GDT: Your New Jersey Devils vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 PM, MSGSN2

[MasterofGrond]

It was honestly one of the worst games of the season. We were lucky we didn't get more goals scored on us. We were dominated from puck drop. We had a 23.4% xGF 5on5 and they eye test matched perfectly.

but jack was actively hindering the team!

 

[devilsblood]

I’m impressed that you can care about this game.

Garbage time loss.

We still have a bunch of guys who are our core players and making big money, healthy and on the ice.

I'd like to see them play like it actually matters.

Though, the way the possession numbers have swung so dramatically from good to awful I can't help but pin this on coaching/system changes.

 

[Devils731]

We still have a bunch of guys who are our core players and making big money, healthy and on the ice.

I'd like to see them play like it actually matters.

Though, the way the possession numbers have swung so dramatically from good to awful I can't help but pin this on coaching/system changes.

When they tweaked things after the all-star break it seems like they did 2 things.

Defenseman are more likely to stay protecting the crease. I think this has helped the goalies some as the defenseman are generally better at defending the crease and clearing rebound compared to the forwards.

Keeping the forwards even more central and lower in the zone. I think this change protects against some more high danger chances while conceding even more possession and making breakouts even worse.

I think the defenseman change was a net good but the forwards change was a bigger net negative. The change to forward was taking something that wasn’t working well and leaning into it more heavily to make it worse.

From the outside, it looks like the tweaks were done with a mindset to give the goalies as much additional support as possible without making any radical changes. I think the gain in helping the goalie was outweighed by the additional loss of possession and the breakout somehow getting even worse.

————————

I know Green is taking the brunt of the team playing even worse but he’s just the guy coaching the most over the re-vamped version of the system the team ran under Ruff.

This is concerning because apparently management was involved in re-vamping the system and the play-style ended up arguably worse. I don’t know how so many guys that are hockey smart are giving positive grades to a bad system and then help to make the system worse, that’s worrying for what comes next.

 

[Nocashstyle]

I just think everyone: us fans, the players, management, needs a solid break from Devils hockey for a bit.

This was the season from hell. Everything that could have went wrong, went wrong. I truly think terrible luck played a larger role than player/coaching/management shortcomings. The latter were still issues, but amplified tenfold by historically bad luck.

I can’t wait for the playoffs to start so I can fully move on from this season and just watch hockey for entertainment again.

 

[MartyOwns]

top candidates are reluctant to take the job because they feel like the GM that hires them is on a short leash. That may force hands.

i can't imagine someone turning down a HC job because fitz may or may not get fired within a year. i wouldn't worry too much about that.

 

[Patrik26]

Really? I thought they had more variety today.

In the Nashville game it was all ridiculous passes to teammates halfway to the moon, but today they mixed those with several direct tape to tape passes to opposing players.

Gotta start somewhere. It takes time.

 

[Bleedred]

So it's mathematically done if we lose tonight?

I hope to god so

Put the knife through the brain of this decrepit zombie already.

Did I already post that last night? I went to post this and it's still in my reply bar. Sometimes that happens even if I did already reply.

 

[Bleedred]

Fitz isn’t getting fired….unless in the coaching search it becomes evident that top candidates are reluctant to take the job because they feel like the GM that hires them is on a short leash. That may force hands.

If it's a really big name I bet there's a really good chance the head coach stays in that case.

He needs to hit it out of the park with this hiring, and he needs to completely purge the staff of the deadweight LOSER coaches that were here this year.

Particularly the one that took over the team about 5 weeks ago.

I'm honestly afraid of a Fitz firing. I worry we're getting Brodeur, who I honestly think should be FIRED NOW.

I have absolutely no emotional attachment or loyalty to Marty the management person/head CLOWN director of goaltending/whatever he is. Just like I couldn't give a shit less about coach Scott Stevens.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

We are shown so little of how decisions are made so I'm wondering if we are reading too much into an off the cuff remark from Marty about goalie workloads, that he was the mastermind behind playing these guys too much and destroying their confidence.

In any case yeah, GM Marty does concern me, just based on listening to him speak for 20+ years.

 

[Bleedred]

We are shown so little of how decisions are made so I'm wondering if we are reading too much into an off the cuff remark from Marty about goalie workloads, that he was the mastermind behind playing these guys too much and destroying their confidence.

In any case yeah, GM Marty does concern me, just based on listening to him speak for 20+ years.

The entire goalie department has been shit since he took it over. We've also seen weirdo goalie moves (like guys playing two nights in a row a bunch of times in very WTF scenarios) no matter who the coach is. I think he's more bad than good, but hopefully he's not really bad.

Green Plague has completely shot this team to shit since he took over.

Part of me would have been curious to see Lindy fired in November or December just to see how f***ing incredibly LOW in the standings we would have finished having this guy for f***in 50-60 games rather than just 20. Especially with the Vitek/Schmid/Daws combo the entire time.

Goaltending has been like .915% (or maybe higher) since he became head coach (I'm sure little thanks to him) and we're 7-10-1.

He's completely destroyed any semblance of a rush game, puck possession game, etc and he's also made us one of the most boring teams in hockey and that's not in a good way.

And he's a LOSER coach. I blame him for a lot of this year's problems, even when Ruff was still head coach. You can't tell me he didn't have a significant influence as the ASSOCIATE coach.

 

[Devils Trap]

The entire goalie department has been shit since he took it over. We've also seen weirdo goalie moves (like guys playing two nights in a row a bunch of times in very WTF scenarios) no matter who the coach is. I think he's more bad than good, but hopefully he's not really bad.

Green Plague has completely shot this team to shit since he took over.

Part of me would have been curious to see Lindy fired in November or December just to see how f***ing incredibly LOW in the standings we would have finished having this guy for f***in 50-60 games rather than just 20. Especially with the Vitek/Schmid/Daws combo the entire time.

Goaltending has been like .915% (or maybe higher) since he became head coach (I'm sure little thanks to him) and we're 7-10-1.

He's completely destroyed any semblance of a rush game, puck possession game, etc and he's also made us one of the most boring teams in hockey and that's not in a good way.

And he's a LOSER coach. I blame him for a lot of this year's problems, even when Ruff was still head coach. You can't tell me he didn't have a significant influence as the ASSOCIATE coach.

I knew we were f***ed with Green regardless BUT the day that he was hired and his first move was to bench Nemec I know we were REALLY f***ed

 

[Bleedred]

I knew we were f***ed with Green regardless BUT the day that he was hired and his first move was to bench Nemec I know we were REALLY f***ed

He's a bum and I've been slandering his undeserved good name since Vancouver.

They were a JOKE under him, especially the year he was fired. He never even should have been brought back when his contract was up 2021 after his third non-playoff year in four seasons there, but the year before was his one playoff year. In the Edmonton bubble when 23 other teams made it in.

And anything they won was ALL DEMKO.

Guy sucks. His Vancouver teams were a JOKE, even with decent goaltending for the entirety of his time there.

And they were so scared Seattle was gonna hire him as their first ever heach coach if they didn't get Rod off Carolina first lol.

The best thing you can do for your brand new rival upon entering the league is gifting them this LOSER.

 

[MasterofGrond]

He's a bum and I've been slandering his undeserved good name since Vancouver.

can't be slander if it's true

 

[My3Sons]

He's a bum and I've been slandering his undeserved good name since Vancouver.

They were a JOKE under him, especially the year he was fired. He never even should have been brought back when his contract was up 2021 after his third non-playoff year in four seasons there, but the year before was his one playoff year. In the Edmonton bubble when 23 other teams made it in.

And anything they won was ALL DEMKO.

Guy sucks. His Vancouver teams were a JOKE, even with decent goaltending for the entirety of his time there.

And they were so scared Seattle was gonna hire him as their first ever heach coach if they didn't get Rod off Carolina first lol.

The best thing you can do for your brand new rival upon entering the league is gifting them this LOSER.

Maybe he’d be better if you’d stop harassing him and destroying his confidence. How could anyone coach with your withering criticism and vitriol?

 

[MadDevil]

We are shown so little of how decisions are made so I'm wondering if we are reading too much into an off the cuff remark from Marty about goalie workloads, that he was the mastermind behind playing these guys too much and destroying their confidence.

In any case yeah, GM Marty does concern me, just based on listening to him speak for 20+ years.

I don't think it's any different than any other former player turned front office person saying things were different when they played. I don't think that necessarily means they're making decisions based on the way it used to be.

It is a little suspect they rode Daws into the ground and have played Allen a lot, but that's probably more because they were the best options at the time and they were still alive because of how shitty the East is after the top 5-6 teams.

I'm always hesitant when it comes to legendary players in management/coaching roles because it seems more often than not it doesn't work. So much of what made Marty great was probably instinctual to him. Does that translate to his coaching or managing abilities? And if you do put him in a bigger managerial role, if it doesn't work you have the awkwardness of needing to fire a franchise legend.