Matteau expectations that will make you smile.

[Brooklyndevil]

Playing at least 3rd line minutes:

In my opinion, Minimum: 15 Goals 20 Helpers. And playing a good physical game.

Click to read more...

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

I have very, very high hopes for Matteau. I really do think he'll top out as a Zubrus-esque 20-goal scorer that can slot comfortably anywhere in the middle-6.

As far as next year goes, I'd be happy with 10-15-25. I don't think that's wildly out of the question if we ice this top-9:

Cammalleri-Zajac-Palmieri
Henrique-Josefson-XXX
Elias-Zacha-Matteau

Now, if only Ray can fill in those X's...

 

[GhostofKenKlee]

I agree on Matteau, his game is what the team needs to add/grit scoring touch.

15/20 goals is reasonable.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

I liked what I saw from Matteau at the end of last season. He looked like he knew how to be physical as well as how to skate and how to score the garbage goals that I think will be the ones he's best at potting. I expect that he'll be able to play third line minutes and contribute there. Personally, I'd be more likely to expect twenty goals from him in his prime rather than next season, but if he pots twenty next year, I'll be very proud of him.

 

[StnTwnDevil]

I really need some of the stuff that is being smoked around here on a regular basis...

At this point, it seems pretty far fetched, but the "until proven" way of looking at things won't help in predicting. 20g-20a is probably near the max on an optimistic, but realistic prediction. 5g-11a is a realistic prediction on the pessimistic side.

 

[217 Forever]

I liked what I saw from Matteau at the end of last season. He looked like he knew how to be physical as well as how to skate and how to score the garbage goals that I think will be the ones he's best at potting. I expect that he'll be able to play third line minutes and contribute there. Personally, I'd be more likely to expect twenty goals from him in his prime rather than next season, but if he pots twenty next year, I'll be very proud of him.

Now there's a touch of sanity. IF Matteau ever becomes a 20 goal type guy it certainly isn't going to happen in his first full season playing with other similar unproven players.

 

[Zippy316]

I have very, very high hopes for Matteau. I really do think he'll top out as a Zubrus-esque 20-goal scorer that can slot comfortably anywhere in the middle-6.

As far as next year goes, I'd be happy with 10-15-25. I don't think that's wildly out of the question if we ice this top-9:

Cammalleri-Zajac-Palmieri
Henrique-Josefson-XXX
Elias-Zacha-Matteau

Now, if only Ray can fill in those X's...

I agree with this.

Matteau seems like that perfect complimentary player to skllled guys. He's not going to produce on his own but he's going to score the garbage goals and he's going to wreak havoc down low and in front of the net. I see a Clarkson potential in him point-wise but I think he will be a more effective player than Clarkson because of his skating. One of the big reasons Clarkson didn't score 30 goals until he the NHL was because he never had players skilled enough to do the other work for him. He wasn't going to come in and score on his own but if a player created space or shoots for a rebound, he could finish a goal.

I think Matteau could be a very nice compliment on a line with Cammalleri and Zajac. I don't expect 20-20 numbers this season, but I think he could develop into a nice guy that can play a variety of different roles in your top nine. Those players are valuable especially a guy like Matteau if he can keep some of his physical play.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Now there's a touch of sanity. IF Matteau ever becomes a 20 goal type guy it certainly isn't going to happen in his first full season playing with other similar unproven players.

That's how I see it really. Personally, I don't believe it's realistic to expect Matteau to be a 20 goal scorer next season especially on a team that we can project will be pretty starved for offense. That doesn't mean he can't ever become a 20 goal scorer, just that I would not hope to see that next season.

None of this should be taken to mean that I'm down on Matteau, because, as I said, I liked what I saw from him last season. It's just 20 goals from him to me seems like a very lofty expectation based on where his career is at and where this team is at. Matteau, in my opinion, can have a good season and meet my expectations for him without potting twenty goals, and I do look forward to seeing what he can do next season.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm gonna say I personally feel there's a significantly higher than 50% chance that Matteau outproduces Boucher this season.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

I'm gonna say I personally feel there's a significantly higher than 50% chance that Matteau outproduces Boucher this season.

I'm definitely higher on Matteau than Boucher, since I think Matteau will be better able to translate his style of game to the NHL than Boucher will his. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to have my concerns about whether Boucher will ever really be able to be a contributing member of the Devils. Of course, I'd love to be wrong about Boucher and have him translate that goal-scoring to the Devils NHL line-up. All the hockey gods know the Devils could use that, for sure.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm definitely higher on Matteau than Boucher, since I think Matteau will be better able to translate his style of game to the NHL than Boucher will his. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to have my concerns about whether Boucher will ever really be able to be a contributing member of the Devils. Of course, I'd love to be wrong about Boucher and have him translate that goal-scoring to the Devils NHL line-up. All the hockey gods know the Devils could use that, for sure.

I'm starting to feel the same way about Boucher. I think people might have overrated him because of his (was it 55-60 goals?) huge season in juniors that he had.

At the same time, he looked good in the AHL in his first pro year, as well as looking good in the NHL during his initial call up. Then Dumbeor (thanks again Pete!) pushed him to the 4th line so that a bunch of deadweight could be playing in the top 6 and 9.

I don't know how to feel about him anymore. He looked amazing in a couple of those preseason games last year too, then looked kind of bad for the majority of his regular season games in the NHL. Not awful but just not anything that really stuck out.

I've heard a lot about how great his shot is, and we've never seen any kind of nice snipe from him in an NHL regular season game yet. I think I saw one that hit the glass one time this past season.

 

[GhostofKenKlee]

Parise played on the fourth line his rookie year.

 

[DirtyJerzey]

i think mats is diffidently going to step up but like i said before, i think under the new regime Boosh is going to outshine guys. i personally believe the kid played scared and now hes going to have a new found faith in his game. i just have this gut feeling

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Honestly, I'm 95% moved on from Boucher. He's got to show me something in camp.

As for Matteau, I really like him, but I don't think he ever pots 15.

 

[Zippy316]

Honestly, I'm 95% moved on from Boucher. He's got to show me something in camp.

As for Matteau, I really like him, but I don't think he ever pots 15.

You have to remember that he is likely going to compliment a skilled line. He will probably put up a good amount points due to that.

I see him being a 20-20 guy in a complimenting role.

 

[RSeen]

I'm expecting around 10 goals and 10-15 assist from Matteau this year.

 

[billingtons ghost]

The lunacy.


Honestly, for a rookie in the NHL - he'll make me smile if he puts up 3 goals 10 assists, all by having pucks bounce off him while he is standing in the crease.

Hit a few folks, play solid minutes, be good in your own zone.

Anything above that is gravy.

 

[MadDevil]

Considering his career high in the AHL was 13 goals, I'm not expecting much offense from him this season. Maybe down the line if he can become a good complimentary piece on a good third line he can be a 30+ point player, but not with this current group of forwards.

 

[DevilsJunkie]

Yeah, I'd say that if Matteau nears 12 goals or 12 assists for the season, while demonstrating a potential for more, then he would have had a fairly good first full year in the show.

I'm not giving up on Boucher yet. I can understand the pessimism, but I remain hesitantly bullish on him. I am intrigued as to how his training camp and season unfolds.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

i think mats is diffidently going to step up but like i said before, i think under the new regime Boosh is going to outshine guys. i personally believe the kid played scared and now hes going to have a new found faith in his game. i just have this gut feeling

I do hope that you're right about Boucher. It would be very nice if he could have a strong season in the NHL this year.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Lets be honest. Matteau in the AHL was terrible. If he was waiver exempt he would be back there for sure. The potential is their due to his size. But in an ideal world, he hasn't earnt an NHL call up.

 

[TheDarkSideOfThePuck]

20-25 points would be good for Matteau, but just like Zubrus he will do a lot of good things that won't appear on the scoresheet.

 

[AfroThunder396]

7-13-20 would make me ecstatic.

 

[CerebralGenesis]

20 goals? Holy crap you're not gonna be happy with him then.

 

[NJDevs26]

Yeah I don't see how he's a big point scorer here this year when he wasn't a big point scorer at Albany last year. I don't really buy that whole 'offense somehow translating into the NHL when it doesn't in the AHL' thing. If he somehow gave us Bernier production from last year I'd be ecstatic and that'd be beyond expectations.