The Devils are dead. They aren't going to make the playoffs. I'm not being pessimistic, I'm being realistic. We are 2-8 in our last 10 games, and the Cory Schneider injury against Dallas was the nail in the coffin. I say shut him down for the rest of the season. It's a grade 1 MCL sprain and he'll be reevaluated in two weeks. But, he still may even need surgery. We still don't know. No reason to rush him back and risk him getting re-injured.
If he was only going to miss a game or two, it would be a different story. With only 15 games left and still 6 points out of a wildcard spot, it's just not worth it. Now, our two best players are hurt, the other being Cammalleri. We fought hard for most of the season to stay in the playoff race, but it's simply too little, too late at this point.
Henrique and Palmieri are the only two guys consistently producing. You can't make the playoffs with only two guys who can score. There has been barely any secondary scoring. Our bottom six forwards are essentially AHL players. I hope to see most of them gone next year. Maybe I am being harsh, but this is a business. You want the Devils to win, right? Then dump the dead weight and move on. Let some young guys have a shot, we have nothing to lose this season.
As I said when Schneider initially got hurt, let Kinkaid play the rest of the year. He's a good, young goalie. If he plays well in the last 15 games, he could be a nice trade piece at the draft. Not that I want to see him go, I like Kinkaid and I think he's the quintessential backup to Schneider. But, this is a business. Like any business, you need to protect your most important asset. Shut it down, Shero.
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