GDT: Devils and Panthers and Nickelodeon OH MY, MSG NHLN 12:30

[TBF1972]

To be fair he did basically what he should have done with the goaltending the last two offseasons - paired Blackwood (who had a reasonably successful first two years in the league) with a proven vet. One vet retired, the other got hurt early and Blackwood's melted down the last two years. Fitz may have made the right moves on paper the last two offseasons but eventually he's gonna have to make the right move period or it'll be his fanny out on the street. Maybe instead of getting a 30+ vet to be the backup, it's time to have Blackwood be the 1B and someone else be the 1A. You can't count on Blackwood healthwise after the last two years or Bernier after his major injury this year. He needs to overhaul the goaltending without any apparent solution readily available, but hey that's why he's sitting in the big boy chair. If the solution is Blackwood as the 1A and Bernier or Daws as the 1B next year than Fitz failed this offseason.

getting a 1a at reasonable costs (cap/assets) will be tough. half of the league is looking for that.

 

[TBF1972]

More on Ruff:

I really don't like how we caved in the third, but I really cannot say that I'm unhappy with the efforts, or the way we're skating, or the effort we're putting in - even when we're losing games in just disgusting awful fashion.

It's clear that we've got youngsters who 'Simply do not know what to do ' in both on-ice and mental/emotional situations, and that we've got some veterans who just don't fit the mold for what we're trying to do exactly.

There's really no one on this team who can 'calm things down' or 'take control of a game' in a defensive situation. I like Dougie, but it ain't him, and it just isn't Graves/Siegs/Sevs on the backend, and it isn't any of our centermen .... yet.

We needed like one shift from Bobby Holik or John Madden or Carpenter or even as someone mentioned - a prime Andy Greene. Just someone to slow the roll and have a boring frigging shift in the third period.

i am not sure, that's the whole story.

a team needs trust and confidence to get results. if trust is missing in cetrain parts, you try to compensate for the weak links in the chain, or when you are not confident in all the team members, you start to worry about their job instead of concentrating on your own. both can severly impact your own performances.

while in theory you could defend a 6-2 lead with relative ease, in the specific condition the team is in, it's everything else than an easy task. calming veteran presence can help. but it isn't a simple recipe for success. growing pains are kind of expected for the youngest team in the league and i wouldn't change the coaching during the season, if ruff and his assitants still reach the players and can keep their spirits and the spirit in the lockerroom 'high'. firing the coaches could errode their confidence and chemistry completely with a lasting effect to next and upcoming seasons. in regards of results the season can't be salvaged anyway.

 

[TBF1972]

If I criticize Fitz for anything regarding the goaltending this year it's pissing away Wedgewood in the five minutes that Blackwood and Bernier were healthy enough to skate at the same time this year. Especially when they knew both goalies were still fighting injury. With teams hoarding goalies in a post-COVID taxi squad world he couldn't even get anyone as good as Wedgewood after the two starters went down again.

there it helps to have a third string goaltender like cory with a 6m cap hit. you can waive him without any fear, that he gets picked up by another team.