Todd Cordell: Schneider Was Among NHL's Best Players In 2014-15

Great blog as always Todd, this should just further prove that Schneider is an elite goalie; if we made the playoffs this year with this roster, you would have to think he's nominated for Vezina, maybe even wins that and dare i say, nominated for the Hart

Too bad they're going to waste his prime trying to get players in front of him who are worth anything. They need to knock this draft out of the park to have a shot at speeding things up a little, and I just don't have faith in Conte, Lou, or Shero based on their recent histories to do so.

There is no doubt in my mind that Schneider was one if the best in the NHL last year. It is just a damn shame that he was surrounded by some of the worst. we had Tootoo on the first line for (frank)s sake.

I hope they can put something together here to take some of the heat off Cory. He deserves better than a Tootoo top line.

Agree that Devs could be wasting his best years while they rebuild. Let's hope they can get back to contenders in 2 years..which is possible. 1)Need to drop useless, non productive dead weight... Rutuu, Zubs, Gio and Bernier... team needs one 4th line..not two. Go out and find fast, aggressive, productive 3rd liners. This is where Shero needs to shine... in finding these quality 4th/3rd line players. 2) Big draft...This draft pick is huge in that they could get an immediate NHL player. 3)UFA: there are 1-2 decent UFAs (Frolik) devils could target this summer. 4) Several teams will be at cap limit which may allow Devils to snag one more quality forward. 5) As for defense... Team needs to find one quality vet to take pressure off Merrill and Gelly. Shero had tons of work to do this summer.

Agree that Devs could be wasting his best years while they rebuild. Let's hope they can get back to contenders in 2 years..which is possible. 1)Need to drop useless, non productive dead weight... Rutuu, Zubs, Gio and Bernier... team needs one 4th line..not two. Go out and find fast, aggressive, productive 3rd liners. This is where Shero needs to shine... in finding these quality 4th/3rd line players. 2) Big draft...This draft pick is huge in that they could get an immediate NHL player. 3)UFA: there are 1-2 decent UFAs (Frolik) devils could target this summer. 4) Several teams will be at cap limit which may allow Devils to snag one more quality forward. 5) As for defense... Team needs to find one quality vet to take pressure off Merrill and Gelly. Shero had tons of work to do this summer.
- Ocean24

Paul Martin 1-2 year deal?

Ruutu is a decent 3/4th line LW to me, at least until his contract is up, not for what he gets paid but we have cap so it's not the end of the world. Rutuu, Gio, Zubrus, JJ are all on contract next year. And then there is Gomez and Bernier (who I wouldn't really put in the unproductive category, but are likely to decline this year) so who knows what will happen there. Can they put Zubrus on waivers to start the season?

JJ - Gomez - Bernier
Rutuu - Gio - Tootoo

? Zubrus sits/waived ?

Moving forward, some will certainly be critical of whatever Shero does. He inherited quote a mess here, so I think we need to be patient and hold off judgement for a bit before we can really even start to see some changes come to fruition. I just hope whatever they do at the draft is a home run or we are really screwed.

I think that Merrill and Gelinas are still question marks and the Devils should be try to sign some undrafted defenseman to make us deeper. These are three guys they should look at:

Dean Kukan 21 years old, 6'2" Swiss
"Kukan has good size and is a fairly skilled two-way defenseman. Plays a pretty solid defensive game and has good character and work ethics. Moves the puck well."

Jakub Nakladal 27 years old, 6'2" Czech
"Nakládal is a defensive defenseman who is good around his own net. Excels on the penalty kill. Has a hard shot."

Nikita Zaitsev 23 years old, 6'1" Russian
"Zaitsev plays a smart two-way game. He is a fine passer and has a good shot from the point. Could improve his physical game and add some bulk."

I would like the first two personally.

Todd Cordell: Schneider Was Among NHL's Best Players In 2014-15
- Todd.Cordell

Great blog todd

It's was always frustrating when people said Marty wasn't that good because he had defense in front of him. Well what the hell does Cory have in front of him?!

Paul Martin 1-2 year deal?

Ruutu is a decent 3/4th line LW to me, at least until his contract is up, not for what he gets paid but we have cap so it's not the end of the world. Rutuu, Gio, Zubrus, JJ are all on contract next year. And then there is Gomez and Bernier (who I wouldn't really put in the unproductive category, but are likely to decline this year) so who knows what will happen there. Can they put Zubrus on waivers to start the season?

JJ - Gomez - Bernier
Rutuu - Gio - Tootoo

? Zubrus sits/waived ?

Moving forward, some will certainly be critical of whatever Shero does. He inherited quote a mess here, so I think we need to be patient and hold off judgement for a bit before we can really even start to see some changes come to fruition. I just hope whatever they do at the draft is a home run or we are really screwed.
- TRDevil

Players Paul martins age and caliber aren't signing 1-2 year deals.

Players Paul martins age and caliber aren't signing 1-2 year deals.
- shvingter88

That's why they should get some other guys, see my post above for example.

That's why they should get some other guys, see my post above for example.
- Devils9503

Oduya