GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (19-4-1) @ Philadelphia Flyers (8-11-5), 7 PM, MSGSN

[Guttersniped]

The striping on the Jersey Jerseys are really, the center logo is the only real issue.

Honestly these retro reverses have solid striping too, I think you could tweak those into our normal colors and they would be superior to the current main jerseys.

I don’t even mind the logo now because the red trim is that jersey’s secret weapon.

I get that people aren’t thrilled with a script logo saying Jersey as a concept but they did a nice job with it.

Many seemingly cool jerseys designs don’t look good in real life and some look better when you do see them on people.

HFBoard posters in general mostly shit on jerseys, fans don’t like new things and love to complain. That’s why teams usually only win with nostalgia.

Hell, some people here were arguing for the KC Scouts logo to be used even though it’s absolutely godawful.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Schmid is a 2nd year pro. His rookie AHL numbers as a rookie were 2.60G AA / .911 SAV%. for 38 GP.
Last season before the Devils placed him into their lineup where every other goalie to play in front of that team sucked, his numbers in Utica were in the top level of AHL keepers. He was not ready for that promotion in any way shape or form. When he came back to Utica he was not the same guy who left and his numbers shot up. He gradually became the original Akira we were familiar with before he left and those numbers came back down to what you see above.

This season before being called up his AHL numbers were 1.97GAA / .918 SAV% in 4 GP.
His numbers in NJ are 1.24 GAA / .953 SAV% in the 4 games he started . Overall 1.42 GAA/ .949 SAV% in 5 GP.
This is the Akira Schmid this season. Last year was not what he has grown into. He had an offseason to work on things and he is not that other guy. He has cleaned up a lot of his rough edges and is much more confident. Will his numbers stay this elite? Probably not, but I expect he will remain a good keeper. When Blackwood comes back which seems to be soon, he will return to Utica and continue to rotate with Daws. 2 2nd year pros honing their skills to very high levels. Daws is currently posting a 2.57 GAA / .908 SAV% behind a team whose forwards in particlular leave him out to dry on many occasions, certain members of his D have begun coughing up the puck for 10 bell chances, and their PK is not so good. I would say over the 1st 8 or 9 games Schmid was looking better than Daws.

Lumping in his baptism under fire numbers, which he should never have been thrust into in the first place, and under normal NHL circumstances neither he nor Daws would have been subjected to, is a bit over the top.

I still don't think any goaltender would have looked decent on last year's team considering the chaos of our system and personnel. I also think most any goalie would look good playing behind the win streak Devils.

I think Schmid had been good, but nowhere near what the numbers say. His next few games will tell a story, if the team continues it's sloppy play, bc either he will roll with the punches and we have a true NHL goalie, or he'll get lit up a bit and maybe his confidence takes a knock like last year.

I'm really interested in seeing how the team responds after this four game wobbly stretch. It seems like our schedule is light, so I hope Lindy can get in some practices and really tighten things up.

 

[glenwo2]

$$$$$ there's gonna be people with poor taste who will like it and buy it and then the others who will buy it cause just because it has a Devils logo slapped on it

I guess the old adage "There's a sucker born every minute" exists because of this.

 

[glenwo2]

I don’t have a problem with this, he’s not even angry. Not great for reporters but Torts is thinking about his team.

This is good cop Torts, I assume he’s very positive in the locker room considering the team has played well in last two games and a worse offense loses to them in this one. (Like the Isles did.)

No reason to focus on any mistakes, he wants them to keep doing this and not be discouraged by it being a regulation loss. They’re coming out off a recent long losing streak, they need positive reinforcement. They don’t have much higher end talent to put the puck in the net.

Oh I agree 100%.

Compared to his past rants, this was pretty tame.

Then again, he doesn't have Larry Brooks there to antagonize him. lol

 

[NjDevsRR]

I still don't think any goaltender would have looked decent on last year's team.

Shesterkin would have taken my beer league to the playoffs in the West last year.

 

[Classic Devil]

I don’t even mind the logo now because the red trim is that jersey’s secret weapon.

I get that people aren’t thrilled with a script logo saying Jersey as a concept but they did a nice job with it.

Many seemingly cool jerseys designs don’t look good in real life and some look better when you do see them on people.

HFBoard posters in general mostly shit on jerseys, fans don’t like new things and love to complain. That’s why teams usually only win with nostalgia.

Hell, some people here were arguing for the KC Scouts logo to be used even though it’s absolutely godawful.

If you're going to go with an awful jersey, might as well be maximal about it. I'd be okay with a more awful jersey if it meant it went away sooner.

 

[glenwo2]

When Blackwood comes back which seems to be soon, he will return to Utica and continue to rotate with Daws.

And we can say goodbye to the Division then if Blackwood gets starts over Schmid.

Devils will end up squeaking into the playoffs as a wildcard because Blackwood sucks and will bring the team down with his shaky play.

There is a saying "Don't mess up a good thing".

Schmid backing up Vitek is a combo that is WORKING.

It's not like Schmid is giving up 4 goals every game.


"Making Blackwood happen" may continue to be a thing unfortunately.

 

[Camille the Eel]

I agree with most of this but you definitely lose me at the end with “Starting out on their long overdue rebuild, they have a good plan”.

They’re losing but that’s different than a rebuild and we would know.

When Fletcher is fired their new GM, like Fitz, is going to have to work with Philly’s 2023 and 2024 2nd round picks already being gone.

That’s after Fletcher trading away their 2019 PHI 2nd (#41) and 2022 PHI 2nd (#36), as well as their 2021 PHI 1st (#14).

He traded away all of this (and more) between June 2019-July 2022 and what do they get for it?
DeAngelo 2 years/5m
Ristolainen on a 5 year/5.1m extension
Braun on a 2 year/1.8m extension (They got NYR’s 2023 3rd for Braun at the TDL and then resigned him this off-season.)

They have two extra picks in 2023 (a 3rd & a 4th) but no 2nd.
They have Florida’s 1st in 2024 but no 2nd or 5th.

Unless they plan on more aggressively selling off pieces they aren’t going to get the extra draft assets they need to do a real rebuild. Their ownership needs to admit Fletcher’s “aggressive retool” is failure and they are in fact rebuilding.

Torts is the only guy in the building talking rebuild. Fletcher is still actively contradicting him and peddling injuries as the excuse for their poor performance.

This is a good analysis and you’ve certainly gone into it a great deal deeper than I - who (Ahaha) hadn’t really gone into the rebuilding aspect at all. I concluded - wrongly it seems - from the fact that they let Giroux walk and moved Gostesbiere out last year and hired Torts and went with a young lineup that they were acknowledging the need to tear it down and start with a young generation of players. They are certainly also playing a new style and have the look of being a different team than the Flyers we’ve competed against for the last decade and a half. They will be in the Bedard sweeps probably. That’s pretty much the level of my statement, which was really just a shorthand for this impression and the fact that they are looking younger and more organized with a lot of new (to me) faces.

 

[glenwo2]

I still don't think any goaltender would have looked decent on last year's team considering the chaos of our system and personnel. I also think most any goalie would look good playing behind the win streak Devils.

I think Schmid had been good, but nowhere near what the numbers say. His next few games will tell a story, if the team continues it's sloppy play, bc either he will roll with the punches and we have a true NHL goalie, or he'll get lit up a bit and maybe his confidence takes a knock like last year.

I'm really interested in seeing how the team responds after this four game wobbly stretch. It seems like our schedule is light, so I hope Lindy can get in some practices and really tighten things up.

Are you serious?

So you still need more proof?

Even after Schmid basically STOLE the game against Philly who was kicking the Devils asses on the ice in all but the scoreboard?

man....I sure am I'm glad I didn't have someone like you as my teacher in high school.

 

[Bleedred]

I think Schmid is overachieving a bit, as no one maintains .949%, but his game against Philly was probably his best and certainly most critical.

 

[TBF1972]

Schmid is a 2nd year pro. His rookie AHL numbers as a rookie were 2.60G AA / .911 SAV%. for 38 GP.
Last season before the Devils placed him into their lineup where every other goalie to play in front of that team sucked, his numbers in Utica were in the top level of AHL keepers. He was not ready for that promotion in any way shape or form. When he came back to Utica he was not the same guy who left and his numbers shot up. He gradually became the original Akira we were familiar with before he left and those numbers came back down to what you see above.

This season before being called up his AHL numbers were 1.97GAA / .918 SAV% in 4 GP.
His numbers in NJ are 1.24 GAA / .953 SAV% in the 4 games he started . Overall 1.42 GAA/ .949 SAV% in 5 GP.
This is the Akira Schmid this season. Last year was not what he has grown into. He had an offseason to work on things and he is not that other guy. He has cleaned up a lot of his rough edges and is much more confident. Will his numbers stay this elite? Probably not, but I expect he will remain a good keeper. When Blackwood comes back which seems to be soon, he will return to Utica and continue to rotate with Daws. 2 2nd year pros honing their skills to very high levels. Daws is currently posting a 2.57 GAA / .908 SAV% behind a team whose forwards in particlular leave him out to dry on many occasions, certain members of his D have begun coughing up the puck for 10 bell chances, and their PK is not so good. I would say over the 1st 8 or 9 games Schmid was looking better than Daws.

Lumping in his baptism under fire numbers, which he should never have been thrust into in the first place, and under normal NHL circumstances neither he nor Daws would have been subjected to, is a bit over the top.

which is the real shesterkin? this season's or last season's? save percentage can widely fluctuate, which should be a known for every hockey fan.

it's the nature of fans to assume the new career high of a young player is his new normal level of play. the career of blackwood is proof, that's not always the case:
2.61 0.918
2.77 0.915
3.04 0.902
3.39 0.892
2.79 0.880

i am not an akira hater. far from it. i just don't call him the solution aftetr four starts. if he becomes the solution, i am happy for him, as devils fan and a swiss hockey fan. i just think it's premature for a final judgement.

and from a statistical point of view to evaluate a player, the bigger the sample size the better. cutting and slicing an already small sample size into pieces, doesn't help the accuracy of prediction based on stats. this strategy was proven wrong in so many instances. once akira's number climb over 0.900 including all his nhl games, i feel much better and hopefully he gets more starts this season to prove his worth.

 

[TBF1972]

Are you serious?

So you still need more proof?

Even after Schmid basically STOLE the game against Philly who was kicking the Devils asses on the ice in all but the scoreboard?

man....I sure am I'm glad I didn't have someone like you as my teacher in high school.

4 starts this season. look for the best 4 game stretch of blackwood's career to cure your illusion.

 

[njdevils1982]

I don’t even mind the logo now because the red trim is that jersey’s secret weapon.

I get that people aren’t thrilled with a script logo saying Jersey as a concept but they did a nice job with it.

Many seemingly cool jerseys designs don’t look good in real life and some look better when you do see them on people.

HFBoard posters in general mostly shit on jerseys, fans don’t like new things and love to complain. That’s why teams usually only win with nostalgia.

Hell, some people here were arguing for the KC Scouts logo to be used even though it’s absolutely godawful.

i shit on it because its a f***ing carbon copy of what chicago pulled out of the mothball closet in 2019... the tribute to the newark bulldogs does not excuse it

besides, all this crap with a million different jerseys is money driven which makes it even more pathetic (for lack of a better word)....no, actually, i'll go with pathetic

but in a vacuum without the historical ties of all the teams i'll take the jersey jersey over the vomit that was on display last night.....what a terrible colour combo all around

3 more games.... but just watch down the road i wouldnt be surprised we get a white version of the bulldogs and/or a blue scouties with the devils logo before a 'throwback' from the cup teams

 

[My3Sons]

I think Schmid is overachieving a bit, as no one maintains .949%, but his game against Philly was probably his best and certainly most critical.

The fact that he was able to overcome last season’s NHL swoon is thr important thing. They can let the Blackwood return play out slowly as a result. Maybe they send him for a conditioning stint or two. Then he can sit on the bench until Vanacek needs a breather. If he plays well that’s great but if he struggles they can use him as a backup or If he completely implodes they can just bring back Schmid and go from there.

 

[glenwo2]

4 starts this season. look for the best 4 game stretch of blackwood's career to cure your illusion.

Looking at the past 2 seasons will cure yours.

Give me a break.

 

[glenwo2]

The fact that he was able to overcome last season’s NHL swoon is thr important thing. They can let the Blackwood return play out slowly as a result. Maybe they send him for a conditioning stint or two. Then he can sit on the bench until Vanacek needs a breather. If he plays well that’s great but if he struggles they can use him as a backup or If he completely implodes they can just bring back Schmid and go from there.

Well if that scenario occurs, Blackwood better be on an absolutely super-short leash.

Devils have come too far to let him torpedo their season.

 

[TBF1972]

Looking at the past 2 seasons will cure yours.

Give me a break.

i am not supporting blackwood over schmid. i don't have a silly agenda.

 

[glenwo2]

i am not supporting blackwood over schmid. i don't have a silly agenda.

oh. so I am the one with a silly agenda then?

How? Because I don't want Blackwood to f up the Devils season that's been going great?

If that's a "silly agenda", then there are plenty of silly people here like me.

 

[My3Sons]

Well if that scenario occurs, Blackwood better be on an absolutely super-short leash.

Devils have come too far to let him torpedo their season.

It’s not like MBW was that great before his injury yet he was still 4-2. If they win his games he will get rolled out there even if his play is uneven.

 

[Guttersniped]

This is a good analysis and you’ve certainly gone into it a great deal deeper than I - who (Ahaha) hadn’t really gone into the rebuilding aspect at all. I concluded - wrongly it seems - from the fact that they let Giroux walk and moved Gostesbiere out last year and hired Torts and went with a young lineup that they were acknowledging the need to tear it down and start with a young generation of players. They are certainly also playing a new style and have the look of being a different team than the Flyers we’ve competed against for the last decade and a half. They will be in the Bedard sweeps probably. That’s pretty much the level of my statement, which was really just a shorthand for this impression and the fact that they are looking younger and more organized with a lot of new (to me) faces.

You’re not required to know or care about any of this lol but Flyers are really f***ed. They can eventually work themselves out of this but not with “an aggressive retool”. It’s worse than Vancouver because they have a few way better players. Trots is a truth teller in this situation, which is ironic because Fletcher’s factory setting is Mild BS/Hand Waving, making him the perfect Comcast executive.

They have pivoted from pretending to be competitive to “let the (healthy) kids play/ get evaluated” after they lost top RHD Ryan Ellis probably forever
and Couturier having a setback after off-season back surgery
and Cam Atkinson being out all season so far with an unknown upper body injury
and JVR being still out after needing finger surgery after 6 games
and after Bobby Brink tore his labrum and had hip surgery in July
and Wade Allison was injured after 14 games and seemingly can’t not get injured.

The fact that Ryan Ellis played a total of 4 games for Philly and had 4 years/6.25m left after this season is a shocking disaster.

I’m still somewhat in awe that Poile managed to dump Ryan Ellis right before his career ending pelvic injury became an identifiable problem. (And I guess people just assume/pretend Nashville didn’t know?)

Couturier, who they very much should have traded but didn’t have the balls to, just started a 8 year/7.75m deal this season and he just had back revision surgery in October after having back surgery in Feb 2022. So that extension looks scary.

Cam Atkinson is reportedly coming back soon from an unspecified UBI but who knows where his health is at. He’ll be 34 in June and has 2 years/5.875m left after this season.

They also traded Giroux and bought out Oskar Lindblom. So the only known entity scorers they have left before Atkinson and JVR come back are Hayes, Konecny and Farabee.

Fletcher isn’t saying rebuild. He understandably is pointing to injuries because, wow, there’s a lot, but Atkinson and JVR coming back isn’t going to change much.

Like Vancouver, they’ve made some very fresh win now moves that they presumably would like a mulligan on but they’re probably stuck with some big contracts that aren’t ending soon. It’s hard to do a rebuild with unhappy older players on unmovable contracts and their cap situation sucks right now.

No NHL fans hate their management and ownership like the Flyers do right now, the non-dumb ones know how ridiculously ugly the situation is.

Also the Flyers both wanted to be competitive this season and also made no attempt to sign Johnny Gaudreau, who was begging to sign there, which is all you really need to know about their vision and competency.

 

[Guttersniped]

i shit on it because its a f***ing carbon copy of what chicago pulled out of the mothball closet in 2019... the tribute to the newark bulldogs does not excuse it

besides, all this crap with a million different jerseys is money driven which makes it even more pathetic (for lack of a better word)....no, actually, i'll go with pathetic

but in a vacuum without the historical ties of all the teams i'll take the jersey jersey over the vomit that was on display last night.....what a terrible colour combo all around

3 more games.... but just watch down the road i wouldnt be surprised we get a white version of the bulldogs and/or a blue scouties with the devils logo before a 'throwback' from the cup teams


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View attachment 617129

It is based on the Newark Bulldog’s jersey and the reason it looks like that Blackhawks jerseys is because a lot of the 1920s jerseys looked like that. They were all sweaters with a bunch of stripes.

We don’t have much of jersey history to mine and sorry, I don’t share the same fixation for a black version of our jersey. They often don’t look that good to me, it would depend on the design.

This was all debated when the Jersey jersey came out.

Not sure what we get out of Adidas before their contract ends after 2023-24.

Also not sure we would need a “throwback” to CCM jerseys when the new company will likely bring the bottom stripe back because there’s not much else to change up in order to sell a bunch of the new ones. Putting something back that’s been gone since 2017 seems like obvious choice.

I just need them to fix the arm stripes which are terrible, the middle stripe not being bigger still drives me nuts (of all the jersey related annoyances, that one I heartily agree with).