You do realize that if Schneider played 60 last year the Devils would have likely made the playoffs, right?
- smellmyfinger

The Islanders fans say the same thing about if Halak played on their team last season. As a Devils fan, I'm sure you'd like to believe it, but when you hear another team say the same thing, it sounds a little ridiculous right?

Ah. The secret weapon argument. I'm a big CoSchnae fan, but one man in back and 6 up front does not make a team, friend. You're better off just livin' in the glory days of Marty than beating the drum that the goalie is all we need. You wouldn't say that about any other team, just the one you love.
- jackzack87

What are you talking about seriously. How many points did the devils miss by last season ? They arguably did more then any team in their division to improve so how do they end up even worse this year ? Cammy isn't a 70-800 pt player but a massive upgrade over zubrus, havlat even if he plays 41 games is an upgrade over Brunner we will also have a full season of rutuu and then factor in a goalie who is 100x better then Marty at this point playing 60-70 games and when you count all of that in you manage to somehow come up with us being worse then last year and that doesn't even take into account whether or not merril Gelinas and Larsson have improved even the slightes plus losing volchenkov was a huge addition by subtraction but yea you are right totally worse team being iced this season... And of course ranger danger is going to sarcastically say they are

What are you talking about seriously. How many points did the devils miss by last season ? They arguably did more then any team in their division to improve so how do they end up even worse this year ? Cammy isn't a 70-800 pt player but a massive upgrade over zubrus, havlat even if he plays 41 games is an upgrade over Brunner we will also have a full season of rutuu and then factor in a goalie who is 100x better then Marty at this point playing 60-70 games and when you count all of that in you manage to somehow come up with us being worse then last year and that doesn't even take into account whether or not merril Gelinas and Larsson have improved even the slightes plus losing volchenkov was a huge addition by subtraction but yea you are right totally worse team being iced this season... And of course ranger danger is going to sarcastically say they are
- blizzzard

Cammy will be a big help and if Havlat performs he will help too. In regards to your young defensemen, development is never linear so who knows?

It depends how things break out this season. Cammy could score 30, Ryder could score 30, Henrique could score 60 points, Zajac could score 60 points, Gelinas could put up 40 points QBing your PP that ends up being ranked top 5 in the league, etc. and you guys could get in. Or the opposite can happen and Cammy and Havlat turn out to be busts, Jagr finally breaks down for good, etc.

You guys do have a lot of veteran depth but overall your forward roster still isn't very potent. It's very similar to a team like Florida or Phoenix or Nashville in offensive firepower.

I liked that last statement. Do Devils fans think Ryan Miller is enough by himself to get Vancouver into the playoffs? Or Rinne in Nashville? Or (a healthy) Ward in Carolina?

The Devils have been a dominant team for well over a decade until recently. Teams usually go in cycles and the Devils are currently about to enter the mediocrity stage of their cycle. Nothing to be ashamed about as it happens to every team not named Detroit eventually. If the Devils still had Parise and Kovalchuk, things would be very different but when you lose your 2 best offensive (and best in general) players 2 years in a row, you won't be getting back to the SCF until you replace both them. The Devils are a couple gamebreaking forwards, an elite defenseman, and a good 2nd line scorer away from competing again. A good defense, goalie, and system could get you in the playoffs but it's not a lock by any means.
- rangerdanger94

Fair points, except it was damn nearly two decades of dominance.

Devils have a much better chance then the teams you listed just based on playing in the East, except Carolina of course, who I think most people feel will compete for McDavid. Take the Rangers hat off and answer this question, do you think the Devils are a better team than they were last year when Marty played 39 games, they went 0-13 in Shoot Outs and missed the playoffs by 5 points?

The Islanders fans say the same thing about if Halak played on their team last season. As a Devils fan, I'm sure you'd like to believe it, but when you hear another team say the same thing, it sounds a little ridiculous right?
- rangerdanger94

Once again, the Devils missed the playoffs by just 5 points. 2 wins and on more loser point by Schneider and they made it.

We had Talbot play a good chunk of games when Hank was playing really poorly and he did alright. Brodeur looked like crap but he still got the same number of points that Schneider got your team and in less games. He really wasn't the issue. Your lack of offense was and that issue manifested itself throughout your season: 0-12 in shootouts, outshooting your opponent significantly and losing 1-0 or 2-1, Schneider playing well enough to steal a game but still losing by a goal, etc.
- rangerdanger94

And you don't think the offence is improved this year ? Cammy would of scored 30 last season playing on a worse team in a tougher conference if he played 82 games we didn't lose a single player who scored ten goals so adding a possible 30 would seem like a pretty big upgrade and that's not even considering what havlat could add not promising anything with him though. In my mind and for my money the devils make the playoffs. You can say all you want that Marty got us just as many points but he also blew a lot of the games we should of won or where winning you also can't assume that just because Marty played those games and got those points that if Schneider had of he wouldn't of gotten those same points and wins against mostly weaker teams you forget to mention when pointing out how they both got us the same amount of points that one of them played the tougher teams and the other for the most part faced teams who have missed the play offs the past few years

Fair points, except it was damn nearly two decades of dominance.

Devils have a much better chance then the teams you listed just based on playing in the East, except Carolina of course, who I think most people feel will compete for McDavid. Take the Rangers hat off and answer this question, do you think the Devils are a better team than they were last year when Marty played 39 games, they went 0-13 in Shoot Outs and missed the playoffs by 5 points?
- smellmyfinger

I think the Devils have a great goalie, team defense, and excellent coach (which means a great system). I think teams like Phoenix have shown if you have that, you're in the running every year to make the playoffs. There are teams like Edmonton and NYI that have the complete opposite -- no goalie, defense, or coaching system but loads of offensive firepower -- and it's clear that the latter is less effective.

You can't deny that losing Parise and Kovalchuk, two elite 40+ goal scorers, are the main reasons your team took a major step back. And you will need to replace them with two more elite 40+ goal scorers to become legitimate contenders again.

And you don't think the offence is improved this year ? Cammy would of scored 30 last season playing on a worse team in a tougher conference if he played 82 games we didn't lose a single player who scored ten goals so adding a possible 30 would seem like a pretty big upgrade and that's not even considering what havlat could add not promising anything with him though. In my mind and for my money the devils make the playoffs. You can say all you want that Marty got us just as many points but he also blew a lot of the games we should of won or where winning you also can't assume that just because Marty played those games and got those points that if Schneider had of he wouldn't of gotten those same points and wins against mostly weaker teams you forget to mention when pointing out how they both got us the same amount of points that one of them played the tougher teams and the other for the most part faced teams who have missed the play offs the past few years
- blizzzard

Cammy also played on a team that gives a lot more offensive freedom than your system would allow. It might not be too farfetched to think Cammy's numbers will suffer in NJ due to more defensive accountability. Also, Cammy played with some fast players in Calgary. The Devils are a slower team so who knows?

Cammy could be a big help obviously but it's not time yet to write him in as the offensive dynamo that carries your offense into the playoffs yet.

Cammy will be a big help and if Havlat performs he will help too. In regards to your young defensemen, development is never linear so who knows?

It depends how things break out this season. Cammy could score 30, Ryder could score 30, Henrique could score 60 points, Zajac could score 60 points, Gelinas could put up 40 points QBing your PP that ends up being ranked top 5 in the league, etc. and you guys could get in. Or the opposite can happen and Cammy and Havlat turn out to be busts, Jagr finally breaks down for good, etc.

You guys do have a lot of veteran depth but overall your forward roster still isn't very potent. It's very similar to a team like Florida or Phoenix or Nashville in offensive firepower.
- rangerdanger94

I agree but you can't role with volchenkov the kids are better and he was dramatically getting worse the kids could stumble and I agree that would be enough to (frank) things up for us but there is a lot to like about going forward with them and I am going to go off of what I think they will do more then how much they might regress. I also think our offence isn't that spectacular but we lose a lot of one goal games last year if anything we did enough to get to extra time for losers points or potentially win a few more games. I don't think the devils will be a force but I think they play the right way and did enough to get in this year as to the islanders statement we have a goalie who hasn't had injury problems you can bring up his lack of games played but hockey minds have predicted Schneider to be a star for a long time and until he falters to the work load this year in going with that. We missed by five points the isles missed by how many points and yes their goaltending is greatly upgraded but this is a guy who has been often injured during his career

I agree but you can't role with volchenkov the kids are better and he was dramatically getting worse the kids could stumble and I agree that would be enough to (frank) things up for us but there is a lot to like about going forward with them and I am going to go off of what I think they will do more then how much they might regress. I also think our offence isn't that spectacular but we lose a lot of one goal games last year if anything we did enough to get to extra time for losers points or potentially win a few more games. I don't think the devils will be a force but I think they play the right way and did enough to get in this year as to the islanders statement we have a goalie who hasn't had injury problems you can bring up his lack of games played but hockey minds have predicted Schneider to be a star for a long time and until he falters to the work load this year in going with that. We missed by five points the isles missed by how many points and yes their goaltending is greatly upgraded but this is a guy who has been often injured during his career
- blizzzard

You guys are for sure heading down the right path. Again, I'm a huge believer in defense and goaltending (see: Lundqvist, McDonagh, Staal, Girardi) so when I look at your team, I see a similar foundation there just a few years younger. Once your defense gets older and more experienced, with Schneider locked up for 7 years and good coaching, you guys will be really good. You just need to start drafting some gems on offense to slowly replace the older guys.

I think the Devils have a great goalie, team defense, and excellent coach (which means a great system). I think teams like Phoenix have shown if you have that, you're in the running every year to make the playoffs. There are teams like Edmonton and NYI that have the complete opposite -- no goalie, defense, or coaching system but loads of offensive firepower -- and it's clear that the latter is less effective.

You can't deny that losing Parise and Kovalchuk, two elite 40+ goal scorers, are the main reasons your team took a major step back. And you will need to replace them with two more elite 40+ goal scorers to become legitimate contenders again.
- rangerdanger94

I don't deny at all that losing Kovy and Parise would damage any team out there. But, Jagr still performs at a high level and adding Cammalleri should help, and yes I understand that he is not even on the same planet as Kovy. I like the Devils chances this year based on the fact that they added offense, will have a legit NHL goaltender starting and the fact that they missed by just 5 points last year. I don't see many teams in the East improving other than maybe Tampa and Buffalo.

Cammy also played on a team that gives a lot more offensive freedom than your system would allow. It might not be too farfetched to think Cammy's numbers will suffer in NJ due to more defensive accountability. Also, Cammy played with some fast players in Calgary. The Devils are a slower team so who knows?

Cammy could be a big help obviously but it's not time yet to write him in as the offensive dynamo that carries your offense into the playoffs yet.
- rangerdanger94

He won't be but he does bring speed and he doesn't need to score off the rush on a line with jagr and Travis he should get a lot more goals where he is sitting in a good spot to just fire them in instead of flying all the way up the ice and shooting off the rush I don't think cammy will produce more then 60 points but when you compare what could happen this year sv last you you have cammy who I think you can safely say will out produce the guy he is replacing on that line last year in zubs. If nj does miss out on the play offs I personally hope they try to move jagr for a first depending on how he is playing this year two first in this years draft would go a long way if we use both on forwards but my mind is we have a team who will make the play offs whether they get out out in the first our not doesn't really matter. I up for the changing of the gaurd I personally can't wait to see what Matteau looks like this season and next also Boucher who scored 25 goals in his first season of pro hockey so he has translated that scoring touch to jrs to the ahl now we just got to se it convert to the nhl and I think it can a year or two more of working on is skating which I thought as much improved last year and he could be a great call up if a jagr or Elias does decline or get injured

You guys are for sure heading down the right path. Again, I'm a huge believer in defense and goaltending (see: Lundqvist, McDonagh, Staal, Girardi) so when I look at your team, I see a similar foundation there just a few years younger. Once your defense gets older and more experienced, with Schneider locked up for 7 years and good coaching, you guys will be really good. You just need to start drafting some gems on offense to slowly replace the older guys.
- rangerdanger94

I agree I really wished although so far I can't complain about the santini pick but we got to start using the top three picks on forwards and it seems the forwards we have been drafting aren't the type you bet turn into stars but more so guys who are a good shot to land in the nhl at some capacity I am loving the q pick he seems like he is a prospect on the rise and could be a good pick I also think it hurts when you look at the past three drafts and we picked 29th didn't pick in the first and picked 30th that is going to sting and it's why cup teams eventually slow down because the guys you are getting aren't the game changing prospects but the complementary players so I would be excited about a high forward pick for us in the first round if this upcoming draft it would likely do a ton for the future of this franchise

I don't deny at all that losing Kovy and Parise would damage any team out there. But, Jagr still performs at a high level and adding Cammalleri should help, and yes I understand that he is not even on the same planet as Kovy. I like the Devils chances this year based on the fact that they added offense, will have a legit NHL goaltender starting and the fact that they missed by just 5 points last year. I don't see many teams in the East improving other than maybe Tampa and Buffalo.
- smellmyfinger

We'll see how the season unfolds. I remember thinking the Rangers were a lock to win the East after we lost to you guys in the ECF a few years ago and we were total ass. The Islanders made the playoffs during the lockout season and though they were the new kings of NY and they took a major step back despite their youth. Florida made the playoffs a couple years ago and proceeded to take major steps back despite their youth. And then there's Detroit who is an old team that lost like 5 of their top 6 players for extended periods of time and their starting goalie and still made the playoffs. Hockey is weird.

The logic missing here is that other teams have improved also. We can cling to the happy idea that we "only missed the playoffs by X points"...guess who is also saying that? Nearly every team who ALSO "almost made the playoffs by x points"....

Isles improved. Fla might have, buffalo probably is not as bad, Washington got a solid coach and some improved D. So who wants to hand those points to NJ? Maybe the west?

The logic missing here is that other teams have improved also. We can cling to the happy idea that we "only missed the playoffs by X points"...guess who is also saying that? Nearly every team who ALSO "almost made the playoffs by x points"....

Isles improved. Fla might have, buffalo probably is not as bad, Washington got a solid coach and some improved D. So who wants to hand those points to NJ? Maybe the west?
- jackzack87

Are you retarded? The Isles missed by 14 points, Florida by 27 and Buffalo by 41. If you truly don't see a difference between missing by 5 with Marty playing half the games and those other teams then I guess I have my answer.

But you're just here to troll, on a Devils blog no less. So I have to ask what happened. Did Lou diddle your mom when you were young?

The logic missing here is that other teams have improved also. We can cling to the happy idea that we "only missed the playoffs by X points"...guess who is also saying that? Nearly every team who ALSO "almost made the playoffs by x points"....

Isles improved. Fla might have, buffalo probably is not as bad, Washington got a solid coach and some improved D. So who wants to hand those points to NJ? Maybe the west?
- jackzack87

Getting a new coach doesn't always translate to success and like I said how many points did all these improved teams miss by ? Like why are you such a meat head ? 90 percent of the hockey world thinks orpik is poop so niskanen and a new coach who might hurt them more this season then improve them so how long does it take for these offensive players to learn a defensive system ? And like I said although a healthy jt goes a long way when was the last time halak didn't get derailed by injuries and their defense is still worse then ours like seriously think about it did the isles improve by 15 points ? Will what Washington do this offseason help then at all this season or will the transition between coaches kill them ? Will holtby finially have a consistent season you can say all you want about teams that improved but all the teams you mentioned missed the play offs by quite a few more points then nj did so that would mean they would have to improve by miles to push nj out if the conversation and cammy is just as good as any player added in the entire metro division so seriously how do you figure all these teams improved vastly over nj

Are you retarded? The Isles missed by 14 points, Florida by 27 and Buffalo by 41. If you truly don't see a difference between missing by 5 with Marty playing half the games and those other teams then I guess I have my answer.

But you're just here to troll, on a Devils blog no less. So I have to ask what happened. Did Lou diddle your mom when you were young?
- smellmyfinger

I'll break it down into little pieces. And I'm a big NJ fan, lived there for many years. Just trying to keep it real in where we're at with this team.

SOOOOO NJ plays Fla, Buf, NYI, Was what, 4-6 times a year? If all those other teams improved, instead of NJ winning 3 out of 4 or 4 out of 6, maybe next year they STILL only win 3 ouut of 4 or 4 out of 6, because NJ ALSO has improved.

Some teams improved MORE than NJ (very possible). Maybe if NJ won 45% of games vs the west, this year they ONLY win 40%. Rut-row. They now have LESS points than last year.

Are we making progress yet? If you have a lemonade stand that you sold 4 glasses of lemonade a day, but this year the lemonade stand next door has ramped up their juice, you might only sell 3 glasses a day. You MIGHT sell four, but the competition got stronger.

Are you retarded? The Isles missed by 14 points, Florida by 27 and Buffalo by 41. If you truly don't see a difference between missing by 5 with Marty playing half the games and those other teams then I guess I have my answer.

But you're just here to troll, on a Devils blog no less. So I have to ask what happened. Did Lou diddle your mom when you were young?
- smellmyfinger

It's a brand new season. Anything can happen. Even if you kept the same roster as last year you're not guaranteed to get the exact same amount of points. It doesn't work like that. Just because you improve doesn't mean your guaranteeing all your points from last year + an automatic 5-10 more. And even if you do get 5 more points, 93 points might not get you into the playoffs next year.

I'll break it down into little pieces. And I'm a big NJ fan, lived there for many years. Just trying to keep it real in where we're at with this team.

SOOOOO NJ plays Fla, Buf, NYI, Was what, 4-6 times a year? If all those other teams improved, instead of NJ winning 3 out of 4 or 4 out of 6, maybe next year they STILL only win 3 ouut of 4 or 4 out of 6, because NJ ALSO has improved.

Some teams improved MORE than NJ (very possible). Maybe if NJ won 45% of games vs the west, this year they ONLY win 40%. Rut-row. They now have LESS points than last year.

Are we making progress yet? If you have a lemonade stand that you sold 4 glasses of lemonade a day, but this year the lemonade stand next door has ramped up their juice, you might only sell 3 glasses a day. You MIGHT sell four, but the competition got stronger.
- jackzack87

So the West will only win more games against the Devils, not the Isles, Florida or Buffalo? Buffalo will only win more games against the Devils, not Washington, Philly, etc. It's all relative, and you are a troll. You come here simply to make rediculous statements and then say "but wait, I'm a Devils fan" like I said, there must be some deep seeded hatred of the Devils. Maybe it was Lou or maybe it was when Stevens, Gomez and Brodeur ran train on your mom, I just don't know.

It's a brand new season. Anything can happen. Even if you kept the same roster as last year you're not guaranteed to get the exact same amount of points. It doesn't work like that. Just because you improve doesn't mean your guaranteeing all your points from last year + an automatic 5-10 more. And even if you do get 5 more points, 93 points might not get you into the playoffs next year.
- rangerdanger94

Nobody guaranteed anything. His point was absurd though, he said every team near the playoffs has the same optimism as the Devils, then provided Florida and Buffalo as examples. Dudes a troll, and I like feeding trolls.

Nobody guaranteed anything. His point was absurd though, he said every team near the playoffs has the same optimism as the Devils, then provided Florida and Buffalo as examples. Dudes a troll, and I like feeding trolls.
- smellmyfinger

Florida is in a good spot. They have Luongo in net who gets a lot of poop but is still a good goalie. And a pretty great defense: Gudbranson, Mitchell, Ekblad, Campbell, Olsen, Kulikov. They have better younger offensive players than the Devils and signed similar depth that you guys brought in only younger.

I'll break it down into little pieces. And I'm a big NJ fan, lived there for many years. Just trying to keep it real in where we're at with this team.

SOOOOO NJ plays Fla, Buf, NYI, Was what, 4-6 times a year? If all those other teams improved, instead of NJ winning 3 out of 4 or 4 out of 6, maybe next year they STILL only win 3 ouut of 4 or 4 out of 6, because NJ ALSO has improved.

Some teams improved MORE than NJ (very possible). Maybe if NJ won 45% of games vs the west, this year they ONLY win 40%. Rut-row. They now have LESS points than last year.

Are we making progress yet? If you have a lemonade stand that you sold 4 glasses of lemonade a day, but this year the lemonade stand next door has ramped up their juice, you might only sell 3 glasses a day. You MIGHT sell four, but the competition got stronger.
- jackzack87

Ok but how can you say they improved more then nj ? Seriously when was the last time halak played 60 games ? Is kulemin any better then rutuu ? Grabovski is a decent add but not enough in my opinion to say they improved more then nj teams that where more then 20 points back did they add a top ten player ? Because that's what you would need to gain 20+ points you lemonade stand works if we didn't improve but on paper we did and on paper is the only (frank)ing think you have to go by today !

Ok but how can you say they improved more then nj ? Seriously when was the last time halak played 60 games ? Is kulemin any better then rutuu ? Grabovski is a decent add but not enough in my opinion to say they improved more then nj teams that where more then 20 points back did they add a top ten player ? Because that's what you would need to gain 20+ points you lemonade stand works if we didn't improve but on paper we did and on paper is the only (frank)ing think you have to go by today !
- blizzzard

You are forgetting the improvement of their young players: Strome, Nelson, Lee, Hamonic, De Haan, etc.

Islanders could be playoff bound if they play a good defensive system.

Florida is in a good spot. They have Luongo in net who gets a lot of poop but is still a good goalie. And a pretty great defense: Gudbranson, Mitchell, Ekblad, Campbell, Olsen, Kulikov. They have better younger offensive players than the Devils and signed similar depth that you guys brought in only younger.
- rangerdanger94

Difference being the amount of players under 25 I would rather have going into this season the amount of vets then that amount of kids who might not be able to handle the load their is just as good of chance of sophomore slumps or rookies not being ready as there is for decline in our vets