Post-Game Talk: Hey! We Suck! 3 Goats(and then some) of the game against the Isles

[Eggtimer]

Only issue I have e with Fitz is his hesitation to do something about the terrible special teams. He has addressed amd at least identified areas we need improving and did very well this off-season .
You can see that they know they need size , grit , scoring but they have at least seen that and tried to address it by getting a huge D core and prospects , drafting Holtz for scoring , and drafting forwards with mean streaks and an edge to their game like Stillman and others (can’t remember their names. A Russian kid and a Finnish kid that have nasty streaks yet skilled )

 

[Eggtimer]

What Fitz needs to do now is trade prospects of one type for another.
We have tons of perimeter , safe prospects that are decent at everything but not elite and any one thing . I’d like to see him make trades for players like Foote . Or big speedy wingers that play angry and can drive the net.
We have some like Foote I mentioned , Zetterlund , Stillman , Bardakov , Salminen .
You can see a trend here where they know we need to get bigger and have players that can play a heavy game .

 

[guitarguyvic]

This is only because you can't evaluate anything. Every trend that is positive might stop. Every trend that is negative will go on forever. 'All our prospects that are not with the big club either haven't panned out to expectations' says someone who follows a team where the AHL squad, mostly made up of prospects and not AHL lifers has lost one game in regulation and it is now December.

I like how you deftly edited out the second half of my statement saying “or they are huge question marks”. And regardless of the AHL squad’s record they are in fact question marks.

The reality is you have been copying and pasting the same optimistic outlook for years now. If our prospects and organization were as rosy as you portray them we wouldn’t be staring down another season of futility. We’d almost certainly see SOME kind of progress that translates into higher numbers in the win column and lower numbers in the loss column, even if it’s only by a handful.

 

[Your team favs]

So what do we do now ladies and gents ?? It suck to suck

 

[Triumph]

I like how you deftly edited out the second half of my statement saying “or they are huge question marks”. And regardless of the AHL squad’s record they are in fact question marks.

The reality is you have been copying and pasting the same optimistic outlook for years now. If our prospects and organization were as rosy as you portray them we wouldn’t be staring down another season of futility. We’d almost certainly see SOME kind of progress that translates into higher numbers in the win column and lower numbers in the loss column, even if it’s only by a handful.

The point is whether I edited or not, you consider absolutely nobody not in the NHL to be anything close to a sure thing. Alex Holtz could be putting up a point and a half a game and you'd be saying 'Well, he hasn't done it in the NHL yet'. Now I realize he isn't doing that, but the point is that you are sitting here talking about an organization with a team on a phenomenal minor league run and saying their prospects are all huge question marks. I agree that nobody besides Holtz tracks to be >50% to be an NHLer right now, but it would take a ridiculous calamity to not be getting any NHL contributions from that team in say, 3 years, whether it be a goalie, a defenseman, or a forward, somoene down there is doing good enough stuff and will keep doing good enough stuff that they can play here.

Regardless, the Devils are seeing some progress that translates into higher numbers in the win column. Last season the Devils were on pace for 66 points and this season they're on pace for 79. That's unquestionably progress. It's not the progress we all hoped for, but if the Devils finish 6 wins better than last year, you'll tell me they're not making progress.

 

[devilsblood]

So what do we do now ladies and gents ?? It suck to suck

I don't necessarily think he is the issue, but replacing Recchi seems like the clearest and easiest move to make right now.

Aside from that it's just about letting the players on roster work through it.

 

[theoptimist]

EVERYBODY talking shit about subban or sevo but hamilton been on the ice for lots of goal for the other team but hamilton is the best coming since peanut better n jelly

Dam right homie. I aint saying jack after we just spent 9.5M.

 

[Nubmer6]

I don't necessarily think he is the issue, but replacing Recchi seems like the clearest and easiest move to make right now.

Aside from that it's just about letting the players on roster work through it.

Is Geoff Ward available? He did wonders with multiple teams' power plays if I remember correctly, including ours.

 

[Maine Fan]

I have to give actual props Geersten. Going up against Chara is scary stuff.

Old Chara, at 6 foot 9 inches, still has it. He played 14 minutes against the Devils plus had a fight. The Boston Bruins were stupid to let their Captain go, so they could save salary and bonus dollars and play their defensive youth. BTW that didn't work out well for them. At the trade deadline, they went out and got a veteran D guy, Rielly, and still have him. In the meantime, Chara has played for the Washington Capital, 1 year at $725,000, and now, playing in his 25th year in the NHL, he is with the Islanders. Thanks, Lou, for picking him up. Imagine what he could have done with the Devils for $725,000/yearly and averaged 15 minutes a game. Who cares if he was here 1, 2, or 3 years? He was cheap. The Devils could afford him, and he could have been a defensive teacher.

 

[Nemec]

I had no idea there was even a game last night... That's what the Devils have become to me. I hadn't missed a game in years.
And Zach and Andy scoring their first goals of the season against the Devils... LOL.
Only surpassed by Kaapo Kaako and Alexis scoring against the Devils.

 

[WetWholphin]

we are bad. fix it.

 

[crashline]

i cry everytiem

We are all Geert.

Whether it's wistful post-season dreams dashed once more in their infancy or the resignation that whatever Wrecky draws up, it's futile.

 

[Auto Pilot]

Where is Jack Hughes' name on the list?

Nice goal for sure and some decent stuff with the puck but he is as careless as any of the others and is as much to blame for the power play woes as anyone.

Is it a coincidence that since he's been back the Devils have won once?

Similarly, while the crowd on here wants to scapegoat a coach that never steps on the ice, the guy who is being paid nine million dollars to produce on the power play has not only been a bust but contributed directly to two of the four Islanders goals - including the short handed goal for which his partner is being killed.

And with a rookie goalie making his NHL debut it was amazing how many times both Hamilton and Severson found a way to be outside the play and were unwilling to block shots.

Fitz, Ruff and the coaching staff are probably going to take the fall for this slop but the blame falls on the bean counters and an ownership group more interested in generating revenue and selling merchandise than in winning games.

#TrustTheProcess works no better in NJ than it does in Philadelphia but the owners are laughing all the way to the bank.

Hughes was actually godawful last night in the expected goals category even with scoring. He was a negative.

Also send smith down already and bring white back up

 

[Cheddabombs]

we are bad. fix it.

 

[WetWholphin]

youre welcome

 

[Satans Hockey]

Awful sports day yesterday, I hate sports.

 

[Bleedred]

Is Geoff Ward available? He did wonders with multiple teams' power plays if I remember correctly, including ours.

He's in Anaheim now as an assistant.

And he'll probably be their head coach pretty soon, once Anaheim really starts sliding and the new GM realizes that Dallas Eakins is TRASH and ALWAYS has been, if he doesn't realize that already.

I think the only reason Calgary fired him is because Darryl Sutter was willing to come out of retirement to come back and coach there again. I don't even think their record got that much better last season after Sutter took over for Ward, but it's clearly worked out this year so far.

And Ward only got the head coaching job there cause he was an assistant for Bill Peters and after that cringy disgusting shit about Peters came out, Ward got appointed interim head coach. They took the interim tag off of him after that year, but he only made it a couple months into the next season before they were able to get Sutter out of retirement.

 

[Patrik26]

I had no idea there was even a game last night... That's what the Devils have become to me. I hadn't missed a game in years.
And Zach and Andy scoring their first goals of the season against the Devils... LOL.
Only surpassed by Kaapo Kaako and Alexis scoring against the Devils.

Same. Only found out when we got a text message alluding to "it's bad it had to be Greene". Didn't even bother to turn the game on either. We spent the night drinking and watching Christmas videos.

 

[TBF1972]

hischier didn't play and gets 5 votes. i wonder why he was even an option.

 

[Wierzbowski426]

Roster is good enough to have shown improvement.

Just need new coaching... across the board imo. Nothing will change until that happens.

 

[Louskoolaid89]

Was at the game and thought we were going to win after the 1st period. Let an old reeling and fragile team off th hook by the way of old former Devils and average goaltending. Finding ways to lose. Nice barn they got out there. Expensive trip! Forget about the tickets and everything else.