Gomez offered tryout contract by Devils

[Pegi90*]

i think what happened with him is that he got that big contract and kinda "lost" his motivation to play. now he wants to come back to new jersey so he obviously has motivation to play for a team who drafted him and the team he won so much with.

im not expecting anything spectacular but if he was 3rd line center and put 30-40 points thats something i wouldn't be suprised of.

 

[Sykie]

i think what happened with him is that he got that big contract and kinda "lost" his motivation to play. now he wants to come back to new jersey so he obviously has motivation to play for a team who drafted him and the team he won so much with.

im not expecting anything spectacular but if he was 3rd line center and put 30-40 points thats something i wouldn't be suprised of.

I'd say differently. I'd say he was put in the middle a huge winning machine in his late-Devils way and that did hide his numerous major holes (defensive play, turnovers, uni-dimensional game, loosy attitude, etc.), as he did rack up a good number of easy assists at the time. I already was saying this at the time, even before his departure.

He then left the Devils for money and his flaws were exposed to everybody.

We should stay as far as possible from this game. And to the poster who said he could post 30 points from the 4th line, let's get back to reality : Gomez didn't even put these numbers with 2nd line ice-time for years. There is absolutly zero chance he would crack those kind of numbers from the 4th line, nor he would come even close to that. He'd just rack a few assists here and there, and be a constat point of negativity in the team because of his turnovers and lack of defensive game.

 

[Devilsfan992]

i think what happened with him is that he got that big contract and kinda "lost" his motivation to play. now he wants to come back to new jersey so he obviously has motivation to play for a team who drafted him and the team he won so much with.

im not expecting anything spectacular but if he was 3rd line center and put 30-40 points thats something i wouldn't be suprised of.

I don't know how you can say it's obvious he want to come back here and have much more motivation than he's ever has. Just because he played hear 10 years ago, means he will be trying harder than he did with the Panthers or the Sharks?

 

[NJDevs26]

I'd say differently. I'd say he was put in the middle a huge winning machine in his late-Devils way and that did hide his numerous major holes (defensive play, turnovers, uni-dimensional game, loosy attitude, etc.), as he did rack up a good number of easy assists at the time. I already was saying this at the time, even before his departure.

He then left the Devils for money and his flaws were exposed to everybody.

We should stay as far as possible from this game. And to the poster who said he could post 30 points from the 4th line, let's get back to reality : Gomez didn't even put these numbers with 2nd line ice-time for years. There is absolutly zero chance he would crack those kind of numbers from the 4th line, nor he would come even close to that. He'd just rack a few assists here and there, and be a constat point of negativity in the team because of his turnovers and lack of defensive game.

To be fair his first three years after leaving weren't terribad (70 points, 58 points, 59 points). It was only after that where his career cratered.

i think what happened with him is that he got that big contract and kinda "lost" his motivation to play. now he wants to come back to new jersey so he obviously has motivation to play for a team who drafted him and the team he won so much with.

im not expecting anything spectacular but if he was 3rd line center and put 30-40 points thats something i wouldn't be suprised of.

To say it was all about motivation is misguided, although Gomez was never the most self-motivated player in the world and survived on his natural talent. If he needed motivation and had anything left I'd think it would have come out the last couple years - being bought out and turned into a national joke with the 0 goals in 365 days should be enough motivation, no?

 

[glenwo2]

I'd say differently. I'd say he was put in the middle a huge winning machine in his late-Devils way and that did hide his numerous major holes (defensive play, turnovers, uni-dimensional game, loosy attitude, etc.), as he did rack up a good number of easy assists at the time. I already was saying this at the time, even before his departure.

He then left the Devils for money and his flaws were exposed to everybody.

We should stay as far as possible from this game. And to the poster who said he could post 30 points from the 4th line, let's get back to reality : Gomez didn't even put these numbers with 2nd line ice-time for years. There is absolutly zero chance he would crack those kind of numbers from the 4th line, nor he would come even close to that. He'd just rack a few assists here and there, and be a constat point of negativity in the team because of his turnovers and lack of defensive game.

Well said.


I would be very annoyed if he somehow made the team because I don't believe he can provide ANYTHING. And no, him not being Space Junk isn't enough.

 

[JimEIV]

Easy assist? Let's not try to diminish Gomez' contributions because of the way he left...he was a fantastic player in New Jersey...

So much so, his first 3 years in the league he led the ENTIRE league in assist.

So much so Mogilny called him the BEST play making center he EVER played with...he played with Pat LaFontaine BTW.... he also said Gomez rejuvenated his career...

In the time of the two line pass and an impossible muddy neutral zone Gomez was a trap buster who could blow through the middle zone and find the open man...

Say what you want about him today or after he left but don't try to give me this ******** that he was just the beneficiary of a good team and got easy points....that is just wrong.

 

[NC107*]

Easy assist? Let's not try to diminish Gomez' contributions because of the way he left...he was a fantastic player in New Jersey...

So much so, his first 3 years in the league he led the ENTIRE league in assist.

So much so Mogilny called him the BEST play making center he EVER played with...he played with Pat LaFontaine BTW.... he also said Gomez rejuvenated his career...

In the time of the two line pass and an impossible muddy neutral zone Gomez was a trap buster who could blow through the middle zone and find the open man...

Say what you want about him today or after he left but don't try to give me this ******** that he was just the beneficiary of a good team and got easy points....that is just wrong.

Thank you, this exactly what I saw when he played for the Devils.

 

[captainscott]

I don't see Josefson going anywhere with the team. If Loktionov was pushed off the team than Josefson has no chance because he is much worse than Loktionov.

"much worse than loktionov"

how ? josefson has had some tough luck in his career so far some due to injury, some due to numbers, some due to coaching decisions and yes some due to his inconsistent play.

but if you actually watched the games at the end of the year last season and not the stat line you would have seen that jofefson has learned the system defensively, kills penalties decently and played the right way. he has never had long stints with top supporting players. to say he has no chance and is much worse than loktionov is absurd. in fact I think the devils are counting on him this year to be a regular top 9 player and I think he will be a pleasant surprise to many, he is a solid player that needs a small dose of confidence and he will be a solid player

 

[Roomtemperature]

If that's your team, who cares? It doesn't automatically make them replacement-level players, and it doesn't mean it's gonna stay that way forever. Five forward contracts expire next season, and having a surplus of NHL players still doesn't seem like a problem to me. They're not getting banished from the realm of competency or anything.

People have a weird preconception of what a 4th line is. 2 scoring lines, a checking line and an "energy" line is an out dated idea. You want a top line that can play defense and balanced scoring throughout. Sure maybe in the long regular season you play a guy on the 4th to hit and maybe fight once in a while in order to wake up the team in game 38 against the Jets but still the finals these past few years showed us how you want your forwards set up.

So in the end idk if Gomez has anything left but if he does and it helps us out why not?

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Loktionov sucked.

Josefson is better defensively and better on the faceoff dot than him. so there are 2 things right there he is better at.

 

[NJDevs26]

People didn't even like Gomez when he was 'here' lol...his carefree atitude and lack of grit as a player rubbed people the wrong way. I do agree he was more than just a passenger on those teams though, at his peak he was certainly a better offensive center than anything we've had in the last decade.

 

[JimEIV]

People didn't even like Gomez when he was 'here' lol...his carefree atitude and lack of grit as a player rubbed people the wrong way. I do agree he was more than just a passenger on those teams though, at his peak he was certainly a better offensive center than anything we've had in the last decade.

He may have been the best offensive center we ever had...

Kirk Muller the only possible exception.

 

[Missionhockey]

Easy assist? Let's not try to diminish Gomez' contributions because of the way he left...he was a fantastic player in New Jersey...

So much so, his first 3 years in the league he led the ENTIRE league in assist.

So much so Mogilny called him the BEST play making center he EVER played with...he played with Pat LaFontaine BTW.... he also said Gomez rejuvenated his career...

In the time of the two line pass and an impossible muddy neutral zone Gomez was a trap buster who could blow through the middle zone and find the open man...

Say what you want about him today or after he left but don't try to give me this ******** that he was just the beneficiary of a good team and got easy points....that is just wrong.

I remember that, but I honestly don't think Gomez's vision was something extraordinary. Really good, but not incredible.

I agree with you though about one thing, he was the ultimate trap buster. Teams would game plan to stop him because if he got a head of steam in his own zone he was almost impossible to stop. There would always be a forward waiting to cut him off at the goal line.

He got his points with his legs. He had really good vision, but when his legs started to go so did the points.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

When players achieve great success early in their careers and start listening to the family and agent's fantasies I think they tend to lose sight of what they have and start looking to what they might be able to get.

Gomez stepped into that pile and he wasn't our only high profile player to do so. It doesn't diminish his accomplishments but it does sour the taste to have them back to a degree.

I doubt he does anything in camp to make him be worth this much talk honestly. If he does, so be it.

 

[njdevils1982]

13 more for 1000 games played…… how time flies.

 

[AfroThunder396]

The problem with Gomez was that he peaked too early. He had a couple decent seasons after 2001, of course the steroid-LSD infused hyper offensive 2006 season was his "best" statistical season, but relative to the league he peaked '00/'01. The post-lockout season really skewed his production and drove his price to the moon.

I can't really blame him for leaving with the outrageous amount of money NYR threw at him. But his utter failure since leaving here does make me happy. Whatever, I'm over it.

 

[tr83]

Devils retreads by year

2005 - Tommy Albelin, Krzysztof Oliwa, Pascal Rheaume, Alex Mogilny
2006 - Jim Dowd
2007 - Mike Rupp
2008 - Bobby Holik, Brendan Shanahan, Brian Rolston
2009 - Anssi Salmela
2010 - Jason Arnott, Jay Leach
2011 - Petr Sykora, Cam Janssen
2012 - Steve Sullivan
2013 - Rod Pelley
2014 - Scott Gomez, Scott Clemmensen

Lou's gotta keep the streak ALIVE!!!

 

[Sykie]

The problem with Gomez was that he peaked too early. He had a couple decent seasons after 2001, of course the steroid-LSD infused hyper offensive 2006 season was his "best" statistical season, but relative to the league he peaked '00/'01. The post-lockout season really skewed his production and drove his price to the moon.

I can't really blame him for leaving with the outrageous amount of money NYR threw at him. But his utter failure since leaving here does make me happy. Whatever, I'm over it.

Well basically, he never really improved on his first year.

He started great, which made him to be somewhat overrated very early. Remember all these "he'll hit 100 points" comments at the time ? First in NJ, then we heard the same when he joined the Rangers. There is reasons if he was center of a lot of discussions even during his Devils day. Personnally, I hated him way before his departure. His constant turnovers and lack of defensive conscience were simply unbearable for me at the time.

He still did rack-up some assists to save the face regarding some fans, but honestly, the 2000/2005 Devils were a machine. You could put any average 2nd line center in this team and he would have no problem putting 60 points, but at least, without being a constant defensive liability. Gomez was not a guy who helped the team going forward, he was a passenger on those teams. The team was a machine and it did hide his major deficiencies as a hockey player.

And I'm not even talking about his "I don't care" attitude which was unbearable too.

There is good reasons if his career directly went to toilets after leaving the Devils. We should stay far away of this guy at any cost.

 

[SeidoN]

60 points incoming

 

[JimEIV]

The Devils don't win the cup in 2000 and don't have the season they had in 2001 without Gomez.

In fact, we've been looking for a 1/2 center combo like that for most of this organization's existence.

Gomez was the perfect center for that team...he was the lightning to Arnott's thunder...add Holik and Madden and you have the absolute perfect 4 centers possible in regards to style/role for each line.

Gomez transformed that team creating two powerful lines and it was something that was missing since Broten and Carpenter...and it something we've been missing since the lockout.

 

[CKPLAYA]

When players achieve great success early in their careers and start listening to the family and agent's fantasies I think they tend to lose sight of what they have and start looking to what they might be able to get.

Gomez stepped into that pile and he wasn't our only high profile player to do so. It doesn't diminish his accomplishments but it does sour the taste to have them back to a degree.

I doubt he does anything in camp to make him be worth this much talk honestly. If he does, so be it.

You need to be fair when discussing what happened. Gomer was the exact type of player Lou got his rocks off on sticking it to. Lou was a dictator and wielded the sword of power to a fault. He loved laying the wood to guys back then. People forget what happened with Claude after the cup. He laid the wood to Nieds and he said see ya too. Not looking to relive the past but need to call it the way it was. Lou was D!#k to the max back then.

 

[Bleedred]

How did he lay the wood to Nieds? What the hell are you talking about?

 

[JimEIV]

You need to be fair when discussing what happened. Gomer was the exact type of player Lou got his rocks off on sticking it to. Lou was a dictator and wielded the sword of power to a fault. He loved laying the wood to guys back then. People forget what happened with Claude after the cup. He laid the wood to Nieds and he said see ya too. Not looking to relive the past but need to call it the way it was. Lou was D!#k to the max back then.

Claude had just signed a contract and wanted to renegotiate it after he won the Smythe...he was completely in the wrong.

He even tried to say that he didn't sign the contract....he talked some nonsense about a faxed version not being binding... maybe someone with a better memory than I can elaborate on that or find a news story...but Claude acted the fool after the finals.

 

[NC107*]

Claude had just signed a contract and wanted to renegotiate it after he won the Smythe...he was completely in the wrong.

He even tried to say that he didn't sign the contract....he talked some nonsense about a faxed version not being binding... maybe someone with a better memory than I can elaborate on that or find a news story...but Claude acted the fool after the finals.

Claude was a favorite of mine. He hadn't been doing that great in 93, 94, 95 but in March 95 he signed a fax copy of a contract for $5 + M. Then he scored 13 goals in 20 playoff games some were winners and won the MVP. After the season he called Lou while he was on vacation and said the faxed contract he signed wasn't valid. Lou took him to arbitration and Claude lost. Lou then traded him to the Isles for Steve Thomas and on the same day the Isles traded Claude to the Avs. Claude was better off , Devils didn't make the playoffs in 96.

 

[NC107*]

How did he lay the wood to Nieds? What the hell are you talking about?

If I remember correctly Lou didn't open the contract negotions with Nieds soon enough in Nieds opinion and then Lou tried to low ball Nieds in Nieds opinion. (All negotiations start out low that's why they call it negotiations) So Nieds held out until the last moment to resign. Nieds wasn't happy with Lou and the Devils. The next contract he left to play with his brother. You know the rest.