GDT: Your New Jersey Devils (24-39-6) vs. New York Rangers, (44-20-6), 7 PM, MSG+2

[NjdevilfanJim]

Also there’s no way I want NJD to become more gritty, this team is at its most dangerous when they’re flying with their skating legs. Last thing I want is a Rags offseason from last year because of an overreaction to not having enough guys lay the body in a game. If you want a power forward like Matt Tkachuk, if he ever becomes available with the grace of God, then sure but I’m not hindering this roster with plugs to running around hitting people.

Can't just be one dimensional you have to be able to beat teams multiple ways on this level....Once we go start playing meaningful games the ice gets smaller less room you need to have physical players....No one has gone near Pancake on the Rags this year since Reaves joined that team...

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

If this really is his best opportunity to carve out an NHL career, then he likely won't have an NHL career. This year may very well not ruin his chances of having an NHL career, but it's really not going to do anything to help it at this point.

He's been played to the point that his hot start has really evaporated the last 3-3.5 weeks and he's not to Gillies territory yet, but at this rate he's definitely pacing towards getting there.

And I'm not convinced we're about to stop playing him. I think there's a reasonable chance he's sent back to Utica before the NHL season ends, but we're probably another 2 weeks or so out from that. Maybe sooner if he really gets blown up badly, like maybe worse than any games yet. Like Gillies in Edmonton or Hammond the other day. That might get him sent back sooner than he was going to be.

We traded a pretty good minor league player in Schnarr (he could have helped Utica) so we better get to playing him more and hopefully just sending Daws back or to the bench for now at the very least.

Until Fitz makes the call to send Daws back, I don't think we're gonna be playing him more.

At this rate, I'd be surprised if Hammond played more than 6 games as a Devil and that's even a generous estimation, as that would mean that he appears in 5 of our last 12 games. Daws would probably have to get sent back in the next 1-2 weeks for Hammond to get in 5 more games, unless Ruff does start sitting him more.

Agree giving up Schnarr they should play Hammond otherwise why do that deal and imo send Daws down others feel Daws will grow from this hopefully no matter how it plays out Daws makes it because he seems resilient to me pretty good trait for a goalie....

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Guess Panarin deserved what he got last year from Wilson by the same token.

You jump on a Bears back you better expect to get thrashed....Pancake entered the ring ding ding...

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Can't just be one dimensional you have to be able to beat teams multiple ways on this level....Once we go start playing meaningful games the ice gets smaller less room you need to have physical players....No one has gone near Pancake on the Rags this year since Reaves joined that team...

And they’ve conversely gotten worse at 5v5 by playing those scrubs that they had to fix their mistakes for acquiring Reaves at the deadline by getting Motte, Copp and Vatrano. I gave the Matt Tkachuk example so clearly I’m not adverse to adding a power forward, mainly to Hughes’s wing, but I’m not trying to add more bums when it destroys our identity as a team to do so.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

And they’ve conversely gotten worse at 5v5 by playing those scrubs that they had to fix their mistakes for acquiring Reaves at the deadline by getting Motte, Copp and Vatrano. I gave the Matt Tkachuk example so clearly I’m not adverse to adding a power forward, mainly to Hughes’s wing, but I’m not trying to add more bums when it destroys our identity as a team to do so.

See your point but there is a middle ground between a Tkachuk and what we can add to make our team and our bottom 6 better harder to play against...

 

[SJinNewJersey]

I'd rather have both. Geertsen and his roster spot was not a factor in Studenic being waived.

Why couldn't Geertsen been waived and not Studenic?

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

See your point but there is a middle ground between a Tkachuk and what we can add to make our team and our bottom 6 better harder to play against...

I’d argue we need guys with more consistency in general in the bottom 6, Johansson and Zacha decide to be world beaters for a stretch and then disappear for 30 games. I wouldn’t pigeon hole roles on this roster especially on the forward side, we have Bastian on the fourth line and the guy has been pretty good for our PP1 guy too, for example.

 

[Guttersniped]

Smith doesn't need waivers.

Colton White could have been waived. Jaros could have been waived and Fitz would have known his intentions then instead of at the trade deadline.

I bet Colton White would reported to Utica and still would have if Jaros had been terminated a few weeks before the deadline.

Geertsen is listed as a spare D on CF. If he were listed as an F, emergency loans would not have been possible under the 12 F 6 D 2 G rule.

Geertsen may indeed suck, but his roster spot was not the reason Studenic and Wedgewood were waived.

Hate on Geertsen for his lack of NHL skills, but to think it was simply a choice between Geertsen and Studenic or Geertsen and Wedgewood or even Geertsen and any recall is just, well, being simple.

His waiver exemption doesn’t matter, my point is they weren’t going to send Smith down to protect Studenic.

We used Geertsen as a spare D/F but mainly as the spare F. Geertsen being a D/F gives him added flexibility, but he’s not good and I think Studenic is.

They hoped Studenic would make it through waivers and he didn’t.

The team should have known Studenic was an enticing target because he has good underlying numbers (both ways) and makes 750k. You can stick him in the line-up and he’s good defensively, an excellent forechecker (better at that then most of the guys on this team now) and can get to net with his speed. And even if you don’t play him, if you’re near the cap (and a ton of teams are), it’s valuable that he’s that dirt cheap, cheaper even than a lot of the guys in minors you could call up (who would likely play worse, particularly defensively).

When Dallas picked him up they were working with very little cap space. Colorado called up Stefan Matteau over Maltsev earlier in the year because Matteau made 750k vs Maltsev’s 809k. It can get that tight.

And it was 29 days before the trade deadline, and having any extra cap space for potential moves is important for the same teams that wouldn’t mind having a guy making 750k on their roster. (If they were accumulating cap space for the TDL and were tight at the cap.)

So Fitz might have made a bad call with his roster management. Maybe there are other moves he could have made. If you want to protect the honor of Geertsen, fine. It’s spilt milk.

 

[MadDevil]

I mean, who is going to keep Jack from being hit and/or injured if not Geertsen?

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

If this really is his best opportunity to carve out an NHL career, then he likely won't have an NHL career. This year may very well not ruin his chances of having an NHL career, but it's really not going to do anything to help it at this point.

I mean that's the thing he probably won't have much of an NHL career, he's not a top prospect. He's one of maybe 100+ guys in the AHL/overseas who are showing pretty well in pro leagues and trying to get their shot. Some of these guys like Gillies spend 10 years trying and then get a chance and within 3 games pretty much it's decided if you are an NHLer or not. Forsberg was on the outside looking in until Matt Murray/Filip Gustavsson played like trash and now he's got a 3 year deal. It's just brutally competitive and your opportunities are so limited.

He's learning on the job, and trying to show management he has a real role in their future plans. It's tough to take that away I think, especially if the players want him in net. There's like no way at this point he can be higher than 3rd on the depth chart going into camp next year but maybe he's upping his trade value, maybe he's getting valuable lessons and figuring out what he needs to work on in the offseason. I think it's probably best for his career to get take these lumps now.

 

[Bleedred]

I mean that's the thing he probably won't have much of an NHL career, he's not a top prospect. He's one of maybe 100+ guys in the AHL/overseas who are showing pretty well in pro leagues and trying to get their shot. Some of these guys like Gillies spend 10 years trying and then get a chance and within 3 games pretty much it's decided if you are an NHLer or not. Forsberg was on the outside looking in until Matt Murray/Filip Gustavsson played like trash and now he's got a 3 year deal. It's just brutally competitive and your opportunities are so limited.

He's learning on the job, and trying to show management he has a real role in their future plans. It's tough to take that away I think, especially if the players want him in net. There's like no way at this point he can be higher than 3rd on the depth chart going into camp next year but maybe he's upping his trade value, maybe he's getting valuable lessons and figuring out what he needs to work on in the offseason. I think it's probably best for his career to get take these lumps now.

Fair enough

And Anton Forsberg is my safe money pick for not repeating this season again next year and that 3 year deal looking like Matt Murray's before too long.

 

[Devils731]

Where was all this Studenic talk when he only had 1 point in his first 7 games in Dallas? Also, oddly having almost 3 minutes in PP time.

I would have preferred not waiving Studenic but I also think it will likely ultimately be meaningless that he was.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

I want the Devils to get more competent at defense , goaltending and specials teams before I care about "toughness".That being said we need to get some bigger bodies throughout the lineup to be a harder team to play against. Could also help with us winning board battles in our d zone as well.

 

[NJDevs26]

The Devils aren’t going to win jack until they improve coaching, goaltending and figure out a way to keep their top two centers on the ice for 70+ games a year.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I mean that's the thing he probably won't have much of an NHL career, he's not a top prospect. He's one of maybe 100+ guys in the AHL/overseas who are showing pretty well in pro leagues and trying to get their shot. Some of these guys like Gillies spend 10 years trying and then get a chance and within 3 games pretty much it's decided if you are an NHLer or not. Forsberg was on the outside looking in until Matt Murray/Filip Gustavsson played like trash and now he's got a 3 year deal. It's just brutally competitive and your opportunities are so limited.

He's learning on the job, and trying to show management he has a real role in their future plans. It's tough to take that away I think, especially if the players want him in net. There's like no way at this point he can be higher than 3rd on the depth chart going into camp next year but maybe he's upping his trade value, maybe he's getting valuable lessons and figuring out what he needs to work on in the offseason. I think it's probably best for his career to get take these lumps now.

Yes that's one thought but goalies take time very few come right up and fight through it to become top tier goalies....So I am not against him taking the taste of the NHL life back down to the AHL and using that to drive him to excel once he rounds out his game and gets more experience.

 

[OmNomNom]

We don't dump and chase because we don't have the roster to do so. Who's flying down the ice to retreive the puck and which dman is scared to go in corners against our forwards? The answer would be absolutely nobody.

If we dump it in, it's basically an automatic turnover. This roster is all about speed and not much else and when the opposition clogs the neutral zone, we're screwed.

That's what I'm saying - we don't bc we CAN'T, but we SHOULD get ppl who would enable us to do that. They showed a stat during the game about how we're like 31st in the league on dump ins

 

[Blender]

We don't dump and chase because we don't have the roster to do so. Who's flying down the ice to retreive the puck and which dman is scared to go in corners against our forwards? The answer would be absolutely nobody.

If we dump it in, it's basically an automatic turnover. This roster is all about speed and not much else and when the opposition clogs the neutral zone, we're screwed.

I would argue that we should almost never dump the puck in. We do this but should do it more, but if the choice is dump in or retreat, we should retreat. Keep possession above all else.

 

[My3Sons]

Also there’s no way I want NJD to become more gritty, this team is at its most dangerous when they’re flying with their skating legs. Last thing I want is a Rags offseason from last year because of an overreaction to not having enough guys lay the body in a game. If you want a power forward like Matt Tkachuk, if he ever becomes available with the grace of God, then sure but I’m not hindering this roster with plugs to running around hitting people.

As noted above, there is a big difference between Bratt an Hughes flying around and Johnsson and Tatar. A small minority of posters want to move out the current top scorers. It's the makeup of the supporting cast that is really at issue. The reality is that the top six is still probably an average of 22 years old or thereabouts. Bratt, Hischier -23; Mercer, Jack - 20; Shara 24. That's well below the team average of 25. The top six will beef up a bit just by maturation but they will have some ups and downs along the way.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

As noted above, there is a big difference between Bratt an Hughes flying around and Johnsson and Tatar. A small minority of posters want to move out the current top scorers. It's the makeup of the supporting cast that is really at issue. The reality is that the top six is still probably an average of 22 years old or thereabouts. Bratt, Hischier -23; Mercer, Jack - 20; Shara 24. That's well below the team average of 25.

100%, I just think if you're finding certain roles off rip that it can lead to issues with roster construction. Find good hockey players and then ask guys to play within those roles best they can given their skill sets. Like I mentioned Bastian is the best example of that, he plays fourth line minutes but he found a role on the PP1 and has become a decent role player for us. I think this system's reliance on skating is already evident on how Gusev got phased within the first year so slower skaters have to provide something more than just running around and getting caved on the ice whether its a 5v5 role, PP or PK. We can't have goons that we shelter 5v5 because our best games are when all 4 lines are flying either.

 

[My3Sons]

The Devils aren’t going to win jack until they improve coaching, goaltending and figure out a way to keep their top two centers on the ice for 70+ games a year.

He signed for 8 more years of this nonsense, I think they won Jack already.

 

[Buck Dancer]

I would argue that we should almost never dump the puck in. We do this but should do it more, but if the choice is dump in or retreat, we should retreat. Keep possession above all else.

Dumping the puck in the corner is a strategy you utilize when the opposition is clogging up the neutral zone, denying us to utilize our speed. If we try and just skate it in, we're basically carrying the puck in a road block.

 

[Eggtimer]

I’m pro grit / size / heavier / interior / power forward / whatever the shit you want to call it by replacing guys that are one dimensional fir ones that have more intangibles . Example - Johnson . Yes he might do ok for pilots for a third liner but he doesn’t do enough . We need players like a Nishuchkin that hits , drives the net , retrieves pucks in the corners , blocks shots , etc. Avs use him to hold one goal leads in the final minute plus chips in offensively . Johnson , Tatar , Zacha do not . The do one thing and that’s put up “ ok “ numbers for their roles . But that’s all they do . We have elite talent in Hughes and Bratt but they play a more finesse game . And that’s perfectly fine . Thing is , we cannot have an entire roster of that type . We need to supplement and support our stud kids / core players with guys that are harder to play against and do everything well .
Not sure why a lot of you guys are so set against this . Whenever I say this it’s “ derp MiRE GrIT !!! Lol” and “ Johnson and Tatar have awesome wtq per 60 ! Look at this chart ! Check out his player card and bar graph ! He’s awesome , I don’t want sum AHL scrub when Tatar is putting up hood numbers ….
No one is saying to get a face puncher to fill a third line . I’m saying get a third line that can defend well , play an interior game , AND produce all at the same time . Those players exist and they are not as hard to trade for or expensive to sign as people think . Go after Nuke , Neiderrieder, Marchment , Crouse , etc

 

[Eggtimer]

Dumping the puck in the corner is a strategy you utilize when the opposition is clogging up the neutral zone, denying us to utilize our speed. If we try and just skate it in, we're basically carrying the puck in a road block.

Boston did a perfect job of that against us . We couldn’t break out of our end like we want to and took away the neutral zone . That takes away our bread and butter - speed and generating offence off the rush . Thing is , we are awesome at that but don’t have the personnel to combat when teams do that against us . Our 4th line can but they are limited in skill and offensive touch to generate much off dump and chasing . Just my 2 cents

 

[Buck Dancer]

I’m pro grit / size / heavier / interior / power forward / whatever the shit you want to call it by replacing guys that are one dimensional fir ones that have more intangibles . Example - Johnson . Yes he might do ok for pilots for a third liner but he doesn’t do enough . We need players like a Nishuchkin that hits , drives the net , retrieves pucks in the corners , blocks shots , etc. Avs use him to hold one goal leads in the final minute plus chips in offensively . Johnson , Tatar , Zacha do not . The do one thing and that’s put up “ ok “ numbers for their roles . But that’s all they do . We have elite talent in Hughes and Bratt but they play a more finesse game . And that’s perfectly fine . Thing is , we cannot have an entire roster of that type . We need to supplement and support our stud kids / core players with guys that are harder to play against and do everything well .
Not sure why a lot of you guys are so set against this . Whenever I say this it’s “ derp MiRE GrIT !!! Lol” and “ Johnson and Tatar have awesome wtq per 60 ! Look at this chart ! Check out his player card and bar graph ! He’s awesome , I don’t want sum AHL scrub when Tatar is putting up hood numbers ….
No one is saying to get a face puncher to fill a third line . I’m saying get a third line that can defend well , play an interior game , AND produce all at the same time . Those players exist and they are not as hard to trade for or expensive to sign as people think . Go after Nuke , Neiderrieder, Marchment , Crouse , etc

And to follow up on your point, I'll take a more defensive 3rd line to compliment our top two lines, that can generate offense almost at will. What we don't need is an "offensive" 3rd line who can't defend for shit because that's basically adding more of the same but on a way smaller level.

A team needs to be able to generate offense and defend as well. 85% of our forwards are offensive minded and the rest can hold their own defensively. We need to balance that out and not try to win games 6-4 or 7-3 because it's the close games that will give us a good record at the end of game 82 and in the playoffs as well.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Who’s the guy that doesn’t want players that can defend well, play an interior game, AND produce all at the same time?

Where is this poster, what is he saying? Everyone wants Nichushkin. I’d take Nino. I’d look at Marchment. There are very few players that actually fit the definition you presented.

The main offensive strategy is going to remain entering the zone with puck possession and scoring off the rush with Jack on one line and Nico and Bratt on another. Even with a new coach. Get used to it.