Roger Mussa: Devils Bruins - No Bueno Debacle

(Frank)ing tram.

Another season, another wait for the Draft. Rangers eating our cookies. I have said I would be happy with just a developmental year, which the start of the season looked promising. Lately just sloppy play from all, as if they are going through the motions.

Sit Palmieri- no fire, no effort, no interest
Sit Vatanen- see above

Insert McCloud in for Palmieri
Tennyson for Vatanen

If they come out flat shorten the bench.

I would rather see Bastian, Wood and McCloud Maltsev get extra ice time then guys like Palmieri whining about calls and just going through the motions. Guys like that are a cancer which will spread to the rest of the team.

I get that with a long break, no real training camp and a covid break that some players have had a harder time getting going than others

Palms has struggled mightily to score and while he brings other aspects, he is supposed to be our best goal scorer, and that's what teams would be trading for so that isn't helping his trade value

What has gone on with gusev?

We have young guys outplaying top guys

I know with lack of practice and all special teams haven't had a chance to practice much but it's both predictable and terrible. On the PP the other team knows just stand at the line because we can't skate it in and when we dump it and chase we never get to the puck first.....and pk is well a sad state

I don't know if blackwood has really recovered from Covid, the defense hasn't helped him at all but he hasn't shown that confidence prior to when he went down


The problem we have is the players that are on their last year aren't performing, they are too predictable, make too many major mistakes and is just a cluster(frank)

We also don't want to bring up Walsh, bahl, Foote or others and mess up development unless they are ready

I agree that sitting Palmieri has lousy optics but there are guys on the bench who see the Asst Capt as one of the Leaders. Also, I could see Jack’s frustration throughout the game when he was setting guys up who couldn’t finish. He really needs someone to compliment his ability to pass within a tight window.
If the defense would simply clear out in front of the net they would have made the Rangers game more competitive. When was the last time we didn’t have a “soft” defense?

Our defense is god awful.
Start trading and/or benching defensemen, address those issues with the D then go from there.

If I was the GM for a day my first three moves for the day would be;

1) talk to ownership about selling the team to a Quebec base business group.

2) invite Erika Wachter to join me for some poutine and pastrami at Hobby’s Deli.

3) go home, drink heavily, and repeating to myself ‘I need to weaponize the cap and bring in quality free agents. I need to weaponize the cap and bring in quality free agents! I should have signed them at a discount during Covid. I should have hired Gallant. I was dumb.’ (Repeat).

Roger Mussa: Devils Bruins - No Bueno Debacle
- Devils Advocate

4-0 broons

If I was the GM for a day my first three moves for the day would be;

1) talk to ownership about selling the team to a Quebec base business group.

2) invite Erika Wachter to join me for some poutine and pastrami at Hobby’s Deli.

3) go home, drink heavily, and repeating to myself ‘I need to weaponize the cap and bring in quality free agents. I need to weaponize the cap and bring in quality free agents! I should have signed them at a discount during Covid. I should have hired Gallant. I was dumb.’ (Repeat).
- Queenie_5_hole

Well 2 & 3 you are onto something there. I might add trade UFA as soon as possible as well...

just stinks overall. idk if i said it here or on FB, but the compressed schedule has to make it harder to get out of slumps and easier to stay hot. no time to practice or regroup. The upcoming UFAs being terrible is probably the worst and most detrimental variable to this whole season. Going to get the worst value for what should be good players.

1) fire nasreddine, he’s in charge of penalty kill
2) convince zajac to waive no trade

Wedgewood in net. McLeod in, Gusev out up front. Murray in, Butcher out on D

I like the line combos from warmups. Finally put mango/jack/bratt and the BMW lines back together and rewarding Maltsev for a strong game yesterday:

Shara-Zajac- Kuok
Maltsev-Zacha-Palms
Johnsson-Hughes-Bratt
Wood- McLeod- Bastian

Smith- Sevo
Kuli-Subban
Murray-Vats

Wedgewood

I like Wedgewood in net. I think he is better than Dell and the team seems to play better in front of him. Lets Go Devils!

At least we're not losing 3-0 yet so I'll count that period as a win.

Last time we play Boston, Marchand intentionally slashes Hughes in the face and tonight cross checks Smith in the head. What else can you say about this piece of poop.

That he’s a smelly piece of poop on a hot humid day.

Zacha attacka!!!

Two shutouts for Wedgewood. Help Blackwood out and lessen the load for him so he can get appropriate rest and find his game.

Am I missing something?

A team we have struggled against for years we are 3-0-1 against yet we suck against others

Sit Palmieri- no fire, no effort, no interest
Sit Vatanen- see above

Insert McCloud in for Palmieri
Tennyson for Vatanen

If they come out flat shorten the bench.

I would rather see Bastian, Wood and McCloud Maltsev get extra ice time then guys like Palmieri whining about calls and just going through the motions. Guys like that are a cancer which will spread to the rest of the team.
- Relentless

If we were on brink of a playoff spot, that may be an option (tho any option seeing Tenneyson save the day is a reach). This season, we are going to be sellers again. It's a bummer, but I thought this was our most likely scenario going into the season.

So play the heck out of our most tradable assets. The guys who deserve more TOI will be happy in the long run, when these roster spots all open up. It cost a 2nd and a 3rd to acquire Gusev, and his immediate impact was a big reward. Now we have the chance to get those picks back, and some. Vats has proven plenty in the league and despite his rocky start to this season, someone will want to give up a 2nd or 3rd for his services.

Calling Palms a whiner isn't all that fair. He is frustrated, yes. But he always leads by example, whether its laying hits, or blocking shots, he has been our most consistent forward since joining the team. Palms again should come close to returning our 2nd and 3rd used to acquire him in 2015, so we really came out way ahead of the game with some guys who played top 6 roles when we were desperate.

Zacha attacka!!!
- Jazzmaster30

with 4 hits too!! guy is a MONSTER!!!!

Last time we play Boston, Marchand intentionally slashes Hughes in the face and tonight cross checks Smith in the head. What else can you say about this piece of poop.
- Pomegrant

You can say the league suck for allowing this crap. It’s no secret Marchand plays this way and if you paraded him to the box consistently and really suspended him on the dangerous plays it might help. He’s a great hockey player and does a lot of this to help his team. When it starts really costing him he might ratchet it back a bit.

So Sam Reinhart is available out of Buffalo. Depending on cost he would be a good fit on Devs. Age wise he fits this teams horizon. He can score. Prospect plus a second round pick enough knowing he get a significant raise next year? What do you think?