OT: 2022-23 NHL thread….Devils & Rangers & Islanders
- Thread starter zappaa
- Start date
I am relaxed. Have a nice day.No one is laughing at
Relax man, no one is laughing at you, we're just talking hockey.
7 game series , pushing fighting after every whistle. You need some size , grit , toughness and some nastiness .
Arnott
Holik
Lemieux
Friesen
Chambers
Marshall
McKay
Guerin
Madden
Pandolfo
Rolston
Devils 7-8 D on NHL roster ,(used 7 D last game) plus 2 of the top 4 OVERALL prospects are Devils Defenseman in Hughes and Semec . Standing Pat at deadline would almost be criminal.
Arnott
Holik
Lemieux
Friesen
Chambers
Marshall
McKay
Guerin
Madden
Pandolfo
Rolston
Devils 7-8 D on NHL roster ,(used 7 D last game) plus 2 of the top 4 OVERALL prospects are Devils Defenseman in Hughes and Semec . Standing Pat at deadline would almost be criminal.
Different era of hockey, but I ask again - who do we move/sit this season to get bigger?
Like I said before, nothing wrong going into postseason with what we have and see what we really have, I just have hard time trying to fix what we're not sure is broken, mostly because everyone is playing good to great.
If we do need to get bigger, then we do so in offseason. But I will add this team while not having size of other teams doesn't lack the grit or toughness. And that also will grow as they get older.
I’ll give you a like buddy, lol.
And I agree with you, while NJD are playing out of their minds right now, to me the current makeup screams more reg season than post season. I can see them struggling in the playoffs against a bigger, thicker team. If they draw NYI, they might be one and done.
The good thing is I’d be shocked if the FO doesn’t also know this and they have plenty of chips to fill the gaps. Slight concern about the cap, but teams always seem to work around that some how. TDL should be fun.
I'm going to drop it for the sake of the thread - but I will note not one person who advocates breaking up our forward unit to get bigger forwards here has told me who in the current lineup they would move/sit. I really wasn't asking for much here.
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Thanks. I think management does see this. To me it should be easy, just study who won the Cup during this era of "waterbug" hockey as I call it
. The one hidden variable is, who will be available and for what cost. As an aside, I believe this will factor in to Kevin Bahl getting more ice time.The Devils are still young, and have to learn to win in the playoffs. The good news is now Devils fan's can dare to dream. We have fixed the goaltending and defense. We are a lot tougher to score on. So I believe we are a deterrent or two, away from being a Cup Contender, as long as we stay healthy. The future is bright strike up Timbuk 3 and put the shades on
.I think they do too, I just think they're not going to address it till the offseason when things are most flexible and they know what they need. That's all I've been saying.Thanks. I think management does see this. To me it should be easy, just study who won the Cup during this era of "waterbug" hockey as I call it
The Devils are still young, and have to learn to win in the playoffs. The good news is now Devils fan's can dare to dream. We have fixed the goaltending and defense. We are a lot tougher to score on. So I believe we are a deterrent or two, away from being a Cup Contender, as long as we stay healthy. The future is bright strike up Timbuk 3 and put the shades on
Eh at the end of the day it's not worth stressing out over. We disagree and that's okay because none of us have a say in the matter anyway.
Love for this sport is what separates us from other fans. There might be more football fans but their passion will never match hockey fans.
Okay, you might be right. I think if they wait, they are making a mistake. I don't think we need a power forward type that would cost us young talent and draft picks. Just a forward or 2 that would deter the cheap stuff so our young talent would have a better chance to stay healthy.
Bingo, much more likely than not. Just like opening night. It was the physicality that beat us that night.
But this is the problem we have that I hate repeating, and it's a great one to have, who do you dump? It's not like we have forwards to jettison who are not carrying their weight. Plus you're going to mess with what seems like a seamless chemistry.
Fitz has been a patient GM and it's been working flawlessly.
I’m not overly worried about it. Just stay relatively healthy and they will be fine
I guarantee that’s their game plan.
To rough up Hughes, Bratt, etc. and they know they will get away with it
5-2 was opening night score?
Philly will win tonight, book it now
Didn't we out shoot them by a bunch as well? That was a "blackwood" game if you will.
It's also one of the very few games we've lost this season. Overall what we are doing is working to a high degree.
Not that think we need to get bigger, or more physical, or that we should even change the lineup, but Boqvist would be an obvious target.
As good as those Devils prospects on D are, it is very uncommon for defensemen to step right in and play a significant, effective role in the playoffs. You need 7-8 solid defensemen to make it through a long playoff run.
I already have hitting the pine for when Palat gets back. But yeah he's definitely at the bottom of the totem pole. Yet he's been playing very good hockey the past few weeks, he's slowly finding his game.
But when Palat is back and if everyone is healthy our lines should look something like this:
Bratt - Hughes - Haula
Palat - Nico - Tatar
Shara - Mercer - Zetterland
Wood - McLeod - Bastain
Bench - Boqvist, Holtz
This is why I keeping asking the size advocates who are we going to move. I get their concerns but at the same time we just don't have the flexibility to take on another forward unless we want to move someone like Shara or Zetterland this season, which to me would be hasty and premature until we know what kind of players they are in the postseason.
Ya, I love the depth this team has.
Zetterlund and Boq were both on the bench to start the year. Both are playing pretty darn well once given the oppurtunity. Johnsson, scored at a .5 ppg pace in the NHL last year. He started the year in the AHL. He's 28.
Given how well this team has played, I'm not understanding the logic that says we need to make changes.
I don't even think we are especially small either.
Again that is the hidden variable. With the names you mentioned before, I would look to Tatar because statistically I think he is on a pace he will not be able to keep with his contract putting him in the trade bait category to me.
The farm system is deep, so the guys I have previously mentioned I believe could be replaced without hurting the team long term.
I don't think it is a good strategy to kick the can down the road. I would much rather try to maximize this year. I think the future is very bright. However "karma" usually bites team's who throw away a playoff appearance very harshly.
In hockey this is why the '94 NYR traded so many guys. Although that is an extreme case. I look at baseball, where a few years back the Nationals shut guys down, and limited other's because they assumed they would be back repeatedly. Well Harper's in Philly and what they have now sucks. I never was talking about flashy moves. I think we have all the scoring we need, as well as better defense. So all in all I'm happy. Man I never thought this would be controversial
.I sadly think you are right! I don't believe you will be long for the playoffs with pests like Wood, who can't fight. Or a willing Pro like Smith, who is not changing anyone's mind, if they think they will run the goalie, or give Jack, Nico, or Jasper a cheap shot. When Watson almost hurt Nico bad, the only response was a verbal, why I ought to. If that continues, our next playoff round will most likely look like our last.
Let's cut to the chase then - who would you trade FOR that would be available that is worth the gamble of disrupting this chemistry and trading away a player who is having a career year? And would be a better fit than Tatar? Whose gritty game by the way should not be discounted, say what you want about him he does play a feisty and gritty game, so trading him away could and probably would hurt this team.Again that is the hidden variable. With the names you mentioned before, I would look to Tatar because statistically I think he is on a pace he will not be able to keep with his contract putting him in the trade bait category to me.
The farm system is deep, so the guys I have previously mentioned I believe could be replaced without hurting the team long term.
I don't think it is a good strategy to kick the can down the road. I would much rather try to maximize this year. I think the future is very bright. However "karma" usually bites team's who throw away a playoff appearance very harshly.
In hockey this is why the '94 NYR traded so many guys. Although that is an extreme case. I look at baseball, where a few years back the Nationals shut guys down, and limited other's because they assumed they would be back repeatedly. Well Harper's in Philly and what they have now sucks. I never was talking about flashy moves. I think we have all the scoring we need, as well as better defense. So all in all I'm happy. Man I never thought this would be controversial
And no one is throwing away a playoff appearance, I see no reason why this team can't win in the playoffs, as RU-05 said and I've been saying, this team is not that small and they do play tougher than their size.
Have faith in them man.
Miles Wood can fight, he just doesn't do it often because he's better serve not sitting in the box. And if someone did fight Watson, how do you know that would deter future cheap shots? You think Tom Wilson is really going to hold back because he might have to fight someone?
You're overestimating the importance of have fighters in your lineup, 20-25 years ago? I'd be on your side, the game has changed big time in the other direction.
The "size/grit/toughness" debate has been a pretty contentious one for awhiles amongst NHL fans.Again that is the hidden variable. With the names you mentioned before, I would look to Tatar because statistically I think he is on a pace he will not be able to keep with his contract putting him in the trade bait category to me.
The farm system is deep, so the guys I have previously mentioned I believe could be replaced without hurting the team long term.
I don't think it is a good strategy to kick the can down the road. I would much rather try to maximize this year. I think the future is very bright. However "karma" usually bites team's who throw away a playoff appearance very harshly.
In hockey this is why the '94 NYR traded so many guys. Although that is an extreme case. I look at baseball, where a few years back the Nationals shut guys down, and limited other's because they assumed they would be back repeatedly. Well Harper's in Philly and what they have now sucks. I never was talking about flashy moves. I think we have all the scoring we need, as well as better defense. So all in all I'm happy. Man I never thought this would be controversial
The league has clearly gone more towards speed and skill, especially amongst fwd's, but there is still a need for grit and toughness.
IMO, instead of bringing in "toughness" you need your speed/skill guys to be bring that grit and toughness. That's pretty much what Palat is. I think it's what Nico is. Mercer, Zetterlund. All these guys bring it. I don't think Hughes and Bratt bring a ton of toughness, but they are going to play big minutes for us, so those guys learning to play their game when the going gets tough in the playoffs is what I am talking about.
The 4th line clearly bring it, yet they aren't old school goons. Ton of speed, and even a good bit of goal scoring, to go along with size and grit, on that 4th line.
Even 20-25 years ago, fighting was not a big part of the playoffs. Physical play picks up, but fighting decreases.
You're trying to set tonight up as some kind of moment of truth - I don't get it, everything they've done this year and you're going to toss it aside if they lose without their two of their big forwards? Go nuts bro.
Ok, I'll ask you Proud, maybe you'll be the one to give me an answer - who do you move/sit and for who do you want to be on the Devils? Who would you trade for?
Off the top of my head, how about Ross Colton of TBL. A big physical winger, who I believe fits the bill. Added bonus, you bring him back home. The Lightning still have cap issues and are pretty big across the board.
I like Tatar, I just think this year you maximize return. So I put him in the Severson category. We also have a logjam at goalie. If Blackwood can return healthy I think he is the most likely to be traded with the rise of Akira.
It is my opinion. Why do country's want a strong military? To deter aggression! Personally I look at this the same way. I'm looking for deterrents, not goons dropping the mitts often.
I would be 100% on board for Ross Colton, that's a great call. I just don't think TB would want to trade him at this point. But that's one trade I would do without hesitation THIS year. Good one dude. But like I said, I can't see TB looking to move him right before the playoffs starts. But during the offseason?
But he's been on my wish list for a long time since he said he would love to play for us and comments like this: