GDT: Predators @ Devils - 7:00 PM - MSG

[NJDevs26]

Who gives a f***, truly.

I mean he actually SHOULD be sitting if he can't perform a penalty shot, no? Then what good is he really at this point if he can't do stuff with time and space? You don't want to make whatever his issue is worse or put the recovery time into next season when it's getting you nothing now.

 

[Clam Jensen]

how exactly is 86 going to bulk up and improve on all the things he needs to when he’s spending all summer recovering from surgery and golfing with his brothers?

So he’s that injured, he gets the surgery and next year he comes back what? Still the flawed undersized player who can’t win a faceoff or board battle to save his life?

Or he’s not that injured and he actually just sucks.

This season has truly broken some of your brains.

 

[MasterofGrond]

I mean he actually SHOULD be sitting if he can't perform a penalty shot, no? Then what good is he really at this point if he can't do stuff with time and space? You don't want to make whatever his issue is worse or put the recovery time into next season when it's getting you nothing now.

He should have been sitting weeks ago. The inability to perform a penalty shot is irrelevant to his injury status, his will to win status, and everything single thing relevant to winning Devils hockey games in 2024-25

 

[Guttersniped]

Is Jack injured? Yes.

I have eyes and know what a healthy Jack Hughes looks like.

Jack hasn’t taken a single face-off for 30 games.

He’s missed a bunch of practices


Jack not at practice March 28, 30, April 1



“Working off ice”




He’s skipped morning skates as well (some are optional, so his absence wouldn’t be noted)

 

[Guttersniped]

how exactly is 86 going to bulk up and improve on all the things he needs to when he’s spending all summer recovering from surgery and golfing with his brothers?

So he’s that injured, he gets the surgery and next year he comes back what? Still the flawed undersized player who can’t win a faceoff or board battle to save his life?

Or he’s not that injured and he actually just sucks.

Yeah, Jack Hughes just sucks. Nailed it.

And he’ll spend all summer golfing because he and his two brothers (?) don’t train at all in the off-season. You know this because your feverish imagination, combined with your irrational hate for Hughes, is very factually correct.

Cheer up, just 6 more seasons of this “flawed undersized player who can’t win a faceoff or board battle to save his life” and we know those two elements of the game are by far the most important. (Again, spot on analysis.)

 

[Guttersniped]

I mean he actually SHOULD be sitting if he can't perform a penalty shot, no? Then what good is he really at this point if he can't do stuff with time and space? You don't want to make whatever his issue is worse or put the recovery time into next season when it's getting you nothing now.

No one here knows what’s specifically wrong with Jack, I’m pretty sure no one here is a doctor, and I do know no one here makes any team decisions.

So I don’t see the point of debating this.

They should have sat Blackwood in 2021-22, instead of using “pain management” in Jan 2022, but they played him.

 

[NJDevs26]

No one here knows what’s specifically wrong with Jack, I’m pretty sure no one here is a doctor, and I do know no one here makes any team decisions.

So I don’t see the point of debating this.

They should have sat Blackwood in 2021-22, instead of using “pain management” in Jan 2022, but they played him.

I agree but I think you would agree I don't exactly trust this organization's...diagnoses of players' health either?

Fwiw I'm not assuming he sucks at penalty shots because he's injured, a lot of talented guys can't do shootouts. Just saying if THAT is also injury related then I'm done with the facade of trying to play him, mathematically alive or not.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Is Jack injured? Yes.

I have eyes and know what a healthy Jack Hughes looks like.

Jack hasn’t taken a single face-off for 30 games.

He’s missed a bunch of practices


Jack not at practice March 28, 30, April 1



“Working off ice”




He’s skipped morning skates as well (some are optional, so his absence wouldn’t be noted)

I’d love to say “I have faith in management that Jack would be shutdown at this point if they thought his offseason recovery time would bleed into the start of camp or further next season.” But I don’t think I can.

 

[Guadana]

how exactly is 86 going to bulk up and improve on all the things he needs to when he’s spending all summer recovering from surgery and golfing with his brothers?

So he’s that injured, he gets the surgery and next year he comes back what? Still the flawed undersized player who can’t win a faceoff or board battle to save his life?

Or he’s not that injured and he actually just sucks.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm just hoping Jack's recovery isn't potentially a 6 month timeline, which leaves him questionable for opening night.

We'd really be wishing we shut him down at least a month ago.

 

[SansaStark]

This season has truly broken some of your brains.

No just the opposite. It’s made me see through the mirage that was last year.

If you are delusional enough to sit around thinking Jack is a top5 player franchise center and that this core is “fine” then I don’t know what to tell you.

You’re going to be very disappointed in the next few years.

we don’t want this. I want him to be the best player we’ve ever had. And he could theoretically get there. but he continues to play poor hockey over and over again. It never stops, it never gets better. All of which could be done with his “injury”

 

[Bcap88]

I don’t think I’ve seen a player get stapled to the bench more than Holtz lol

Nosek had 17 minutes as opposed to Holtz 9 minutes

If they are doing this, just trade the guy already so he can blossom like sharangovich

 

[SansaStark]

I think the best mental model is that all players are hurt at all times, it's a question of severity and pain tolerance. Jack is pretty obviously a different player after returning from the long term shoulder injury. The rest didn't get him close enough back to 100%.

The question is was an option to heal like surgery pushed to the offseason, because NJ wanted to make the playoffs? Or is it something that he just needs to manage and needs more time to rest? We'll probably find out when NJ is truly mathematically eliminated.

My concern with Jack is not that he "actually just sucks" but that he's a guy that will get hurt a lot, and the ways to avoid getting hurt he'll have to incorporate into his game will limit him offensively. This is something though veteran players actually do understand better than younger players, how to survive an 82 game grind of a regular season while still being effective, so I think he'll figure it out.

I hear ya. And he could improve on those things in the offseason if he isn’t getting surgery and recovering. Maybe he can do both who knows

It’s also possible to improve on these things during the season. Even week to week. But I’ve yet to see any changes

 

[Bcap88]

No just the opposite. It’s made me see through the mirage that was last year.

If you are delusional enough to sit around thinking Jack is a top5 player franchise center and that this core is “fine” then I don’t know what to tell you.

You’re going to be very disappointed in the next few years.

we don’t want this. I want him to be the best player we’ve ever had. And he could theoretically get there. but he continues to play poor hockey over and over again. It never stops, it never gets better. All of which could be done with his “injury”

Hot take lmao

Jack is going to surpass Elias franchise point record by most likely his 30th birthday

 

[SansaStark]

Yeah, Jack Hughes just sucks. Nailed it.

And he’ll spend all summer golfing because he and his two brothers (?) don’t train at all in the off-season. You know this because your feverish imagination, combined with your irrational hate for Hughes, is very factually correct.

Cheer up, just 6 more seasons of this “flawed undersized player who can’t win a faceoff or board battle to save his life” and we know those two elements of the game are by far the most important. (Again, spot on analysis.)

lol
I don’t hate anyone. I’m incredibly frustrated by the blind defense of this player who continues make poor puck decisions over and over again.

My “analysis” is shared by many others who aren’t drinking the koolaid.

How can you watch this player recently and say he is franchise player that is going to win us playoff games?

Winning a board battle is important whether you want to believe it or not. Faceoffs matter. Especially if you don’t want limitations to your lineup decisions constantly having to put someone like Haula on his wing

 

[NJDevs26]

Eh Jack was already a franchise player who won playoff games last year...this year he's regressed to being Atlanta Kovalsuck version of a franchise player but there's no reason to think with health and/or a better coaching choice he won't shape up again next year.

 

[RNCDevil]

how exactly is 86 going to bulk up and improve on all the things he needs to when he’s spending all summer recovering from surgery and golfing with his brothers?

So he’s that injured, he gets the surgery and next year he comes back what? Still the flawed undersized player who can’t win a faceoff or board battle to save his life?

Or he’s not that injured and he actually just sucks.

whoooa..Sucks is a bolt statement. If he NEVER improves, he's still a dynamic player that has scored 229 points over his last 189 games (my math might be slightly off).

Nico, Hughes x2, Bratt, Timo, Douglas and Nemec seem to be "special" players - hard to replace skill-set players. Build around them.

It's become clear though, that Palat, Haula, Mercer, Holtz, Bastian, Siegs, Marino, MAYBE BAHL, Desimone, Smith...are just ok...replacement level players. There is a lot of work to do on the back-end and bottom 6.

Figuring out what the hell happened to Mercer and hoping Nosek looks like last-3-weeks Nosek, would be a great piece to solving the need for like 6 new players.

Maybe Foote graduates? Clarke doesn't stay a perimeter charmin winger? Maybe Bahl graduates?

Beyond that, Fitz has a ton of work to do but Jack Hughes is not someone the Devils need to give up on or feel bad about. I have to believe he becomes a smarter player next year.

 

[SansaStark]

Hot take lmao

Jack is going to surpass Elias franchise point record by most likely his 30th birthday

stacking points can’t be looked at in a vacuum.

No one who scores points as much as he does is as detrimental to their team’s success as Jack.

Yes he scores points. But he gives the puck away, loses battles, makes ill advised passes, takes a lot of poor angle shots that end up in a turnover, amongst a bunch of other bad habits.

He’s also not much of room leader. As evidenced by the teams crap play in big spots. And he’s got the organization dancing on egg shells to spoon feed him unnecessary ice time and not correct his bad play.

You’re all so completely delusional defending this player

 

[SansaStark]

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Ramsay would make better decisions with the puck than Jack does. And he botched the battle of the bastards for Christ sakes.

 

[MadDevil]

I'm glad we have such an honest fan willing to enlighten us as to how lost we've become worshipping Jack Hughes. It takes a lot of bravery to stand up against such powerful group think.

 

[Call Me Al]

No just the opposite. It’s made me see through the mirage that was last year.

If you are delusional enough to sit around thinking Jack is a top5 player franchise center and that this core is “fine” then I don’t know what to tell you.

You’re going to be very disappointed in the next few years.

we don’t want this. I want him to be the best player we’ve ever had. And he could theoretically get there. but he continues to play poor hockey over and over again. It never stops, it never gets better. All of which could be done with his “injury”

he was on a 2 ppg pace before he got injured.

even injured he’s scoring at the same pace he was last year when he was fully healthy. you are losing the plot if you don’t think he’s getting better. plus he’s only 22.

he has things he needs to work on and he needs a coach that can help eliminate some of the risky/immature elements of his game but no one should take you seriously when you opine that “you want him to be the best player we’ve ever had” and ignore that he set the franchise record for points and led the team to its best record ever as a f*cking 21 year old.

 

[SansaStark]

Eh Jack was already a franchise player who won playoff games last year...this year he's regressed to being Atlanta Kovalsuck version of a franchise player but there's no reason to think with health and/or a better coaching choice he won't shape up again next year.

I’m sorry what?
No…team defense, tenacious forechecking and good goaltending won us 1 playoff series. Against a lesser rangers team.

Jack had a nice move on the breakaway goal against Igor.

Then we played Carolina and we found out real quick that we’re nowhere near the contender level.

And that was the best team we’ve had …since the early 2000s?

 

[RNCDevil]

stacking points can’t be looked at in a vacuum.

No one who scores points as much as he does is as detrimental to their team’s success as Jack.

Yes he scores points. But he gives the puck away, loses battles, makes ill advised passes, takes a lot of poor angle shots that end up in a turnover, amongst a bunch of other bad habits.

He’s also not much of room leader. As evidenced by the teams crap play in big spots. And he’s got the organization dancing on egg shells to spoon feed him unnecessary ice time and not correct his bad play.

You’re all so completely delusional defending this player

Let's not all build straw men for each other.

I think we all agree that Jack has some big flaws in his decision making and defensive game. BUT you don't just luck into 1.2 PPG. He's #28 on NHL player scoring over the last 3 years. Incidentally, 1 point behind Quinn Hughes. He is 22 years old, and 17 years old mentally.

I don't think making a point of 3rd best player, 15th best player, etc...is fruitful or well answerable. I DO think he needs a NIco-personality upgrade, too, but I am thrilled Jack Hughes is a Devil.

Remember that putrid game against the Ducks where he missed a penalty shot. He was play with an extraordinary drive. He has it in him to take over games. Some of his passes, keeps, handles are ABSOLUTELY top 3 player in the league. He definitely does some things that I think maybe only Kucherov does.

Give him some time and remember Jack at his best.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

It’s not even worth engaging with that stupid garbage. Just move along.

 

[SansaStark]

he was on a 2 ppg pace before he got injured.

even injured he’s scoring at the same pace he was last year when he was fully healthy. you are losing the plot if you don’t think he’s getting better. plus he’s only 22.

he has things he needs to work on and he needs a coach that can help eliminate some of the risky/immature elements of his game but no one should take you seriously when you opine that “you want him to be the best player we’ve ever had” and ignore that he set the franchise record for points and led the team to its best record ever as a f*cking 21 year old.

Again, I’m not denying Jack has the ability to be a great player. But he has failed to strip his poor decisions and inability to read the moment and play good team hockey.

None of those things should have anything to do with his injury except for strength on a puck in certain instances.

It’s frustrating that the potential to be amazing is there but there are these major issues preventing him from getting there

If he is truly one of the greats he’ll come back next year bulked up, ready for more physicality and will have worked towards playing a more mature team-orientated game.