September 2010 - In my opinion, the Devils downward spiral the past few seasons began when they signed Ilya Kovalchuk to that ridiculous 15-year contract in 2010. Rick DePietro 2.0 was my immediate thought. I had no problem with the trade for Kovalchuk, it instantly made us Stanley Cup contenders. But the contract? What the hell were they thinking? That was so out of character for Lou Lamoriello and the Devils. It wasn't the Devils' standard business practices, and I still don't understand it to this day.
July 2011 - Longtime play-by-play announcer Doc Emrick leaves the Devils to work for NBC. This may not seem like a big deal concerning the Devils actual performance on the ice, but it was a sign that the Devils identity was continuing to change. He's the greatest hockey play-by-play guy of all time, simply irreplaceable. Love that he still wears his Devils Stanley Cup ring on broadcasts. Next time you watch a game he's calling, close your eyes and just listen. You won't miss a thing.
June 2012 - Devils make a surprising Stanley Cup run as a 6th seed and lose to the Kings in 6 games.
Me: "Wow, this team is going to be awesome for the next couple years, right!?"
Reality: "Good joke, idiot."
Me: "Wow, this team is going to be awesome for the next couple years, right!?"
Reality: "Good joke, idiot."
July 2012 - After the Cup run , Captain Zach Parise leaves to sign with Minnesota. You're blind if you didn't see this one coming. He's from Minnesota and I don't blame him at all for leaving. The Stanley Cup run was not going to keep Parise in New Jersey. There was already tension there between he and management given the fact they they had plenty of time to lock him up to a long-term deal, yet chose not to do so. The Devils made Kovalchuk the priority instead. It sucked seeing Parise leave, he's a true leader and the hardest working player on the ice. ANY hockey fan would want that guy on their team. The Devils let him walk and simply did not handle the situation well.
Summer 2013 - It gets worse. The Devils have to borrow $30 million just to make payroll. Jeff Vanderbeek has to sell the team since they suck at making any money. Good thing they signed Kovalchuk to that monster deal. And what happened with that asshole just a few months later? He decided to retire after the season and go back to Russia. Walked away from $77 million AND waited until free agency was essentially over to announce it; therefore screwing over the Devils even more since that they had no opportunity to go out and sign free agents with the money they were supposed to pay him. Thanks you Commie bastard. If anyone out there still has a Kovalchuk jersey, i'll gladly burn it for you.
The one guy we did end up signing was 41-year old Jaromir Jagr. Now, Jagr is one of my favorite players of all time, so I loved the signing from that aspect. Also a big deal because Jagr is a fan favorite anywhere he plays and puts asses in the seats. We all know the Devils have enough trouble doing that. But, in my opinion, this signing was the Devils trying to save face for the fans after losing Parise, Kovalchuk, and even David Clarkson who left for Toronto after putting up a 30 goal season. You'd be silly to think Jagr was going to be the savior, but dammit is he fun to watch.
The move that got overshadowed in the Kovalchuk mess during that summer of 2013 was the acquisition of Cory Schneider at the draft. He was well worth the first round draft pick, and is the actual savior of the franchise. The only problem was that it instantly created a very awkward situation with Martin Brodeur. While we all love Marty, this was obviously the beginning of the end of his time as a Devil. It's funny, because I wasn't high on Schneider initially, mostly because I didn't pay attention much to the Canucks and because he played for Boston College. As a freshman at Northeastern, I watched him play in person a few times, and I really hated BC. I did catch a t-shirt at an NU vs. BC game that year though. The mascot shot it out of a t-shirt gun, it bounced off of the press box behind the student section and basically hit me in the face since I was so drunk. Good times. Anyways, I knew this new goalie situation would be an ongoing issue all year, and it was.
April 2014 - Chico Resch retires as Devils color commentator. Me and some friends went to Chico Night after he retired and wore fake mustaches in his honor. People freaking LOVED it. If you ever want to feel like a celebrity at a sporting event, wear a fake mustache. Big panty dropper as you can see.
Never change Chico, never change...best analysis he's ever done...
He was replaced by Ken Daneyko, who I love, but I think has a touch of CTE. Or maybe he's still drunk all the time. Can't tell the difference. Pay attention when Daneyko tries answering the trivia question during each game, it's must-watch TV.
April 2014 - Chico Resch retires as Devils color commentator. Me and some friends went to Chico Night after he retired and wore fake mustaches in his honor. People freaking LOVED it. If you ever want to feel like a celebrity at a sporting event, wear a fake mustache. Big panty dropper as you can see.
Never change Chico, never change...best analysis he's ever done...
He was replaced by Ken Daneyko, who I love, but I think has a touch of CTE. Or maybe he's still drunk all the time. Can't tell the difference. Pay attention when Daneyko tries answering the trivia question during each game, it's must-watch TV.
Summer of 2014 - I really never thought Martin Brodeur would play for another team besides the Devils. After splitting net duties with Schneider in 2013-2014, he left and then retired as a St. Louis Blue. That bothers me. He played 21 seasons with the Devils and 7 GAMES with the Blues. He barely mentioned the Devils in his retirement press conference. I still think something was up between he and Lou/management. He didn't exactly leave on the best terms, I thought he would slide into a front office position in New Jersey after retiring as a Devil. Boy was I naive. This is a guy who divorced his wife and married her sister ! Which is kind of what it felt like when he left. But, he was washed up at the time and not worth what he thought he was. Sucks to say, but it's the truth; it was time to move on, just don't love the whole way it went down.
Serious question, do his own kids call him Uncle Marty now and his formerly nieces and nephews call him Dad? Holidays must be SO awkward in the Broduer family now.
Serious question, do his own kids call him Uncle Marty now and his formerly nieces and nephews call him Dad? Holidays must be SO awkward in the Broduer family now.
FAST FORWARD >>>>>>
December 2014 - The Devils fire Pete DeBoer and name Scott Stevens and Adam Oates as co-head coaches. Lou Lamoriello also stays on the bench for the remainder of the season. I still do not understand the reasoning or thought process behind this strategy. Lou is one of the greatest general managers in the history of sports. For that reason, I think he belonged in the front office, not on the bench. This obviously was a try-out for both Stevens and Oates to be the next official head coach, but such a head-scratching situation.
February 2015 - With the Devils all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, they break everyone's (mostly my) heart and trade Jagr to the Panthers at the trade deadline. A big deal because Jagr had been our leading scorer for much of the year...at 43 years old. He was still very productive, so this was certainly a sign of more change to come. I'm personally torn on it since Jagr is still one of my favorite players of all time. But, we got a 2nd and 3rd round pick for him, which is pretty damn good in exchange for a 43-year old guy who I actually thought would retire after last year. He also had the best mullet in the history of man. I'll write a whole separate blog on that,
April 2015 - The Devils finish the season as the 6th worst team in the league and 20 points out of a playoff spot. Puke city. But, was I surprised? Of course not. A ton of injuries all year. No clear head coach. A young defense who went through a bunch of growing pains. No scoring. No identity. The frustrating thing is that you don't know whether or not the Devils are in a "rebuilding" phase. They really should be, but no one wants to use that word. It's admitting that your team is bad, that it needs to be fixed, that it needs an overhaul. Lou successfully did it beginning back in 1987 when he was named President and GM of the team, could he do it again?
The overhaul that did end up happening was not one that I expected.
May 2015 - Ray Shero, former Penguins general manager, replaces Lou as GM of the Devils. Lou steps aside and remains team president. I wasn't completely shocked by this move. I was starting to thing that Lou was beginning to lose his touch on the game. The coaching experiment the previous season made me think that he wanted to better acquaint himself with the newer, faster pace of the NHL up close and personal. Not that I think he had completely lost touch, just that maybe it was time for him to take a lesser role with the team and pass the torch. Ray Shero built a fast, high scoring, Cup-winning Pittsburgh team. I think some new blood is exactly what the franchise needed, revitalization of sorts.
June 2015 - John Hynes named new head coach. All I knew about Hynes at the time was that he was the coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he also worked under Ray Shero. I learned that he was successful too, making the playoffs each of the 5 seasons he was there. At 40 years old, he became the youngest coach in the NHL. Even with no NHL experience, I was happy that we went out and got a younger guy who who favors an aggressive scoring attack, a far cry from the traditional Devils neutral-zone trap days. The NHL is changing, and I think we plucked the right coach at the right time. The burning question though, does John Hynes have ANY hair on his body?
June 2015 - John Hynes named new head coach. All I knew about Hynes at the time was that he was the coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he also worked under Ray Shero. I learned that he was successful too, making the playoffs each of the 5 seasons he was there. At 40 years old, he became the youngest coach in the NHL. Even with no NHL experience, I was happy that we went out and got a younger guy who who favors an aggressive scoring attack, a far cry from the traditional Devils neutral-zone trap days. The NHL is changing, and I think we plucked the right coach at the right time. The burning question though, does John Hynes have ANY hair on his body?
July 2015 - Lou leaves the Devils to become the GM of the Maple Leafs. Did not see this coming. I figured Lou would stick around for at least one more year. I knew there would be a day that Lou would leave, just not so soon. Definitely bittersweet. I think he and Hynes would have made a bad ass bald dude wrecking crew too. 28 years with the team, 21 playoff appearances and 3 Stanley Cups. Thank you, Lou. The funny thing is, somehow he went to a team even worse than the Devils.
With that, the Ray Shero era began. Although I was sad to see Lou go, I was excited to see what direction the team was headed with a new GM and head coach. He made smart moves right off the bat in solidifying our young defensive core, signing Adam Larsson and Eric Gelinas. Adding a veteran in David Schlemko. Cutting dead weight in Dainus Zubrus (the guy had 10 points in 74 games last year). Making Bryce Salvador retire (finally). Naming Andy Greene as the new captain. There wasn't a big splash to be made in free agency this past summer, the Devils aren't going to win the Cup this year and there weren't franchise-changing players on the market. They made resourceful moves and are being patient, next summer will be the time to open up their pockets.
A move that flew under the radar at the time, similar to the Schneider trade two years prior, was the trade the Devils made with Anaheim to get Kyle Palmieri at the 2015 draft. He has been MONEY, leading the team with 20 goals already this year. Consider him a parting gift from Lou Lamoriello, it was one of the final moves he made while part of the organization. At only 25 years old, I think Palmieri really has a bright future with the team. Plus, he's a Jersey guy.
2015-2015 Season-to-date
With that, the Ray Shero era began. Although I was sad to see Lou go, I was excited to see what direction the team was headed with a new GM and head coach. He made smart moves right off the bat in solidifying our young defensive core, signing Adam Larsson and Eric Gelinas. Adding a veteran in David Schlemko. Cutting dead weight in Dainus Zubrus (the guy had 10 points in 74 games last year). Making Bryce Salvador retire (finally). Naming Andy Greene as the new captain. There wasn't a big splash to be made in free agency this past summer, the Devils aren't going to win the Cup this year and there weren't franchise-changing players on the market. They made resourceful moves and are being patient, next summer will be the time to open up their pockets.
A move that flew under the radar at the time, similar to the Schneider trade two years prior, was the trade the Devils made with Anaheim to get Kyle Palmieri at the 2015 draft. He has been MONEY, leading the team with 20 goals already this year. Consider him a parting gift from Lou Lamoriello, it was one of the final moves he made while part of the organization. At only 25 years old, I think Palmieri really has a bright future with the team. Plus, he's a Jersey guy.
2015-2015 Season-to-date
I was optimistic coming into this season, said I'd be thrilled if we made the playoffs. I'm realistic. Bur honestly, they have surprised me and exceeded probably everyone's expectations to this point. Let's look at some league rankings quick.
2015-16 OVERALL NHL RANKINGS
GOALS PER GAME
GOALS AGAINST
POWER PLAY PCT
PENALTY KILL PCT
Let's be honest, the Devils suck at scoring goals. Corey Schneider's back must hurt from carrying the team so much.
A well deserved All-star selection, Schneider has been absolutely dominant. It's hard to believe he's gotten 22 wins on a team that only scores 2.2 goals a game while he's only giving up 2.03 goals a game. That puts him at 7th best in the league for wins and 3rd in GAA. Oh, and he's 6th in save percentage and tied for 3rd in the league with 4 shutouts. Need I say more about the goalie situation? If the Devils finish the season strong, he MUST be considered for the Vezina trophy.
The Devils defense has luckily stayed pretty healthy through the first 50 games. Only John Moore and David Schlemko have missed more than a few games, so you have to like the consistency. Guys like Adam Larsson and Damon Severson are really coming along at a young age. Led by Captain Andy Greene, they are a stingy unit when it comes to giving up shots and goals per 60.
With an emerging young D, imagine what the Devils record would be if they actually did score goals? It's hard to believe that the overall goal differential is only minus 4 with the lack of scoring. This is the one big thing that has not improved this year.
The offense is running almost solely through the Cammalleri-Henrique-Stempniak line. Cammaleri is who we thought he was when we signed him last year, and is making plays as long as he stays on the ice. Henrique has been solid as usual. Biggest surprise? Lee Stempniak. For a guy who came to training camp on a try-out contract with no guarantee of making the team, he's been really impressive. Those guys have been great, along with Kyle Palmieri leading the team in goals. But, the offensive production drops off considerably after those 4 guys.
The stats speak for themselves:
If we can get secondary production from the other lines we can make a push. We've hit a couple goal-scoring droughts in the first 50 games of the season. That can't happen down the stretch. I get it, there have been injuries and the Devils are pretty thinly spread on offense as it is. Guys like Bobby Farnham have stepped up and provided some punch. But, he's a 4th line player in the NHL, no more. Guys are being asked to play bigger roles due to injuries, it's just a matter of next man up. So, who will step up?
You know Patrik Elias isn't going to be the answer. It's sad to say, but his career is looking all but over at this point. He can't stay healthy, and when he does get on the ice, it looks like he's having a hard time keeping up. You love to have his veteran presence and he's the last remaining Devil from the glory days, but you wonder what he can actually contribute at this point.
Travis Zajac needs to step the fuck up. A 2nd line center not scoring in 27 games at one point this season is pathetic, especially since this is a guy we did decide to pay. Yes, he is the team’s best center at faceoffs, and can play in any situation. But, is that worth the $5.8 million salary cap hit per year? I say no and I've been saying that he's overrated for the past couple seasons. He just doesn't finish and seems like he's always getting hurt. I also think that his stats benefited tremendously from playing with Parise and Kovalchuk, and have suffered since. If he has a strong finish this season, I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. But, I think this is a classic example of a franchise holding onto a guy simply because he was a first round pick. Shoot the puck more, Travis.
Speaking of underperforming first round picks, everyone say hello to Jacob Josefson. I think this guy straight up sucks. We've invested enough time in a first round pick who can't finish and takes lazy penalties. "But, he's good at shootouts!" If that's seriously a reason to keep a guy around, then the Devils offensive problems are much worse than I thought. We did a bang-up job on this draft pick, whatever. It happens. Dump the guy already, he's had plenty of chances and has not delivered.
I'll tell you someone who should stay, Bobby "Wild Thing" Farnham. He came out of nowhere, I had never even heard of him until he was trying to fight literally everyone on the other team in his first few games as a Devil. He's a grinder, and plays like he's trying to prove something, prove to Pittsburgh that he does belong in the NHL. I love it, although he can be wild and a bit out of control sometimes (see 4 game suspension). If nothing else, he gives the team a much needed toughness and tenacity that I have not seen from a Devils player in years.
I'm not so sure about the other bottom 6 forwards though.
Stephen Gionta - I'd say it's his last year with the team. He's lost a step and is starting to get tossed around. Not much production either at minus 7.
Tyler Kennedy - Guy is garbage, please get rid of him. I think we have one-too-many Pittsburgh cast-offs and he's the one who should go. Goodbye.
Tuomo Ruutu - Hurt for most of the year, and I think that's a good thing. I don't know why we ever traded for him because he brings absolutely nothing to the table. Deal him at the deadline if anyone wants him.
Jordin Tootoo - It's hard not to root for Tootoo when you hear about his life story. But, he's minus 20. I don't see him back in a Devils uniform next year unless he improves defensively.
You hope that because the players mentioned above are mightily struggling, the door will open for one of our young prospects.
Can guys like Stefan Matteau and Reid Boucher step up and earn a full time spot in the lineup? Can Sergei Kalinin be more consistent? Is Joe Blandisi the real deal? Each of these guys has shown flashes, I'd like to see more of that down the home stretch. It's theirs for the taking.
So many questions. What we do know that Corey Schneider is the real deal and the Devils are headed in the right direction. We have a lot of holes offensively, but there are plenty of hungry candidates to step in and plug those holes. Sink or swim.
If they want to make a playoff run, they are going to have to beat the teams in their division and not lose to shitty teams down the stretch. The Devils seem to always play up or down to the level of their opponent. We must be better at home (only 11-10-3 so far) and must score goals consistently. They need to get the power play back on track after starting hot and cooling off considerably before the All-star break. Get more quality shots, stay out of the box. All of that always depends on if we stay healthy.
| # | GOALIE | GP | GS | MIN | GAA | W | L | OT | SO | SA | GA | SV% | G | A | PIM |
| 35 | 42 | 42 | 2510 | 2.03 | 22 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 1191 | 85 | .929 |
A well deserved All-star selection, Schneider has been absolutely dominant. It's hard to believe he's gotten 22 wins on a team that only scores 2.2 goals a game while he's only giving up 2.03 goals a game. That puts him at 7th best in the league for wins and 3rd in GAA. Oh, and he's 6th in save percentage and tied for 3rd in the league with 4 shutouts. Need I say more about the goalie situation? If the Devils finish the season strong, he MUST be considered for the Vezina trophy.
With an emerging young D, imagine what the Devils record would be if they actually did score goals? It's hard to believe that the overall goal differential is only minus 4 with the lack of scoring. This is the one big thing that has not improved this year.
The offense is running almost solely through the Cammalleri-Henrique-Stempniak line. Cammaleri is who we thought he was when we signed him last year, and is making plays as long as he stays on the ice. Henrique has been solid as usual. Biggest surprise? Lee Stempniak. For a guy who came to training camp on a try-out contract with no guarantee of making the team, he's been really impressive. Those guys have been great, along with Kyle Palmieri leading the team in goals. But, the offensive production drops off considerably after those 4 guys.
The stats speak for themselves:
| # | POS | PLAYER | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% |
| 13 | L | 42 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 101 | 13.90 | |
| 20 | R | 50 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 7 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 102 | 13.70 | |
| 21 | R | 50 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 4 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 122 | 16.40 | |
| 14 | C | 48 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 96 | 16.70 | |
| 19 | C | 42 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 65 | 10.80 | |
| 5 | D | 50 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 5.10 | |
| 8 | D | 42 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 6.30 | |
| 28 | D | 49 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 1.50 | |
| 2 | D | 43 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 5.10 | |
| 6 | D | 50 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 10.00 | |
| 51 | C | 46 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -7 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 47 | 10.60 | |
| 22 | R | 48 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -20 | 74 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 5.20 | |
| 11 | C | 50 | 1 | 7 | 8 | -5 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 2.30 | |
| 16 | C | 39 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 3.70 | |
| 23 | L | 26 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 28.00 | |
| 64 | C | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7.10 | |
| 26 | C | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5.90 | |
| 48 | C | 23 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0.00 | |
| 9 | L | 30 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 5.30 | |
| 44 | D | 30 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -4 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 2.60 | |
| 7 | D | 36 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -6 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 5.00 | |
| 12 | L | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 20.00 | |
| 18 | R | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.00 | |
| 25 | L | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -9 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4.50 | |
| 15 | L | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.00 | |
| 38 | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 36 | C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 | |
| 39 | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | |
| 45 | R | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 | |
| 46 | R | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0.00 |
If we can get secondary production from the other lines we can make a push. We've hit a couple goal-scoring droughts in the first 50 games of the season. That can't happen down the stretch. I get it, there have been injuries and the Devils are pretty thinly spread on offense as it is. Guys like Bobby Farnham have stepped up and provided some punch. But, he's a 4th line player in the NHL, no more. Guys are being asked to play bigger roles due to injuries, it's just a matter of next man up. So, who will step up?
You know Patrik Elias isn't going to be the answer. It's sad to say, but his career is looking all but over at this point. He can't stay healthy, and when he does get on the ice, it looks like he's having a hard time keeping up. You love to have his veteran presence and he's the last remaining Devil from the glory days, but you wonder what he can actually contribute at this point.
Travis Zajac needs to step the fuck up. A 2nd line center not scoring in 27 games at one point this season is pathetic, especially since this is a guy we did decide to pay. Yes, he is the team’s best center at faceoffs, and can play in any situation. But, is that worth the $5.8 million salary cap hit per year? I say no and I've been saying that he's overrated for the past couple seasons. He just doesn't finish and seems like he's always getting hurt. I also think that his stats benefited tremendously from playing with Parise and Kovalchuk, and have suffered since. If he has a strong finish this season, I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. But, I think this is a classic example of a franchise holding onto a guy simply because he was a first round pick. Shoot the puck more, Travis.
Speaking of underperforming first round picks, everyone say hello to Jacob Josefson. I think this guy straight up sucks. We've invested enough time in a first round pick who can't finish and takes lazy penalties. "But, he's good at shootouts!" If that's seriously a reason to keep a guy around, then the Devils offensive problems are much worse than I thought. We did a bang-up job on this draft pick, whatever. It happens. Dump the guy already, he's had plenty of chances and has not delivered.
I'll tell you someone who should stay, Bobby "Wild Thing" Farnham. He came out of nowhere, I had never even heard of him until he was trying to fight literally everyone on the other team in his first few games as a Devil. He's a grinder, and plays like he's trying to prove something, prove to Pittsburgh that he does belong in the NHL. I love it, although he can be wild and a bit out of control sometimes (see 4 game suspension). If nothing else, he gives the team a much needed toughness and tenacity that I have not seen from a Devils player in years.
I'm not so sure about the other bottom 6 forwards though.
Stephen Gionta - I'd say it's his last year with the team. He's lost a step and is starting to get tossed around. Not much production either at minus 7.
Tyler Kennedy - Guy is garbage, please get rid of him. I think we have one-too-many Pittsburgh cast-offs and he's the one who should go. Goodbye.
Tuomo Ruutu - Hurt for most of the year, and I think that's a good thing. I don't know why we ever traded for him because he brings absolutely nothing to the table. Deal him at the deadline if anyone wants him.
Jordin Tootoo - It's hard not to root for Tootoo when you hear about his life story. But, he's minus 20. I don't see him back in a Devils uniform next year unless he improves defensively.
You hope that because the players mentioned above are mightily struggling, the door will open for one of our young prospects.
Can guys like Stefan Matteau and Reid Boucher step up and earn a full time spot in the lineup? Can Sergei Kalinin be more consistent? Is Joe Blandisi the real deal? Each of these guys has shown flashes, I'd like to see more of that down the home stretch. It's theirs for the taking.
So many questions. What we do know that Corey Schneider is the real deal and the Devils are headed in the right direction. We have a lot of holes offensively, but there are plenty of hungry candidates to step in and plug those holes. Sink or swim.
If they want to make a playoff run, they are going to have to beat the teams in their division and not lose to shitty teams down the stretch. The Devils seem to always play up or down to the level of their opponent. We must be better at home (only 11-10-3 so far) and must score goals consistently. They need to get the power play back on track after starting hot and cooling off considerably before the All-star break. Get more quality shots, stay out of the box. All of that always depends on if we stay healthy.
What do they have to lose? Everyone expected them to be back in the basement of the Eastern Conference this year. Yet, we are right in the playoff hunt. We're hanging in. If we can get to the playoffs I think it would be something to build on next year. I think we can do it
Now let's go beat the Rangers tonight.
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