The high flying Devils

[E.L.]

Devils get two new goalies in Allen and Kahkonen. Godspeed.

[Pokecheque]

Meier immediately turning his season around with Ruff gone. Funny how those things happen...

I'm guessing Holtz won't. Both he and Mercer don't post very good underlying numbers...it's possible neither of them are all that good.

Devils decide to downsize and upgrade at the same time, dealing Toffoli to Winnipeg, but also swapping Vanecek for Kahkonen and acquiring Jake Allen. I personally don't think that moves the needle a ton but apparently both guys are seriously better than anything NJ has used. That kinda tells you just how bad their netminders have been this year.

Fitzgerald says they're gonna go big on goalies this offseason.

[Pokecheque]

McCarthy reporting that Sheldon Keefe will be the next bench boss in New Jersey.

I think that's a good move. I feel like Toronto just gradually kept taking depth, talent, and speed away from his roster until they couldn't do much of anything unless 34 and 88 had a monster game.

He will have a deeper team to work with now, overall IMO more talented as well, and frankly I think he'll have a team with BETTER GOALTENDING. I still think an Allen/Kahkonen tandem won't get it done but that's still miles better than the Vanecek/Schmid/Daws disaster that was.

Fitzgerald has been a mixed bag so far. IMO he made a big mistake taking on Timo Meier, but we'll see what he's like when he's not nursing an injury. They also better figure out sooner rather than later that Dawson Mercer might never be the player they want him to be, and Holtz just flat-out sucks. The biggest question of course is how well the center depth holds out. Both Hughes and Hischier really don't seem to be able to stay healthy enough over the course of a given year.

[E.L.]

In the end, the Devils basically gave away Holtz to Vegas. His reputation precedes him, I guess.

[Pokecheque]

In the end, the Devils basically gave away Holtz to Vegas. His reputation precedes him, I guess.

I don't get Fitzgerald at all. In the first presser following Lindy's firing, he didn't hesitate to throw his former coach under the bus and lambast him about not playing kids (and Lindy pretty much played all the kids but one, so we know who he was talking about) only to prove he didn't think Holtz was worth a shit either.

[E.L.]

Nikita Gusev sighting at Devils dev camp! His long-awaited NHL debut started off ok before petering out, and he returned to the KHL. But he's back and wants another shot. He's an offensively creative player who skates like he's in quicksand.

[Chris18]

Pretty cool moment last night as Martin Brodeur's son, Jeremy, started for the Devils in a pre-season game. Older son, Anthony, was drafted by the Devils in 2013 (announced by Marty) but never made it past playing in college. Jeremy wasn't drafted but has been in the ECHL for a few years, with cups of coffee in the AHL so far. He's on the Utica Comets now, the NJ Devils' AHL affiliate. Cool to see.

I'm sure there's no pressure being Martin Brodeur's son in net.

[E.L.]

Jack Hughes out for the season after shoulder surgery. Dougie Hamilton also out week-to-week.

[Pokecheque]

Jack Hughes out for the season after shoulder surgery. Dougie Hamilton also out week-to-week.

Wow. They've gotta beef up the center depth going forward. Fitz opted to bring in talent on the wings (I still think the Meier trade was a huge mistake), the 1-2 punch is simply way, way too injury prone. Gotta have a guy on the third line who's good, if not great.

[E.L.]

Jack Hughes out for the season after shoulder surgery. Dougie Hamilton also out week-to-week.

Wow. They've gotta beef up the center depth going forward. Fitz opted to bring in talent on the wings (I still think the Meier trade was a huge mistake), the 1-2 punch is simply way, way too injury prone. Gotta have a guy on the third line who's good, if not great.

They wanted it to be Mercer, but I don’t think he’s a centre.

[Chris18]

Devils get Brian Dumoulin for a conditional 2nd.

[Pokecheque]

First Hughes, now Hamilton out the rest of the regular season.

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Now, unlike Jack, they're leaving the door open for him returning for the playoffs, but this is insane. He's not really their #1 d-man (I think Luke Hughes is now) but that's still a huge blow to a team that hasn't really lived up to the hype yet.

Something tells me they gotta do something big in the offseason to shake things up. The core is too fragile, and there's too many players simply not pulling their weight (I remain not a fan of Timo Meier).

[Pokecheque]

New Jersey the first team eliminated from the playoffs.

[Pokecheque]

Devils have a lot to assess here, I hope they aren't just chalking this up to injuries.

They have a very talented, but very fragile core. Hughes just can't seem to put together a full season, and Hischier is only marginally more durable. And as much as they want him to be, Mercer is simply not a center.

Never been a fan of Markstrom, he was admittedly brilliant in this brief postseason (got absolutely deluged by the Canes) but his metrics among goalies who played 40 or more games this season rank 22nd. That's just not good enough.

Also not at all a fan of Fitzgerald. Publicly lambasted Lindy after firing him for not playing Alexander Holtz more, then trades him for next to nothing that offseason. Also went big and brought in Timo Meier for a not-insubstantial amount of assets and later cap room, and Meier IMO hasn't moved the needle at all. He's not a bad GM but he appears unable to get them to the next step.

Sheldon Keefe is an interesting coach. Seems to love the run and gun, but also gets maddeningly conservative at times. The Devils were quite good playing with a lead under Ruff, those numbers dropped considerably under the new guy because he instructs them to turtle once they score more goals than the opposition.

The team also lacks a clear-cut #1 defenseman. Dougie's never been that guy and I don't think Hughes Brother #3 will be one either. But there is the possibility...they could trade for a franchise defender...

[Logical Progression]

The team also lacks a clear-cut #1 defenseman. Dougie's never been that guy and I don't think Hughes Brother #3 will be one either. But there is the possibility...they could trade for a franchise defender...

This seems bloody likely. I say it happens within a year. There's no point hiding from it.

[Pokecheque]

Jack Hughes, who has had a fantastic season so far, is now out...and you'll love the reason why.

Cut his hand at a team dinner. Who the fuck does that!?

[Chris18]

I’m doing so great this year, I’ll bet I could juggle the steak knives!

By the way, it’s weird that the Hughes brothers don’t have their first initials on their name plates.

[Pokecheque]

Apparently the story is he was leaning on a glass (I am pretty sure I have never done this in my entire life) and it broke, slicing his finger.

And he’s out two months. If I were his mom (former player, they all wear variations on her number I’m told) I’d slap him upside the head.

[harmfuljays]

Leaning on a glass......what after 11 drinks? Seems like a baseball injury not hockey. Whatever.....guy is having a rough go of his prime years. Too bad for the Devils who were finally looking good this year. Injuries are part of the game on and off the ice I guess.

[Pokecheque]

Pretty sure Tom Fitzgerald has ruined the Devils. Jack Hughes is back and they look even worse now. Shut out by an Auston-less and Willie-less Leafs team, and in a game where supposed power forward extraordinaire was 1-12 in shots for/against while he was on the ice.