Devils 2018-19 team discussion (player news and notes) - offseason part III

[glenwo2]

so grier is replacing clowe? like 3rd assistant coach?

isn't the concept of 3 assistant coaches new? or am i remembering wrong

HYDRA!!!!

 

[Bleedred]

kowalsky is really experienced with working with youth.

i feel like this is a clearer sign that management is gonna go with trying a lot of youth, as opposed to dipping into trades/free agency this year

I think it varies team by team.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

 

[Brodeur]

Mike Grier was one of my favorite hockey cards. I vaguely recall back in the day that Lou tried to trade Mike Dunham to Edmonton for Grier, but they declined and countered with Georges Laraque.

 

[glenwo2]

 

[Devils Dominion]

He has no coaching experience?

 

[NJDevs26]

So what...he’s basically the Clowe replacement (and he also had no experience). The third assistant isn’t as hands-on during game day as the two main assistants - I assume Kowalsky will be Ward’s replacement.

 

[Devilswede]

Kowalsky is a quality hire. He's a damn good coach and a former coach of the year in the AHL.

It's not often you get a chance to bring in a quality coach like that as your new assistant. And he was in our organization already. It was really a no brainer.

Mike Grier was a respected teammate and player in the NHL, just like Clowe. You can clearly see what Hynes and Ray are looking to to do with how they're setting up the staff.

They're bringing in the right people to work with the players, who understand them and know how they can get through to them. Character people who earned everything they got during their careers.

 

[Devils Dominion]

So what...he’s basically the Clowe replacement (and he also had no experience). The third assistant isn’t as hands-on during game day as the two main assistants - I assume Kowalsky will be Ward’s replacement.

I get nervous with new coaches since Chris Nilan

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I get nervous with new coaches since Chris Nilan

dude that was like 25 years ago lol

 

[Blender]

Often guys who were 3rd or 4th liners make the best coaches because they had to spend so much time sitting on the bench watching and also needed to focus much more on implementing the systems well.

 

[Brodeur]

I dont see how Lappin is even in the top three prospects to make a roster spot this year, let alone the future

I think the thought process is that Lappin might make for a better 14th forward than guys like JQ, Speers, Anderson, etc. Makes more sense to have the kids play regularly in the AHL rather than get press box duties. Basically the Jimmy Hayes spot from last season. I don't think anybody is arguing that Lappin has a ton of long term upside.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Seems like good hires to me. We already know Kowalski is a good coach, and Grier as the replacement for Clowe as the player’s guy seems fine tol

 

[Nico the Draft Riser]

I think the thought process is that Lappin might make for a better 14th forward than guys like JQ, Speers, Anderson, etc. Makes more sense to have the kids play regularly in the AHL rather than get press box duties. Basically the Jimmy Hayes spot from last season. I don't think anybody is arguing that Lappin has a ton of long term upside.

fair enough. Seems Reasonable

 

[GeNeXt]

I get nervous with new coaches since Chris Nilan

Nilan had some personal demons post-playing career, so I don't think it's a fair comparison. Watch The Last Gladiators documentary if you haven't seen it.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Would love to see Grier take a player under his wing the way Clowe did with Wood.

Hell, he could help round out Wood's game even more so with the style he played.

 

[Classic Devil]

Hard to judge coaching hires immediately, but I have no complaints. Kowalsky should make a good replacement for Ward, while Grier serves as a player's coach, a la Clowe.

 

[Nico the Draft Riser]

What type of powerplay does Kowalski run, since I imagine he will be in charge of that

Or hell, lets keeo the same style but replace the farts who didnt belong with the kids.

I forget where but I read an article describing how the Sharks and Devils, among some other teams, are beginning a wave of new powerplay style

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Very happy with these announcements. Good hires.

 

[Cage Helmet]

I get nervous with new coaches since Chris Nilan

I believe he was Larry Robinson’s replacement when he took the Kings Head Coaching position after cup #1? He got axed along with Dennis Gendron after that random lost season where the NJD missed the playoffs in 96. Nilan only lasted one season I think. Lou really took some guys to the curb after that season. f***in Tom Chorske in the season finale.

 

[Devils731]

What type of powerplay does Kowalski run, since I imagine he will be in charge of that

Or hell, lets keeo the same style but replace the farts who didnt belong with the kids.

I forget where but I read an article describing how the Sharks and Devils, among some other teams, are beginning a wave of new powerplay style

Yes, rather than emphasize volume of shots from far away the Devils PP creates more motion and the goal is to create a pass that goes through the slot.

The whole defense and goalie had to change position after a slot pass and whenever you force the defensive up change positions, they’re more likely to make mistakes.

I believe the Devils PP looks like it overperformed last year based on shot volume but if you look at it based on how often shots came after cross slot passes, the Devils ranked fairly high in shot quality.

 

[My3Sons]

Grier is the bad cop to Coleman’s good cop with the teenagers and college age kids to keep them at the facility and gym more than the fortnite lobby

 

[Cage Helmet]

Grier is a very random hire. Don’t think he played anywhere that Shero worked for or the other coaches. He could be good. I got no problems with these hires. Rick has been an AHL head coach for so long that he was probably gonna get interviews for head coaching positions in the NHL soon. So it’s only logical we promote him to assistant.

 

[devilsblood]

Just carrying over that discussion on draft philosophy of this regime vs the prior.

Talvitie strikes me as a Lou type of player. Not overly dynamic, probably more defense then offense. But what Lou was not doing late in his tenure here was drafting guys from overseas.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Kowalsky is an outstanding hire. It is right time for him to move up. He has done a very good job in AHL so he deserves a promotion. He had also been there a long time so it is also good to get a new leadership in the minors.