Devils 2019-20 team discussion (news and notes) - Season begins!

[Blackjack]

It wouldn’t help with how we are playing.

No, I suppose not.

 

[Emperoreddy]

No, I suppose not.

The team was always going to have issues defensively. They needed to be fast and aggressive to push the pace and control the puck in the other end to make up for it.

They are so structurally a mess though that they cant do this. They are currently incapable of transitioning at all. No one seems to know where anyone is or where they need to be.

 

[MauDevils]

Let's all just take a moment to appreciate Will Butcher. In a swamp of suck, he's extremely good.

 

[Whaddagoal]

The team was always going to have issues defensively. They needed to be fast and aggressive to push the pace and control the puck in the other end to make up for it.

They are so structurally a mess though that they cant do this. They are currently incapable of transitioning at all. No one seems to know where anyone is or where they need to be.

They are really horrible in their own zone when their initial breakout fails, or if they fail on transition. They are pinned WAAY too much in their own zone, 5v5. And i'm not just talking about the midget skill line getting stuck. Watching it without studying the context, one might think they were on a PK, but they've got all five players on the ice! It's basically like they need to execute perfect seam pass to get out of zone, otherwise they're scrambling.

I think even today Hall was on a makeshift line stuck in their own zone for what seemed like a long time. Luckily no goal was scored then, but maybe it would have been easier to digest than this fail today.

 

[Blackjack]

Let's all just take a moment to appreciate Will Butcher. In a swamp of suck, he's extremely good.

Butcher and Zacha, Zacha and Butcher, in it together... How.. WHY??

 

[Blackjack]

More than anything it reminds me of the '10-'11 team when they just lost any kind of belief in themselves. Only this time Jacques LeMaire will not be coming to save us.

 

[Call Me Al]

yeah they have no confidence at all. even with a 4-1 lead

 

[Emperoreddy]

yeah they have no confidence at all. even with a 4-1 lead

That shit power play took all their energy away.

 

[Whaddagoal]

More than anything it reminds me of the '10-'11 team when they just lost any kind of belief in themselves. Only this time Jacques LeMaire will not be coming to save us.

Precisely, he is too retired and too old to save this one. That was almost a decade ago, can you believe it.....?

 

[Sir Fenwick Corsi]

Precisely, he is too retired and too old to save this one. That was almost a decade ago, can you believe it.....?

With the results we’ve been having, it feels just like yesterday. This is 2011 2.0.

 

[Whaddagoal]

With the results we’ve been having, it feels just like yesterday. This is 2011 2.0.

Yep, sure feels like it, and sure as hell hope it doesn't go further down this track.

 

[devsfan4life]

More than anything it reminds me of the '10-'11 team when they just lost any kind of belief in themselves. Only this time Jacques LeMaire will not be coming to save us.

“I got a call from my buddy Lou......”

 

[Whaddagoal]

What other back-pocket coaches does Shero know...? There IS no Lemaire waiting to save us, theres no body.

We can only bring in re-treads from outside. Boucher is only sizable guy with creds that I could consider. I forget if John Stevens got a job after his LAK firing (which i felt was premature), but he probably is gone too. Who the hell is left?

They kind of shafted Scott Stevens who had a good assistant role here before the GM change, and when Shero came in, Hynes basically was allowed to clean house and Stevens didn't even get an offer essentially. This i remember clearly because we had a HUUUGE debate here on HF for a good portion about the Shero bringing the whole Pitts connection here, during that time (you know, Pittsburg East). I remember being really upset that Stevens didn't even get to stay on as assistant.

Then we kind of moved away from that topic as Hynes squeezed a lot out of a really really bad roster, and all was forgotten, and then we somehow made playoffs the season before last, but now we've gone back full circle. What the hell do we have here.

As a few other posters have chimed in recently, I agree with them, I wish we had a lot of that old NJ identity still with the club (bring Scotty back or something for the defense), wathcing the team blow 4 or 3 goal leads is really painful hockey to partake in as a fan.

 

[jkrdevil]

What other back-pocket coaches does Shero know...? There IS no Lemaire waiting to save us, theres no body.

We can only bring in re-treads from outside. Boucher is only sizable guy with creds that I could consider. I forget if John Stevens got a job after his LAK firing (which i felt was premature), but he probably is gone too. Who the hell is left?

John Stevens joined the Dallas staff this year, otherwise he would be my go to candidate (and should get consideration in the offseason).

 

[Devils090]

I'm ****ing baffled that our PP still doesn't have guys on their one-timer sides.

almost like Kowalski has no idea what he’s doing

 

[Billdo]

If Nico is out I'd like to see

Hall-Zacha-Bratt
Gusev-Zajac-Palmieri
Coleman-Hughes-Simmonds
Wood-Rooney-Boqvist

I feel there's enough help defensively for Hughes, Gusev and Palmieri can shoot on the second line, and the first line Zacha has shown a good amount of chemistry with both Hall and Bratt.

 

[Whaddagoal]

John Stevens joined the Dallas staff this year, otherwise he would be my go to candidate (and should get consideration in the offseason).

Damn, we really are in a bind here. Unless they're willing to sacrifice Brylin to NHL duties, i don't think we should go non-NHL experience here. Plus, poor Sarge.

 

[Whaddagoal]

If Nico is out I'd like to see

Hall-Zacha-Bratt
Gusev-Zajac-Palmieri
Coleman-Hughes-Simmonds
Wood-Rooney-Boqvist

I feel there's enough help defensively for Hughes, Gusev and Palmieri can shoot on the second line, and the first line Zacha has shown a good amount of chemistry with both Hall and Bratt.

I approve of this, if Nico is out, let's hope he isn't out long. Maybe bring up McLeod or Maltsev for 4th line, why the hell not. Someone has to be hungry to be up here and make a difference.

 

[MartyOwns]

Damn, we really are in a bind here. Unless they're willing to sacrifice Brylin to NHL duties, i don't think we should go non-NHL experience here. Plus, poor Sarge.

...which is why firing hynes right now doesn’t make much sense. unless shero has someone in mind- and i don’t think he does- a change for changes sake is a dumb, p***y move

 

[Emperoreddy]

...which is why firing hynes right now doesn’t make much sense. unless shero has someone in mind- and i don’t think he does- a change for changes sake is a dumb, ***** move

Hynes has completely lost the pulse of this team. Keeping him is more damaging then getting rid of him to send a message.

 

[R8Devs]

even if nico is in I think the Devils should try a Hall-Hughes/Zacha-Hughes/Zacha line out

Coleman-Hischier-Bratt
Gusev-Zajac-Palmieri
Wood/Boqvist-Rooney/Boqvist-Wood/Simmonds

Spread the scoring throughout the lineup and also have at least two positive defensive players on each line. Play the top 3 lines in whatever order matchups dictate/whatever line is playing the best (or struggling the least)

 

[Whaddagoal]

IIRC the Thrashers went 0-6 to start their season right after their first playoff season a decade ago, and Hartley was removed out in a split....

We'll see if Shero is gonna let this go longer.

I don't recall if they went literally 0-6 or had some points mixed in similar to what we're seeing with OTL's, but they lost their first 6 games.

Not that this has any bearing, just going down memory lane for some comparables.

 

[Nico Hischier]

I’m tired of defending severson. I truly believe we would play better with him in the press box. I’m also tired of defending hynes. It’s time to make moves. I do not want to be an easy team to beat or the laughing stock of the league - that’s supposed to be Ottawa

 

[Billdo]

I’m tired of defending severson. I truly believe we would play better with him in the press box. I’m also tired of defending hynes. It’s time to make moves. I do not want to be an easy team to beat or the laughing stock of the league - that’s supposed to be Ottawa

The annoying part is this team has too much talent up front to be what they are. We used to have like one top line guy and a bunch of 4th liners on most teams, we now have a competent forward group and still blow. The defense sucks but to me it's more on the coach and the lack of a working system.

 

[Emperoreddy]

The annoying part is this team has too much talent up front to be what they are. We used to have like one top line guy and a bunch of 4th liners on most teams, we now have a competent forward group and still blow. The defense sucks but to me it's more on the coach and the lack of a working system.

They look exactly like last year’s team which had AHL guys filling the lineup for like 40-50 games.

Uou would never know we had roster turnover.