What exactly is Lou's plan?

[MichaelJ]

Lou's plan is the same it's been, build from the net out.

To the poster who was downing Schneider's games played, you're conveniently leaving out the years he was good enough to start but stuck in the Luongo situation in VAN and even last year when he had to contend with being on the same roster as an all time great, franchise goalie. In fact, he's in a better position now, he's older and wiser but has less hockey miles on his body. We're just fine with Cory and not looking to deal him anywhere.

Lou needs to accumulate picks this year and next. He also needs to attempt a trade for a top6 forward. Keeping the Matteau pick was asinine, I can only assume Lou was told he wouldn't be forfeiting it and maybe even that it wouldn't have the restrictions it wound up with. Gary might have made a promise he could only half keep. Who in their right mind would take Stefan Matteau and John Quenneville over essentially a top 10 talent?

 

[depthwins*]

Larsson didn't get drafted 4th overall to be a solid, 20 minute, 25 point defenseman. He was drafted as much on his offensive potential as his defensive potential. Bottom line is that he has almost no offensive game. You can bet if the Devils could do it over they would draft Hamilton or Brodin before him. More importantly, Strome was there for them and their entire forward core is basically old or useless other than Henrique.

 

[tony d]

Don't know, got to think Lou's let go this off-season.

 

[free0717]

Don't know, got to think Lou's let go this off-season.

I doubt it but I do think there will be some front office changes. Especially to the Scouting Dept. David Conte may be a goner.

 

[MichaelJ]

Larsson didn't get drafted 4th overall to be a solid, 20 minute, 25 point defenseman. He was drafted as much on his offensive potential as his defensive potential. Bottom line is that he has almost no offensive game. You can bet if the Devils could do it over they would draft Hamilton or Brodin before him. More importantly, Strome was there for them and their entire forward core is basically old or useless other than Henrique.

Watch more Devils hockey. Larsson has been getting better all year and had really been good since PDB was fired.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

I haven't read the whole thread, but I think his plan may have something to do with having the Blues tamper with one of players and watch the arbitrator make his wildest dreams come true.

 

[GAGLine]

A bust? You do realize he's a twenty year old defenseman and they take some time yea?

He's 22.

He never should have been in the NHL at 18.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Except there is a pretty clear direction, building from the net out.

With a 28 year old Schneider?

 

[FanHabtic*]

The Devils are so imbalanced. They are the example of a team that should blow it up.

 

[glovesave_35]

Why is the main boards a good place for a question obviously best directed toward one single fanbase? It happens all the time with the Leafs and other Canadian teams as if the general hockey fandom cares or knows about the ins and outs of one NHL franchise, now this.

 

[Arthuros]

There's a plan?

If so, I'd love to hear it. Devils are still my favourite East team - even if I don't follow them nearly as much as the Ducks.

 

[LetsGoDevils30]

What's the plan here?

 

[Number 57]

I sometime find myself wondering if there really is an NHL team in such ''bad'' shape. I mean NJ probably is bottom-5 right now in terms of ''state of the team'' yet they arnt in such a bad shape. The others are TOR, CAR and EDM.

New Jersey has a solid tender signed long-term, a very good young defense and plenty of vets to trade for picks.

Now, what they need are top-6 forwards.

Henrique, Zajac, Josefson, Matteau, Boucher, Quenneville is a decent start. It's not like the cupboards are empty. Add in Dylan Strome and things are suddenly looking up.

You'd have 7 decent fowards + good D + solid G. Sign a 1st line veteran forward to replace Kovalchulk/Parise (by trading all their vets and with Elias potentially retiring soon it leaves a lot of $ to sign a big-time UFA), and keep drafting well in order to build a good farm base.

So as you see, nothing complicated. If Lou makes the right moves, they'll be just fine.

 

[SchennSational1022*]

When Adam Henrique is the best/only forward you have developed in the past 5 years....there's a huge problem. Not to mention failed high picks like Tedenby and Josefson... That organization is god awful at developing forwards.

 

[Voight]

So you believe Luongo will play until he is 43 (Kovalchuk's would've ended at 44)? It's one thing to reject it, which hadn't been done before, but to take away a 1st, 3rd and 3 million dollars was sort of laughable

How is laughable? Like Spartans said the contract was the definition of circumvention. Luongos was bad but was only 12 years as opposed to seven-****ing-teen. Plus the NHL needed to make a stand against those kind of contracts and what better way to do it than with the biggest ca circumventing one. Eventually you need to set a precedent and Kovys was just that.

Quite honestly, Lou should have been fired years ago. I'm shocked he hasn't.

Living off past accomplishments. Plus Vanderbeek never really interfered with hockey ops and let Lou run things so he didn't really care.

 

[Cult of Hynes]

He's 22.

He never should have been in the NHL at 18.

I know how old he is. My phone decided not to put the two in it for some reason.

He shouldnt have been, and I agree, but he also didnt do horribly for his age at that position when he was playing. He regressed a bit when DeBeor came on board, actually a lot.

 

[BobCole]

When Adam Henrique is the best/only forward you have developed in the past 5 years....there's a huge problem. Not to mention failed high picks like Tedenby and Josefson... That organization is god awful at developing forwards.

I'll raise you. Since 2006, the Penguins have drafted only 2 forwards who have played an NHL game:

Beau Bennett (64 GP)
Bryan Rust (14 GP)

This is one of the primary reasons Ray Shero was fired.

 

[R8Devs]

Larsson didn't get drafted 4th overall to be a solid, 20 minute, 25 point defenseman. He was drafted as much on his offensive potential as his defensive potential. Bottom line is that he has almost no offensive game. You can bet if the Devils could do it over they would draft Hamilton or Brodin before him. More importantly, Strome was there for them and their entire forward core is basically old or useless other than Henrique.

5v5(2014-2015)
Larsson 1.28 points per 60
Hamilton 1.09 points per 60
Brodin .26 points per 60


I don't really expect his point production to fully stay there but to say he has no offensive ability is false. And Larsson has a way worse team than Hamilton or Brodin. And offense/point production isn't everything when it comes to defenseman. He's good possession wise, good breakouts, and one of the better PKers in the league. If you actually look at when the Devils drafted Larsson they had Parise, Kovalchuk, and Elias all still capable of good production from the wing and were really lacking in the defensive department.

 

[SchennSational1022*]

I'll raise you. Since 2006, the Penguins have drafted only 2 forwards who have played an NHL game:

Beau Bennett (64 GP)
Bryan Rust (14 GP)

This is one of the primary reasons Ray Shero was fired.

That's also pretty god awful, but they have a nice group of young defensemen also.

 

[Czech Trio]

Larsson wasn't drafted as an offensive D man. With that said he will able to put up 20-30 points a year from here on out. Pushing 40 in his best years. His main skill is eating big minutes against the top line of the other team and PK time. Workhorse defensemen are hard to come by.

 

[Voight]

I'll raise you. Since 2006, the Penguins have drafted only 2 forwards who have played an NHL game:

Beau Bennett (64 GP)
Bryan Rust (14 GP)

This is one of the primary reasons Ray Shero was fired.

You forgot Dustin Jeffrey, 171st in 07 and has played 124 games.

But Ive said it before and Ill say it again, Shero is lucky that Patrick did so much groundwork before he was hired and super lucky he had two of the worlds best players.

 

[Classicnamesup]

Plus the nhl gifted them a first. Just poorly run. Seems to get ufas okay though.

The game has changed and left Lou behind.

 

[MichaelJ]

I doubt it but I do think there will be some front office changes. Especially to the Scouting Dept. David Conte may be a goner.

He should be. Not developing our own players has obviously hurt us by having wasted picks. It's also kept us out of the running for any trade we would've like to make.

 

[Baemon Severson*]

Larsson didn't get drafted 4th overall to be a solid, 20 minute, 25 point defenseman. He was drafted as much on his offensive potential as his defensive potential. Bottom line is that he has almost no offensive game. You can bet if the Devils could do it over they would draft Hamilton or Brodin before him. More importantly, Strome was there for them and their entire forward core is basically old or useless other than Henrique.

Yeah, no

Larsson has 1 less career point than Jonas "Kidstrom" Brodin and gets no PP time, less avg TOI and doesn't play with Suter.

A poster above shows that Larsson has more points/60 than Hamilton and blows Brodin out of the water.

To say it isn't close is amusing

 

[MoonDragn]

Lou did manage to find a few gems that were undrafted... Madden, Clarkson, Rafalski, and Greene. I think some of the drafting choices were not his fault but Conte and the Swedish coach that kept recomending Swedish guys that were basically busts.

Everything is 20/20 in hindsight though. I'm sure the Rangers would have liked to draft Parise instead of huge specimen.

Who would have predicted the success of Datsuk and Zetterberg? Sometimes you get lucky and draft well and sometimes you don't. Every org has that.

How many successful Eastern Conference teams that are dominating the league have a #1 overall pick right now? Tavarez? Crosby? Stamkos? The list goes on. Do the Devils need to draft Mcdavid to be competitive with those guys?