Devils 2018-19 team discussion (news and notes) part V - OP warning

[Emperoreddy]

Noesen coming back also potentially? Would really help, would roll with this:

Hall-Nico-Palms
MoJo-Seney-Bratt
Coleman-Zajac-Noesen
Wood-Boyle-Dea

I am not sitting Anderson right now.

 

[Emperoreddy]

They absolutely have enough forward talent to win games. They just have to execute and stop with the sloppy lazy play.

 

[Nubmer6]

BTW, just our luck. Bratt and Santini on liquid diets this year, and we JUST traded away our Blender last year.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

I'd really like to see Santini in the lineup, but I think Lovejoy has done a tremendous job this season. As has Severson. As has Vatanen. And that's your right side. Mueller maybe?

 

[AfroThunder396]

I would sit Dea before sitting Anderson

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Anderson still needs to show me a bit more. Same with Seney. Dea had a great game in Pittsburgh. If he plays like that all the time we have a solid 4th liner.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

They absolutely have enough forward talent to win games. They just have to execute and stop with the sloppy lazy play.

but what does this really mean?

Any team in the league has enough forward talent to win games

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

I would sit Dea before sitting Anderson

I wouldnt sit either. Noesen hasnt dont much to earn a spot over Dea and Anderson

 

[Emperoreddy]

but what does this really mean?

Any team in the league has enough forward talent to win games

It means the hand wringing over the roster is over done. Team is not playing up to their potential.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

I'd really like to see Santini in the lineup, but I think Lovejoy has done a tremendous job this season. As has Severson. As has Vatanen. And that's your right side. Mueller maybe?

Mueller maybe , what? Are you suggestig taking him out?

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Mueller maybe , what? Are you suggestig taking him out?

When Santini is ready yes thats the suggestion.

 

[Bleedred]

I'll take your word for that.... I honestly dont know if they count it as 1 shot or 2,3, etc depending on the # of rebounds. I guess that's the digression of the stats guy there, so it may differ a little in each building.
I'll just continue to go by the eye test and ignore stats as I have a higher %of reading goalies then just looking at numbers on a sheet.

This is part of my experiment in reviewing every goal scored around the entire league. Is there a correlation between save percentage and a goalie playing worse on the eye test? There has been with Devils goalies, but now I'm watching all of them from all over the league. There are some weird anomalies so far, but I will say that Mike Smith and Jake Allen are near the bottom of the league in save percentage for goalies who have started at least 4 or 5 games and they have allowed the most stoppable goals I've counted so far. While Pekka Rinne is near the top in save percentage and has allowed just 12 goals this season, I only have him down for 1 stoppable goal against.

Kk gets the start tomorrow according to erica

I expected nothing different.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

It means the hand wringing over the roster is over done. Team is not playing up to their potential.

Okay I can agree to this. I think the first line, point wise, is up to par but play wise id like to see more consistency (but maybe thats easier said than done with the second line being invisible, allowig defensive matchups to be easier). Bottom 6 has been pretty strong offensively but I need to see more grit and defensive play. Second line I wont even begin to comment on, but at least Johansson seems to be finding some sort of groove right before Bratt comes back

 

[Bleedred]

When Santini is ready yes thats the suggestion.

NO!

Mueller has been better this year than Santini EVER was!

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

When Santini is ready yes thats the suggestion.

So you want to take out Mueller, our top pair LD whos playing close to 19minutes a night and doing very well for himself - for a RHD who the last time he played those kinds of minutes was DESTROYED.

Santini will get back in for Lovejoy. Unless Lovejoy is on fire offensively or its a tough matchup in front of the net, hes a 7th dman vet - Santini has to be playing over him if Santini is at the same level or higher

 

[Emperoreddy]

Lovejoy is still the one you sit for Santini.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

NO!

Mueller has been better this year than Santini EVER was!

fair point.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Lovejoy is still the one you sit for Santini.

Agreed. But you can not sit Lovejoy at the moment. He has been stellar (for his role).

 

[Bleedred]

So what do we think of Will Butcher and his poor Corsi to this point?

Currently at 46.57% which is the worst of our top defenders.

Last year he was at 53.14% and even to start this year was at 56% I believe before Lovejoy got hurt. Now that 56% was the initial part of the season in which we dominated as a team, and his % fall is probably tied more to the teams poor play then not being paired with Lovejoy.

Now his goals for % is still excellent at 64%, as his hdcf which is at 58.62%. His sc is also above water at 50.96%.

As per his %'s with given partners his most common partner is Lovejoy, 100 mins played, with whom he is at 47.69 cf%(though as noted this has been falling as the season has progressed). 48% sf. But a very nice gf at 77.78% (7-2)

His #s are pretty limited with everyone else.

30ish mins with Sev's, with pretty lousy results, 42.55 cf%, 36 sf%, even in gf at 1-1.

He's been good with Vat's in very limited time(20ish mins), mostly, as I remember, down late in the game, need offense type situations. 54% corsi, 59% shots for, even in goals at 2-2.

His time with Gryba was also very limited, but just awful, 17 mins, 31.43% corsi, 39% sf, 0-1 in goals.

I look more at relative corsi than actual corsi for/corsi against percentage and Butcher is a -0.8, which isn't terrible, but isn't great like it was last year.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I think coaching was 100% right to protect Butcher last year. He isn’t ready for prime time outside his specialist role.

They messed up in sitting Mueller so much though.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

Agreed. But you can not sit Lovejoy at the moment. He has been stellar (for his role).

at this point in Lovejoy's career, it doesn't matter how well he plays. Santini is a young guy for us with promise - he will get the start every time unless hes playing poorly. Lovejoy is playing, at most, for another contract as a reliable veteran 7th dman. Lovejoy is not included in the usual 'hes playing well you cant take him out' field, he could score a hat trick and be taken out next game. His job is to provide leadership and be available and ready when he's needed. Santini succeeding into a higher role is somethi this team needs more than Lovejoy, and that involves him playing over Ben

 

[Stephen Gionta]

at this point in Lovejoy's career, it doesn't matter how well he plays. Santini is a young guy for us with promise - he will get the start every time unless hes playing poorly. Lovejoy is playing, at most, for another contract as a reliable veteran 7th dman. Lovejoy is not included in the usual 'hes playing well you cant take him out' field, he could score a hat trick and be taken out next game. His job is to provide leadership and be available and ready when he's needed. Santini succeeding into a higher role is somethi this team needs more than Lovejoy, and that involves him playing over Ben

This is also a fair point, but would be much more fair if it was later in the season and the Devils were out of the playoff race. Right now the main goal is to win hockey games. and Lovejoy has played as if he's part of the solution to that, so no you don't take Lovejoy out of the lineup right now.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't see Santini as having a long term future here, despite the deal he just got.

Why? Because we already have at least 5 guys better than him on the roster as of today. Greene will either be retired or off the team the year after next. Ty Smith will be on the team either next year or the year after. And I think there's at least one other defense prospect that will probably be better than him. Obviously Lovejoy is probably gone after this, but with Drew Stafford being brought back, you never do know?

Severson is signed for 4 more years after this. Butcher is an RFA for 3 more years after this? Mueller is an RFA for 3 more years after this? Vatanen is a UFA in 2020, but I think you'd want to bring him back? Someone will have to get traded and right now all of the ''Will have to get traded'' guys are WAY better than Santini. If any one of them is traded, it won't be because we need to give Santini a spot in the lineup, that's for sure. And Santini just has too limited of a skill set to measure up to any of these guys. We have a couple prospects with higher ceilings and the young guys already up are better than him by quite a bit. I think he could be a decent bottom pairing guy, but that's about it. I also think John Quenneville could be a decent bottom 6 guy in the NHL, but he's already getting jumped by quite a few guys.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

I think Santini has a spot on the future of this team. He will be a very solid bottom four defenseman IMO.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Anderson should not sit at this point.

Noesen has been quite bad overall this year IMO