.

Schneider - C clearly I blame the defense and the system aka Nasreddine's coaching. I just don't think the blame should be on Schneider or Kinkaid for that matter. Give Schneider a good defensive core and a stronger system and I bet he wins more games. We were spoiled by Brodeur but guess what Marty would look awful too with the 2017-2018 defense in front of him. I also don't think Schneider is 100% and don't think he will be ever again either those groin injuries never go away.

Kinkaid - B- He got us into the playoffs no question and did play better than Cory but again the defense and the system really exposed all of our goalies.


Hynes - B- I don't think he sucks but I also question his assistants so for me something has to change. That could very well be just new player personnel. However I think the two below have got to go. Also putting Stafford on the PP all season... ya really couldn't put someone else on it?

Ward - D- The drop the puck back to our own zone five times before entering the offensive zone is really fun.

Nasreddine - F actually F you I've never seen a defense fail to breakout more or make as many stupid passes in their own end more than in this system. I'm convinced he's a major source of Schneider's problems because the D is soft as baby s**t. Maybe I'm dead wrong I don't know but I just have zero confidence in anyone improving with him at the helm.

Shero - A+ We aren't even sniffing the playoffs without Shero. Just an unbelievable tenure so far. Wish he'd axe Nasreddine and maybe he will. I won't fault him for Grabner because on paper it made sense fast player, scores goals. It's not his fault Grabner sucked. I have a ton of faith in Shero making some big moves this offseason. I genuinely feel like Shero signs a huge talent this summer just a feeling. He's made this team exciting again and I think he understands the team has to improve.
 
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billingtons ghost

Registered User
Nov 29, 2010
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Surprising how "forgiving" some are here for LoveJoy with the type of favorable grades he's been getting.

I want this clown out of here Pronto.

Considering he was going to get an F----- no matter what when the season began, he was a serviceable 6th dman on a playoff bubble team.

Of course we need him gone if we are going to go forward, but while last year he deserved an F, and he deserved an F when the playoffs ratcheted everything up a level, but seriously? He is exactly that stupid kid who eats glue and gets a C- and that is what I give him.
 

billingtons ghost

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Nov 29, 2010
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Not applicable: I have no right to even assign a grade to Hall. He taught the class.
A+: Nico (I don't know how an 18 year old plays reliably and consistently well all season, and anyone should give him less than an A+)
A: Coleman, Butcher (might have been my two favorite players to watch this year - dynamic and wonderful)
A-: Kinkaid (I don't expect 20 wins out of a backup hack - thanks glenwo2).
Gibbons (came from where exactly? who?)
Bratt (6th rounder? terrible tail off, but still...)
Noesen (love this guy)
B+: Wood (big strides this season - was a key player until that suspension)
B: Zajac (best season in forever, as a true #3C)
Palmieri - decent season. Only other bona fide threat other than Hall on this team
B-: Zacha (everyone forgets he's just 20. Played solidly as a defense-first #2 center all season)
Maroon - (great if he wasn't so damned slow)
Greene - people are killing him, but if he isn't playing #1 D minutes, Lovejoy or some worse option is. Considering his age, I'm really thankful for the job he did for us.
Vatanen - Zidlicky 2.0 some nights, other nights looked like the greatest Shero steal since Hall. If he can get some consistency and not panic and throw the puck away, he'll be great for us going forward.
Santini - ate minutes in situations he had no business playing. Would be an B+ if he had Butcher's sheltering and Lovejoy wasn't in the way.
Mueller - Looks like he could have a solid career if/when he pulls it all together.
C+: Moore - played excellent hockey early on - overmatched on the second pairing though... big step up from last season
C: Mojo (useless off the ice - not a difference-maker on it. His 1st playoff game back might have been his best all season)
C-: Lovejoy
D: Severson - ugh. Don't care what Corsi says. This was another step backwards season that proved he still is too inconsistent a defender to be kept in the lineup.
F+: Hayes Can barely remember anything he did except for a couple nice snipes early on. Otherwise, wasted a roster spot.
F: Schneider - Vezina candidate? Needed him to be a stopper. No wins in 2018 until game3. Cannot imagine a worse nightmare than that.
F: Stafford Blech.
F-: Grabner (gave us absolutely nothing)

Hynes - A- Pushed all of the right buttons all season long and developed young players. I don't care what the critics say - he tried to keep lines together, tried to give players chances to shine. When 20+ guys have their best seasons as pro, I cannot ding the coach.
Ward - C-
Nasreddine - D
Shero - A
 

mtnet

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Rock DJ: F- and should be tarred and feathered for crimes against humanity, particularly in those 2 playoff games
 

Emperoreddy

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Apr 13, 2010
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How can you give Hynes an A, but his assistants failing grades?

They are his staff. If they are hurting the team that badly he needs to step in as their boss and superior, or is he that weak as a head coach?

People need to come to terms with the fact Hynes at worst feels Nass and Ward are doing an acceptable job, and most likely thinks they are doing a very fine job.
 

AgentBrodeur

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Jul 19, 2016
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wow allot of above average grades here, and very below.

A+ Hall - no description needed
B Nico (image him and hall being an A)
B+ Coleman Needs to work finishing (shot, deke) has all the tenacity /grinding you could want
B Butcher - went a pretty long period without scoring. But he is our #2 offensive defenseman PP2 quarterback
B+ Kinkaid (gotta huge plus for pushing us in at end of season)
B Gibbons (This AHLer started off strong, got hurt, did not recover, cant imagine if this guy was healthy all year)
B- Bratt - very young, great puck handler and skater. Bumped off the puck easily. another guy that needs to grow up physically
B- Noesen - great shot, physical presence. great PKer, but not a top 6, but exceeded expectations.
C+ Wood (expecting more from him by now, has the speed, has the grit, missing the finish, also has to get back on D)
B- Boyle (great leadership, veteran presence , regular season important goals, igniter of momentum, but needs to be better def, maybe PKing too much)
B: Zajac (faceoffs better this season, if he would score more along with his defense, i think when he scores we have like a 90% chance of winning the game)
B Palmieri - Great shot, great speed, defensive liability
C+ Zacha - Still not sure what to make of this guy, maybe he will fit well an another team? our maturation time is stillllll needed
B- Maroon - ( not sure of his intentions, or how much he really wants to be here)
B- Greene - Our top D who is coming to the end of his career. Never could just throw some wristers to the net, not sure why
A- Vatanen - Our PP quarterback, and key defense outlet and only blueliner next to Butcher. Just wish he would shoot more, and on net.
Santini - Needs maturation still cannot give a grade. Definitely brings the defensive game, but has to also be able to shoot in this day in age.
C+ Mueller some solid defense, but not helping out on score sheet.
B- Moore - Brings the off game, but could bring more. Needs to hit the gym and bring some toughness as well
Mojo Cant give a grade, was hurt for too long. I would keep this guy though, hes a star
B Lovejoy - through salt all you want. But defensive defenseman are hard to find.
D Severson - he is suppose to bring offense. Hes not really bringing either. How long do we wait for maturation.
C Schneider - Not sure who can give him an F. I understand he has not yet still a goalie, who can steal games on his own. But we need a defensive core that can help that happen. He played .500 hockey this year. Game 5 in the Stanely Cup , somebody else finally showed up. We need this guy.
D Stafford had high hopes for a veteran.
 
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NjDevsRR

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Cory's grade is a tough one. The Devils were massively outplayed and outshot in the first two months of the season and he definitely helped this team pile up some wins early on which was crucial. Then he and the team had that awful spell in the middle of the season, got injured, did not seem right when he returned and then all of a sudden turned into God at times during the postseason. I'll give him a C. Hopefully the Cory we saw in the postseason will be the Cory of 2018/2019. Couple that with an upgraded blue line and look out.
 
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Nubmer6

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How can you give Hynes an A, but his assistants failing grades?

They are his staff. If they are hurting the team that badly he needs to step in as their boss and superior, or is he that weak as a head coach?

People need to come to terms with the fact Hynes at worst feels Nass and Ward are doing an acceptable job, and most likely thinks they are doing a very fine job.

Actually, I'm in the same boat. I really like Hynes. He's seemed to push the right buttons and I like the way he holds people accountable and he seems to be very clear what he wants out of his players and why they're sitting.

The assistant coaches, on the other hand, I'm less than thrilled with. I particularly dislike Nasreddine, although I feel he's gotten better this year. Our breakout strategy last year was just mind-numbingly horrible, and while it still isn't great, it got much better. Zone coverage still remains a problem.

I also look at the players, and I see Severson stagnating, if not regressing. Moore took a step forward in the first half of the season but fell back to his nonsensical ways. Lovejoy and Greene were played over their heads (although I guess we didn't have a ton of options with Greene), and Santini was dropped in the deep end, then kicked out of the pool. Vats, meanwhile, had a good year, but I think he just regressed/progressed to his pre-Carlyle form, so I don't give Nas any credit for that.

As I had said before the season, our D is bad, but it wasn't as nearly bad as they played last year. At least this year they played about as well as I expected them to have played last year, but didn't. I have little faith they significantly progress from here while he's the defensive coach.

Man, I'd LOVE to get Stevens back as a special assignments coach. I feel like he'd straighten a bunch of these guys out.
 
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PWiz30

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I also don't think Schneider is 100% and don't think he will be ever again either those groin injuries never go away.
Personally, I think Cory's injury may have contributed to his poor play down the stretch, but I strongly believe that the issue was primarily a psychological one. There are a number of saves in the latter stages of the regular season and in the playoffs that he wouldn't have made if the groin injury wasn't healed and most of the bad goals were on plays where it wouldn't have been a factor anyway.

The mistakes he made consistently had the look of someone with confidence issues who was overthinking everything while playing. The fact that he turned it around after coming in in relief supports that theory as well.

Not having the anticipation that comes with a start helped him play a bit looser in game 2 and one good night can be all you need to break out of a slump like that.
 

bobilly45

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Jan 1, 2013
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Cory's grade is a tough one. The Devils were massively outplayed and outshot in the first two months of the season and he definitely helped this team pile up some wins early on which was crucial. Then he and the team had that awful spell in the middle of the season, got injured, did not seem right when he returned and then all of a sudden turned into God at times during the postseason. I'll give him a C. Hopefully the Cory we saw in the postseason will be the Cory of 2018/2019. Couple that with an upgraded blue line and look out.

c-... he pretty much sucked since late December. (Not including his injury) Played decent early on, but always gave up the 1 or 2 weak goals which cost us alot when our offense was slumping ... game 5 was imo his best game of the seson.
 

Missionhockey

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Hall - A+ not much needs to be said. We competed because he produced down the stretch when nobody else could.

Hischier - A definitely exceeded expectations and showed a glimpse of his potential.

Bratt - B+ He's definitely got a future in this league as a top six winger but he ran out of gas down the stretch and it was very apparent. He's going to need a long summer in the gym to work on his strength and stamina.

MoJo - Incomplete. He was injured the majority of the season and when he wasn't I don't think he was ever 100%. The games that he did play pretty much showed the type of player I think he is. Basically a .5 ppg player that has good vision and is good at carrying the puck up the ice. Hopefully he has better luck next year slotted behind Hall on the 2nd line.

Zacha - C This is maybe a harsh grade considering how young he is, but he was the 2nd line center for lack of better options and he wasn't ready for the role. He needs to be more assertive on the ice IMO to find himself in shooting positions because there are too many nights he's a non-factor. There's hope though, he's a better playmaker than I thought he was and I still think he could be a top six forward. I'm not sure when he makes that break through though and it might not be next year. If Zacha takes the next step and can put up 50 points behind the Hall line, this team takes the next step forward. Until then, we stay a one line team that lives and dies on the Hall line.

Zajac - B I think he settled nicely into a checking role.

Palmieri - B Injury riddled year, but otherwise the production is what you would typically expect from him. Would like to see more from him 5 on 5.

Coleman - B+ Underdog that came in and established himself as an NHLer. I think he's got some untapped offensive potential, plus he's gritty and is a puck hound. I love this guy.

Maroon - B+ I don't understand what everyone's gripe with this guy is. He played well in his tenure here IMO. He's slow but he definitely helped the power play and was great along the boards which is an element that this team isn't great at. He's worth revisiting in the offseason.

Noesen - C+ I think he had an up and down season. When he's not being aggressive on pucks and on the boards he's not really useful. That's a tough job to do for 82 games, but unless he finds that consistency, he'll continue to be a player that's in and out of the lineup.

Gibbons - B I think he did his job which is the hound pucks from the fourth line. Don't really expect much more from him than that but he even chipped in a few goals early in the season. I think his speed is probably why they chose him over Quenneville for the season. Not sure of his future though.

Grabner - F he was useless.

Wood - B This would be a B+ if he didn't have such a bad series against the Lightning. There are things that make Wood successful which are being first on pucks, pressuring the D, being aggressive in front of the net, and none of that was present versus the Lightning. Had an okay season but I was really disappointed in his playoff performance.

Boyle - B you have to grade him on a curve since he literally had cancer. I think he has value but ran out of gas towards the end of the season. I wonder how much of that is the disease?

Stafford - F not really useful. You can see he has a lot of puck skills but the wheels have fallen off.

Hayes - F Not fast, not physical, not a great shot,

Greene -B Greene is a limited player now but considering the fact that he's pretty slow, he does relatively well being matched up against top players. He's definitely still our best option there because John Moore is John Moore and I Mueller probably isn't ready for it. I definitely am worried about next year though. Every time he turns around to retrieve a puck in the corner I cringe a little.

Vatanen - A matched up and holds his own against top competition, also produced points at a 40 point pace when he came here and was battling injuries in the early part of the season. He's now our most reliable defenseman.

Lovejoy - B settled in on the third pairing with Butcher and killing penalties. I thought he did much better in a limited role.

Moore - C great skater, but IMO he panics too much with the puck and gives up possession coupled with occasional brain farts.

Severson - C he's too soft in his own zone. Sometimes he doesn't take the man, other times he's not aware of the puck, and some special times its both. I have hope for him, but this has been an ongoing issue for Severson and he'll continue to have problems staying in the lineup on any team if he doesn't fix that.

Butcher - A- He has great vision, and he was a tremendous boost to the power play. He's slow for a guy his size though which kept him in a limited role. He needs to hit to the gym, work on his explosiveness, and also maybe a power skating coach.

Santini - C Gets caved in on possession too much, but I think part of that is not being able to pair him with a good puck mover. He could be much more effective with the right partner but there isn't a LD on the team on the team that's an above average puck mover. Hopefully he worked on his first pass and composure with the puck down in Bing. Still think he's useful.

Schneider - C Another below average season. I think it's in his head though. I also think once our defense improves, you'll see better numbers out of him because as of now, they are still below average.

Kinkaid - B+ struggled early but still managed to come out with wins and played his best when the team needed him.


Coaches

Hynes - B+ I'm only going to give Hynes a grade since you don't know how much he delegates to his assistants. This year's team didn't have a ton of talent and the talent they did have was riddled with injuries (Palmieri, Johannson). He gets a B+ for getting the most out of Taylor Hall and managing the youth. He put Butcher in a role he could succeed and he managed Nico to the extent that he could handle. He was dealt a tough hand IMO just like the last few years but made major improvements. Underlying numbers for this team aren't good though, which is why I keep from giving him an A. I think the team relies too much on the rush and the counter attack.



Shero - A The only deal I didn't like was the Grabner deal even that is a little revisionist but I thought he was a bad gamble. Otherwise I have nothing but good things to say about him. The two biggest difference makers on our team came from trades that he made (Hall and Vatanen).
 

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