Jon Merrill Signed, To Play In Albany

[DatBoyJPP]

Honestly, there are some people here would have complained about Volchenkov's contract within 10 seconds of hoisting the Cup if we pulled it off last year.

Barcelona syndrome

 

[MasterofGrond]

Honestly, there are some people here would have complained about Volchenkov's contract within 10 seconds of hoisting the Cup if we pulled it off last year.

Still would be a ****** contract

I may have considered waiting until free agency to ***** about it, though.

 

[BulletTheBlueSky]

Pretty much all of it. Taking Carlson over Larsson would be asinine. Even the morons on the main board would think that's ridiculous.

While it may be asinine, I do like Carlson and I'm tired of all the talent in Jersey going elsewhere, is this a sign of how bad our scouting is?

 

[battlingBard56]

While it may be asinine, I do like Carlson and I'm tired of all the talent in Jersey going elsewhere, is this a sign of how bad our scouting is?

I don't think it's a scouting issue more than it is Lou not wanting a NJ player drafted by the Devils to turn into a media circus or put undue pressure on a prospect, being a 'hometown guy'.
In my opinion, those reasons are kind of unfounded if true, as anyone making it to the NHL needs to deal with pressure anyway. But I could see that as being a reason behind not drafting NJ talent.
That and we seemed to believe the players we choose were the right choice for us at the time. Plenty of time for those decisions to be proven as good ones, in my opinion.

 

[Getzo5]

Larsson or Merrill?

Last year, I recall Larsson attempting to throw a bunch of open ice hip checks. I also recall literally every single one resulting in a 2 on 1.

He's been throwing the hip check a good amount this year, but in smarter, low risk situations. I really can't complain how the team has coached him to this point, although I do wish he was more involved in that playoff run.

Of course I meant Merrill. Pay attention goddammit.

 

[apice3*]

And if Carlson didn't pan out, he would have been criticized for being hypnotized by a local kid.

Also, Carlson hasn't been very good either of the last 2 years.

 

[Saugus]

Devils coaches should make him watch tape of Carl Hagelin. He can be a clone of him.

Or Nathan Gerbe. Tedenby should have all the tools for success, he just hasn't put it together.

I'm not surprised to see that people are still *****ing about taking him over Carlson.

 

[Devils Dominion]

And if Carlson didn't pan out, he would have been criticized for being hypnotized by a local kid.

Also, Carlson hasn't been very good either of the last 2 years.

No way. He's been very good. I watch a lot of his games.

While it may be asinine, I do like Carlson and I'm tired of all the talent in Jersey going elsewhere, is this a sign of how bad our scouting is?

Yes, our scouts need to stop making so many mistakes. Not drafting a kid because he's local is a horrible reason.

 

[Mgd31]

Carlson is terrible. Why even bring him up anymore?

 

[AfroThunder396]

They're playing Carlson in a shutdown role, and Washington isn't very good so he ends up getting torched a lot.

 

[Saugus]

Carlson also isn't the best defensively, so using him in a shutdown role is kind of strange. He is an offensive defenceman at heart.

 

[Oroku Saki*]

Signs a PTO.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Signs a PTO.

That's like a 20 something game tryout type thing right?

 

[Devs4life]

what people need with larsson is patience. Living here in tampa for the past 10 years or so, I do wind up watching alot of lightning games as well. I wont ever compare Larsson and Hedman's playing styles, but I think we can compare the process of how a defenseman matures and grows as a player. Hedman was called a bust early on in his career, but now in his 4th season, he has really matured into an above average defenseman, sure hes not a star, but he is steady, and plays heavy minutes considering how bad most of the their d is.

larsson is only in his second year, and im betting he will be a different player by the time hes 4 years in.He can still be an excellent defenseman, just not the second coming of Niedermayer or Stevens LOL

 

[MartyOwns]

Carlson is terrible. Why even bring him up anymore?

what???

he needs a change of scenery, but hes far from terrible.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Carlson also isn't the best defensively, so using him in a shutdown role is kind of strange. He is an offensive defenceman at heart.

Yeah IDK. They want Carlson-Alzner to be their #1 all-situations pairing, which means they get the toughest match-ups.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Lou doesn't "not draft" hometown kids. He's simply doesn't run the kind of business that would prioritize a player's hometown over what kind of player they think he can be. He's not gonna go out of his way to take someone just because he's from Jersey. He's not absolved of mistakes or anything, but this is just Lou working the same way he's always worked.

He saw the skill of Tedenby and thought he could be something special. He was probably the most talented kid in that draft. He took a gamble and didn't let Carlson's birth certificate cloud his judgment. The gamble didn't pay off, but that makes it real easy for us to criticize, doesn't it?

 

[Lou is God]

Merrill with his first professional point, congrats Jon!

 

[BrodeursCups]

One assist and a +2 already for the kid...

 

[Holtz My Bahls]

Already has an assist and a +2 rating, unreal.

Edit: BC Beat me to it haha.

 

[BrodeursCups]

Lol

I hope someone who's at the game tells us how he looks

 

[Holtz My Bahls]

Lol

I hope someone who's at the game tells us how he looks

Crossing my fingers that someone on the forums went hahaha.

 

[Saugus]

Nice to see him have a solid start as a pro. Hope he keeps it up.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

what people need with larsson is patience. Living here in tampa for the past 10 years or so, I do wind up watching alot of lightning games as well. I wont ever compare Larsson and Hedman's playing styles, but I think we can compare the process of how a defenseman matures and grows as a player. Hedman was called a bust early on in his career, but now in his 4th season, he has really matured into an above average defenseman, sure hes not a star, but he is steady, and plays heavy minutes considering how bad most of the their d is.

larsson is only in his second year, and im betting he will be a different player by the time hes 4 years in.He can still be an excellent defenseman, just not the second coming of Niedermayer or Stevens LOL

Yes. I've griped a bit about him being underutilized, but that's more an indictment of our defensemen. He's learning on the job and the staff knows he has some things to work on before they take off the training wheels.

 

[R8Devs]

He has a nice pass and a nice block on a 1 on 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_QpsYQuRvjY