2022-23 GDT Thread

[Hugh Jackes]

I am trying to buy tickets for that game but people keep backing out on the FB group

[Jkrdevil]

It’s almost as if the bye week is a stupid idea if you’re just gonna jam the late season schedule and ruin the point of the break.

March would be jammed pack like that anyways. The league likes to backload the schedule for after football.

[Hugh Jackes]

Nemec posted on his IG that he is in NYC

Utica has no games til Friday, but interesting...

edit nm its the AHL All star break

[Bogdans Hodass]

Not that it matters, it's just two friends. But hopefully it's being pitched for UFA if we don't get him

[Hugh Jackes]

they were in Mexico together

[Hugh Jackes]

Wheeler is doing his annual prospect pool rankings, and he is up to #4 and still no NJ

pretty good place to be...top 5 in the standings and a top 3 prospect pool

[deLOUsional]

And #1 in our hearts

[Utica Comments]

[Bogdans Hodass]

And #1 in our hearts

Not in mine. Outside of Luke and Simon, I think our group is whatever. They drive up our rankings.

[vonbonds]

And #1 in our hearts

Not in mine. Outside of Luke and Simon, I think our group is whatever. They drive up our rankings.

2 super high end defensemen prospects..I’ll take that

[Bogdans Hodass]

I love when Rafalski gets his flowers. He was a stud.

[Hugh Jackes]

"outside of 2 of the top ~5 prospects in the NHL, they aren't that good!"

[Bogdans Hodass]

"outside of 2 of the top ~5 prospects in the NHL, they aren't that good!"

Two prospects being elite would be great if this was the NBA. The forward group is whatever and outside those two so are most of the rest. We'll be good for a while because our graduates by Wheelers standards are awesome, but the prospect pool is not top 3 for me. It's probably around 9th. Which is still good.

[Hugh Jackes]

now take the top 2 prospects away from every team and see where they rank

its a silly comparison

[vonbonds]

It’s all silly, i hate ranking shit unless it’s in my favor lol

[GM17]

Luke
Nemec
Holtz
Gritsyuk
Shakir
Casey

Pretty decent top end. Falls off a cliff but whatever

[åboriginal]

Meier?

[åboriginal]

[da god]

now take the top 2 prospects away from every team and see where they rank

its a silly comparison

Not complaining about the overall situation we’re in but if you take away the top 2 prospects from each team and rank the prospect pools from there, we’re probably in the 20-25 range. Our offense is being carried by 3 forwards and a dman, one of those forwards might be a goner, and there’s really no future forwards to get excited about. A trade is going to have to get made within a couple years.

[Dr. Doom]

gotta mention filmon with our top prospects too

[R-66Y]

Selyar and I will be there tonight. Devils better win!

[Hugh Jackes]

I usually hate Daveart but I like this



paying tribute to Marty is neat

[Uncle Baby Billy]

gotta mention filmon with our top prospects too

Vilen too

[Boring Choice #2]

Beyond the top 2, does anyone really care? Unless of course he made a real list in which Dano wasn't number 3, which included players like Driver at 3 and maybe Fetisov and Albelin to round out the 5.

[Boring Choice #2]

gotta mention filmon with our top prospects too

Vilen too

Imagine there's no Stillman. It's easy if you try. Filmon and Vilen were low picks. But their skills are sky high.
Imagine all the Broads. Not arguing for one day. Oh-oooh.
Imagine there's no crappy prospects. It isn't hard to do. No Geertsen to kill a penalty. His play smells like poo.
Imagine all the Broads. Posting together in peace. You-whoo.
...

[Uncle Baby Billy]

now take the top 2 prospects away from every team and see where they rank

its a silly comparison

Not complaining about the overall situation we’re in but if you take away the top 2 prospects from each team and rank the prospect pools from there, we’re probably in the 20-25 range. Our offense is being carried by 3 forwards and a dman, one of those forwards might be a goner, and there’s really no future forwards to get excited about. A trade is going to have to get made within a couple years.

If my sister had a dick she’d be my brother

[Bogdans Hodass]

I usually hate Daveart but I like this



paying tribute to Marty is neat

This is incredible. I love the Vitek

[Utica Comments]

Still too many lens flares.

j/k

Thanks on insisting on no lens flares Vitek.

[åboriginal]

[Utica Comments]

Devils hockey is back.

After an eight-day All-Star pause, New Jersey will finally take the ice on Monday when they face a struggling Canucks team in Newark at 7:30 p.m ET. Both teams have to shake the break rust – they haven’t played since Jan. 27 – and deal with adapting lineups following recent moves.

Devils coach Lindy Ruff is tasked with meshing defenseman John Marino back into the lineup after his injury recovery, while the Canucks, who made a trade splash when they dealt captain Bo Horvat to the Islanders last Monday, will begin their new franchise era against a surging Devils team.

Here are three notes from the Devils’ pregame skate on Monday:

Lindy Ruff’s plan against new-look Canucks team

When the Devils defeated the Canucks, 5-2, on Nov. 1, Horvat had two goals, five shots and created seven individual scoring chances against New Jersey’s blueline and goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.

Four months later, Horvat and coach Bruce Boudreau – who was fired on Jan. 22 – are no longer part of the Canucks organization.

The matchup will look a lot different– former Islanders winger Anthony Beauvillier will make his Vancouver debut on Monday – and while Vancouver may look like a draft-lottery bound team, Ruff said he’s not looking past new coach Rick Tocchet’s squad.

“There’s always changes,” Ruff said. “I think with style of play, there have been some changes. You really only look at the last three games they played and you base it off of that, knowing that there’s probably some new energy, players that are excited about the changes. I always feel that these games are some of the toughest games to play in.”

How did Vancouver play in their previous three games? They have a 2-1-0 record, a 11-10 goal differential and they’re edging opponents in puck possession with a 54.72% Corsi for percentage.

Ruff will likely start the same forward lines he used against the Stars on Jan. 27. The Devils won that game in overtime, but looked sloppy to start it (they surrendered 11 high danger chances and leaned heavily on Vitek Vanecek’s 33-save performance).

Here’s what Tocchet’s lineup will look like against the Devils, according to Sportsnet:

Kuzmenko - Pettersson - Beauvillier

Joshua-Miller-Garland

Podkolzin - Dries - Boeser

DiGiuseppe - Aman - Lazar

Hughes - Bear

Ekman-Larsson - Schenn

Stillman - Myers

Dermott - Burroughs

Refreshing post-All-Star break mindset

The Devils limped into the All-Star break last season, carrying a 15-25-5 record and zero hopes for a future playoff taste.

This year’s halfway record (32-13-4) is one of the best in team history. According to the Devils’ statistics department, New Jersey’s 32 wins is the second most before an All-Star break in franchise history (the 1999-00 Stanley Cup champions team has the most with 33).

Several Devils players reacted to the hot first half this week. Here’s what they said:

“It definitely feels better,” Damon Severson said. “In previous years we’ve had breaks like that and the position we’re in, it hasn’t been great. You’re almost going home on a break thinking, ‘what am I going to be doing after the season?’ It’s a good thing not to have plans after the season other than staying where you’re playing and hopefully playing in the playoffs.

“100% different,” Nico Hischier said. “You have another mindset going in right now. You’re right up there, but you know it’s not done yet. You’re about to play meaningful games – and we haven’t had that in a while. It’s definitely way more fun as a player and a fan as well.”

“It’s fun. You play for something,” Jonas Siegenthaler said. “Last year was kind of weird, but this year we want to make the gap even bigger. There’s a couple more games left but we just want to make the best out of it and make that gap as big as possible.”

Ondrej Palat on trade deadline status

Ondrej Palat wants the Devils to buy at the deadline.

Like most players, he’s trying to block out the trade rumor mill as much as he can – the Devils are linked to a new trade target seemingly every day – but he understands that the March 3 deadline is a necessary part of the dramatic 82-game draw.

When asked about the trade deadline on Monday, Palat offered an optimistic response.

“It’s always nice when we can be buyers,” Palat said. “Hopefully we’re going to be that. We just hope we’re going to be in a good playoff position by then.”

Palat, a seasoned veteran with two Stanley Cup rings, also knows how distracting it can be. The forward hasn’t been traded during his 11-year career, but he’s seen plenty of players leave because Tampa’s front office wanted a shiny deadline acquisition.

To combat rumors, Palat is preaching a simple message to the young dressing room:

“Everybody knows about it, everybody I’m sure thinks about it,” Palat said. “It’s not in our power to do anything with that, so we’re going to try our best and we’re going to see what happens at the trade deadline.”

[Utica Comments]

\

The Devils are getting a major blueline boost on Monday.

John Marino, a fan-favorite defenseman who has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on Dec. 20 vs. Carolina, skated in a full-contact jersey in New Jersey’s previous two practices and will play against the Canucks on Monday night (replacing Kevin Bahl).

“He’s definitely ready to go,” coach Lindy Ruff said of Marino’s status after the pregame skate.

Marino’s return comes as refreshing news for Ruff and the rest of the Devils’ coaching staff. In 32 games, the Devils own a 54.31% Corsi and 53.85% expected goals advantage when he’s on the ice at five-on-five and they’ve only surrendered 11 five-on-five goals (the fourth lowest tally among eligible NHL defenseman).

Marino, 25, said his injury didn’t stem from a “crazy” or “big” hit, but rather an awkward hit along the boards while facing the Hurricanes. He spent the All-Star break in New Jersey gradually taking more contact while training and “ramping up” his on-ice play. Marino said his recovery process was daunting, but joining the Devils on their long West Coast road trip in January was crucial for a positive mindset.

“To be there with everyone went a long way mentally,” Marino said on Sunday. “It’s tough. When you’re injured, you’re away from the team. You don’t see the guys as much. No one likes to be hurt.

“The hardest is part is the mental grind of it.”

When he wasn’t traveling with the team, Marino said he coached them from his couch.

“Yeah a little bit,” Marino said with a laugh. “You’re yelling at the TV sometimes, you get into it. But, as you know, not much you can do.”

With his return looming, Marino will join a playoff-hungry Devils squad with 33 games remaining in the regular season. New Jersey has a 32-13-4 record this season – eight points shy of Carolina for first place in the Metropolitan Division – and an 11-5-2 record since Marino left the lineup.

Marin, craving this moment for weeks, says he wants to be a key part of their postseason push.

“Being able to come back here and be in a regular practice, have a regular jersey on and compete with the guys, you always look forward to that,” Marino said. “We want to make a playoff push. It’s a huge second half of the season and I want to be a part of it.”

Ruff awaited Marino’s return too. The Devils slotted Bahl and fellow prospect Nikita Okhotiuk in the lineup while Marino was hurt and saw several defensive breakdowns as a result. Adding Marino brings stability and experience to the defense – which could elevate their play in a tough February schedule.

“We know how well he played before he got hurt,” Ruff said. “He was a big part of our group back there, played against a lot of the top lines, defended really well and I think when you put him back in, it will make us stronger defensively. Maybe take a couple of games to hit his stride, but overall we know what he brought and what he brought was really good for our team.”

[åboriginal]

[Bogdans Hodass]

The Rangers are a richer franchise than us, and can probably afford a faster car to get to the fireworks factory first.

[Hugh Jackes]

yippee

[The Ders 2.0]

Selyar and I will be there tonight. Devils better win!

I’ll be there as well.

[The Ders 2.0]

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1622704743754747911

yippee

He has risen

[åboriginal]

Get yer isotoners out!

[Number Three]

Didn’t edit it to say “Meierworks” factory.

Loss of 1 internet point.

This loss cannot be appealed

[Jkrdevil]

And #1 in our hearts

Not in mine. Outside of Luke and Simon, I think our group is whatever. They drive up our rankings.

2 super high end defensemen prospects..I’ll take that

Isn’t that every team’s prospect pool? A couple of high guys and the whatever. All these ranking are based on the top guys.

[vonbonds]

Not in mine. Outside of Luke and Simon, I think our group is whatever. They drive up our rankings.

2 super high end defensemen prospects..I’ll take that

Isn’t that every team’s prospect pool? A couple of high guys and the whatever. All these ranking are based on the top guys.

Sure, I specifically called out ours being defensemen which I love. The Devils seem to be trying to build a higher end Nashville model. Eventually having a good defensive corp from top to bottom with 2 way skaters and enough pop up top to win games. I love that concept if you aren’t going to have a generational style talent running the show at forward

[guyincognito]

2 super high end defensemen prospects..I’ll take that

Isn’t that every team’s prospect pool? A couple of high guys and the whatever. All these ranking are based on the top guys.

Sure, I specifically called out ours being defensemen which I love. The Devils seem to be trying to build a higher end Nashville model. Eventually having a good defensive corp from top to bottom with 2 way skaters and enough pop up top to win games. I love that concept if you aren’t going to have a generational style talent running the show at forward

Which we may have anyway or just a tier below that

[vonbonds]

Isn’t that every team’s prospect pool? A couple of high guys and the whatever. All these ranking are based on the top guys.

Sure, I specifically called out ours being defensemen which I love. The Devils seem to be trying to build a higher end Nashville model. Eventually having a good defensive corp from top to bottom with 2 way skaters and enough pop up top to win games. I love that concept if you aren’t going to have a generational style talent running the show at forward

Which we may have anyway or just a tier below that

I still think Jack will get tossed around in the playoffs. He needs to get a little thicker/sturdier..i dunno, something about him still seems too easy to blow off of the puck a bit too easily still. We’ll find out soon enough though if he’s ready this year as this team is going to make the playoffs

[da god]

2 super high end defensemen prospects..I’ll take that

Isn’t that every team’s prospect pool? A couple of high guys and the whatever. All these ranking are based on the top guys.

Sure, I specifically called out ours being defensemen which I love. The Devils seem to be trying to build a higher end Nashville model. Eventually having a good defensive corp from top to bottom with 2 way skaters and enough pop up top to win games. I love that concept if you aren’t going to have a generational style talent running the show at forward

The model that you, me, DF and a few others wanted nearly a decade ago. Defense takes the longest to develop, we should have been stockpiling them when this rebuild started.

[guyincognito]

Sure, I specifically called out ours being defensemen which I love. The Devils seem to be trying to build a higher end Nashville model. Eventually having a good defensive corp from top to bottom with 2 way skaters and enough pop up top to win games. I love that concept if you aren’t going to have a generational style talent running the show at forward

Which we may have anyway or just a tier below that

I still think Jack will get tossed around in the playoffs. He needs to get a little thicker/sturdier..i dunno, something about him still seems too easy to blow off of the puck a bit too easily still. We’ll find out soon enough though if he’s ready this year as this team is going to make the playoffs

I mean more longer term like when the defensemen are ready.

If he keeps up at the level he’s producing he’s at McDavid’s level at the same age. Just a matter if he has another leap in him or this is what he is

[Utica Comments]

[The Ders 2.0]

Why is this a 730 start? Seton Hall?

[Hugh Jackes]

I'm not worried about Jack in the playoffs

hes faster than basically anyone else and has learned to not take the big hits he took early on in his career

[Boring Choice #2]

That is great when the refs call penalties. When they let teams get away with murder, he might not enjoy it nearly as much.

[GM17]

Jack will probably regress to a Bratt type. Someone who puts up points here n there, but doesn't have impact off the puck. Bratt will probably shrink.

[Bogdans Hodass]

But Miles Wood will shine