GDT: Devils vs. Canadiens - 20 more to go... - 7:00 PM - MSG+

[glenwo2]

Overall, how did Carrick look in game 1?

Better than what the Dallas Star fans were warning us about.

He's not as bad as they claim.

He looks to be serviceable and that's what this team needs defensively.

Decent enough that I think he’s going to go on a tear and be relatively productive for the rest of the season while being solid defensively...we’re all going to excited and figuring him in as a bonafide NHL defenseman...then next season he will look like trash and be out of the lineup by November.

You're cold-blooded, you know that?

I get it. As Devils fans I'm sure most long for the days of the Stevens-esqe big strong defensemen capable of laying out an opposing player at any time (and by that I still mean a good defensement not Seth Helgeson 2.0). Its fun watching an opponent completely flattened and that is kind of what Santini was billed as through college. He just hasn't come close to that yet at the pro level.

the reality of things now is that the "laying out" now leads to either Interference or Roughing penalties (Remember the open-ice hit by Gabriel last night?) and even suspensions.

The NHL has become a P*ssfied league now where you don't have to "keep your head up" when you're skating down the ice anymore.

 

[My3Sons]

A Carrick-Santini comparison is very different than a Lovejoy-Santini comparison. Santini in theory promised what Lovejoy offered and maybe some additional physical play and at least competent puck movement from his own end and a player well under 30. Lovejoy's problem was he was over 30 and always going to be a dead end for the team as a result. Carrick is only 24 and has significant puck moving upside compared to either Lovejoy or Santini. Yes, the defense could use a physical player that controls the front of the net, but he also has to be competent getting out of his own end and competent defensively moving around in his own end when isn't just in front of the net. For whatever reason, Santini, can't seem to develop in his d-zone coverage and overall thought process. I think at this point you'd be hard pressed to find a close watching NJ fan who expects more than a third pairing role out of Santini. At least he still has time to find his game but if Carrick moves ahead of him it won't be a hinderance long term to the team.