Why would NJ miss it if Miles didn’t provide it?
The same explanations that shocked you when he signed.
Yes, absolutely. Struggling player plays better with new team. Film at 11.
Confirmed Signing with Link: [COL] F Miles Wood signs with the Avalanche (6 years, $2.5M AAV)
- Thread starter MMC
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Why would NJ miss it if Miles didn’t provide it?
The same explanations that shocked you when he signed.
Yes, absolutely. Struggling player plays better with new team. Film at 11.
- Dec 20, 2018
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His stats aren’t any different then they were in his NJ days, not counting when he was hindered by injury.
He’s a fun, likable player. His physicality and speed is notable. His tendency to both take and draw a ton of penalties isn’t a bad thing if you have good special teams. He gives you ~15 goals.
“Part of an amazing line” doesn’t mean a ton, he adds some nice elements, but his line-mates are likely doing more of the heavy lifting with play driving and definitely doing more defensively.
Sure looks like it.
Wood had a 3.5m Qualifying Offer for 2022–23, the Devils took him to arbitration to get it lowered, they agreed to 3.2m before the hearing.
Not sure Fitz felt he could get him much lower, much less to 2.5m, particularly since Wood made 2.75m for 4 years starting in 2018-19. He broke out early with 19 goals so he got pretty well paid early on.
I really wouldn’t want Wood on a 6 year/2.5m either, not sure I need 13 years of Miles Wood.
Some Devils fans have a weird dislike of the guy, but it doesn’t matter now because that ship sailed. He was a UFA and he signed elsewhere.
So no, I personally have no new feelings about Miles Wood. Likable goofball, glad it’s working out in Colorado for him.
Spilot23
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What I remember Devils fans saying about Wood was the penalties he kept taking in the offensive zone I think. I'm not sure. Very similar to how Flyers fans warned us about NAK. Either way no need for a pissing contest Wood has been very good so far and if that 3rd line is healthy in the playoffs damn they're gonna be hard to play against. Of course we will need a 2nd line first 
The idea that they’d be in a better position with Wood’s “toughness” while they’re missing guys like Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilon, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, etc., for various periods of time is kind of comical. Losing Wood has exactly zero to do with New Jersey’s underperformance this year, especially given his direct replacement has been a better, more flexible player (Lazar).
What I remember Devils fans saying about Wood was the penalties he kept taking in the offensive zone I think. I'm not sure. Very similar to how Flyers fans warned us about NAK. Either way no need for a pissing contest Wood has been very good so far and if that 3rd line is healthy in the playoffs damn they're gonna be hard to play against. Of course we will need a 2nd line first
So frustrating. Yes, he took quite a few.
He has always drawn penalties well enough to offset his own penalties for the most part, but man, last year....it was so frustrating with the offensive zone penalties.
he looks great on a contender instead of a pretender.
- Dec 20, 2018
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I’m starting to think Wood is riding a hot streak.
Let’s check, shall we?
His last 6 games:
He has 18 points (8G 10A) in 44 GP, so yeah, it looks like he’s on a hot streak.
Wood in 2022-23: 77 GP 13G 14A 27 points
The 12 games Wood scored 14 of those 27 total points (8G 6A).
He explodes for small stretches and then doesn’t produce much of anything for a longer stretch. (Which is perfectly acceptable for a bottom six guy.)
He’s not a different player this year. You can disagree with their reviews but anti-Wood Devils fans have seen this movie before.
Sounds like he fits well on his line. We’re all happy for you. Him PKing sounds fun. He never did that in NJ, but the Devils seem to prefer C or W/C on the PK over pure wingers.
Let’s check, shall we?
His last 6 games:
He has 18 points (8G 10A) in 44 GP, so yeah, it looks like he’s on a hot streak.
Wood in 2022-23: 77 GP 13G 14A 27 points
The 12 games Wood scored 14 of those 27 total points (8G 6A).
He explodes for small stretches and then doesn’t produce much of anything for a longer stretch. (Which is perfectly acceptable for a bottom six guy.)
He’s not a different player this year. You can disagree with their reviews but anti-Wood Devils fans have seen this movie before.
Sounds like he fits well on his line. We’re all happy for you. Him PKing sounds fun. He never did that in NJ, but the Devils seem to prefer C or W/C on the PK over pure wingers.
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Much like the Avs were happy to see JTC leave to another team, sometimes players just wear out their welcome come new contract time. Neither NJ nor COL have particularly developed a lot of players in the past, but neither team wanted to keep their player due to costs relative to historical performance.
But also equally as fair, that doesn't preclude said players from being valuable to their new look clubs for various reasons. Such as Colorado only having ever developed LOC as a bottom six winger in the past decade+. Hell we saw Graves do well for NJ after the trade with lower expectations on him, in Colorado he killed one of our playoff runs and had to carry that baggage.
But also equally as fair, that doesn't preclude said players from being valuable to their new look clubs for various reasons. Such as Colorado only having ever developed LOC as a bottom six winger in the past decade+. Hell we saw Graves do well for NJ after the trade with lower expectations on him, in Colorado he killed one of our playoff runs and had to carry that baggage.
GirardSpinorama
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- Aug 20, 2004
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Hes been consistently fast, physical all year while scoring clutch goals with zero pp time. Its not really the production that matters, anyone can read game logs, but his eye test doesnt fit at all with what some jersey fans saying (that hes no longer a fast physical player).
HugeInTheShire
You may not like me but, I'm Huge in the Shire
I think some of this can be explained by simply understanding that Av fans are talking about what they see now and most Devil fans are talking about what they saw from Wood in the seasons that he played there. By the end of his tenure, he wasn't the fast physical player he once was. That doesn't mean that he hasn't once again found that extra gear in Colorado now. I think most Devil fans are happy seeing him succeed and play well again, but that doesn't change the fact that he came in like a lion and left like a lamb in NJ.
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A lot of fans soured on Wood because we were paying him 3.2m to play on our 4th line last year.
Wood played 3 games in 2021-22 because of a hip injury and it took a while for him to get back to speed last season. He had a very long tough stretch mid-season.
I’ve was a Wood supporter/apologist, he creates a lot of his own offense as a volume shooter, which is what you need from a bottom six winger. He’s not dickish pest, but he’s an aggressive, disruptive physical presence with speed.
Wood signature move is accidentally plowing into opposing goalies and/or the goal post (which is how he’s gotten injured more than once).
I actually believe the Devils do miss his net front presence and he was one of the few recent Devils who could reliably tip pucks in.
Obviously the Devils fans who like him the least were the ones most eager to tell you he sucked and that your will hate that contract. (He was always fan favorite with the general public though.)
That said, I’m not that broken up that we didn’t sign him. I think the deal he signed makes more sense for the Avs than NJ and the only Devils center he arguably matched up well with right now was just arrested for sexual assault.
And again, even if a few Avs fans try to make rooting for him unpleasant, I’m glad he’s on a playoff team. Poor Adam Henrique went to the SC Finals as a rookie and then played in grand total of 4 playoff games in the following 11 seasons.
Here’s his NHL EDGE numbers for the last two seasons:
He had an up and down career before the last two years. He broke out with 19 goals in 16-17, had maybe his best season in 17-18 but his play dipped the next two years.
He did well with players like Blake Coleman and a healthy Stephen Noesen in 2017-18, having compatible players who cover for him defensively lets Wood really do his thing.
John Mandalorian
2022 Avs: The First Dance
- Nov 29, 2018
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Part of whats behind the enthusiasm has a small sample size at the moment. He's on a line with others like him. All three have been bringinh it all year. But whats sort of started happening since Woods return from illness is that these guys are starting to show some actual shooting and passing skill. It could be a small sample size where they revert back. Or it could be that theyre emerging into something more than how they started the season.
GirardSpinorama
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They're also just the default 2nd line with nuke gone and Lehkonen missing. Colten getting some PP time has done wonders for his confidence. LoC is just bringing it this year, good on every line hes on.
