Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - playoff edition

[guitarguyvic]

I will say...it would be a very 2023 Devils thing to do to completely dominate a game 5 against a team that just whooped them in their own barn, has a 3-1 series lead, and is great at home with no one giving the Devils a chance.

 

[Oneiro]

Having Graves and Severson this year, plus the Bruins losing and the general weakness of the league overall certainly gave me the hope that there could be some magic. And yeah, it's not over.

But no team wins the cup doing a lot of the things we do. We're not efficient and experienced enough. I'm not worried about xGF, skill, grit, effort or physical play or whatever - I'm way more worried about reads, structure and conservation of energy. And this has been my pet peeve throughout the Hynes and Ruff eras. Managing the puck better and simply taking what's there instead of forcing a skill play is the next step on the journey.

We are young and dumb basically. If our team was a Tinder profile, then the pictures are doing a lot of the work to close the numbers, if you get me.

 

[Eggtimer]

Bratt is a very hood player and helped a ton getting us into the playoffs . Nearly a Ppg player is a dakn good player . I just don’t know that he is the very best option for our teams roster in order to have a successful regular season plus playoffs . You can’t have all “ heavy skill” players but also cannot have all finesse water bugs that score during the regular season. All grit won’t get you into the playoffs and all skill finesse won’t do shit on the playoffs .
I just feel that we need to swap out a couple roster spots with players that can play a better interior game and win more board battles than they lose .
In a cap world , we just don’t have to room for Bratt plus a player like a Bertuzzi . Plus roster spots for everyone .
I think the money earmarked for Bratt is better spent elsewhere . Nothing against Bratt . I’m not saying he isn’t a very good player . I just think we need a different type of player . Unless we walk away from Wood , Tatar , Haula and replace those guys with more interior guys . But how hood of an interior forwards are you getting for how much cap room we will have left after we sign Bratt and Meier ???

 

[Emperoreddy]

I will say...it would be a very 2023 Devils thing to do to completely dominate a game 5 against a team that just whooped them in their own barn, has a 3-1 series lead, and is great at home with no one giving the Devils a chance.

It's almost too on brand for this team

 

[Bleedred]

The Islanders held on and won game 5 in Raleigh.

They also got to play Raanta though. We saw how bad Raanta choked against the Rangers in games 6 and 7 of the second round last year. I'm pretty sure they remembered that and were like ''That's enough of that, we've seen this movie before'' and went to Andersen for game 6. Raanta was really keeping the Islanders in that series about as much as Sorokin was. Even that one game where the Canes eeked out an OT win (game 3 I think?) could have been a breeze, if not for Raanta, though Sorokin stunk that game too.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Having Graves and Severson this year, plus the Bruins losing and the general weakness of the league overall certainly gave me the hope that there could be some magic. And yeah, it's not over.

But no team wins the cup doing a lot of the things we do. We're not efficient and experienced enough. I'm not worried about xGF, skill, grit, effort or physical play or whatever - I'm way more worried about reads, structure and conservation of energy. And this has been my pet peeve throughout the Hynes and Ruff eras. Managing the puck better and simply taking what's there instead of forcing a skill play is the next step on the journey.

We are young and dumb basically. If our team was a Tinder profile, then the pictures are doing a lot of the work to close the numbers, if you get me.

We saw glimpses of what a simplified B game looks like in Games 3 and 4 of the Rags series.

They can do it (and I am sure Fitz will find ways to improve to help more), just need to learn consistency and how to adjust more on the fly midgame.

They let the Canes get in their heads and frustrate them really bad this series.

 

[Emperoreddy]

The Islanders held on and won game 5 in Raleigh.

They also got to play Raanta though. We saw how bad Raanta choked against the Rangers in games 6 and 7 of the second round last year. I'm pretty sure they remembered that and were like ''That's enough of that, we've seen this movie before'' and went to Andersen for game 6. Raanta was really keeping the Islanders in that series about as much as Sorokin was. Even that one game where the Canes eeked out an OT win (game 3 I think?) could have been a breeze, if not for Raanta, though Sorokin stunk that game too.

Freddie isn't good either, we just haven't tested him nearly enough.

We say in Game 3 what happens when he actually is asked to make a lot of difficult saves

 

[guitarguyvic]

We saw glimpses of what a simplified B game looks like in Games 3 and 4 of the Rags series.

They can do it (and I am sure Fitz will find ways to improve to help more), just need to learn consistency and how to adjust more on the fly midgame.

They let the Canes get in their heads and frustrate them really bad this series.

Yeah that's the frustrating thing. It's like...why can't you just do that more often? LOL

 

[Emperoreddy]

Yeah that's the frustrating thing. It's like...why can't you just do that more often? LOL

I think lack of experience is a big part of it.

It's one thing to be told playoff hockey is different from regular season hockey, it's another to experience it.

They want to play to their strengths and get a bit too easily frustrated when they can't do that.

 

[My3Sons]

We saw glimpses of what a simplified B game looks like in Games 3 and 4 of the Rags series.

They can do it (and I am sure Fitz will find ways to improve to help more), just need to learn consistency and how to adjust more on the fly midgame.

They let the Canes get in their heads and frustrate them really bad this series.

The Rangers don’t execute the way the Canes do though. NJ needs some wrinkles to use the Canes preset plans against them and they just haven’t. It’s the same thing over and over like Einstein definition of insanity. The Canes aren’t the fastest skaters. They are just very organized and very efficient. If NJ can make the Canes change what they want to do the Canes will look like thr journeymen they are. Whether NJ can do that without any practice remains to be seen.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

This team is much better than they've shown in this series, obviously having goalies make save would help but they're also hanging them out to dry.

Bratt hasn't just looked bad, he's been a detriment to the team.

I think all UFA players will be let go with the exception of Haula, I don't think Blackwood or Sharangovich receive qualifying offers, maybe Sharangovich gets traded before that's an issue but I'm not sold he has value.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if these Devils look a lot different next year, with Hughes, Nemec, Foote and Clarke all playing in NJ.


Also how did Arizona make to the finals of the best logo thing in the polls section and they're beating NJ? I always thought their logo was super trashy.

 

[Devs3cups]

Having Graves and Severson this year, plus the Bruins losing and the general weakness of the league overall certainly gave me the hope that there could be some magic. And yeah, it's not over.

But no team wins the cup doing a lot of the things we do. We're not efficient and experienced enough. I'm not worried about xGF, skill, grit, effort or physical play or whatever - I'm way more worried about reads, structure and conservation of energy. And this has been my pet peeve throughout the Hynes and Ruff eras. Managing the puck better and simply taking what's there instead of forcing a skill play is the next step on the journey.

We are young and dumb basically. If our team was a Tinder profile, then the pictures are doing a lot of the work to close the numbers, if you get me.

Fitz talks about this A LOT in his interviews. He’s made good steps in addressing it and I have no reason to believe he’ll stop looking for help or improvements there. Certainly couldn’t hurt.

 

[NjDevsRR]

We are young and dumb basically. If our team was a Tinder profile, then the pictures are doing a lot of the work to close the numbers, if you get me.

Look, I grew up in a time when we didn’t have these things. You had to be a man and approach someone. Now, with having said that. Oho, oh my partner! If I was on there today I’d get all the likes. Have you seen my face? Silky smooth! All thanks to Genucel and their facial scrub and cream.

 

[Cheddabombs]

View attachment 706277
Look, I grew up in a time when we didn’t have these things. You had to be a man and approach someone. Now, with having said that. Oho, oh my partner! If I was on there today I’d get all the likes. Have you seen my face? Silky smooth! All thanks to Genucel and their facial scrub and cream.

It's like Dano's really here

 

[Emperoreddy]

It's like Dano's really here

It turns out Dano was the friends we made along the way

 

[Emperoreddy]

Watch party is at Just Jake's tomorrow, cool spot, not sure I have the energy for it though

 

[Bleedred]

View attachment 706277
Look, I grew up in a time when we didn’t have these things. You had to be a man and approach someone. Now, with having said that. Oho, oh my partner! If I was on there today I’d get all the likes. Have you seen my face? Silky smooth! All thanks to Genucel and their facial scrub and cream.

I can seriously hear him saying something like this when elaborating on tinder/dating apps lol.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Bratt is a very hood player and helped a ton getting us into the playoffs . Nearly a Ppg player is a dakn good player . I just don’t know that he is the very best option for our teams roster in order to have a successful regular season plus playoffs . You can’t have all “ heavy skill” players but also cannot have all finesse water bugs that score during the regular season. All grit won’t get you into the playoffs and all skill finesse won’t do shit on the playoffs .
I just feel that we need to swap out a couple roster spots with players that can play a better interior game and win more board battles than they lose .
In a cap world , we just don’t have to room for Bratt plus a player like a Bertuzzi . Plus roster spots for everyone .
I think the money earmarked for Bratt is better spent elsewhere . Nothing against Bratt . I’m not saying he isn’t a very good player . I just think we need a different type of player . Unless we walk away from Wood , Tatar , Haula and replace those guys with more interior guys . But how hood of an interior forwards are you getting for how much cap room we will have left after we sign Bratt and Meier ???

The problem I see coming will be to resist the urge to change the general character of the team based on this one series. We were highly successful with a certain style of play this year. How much do we want to reorient that style in order to get heavier or to dump and chase better? We may try to do it and end up mediocre at both styles.

I don’t have any answer to this. It’s going to be a very challenging off season for Fitz. I do think that it will be better to wait until a few weeks have passed after our season ends to make a cooler assessment of how we want to go from here. Right now it’s too emotional and we are still to close to the whole thing.

 

[Devs3cups]

Everything’s gonna go so quick. Basically a month and a half until FA opens.

 

[Nico Hischier]

I don’t think Bratt is worth a high aav is because I feel he really doesn’t bring a whole lot to affect the game if he is not scoring. Nico and timo can go scoreless but still contribute in other areas of the game and go to battle. Bratt can play a soft perimeter game and lose battles. Mercer hasn’t had the greatest postseason either but he still goes to battle.

Or Maybe jesper is just trying not to get hurt this post season so he gets paid. Bratt is so talented but it’s like Scott hartnell just said. Hard work beats skill if the skill doesn’t work hard.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Mercer has lost way more puck battles than Bratt this postseason.

 

[Bleedred]

Judging by Ruff's interview earlier, it sounds like there will be no morning skate tomorrow, as they ''Plan to use all their energy for the game''.

This doesn't mean that no one will skate at all, of course, but I'm going to assume this means it will be Schmid tomorrow and not the guy that hasn't played in a month.

I don't think they're putting a guy in that isn't really in game condition right now as opposed to the two guys that are.

I also read him correctly with his answer to if Vitek was going to start game 3, so let's see if I'm also right this time.

The no morning skate doesn't necessarily guarantee anything though, as the black aces may skate and they could just as easily send out Graves (if he's going to play) and the other guy in question just to get him some extra reps.

 

[Based Anime Fan]

Mercer has lost way more puck battles than Bratt this postseason.

Yes, but Mercer has been far more impactful than Bratt this postseason as well.

 

[HersheyBob27]

Bratt is a very hood player and helped a ton getting us into the playoffs . Nearly a Ppg player is a dakn good player . I just don’t know that he is the very best option for our teams roster in order to have a successful regular season plus playoffs . You can’t have all “ heavy skill” players but also cannot have all finesse water bugs that score during the regular season. All grit won’t get you into the playoffs and all skill finesse won’t do shit on the playoffs .
I just feel that we need to swap out a couple roster spots with players that can play a better interior game and win more board battles than they lose .
In a cap world , we just don’t have to room for Bratt plus a player like a Bertuzzi . Plus roster spots for everyone .
I think the money earmarked for Bratt is better spent elsewhere . Nothing against Bratt . I’m not saying he isn’t a very good player . I just think we need a different type of player . Unless we walk away from Wood , Tatar , Haula and replace those guys with more interior guys . But how hood of an interior forwards are you getting for how much cap room we will have left after we sign Bratt and Meier ???

The excuse that we need regular season bratt to make the playoffs doesn’t hold water. Going forward nico and jack are going to basically drag us into the playoffs

 

[Whaddagoal]

Yes, but Mercer has been far more impactful than Bratt this postseason as well.

I'm not sure about this either, but both of them have been pretty weak (impact wise).