GDT: Devils vs Predators 8:00 MSG

[Bleedred]

He may be a AAAA player but he’s proven whatever he needed to at the AHL level at this point - 19 points in 19 AHL games on a meh Bingo team this season. You may be right but maybe he takes Noesen’s place as the fourth line project next season. He’s cheap he offers some upside and he offers more than Stafford with or without scoring. They can’t turn over the whole team in one offseason and with deadline selling and attrition they may have four or five holes to fill without canning anyone else. Given the paucity of expendable assets they have to fill those NHL roles somehow. It might be tricky to create more holes that have to be filled with scrap heap guys or overpriced UFAs.

I don't see Quenneville playing here past this year. Maybe in the organization, but no on the team.

I don't think he's bad, but he's gonna have to score to keep his spot and if he doesn't? I don't see him lasting in the organization, and he's already on thin ice here. There was a while where they were going out of their way not to play him.

 

[Bleedred]

I go to a 50th birthday party tonight, get home, and see the Devils lost 1 to 0 in a game that Keith Kinkaid played.

I read PGT posts, and remarkably, a decent number of posts are blaming Schneider.

Truly astounding.

The only reason I personally brought him up was the comparison that the excuses for Zacha are very similar to the excuses for him.

Schneider allows a lot of goals because the defense is bad and he gets scored on 3 times in a single game by his own teammates, is very much similar to the meme that Zacha doesn't get any assists because guys f*** up all of his nice passes.

There's also been discussion about the problems with the team, which Schneider has been a huge problem with, not only in the games he plays but because he can't play more games because he's unplayable.

But as far as this game goes, he was a complete non-factor.

 

[MadDevil]

We're also not far off from going on another **** stretch because this coaching staff is dog ****, the PP still sucks ass, and because we only have one NHL caliber goalie who will need a rest at some point, leaving room for Schneider to **** up yet again and get another loss.

Wow, do you ever look for the positive in anything?

 

[MartyOwns]

I don't see Quenneville playing here past this year. Maybe in the organization, but no on the team.

I don't think he's bad, but he's gonna have to score to keep his spot and if he doesn't? I don't see him lasting in the organization, and he's already on thin ice here. There was a while where they were going out of their way not to play him.

he was chosen in the shootout (at a critical time) and seems to be on the short list of guys we’re willing to call up...it doesn’t seem like he’s on thin ice. to me he didn’t really seem out of place in our top 6, but long term he can be an effective bottom 6 guy when boyle, noesen etc are put out to pasture

 

[Bleedred]

he was chosen in the shootout (at a critical time) and seems to be on the short list of guys we’re willing to call up...it doesn’t seem like he’s on thin ice. to me he didn’t really seem out of place in our top 6, but long term he can be an effective bottom 6 guy when boyle, noesen etc are put out to pasture

I think he could be a decent NHL player, but I also just don’t see him in the organization’s future plans unless he starts scoring a few points.

 

[JimEIV]

The only reason I personally brought him up was the comparison that the excuses for Zacha are very similar to the excuses for him.

Schneider allows a lot of goals because the defense is bad and he gets scored on 3 times in a single game by his own teammates, is very much similar to the meme that Zacha doesn't get any assists because guys **** up all of his nice passes.

There's also been discussion about the problems with the team, which Schneider has been a huge problem with, not only in the games he plays but because he can't play more games because he's unplayable.

But as far as this game goes, he was a complete non-factor.

The analogy doesn't seem to work in my opinion...While Zacha may not be producing to anyone's liking, he is still a useful player, he still shows flashes of high level skill and his defensive game is very good. But most importantly no one in their right mind would suggest Zacha cost us games...

Cory on the other the hand is currently completely incompetent and costing us games nearly every time he plays.

The excuses as you call them make sense for Zacha because there is plenty there to appreciate and give fans some hope that it just might come together at some point.

And personally, I see Zacha more as a failure of the organization to develop this player properly...they threw him into the league largely as a 3rd line defensive center and everyone is surprised by him becoming that... you send a kid to the AHL to work on his offensive game 3 years and 150 games into his career? You let a 19 and 20 year old blue chip prospect learn from the likes of Jacob Josefson, Beau Bennet and DSP to start his career?

This is a big player with very good speed and skill and its not coming together. At the end of the day it is always on the player...it is always the responsibility of the individual to take control of their own career and overcome adversity but this seems like a fragile player who was handled shittier than any player in recent memory.

 

[Triumph]

Please - this nonsense that skill players always have to play with skill players. The thing is, Josefson and Bennett ARE skill players - they're just not good enough at the NHL level to consistently score goals. When both guys have played in lower leagues, they are top scorers. They play a scoreliner's game - it's a game based on puck possession, finding open ice and open men. This obsession with 2016-17 is so asinine. Zacha wasn't good at all then. If he could've gone to the AHL, he should've, but he couldn't. It's in the past now.

Zacha's starting to do the things that will keep him in a larger role here. He's taking the puck to the net and not peeling off looking for passing options. He's skating through the neutral zone like he was at the end of last season. Still, he hasn't shown the ability to do that on a nightly basis.

 

[BenedictGomez]

If everyone would simply accept the fact that Zacha is a defensively responsible 3rd-line center who will be a solid penalty killer, this will be a happier place.

 

[JimEIV]

If everyone would simply accept the fact that Zacha is a defensively responsible 3rd-line center who will be a solid penalty killer, this will be a happier place.

Maybe? There appears to be more positive attributes to him than just a 3rd liner. He is big, he is a good quick skater, he has a strong shot and has displayed a very interesting quick release lately, he has good vision and the ability to make fine passes....

That package seems like there should be more...it is starting to feel a little Viktor Kozlov like to me... a player that has every single tool in the toolbox and no heart.

I hope that's not the case as Zacha is still pretty young, but I am thinking he has got so much more than your typical 3rd line center and the fact that it's not coming together seems more will than skill to me.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

If everyone would simply accept the fact that Zacha is a defensively responsible 3rd-line center who will be a solid penalty killer, this will be a happier place.

He is not playing at 3rd line center level. Look at what Zajac and Coleman are doing. Zacha is not close to their output.

He is a defensive responsible 4th liner playing with out of position on the 2nd line.

 

[Brick City]

It makes me a bit sad that the debate regarding our 6th overall pick from 2015 is whether he is a 3rd or a 4th liner. I know I am judging him by his draft position but just seems like (if he really does not develop any further) yet another wasted high pick.

 

[glenwo2]

3 Preds on Bratt in the corner, no one for him to pass to.

Well everyone got what they wanted, and Bratt's still only got that one shootout goal now that he did his one move.

The shootout is so asinine I've stopped getting upset over it. If we had somebody who was consistently good at it and didn't use him, sure blast the coach. But merely looking at career percentages Stafford and Boyle were reasonable choices. Palmieri scored. Bratt hasn't been good at shootouts ever since his move got scouted. MoJo isn't very good. Zacha couldn't score on an empty net. Wood would probably fall down and go head first into the backboards.

Maybe Bratt should consider changing the angle of approach like Elias did instead of just going straight ahead.

Aside from that, Bratt has been outstanding.

Oh and another Point for Bratt-man.

He's an assist-machine.

 

[Lou is God]

Considering how awful the team has been the last 25 games I would think the last two games would at least inspire some hope, but I guess some people just like wallowing in misery.

Yeah, that's it, I love living in the pit of misery, you got me.

 

[Lou is God]

Doesn't mean you all get to take it out on each other on the board. Get mad at the team as much as you want but when you all start just fighting each other then you're (not you specifically) just breaking site rules and ruining the board for everyone else.

I rarely if ever go after anyone unless they start poking me first and for some reason the he was barking players names at me hit a nerve, mostly because it came after losing the shootout. Stealing two points like that would have been huge and you're going to have passion like that in here and if anything ruins this board, I don't think it's going to be the emotions after a loss.

 

[glenwo2]

MORE MOJO VALUE !!!!

MoJo has value?