Todd Cordell: Nail In The Coffin

Devils played uninspired hockey last night. We went down to the bazaar this weekend and sold most of our assets for futures in spice. We then recalled our traveling salesman who's been on the road for the past decade, went into your building, and somehow won!

It's not really that hard to beat us... Get 2 goals and that does it more times then not!

Well it was fun while it lasted.

Derek freaking Ryan.

Streit2ThePoint, your not too far behind. But keep blindly believing that flawed Flyers team is somehow gonna sneak it. It'll be over vs. Washington before you finish Rocky I.

Streit2ThePoint, your not too far behind. But keep blindly believing that flawed Flyers team is somehow gonna sneak it. It'll be over vs. Washington before you finish Rocky I.
- TheThirdCory

Let me start off saying hello, TheThirdCory.

Before the season even started, I did not expect the Flyers to make the playoffs. In fact, I figured they would be in the bottom 5 of the league, given their streaky scoring lines and very suspect defense.

I still do not expect them to make the playoffs, but it is exciting seeing them close and winning games. Just seeing Gostisbehere play has been the highlight of the Flyers season for me.

If they make the playoffs, yay. If they do not, so be it, it's what I expected out of a rebuilding team.

Let me start off saying hello, TheThirdCory.

Before the season even started, I did not expect the Flyers to make the playoffs. In fact, I figured they would be in the bottom 5 of the league, given their streaky scoring lines and very suspect defense.

I still do not expect them to make the playoffs, but it is exciting seeing them close and winning games. Just seeing Gostisbehere play has been the highlight of the Flyers season for me.

If they make the playoffs, yay. If they do not, so be it, it's what I expected out of a rebuilding team.
- Streit2ThePoint

The franchise will fold by the end of the week.

The franchise will fold by the end of the week.
- BINGO!

Thank God

I think if Lemaire came back for this stretch, we'd make the playoffs

We had a chance, now it's lost. It was a fun season while it lasted.

Streit2ThePoint, love Ghost.

Streit2ThePoint, love Ghost.
- TheThirdCory

He's great, isn't he?

Let the ultimate tank dive begin! Oh wait, I'm late. It already has...

- Streit2ThePoint

Allow me to be negative for a moment - this will be the 4th year in row no playoffs. So if you know that with how are team is built and what we have done to rebuild, kind of a joke. You would think after missing playoffs our team should be more solidly built with better kids and poop.

Allow me to be negative for a moment - this will be the 4th year in row no playoffs. So if you know that with how are team is built and what we have done to rebuild, kind of a joke. You would think after missing playoffs our team should be more solidly built with better kids and poop.
- Leniwm1

well one year we missed the play offs we where supposed to pick 9th and we know what happened with that pick, then there was the time we missed the play offs and where required to pick 30th so thats 2 out of the 4 years you mentioned. Also just because we started missing the play offs 4 years ago doesn't mean we had consider rebuilding until about last year so I can see why it looks like little has been done in the long and painful years that have passed but the ball is moving forward now and that's all that matters !

well one year we missed the play offs we where supposed to pick 9th and we know what happened with that pick, then there was the time we missed the play offs and where required to pick 30th so thats 2 out of the 4 years you mentioned. Also just because we started missing the play offs 4 years ago doesn't mean we had consider rebuilding until about last year so I can see why it looks like little has been done in the long and painful years that have passed but the ball is moving forward now and that's all that matters !
- blizzzard

I hear ya, and believe me, I am totally open for these growing pains. But still annoying.

I hear ya, and believe me, I am totally open for these growing pains. But still annoying.
- Leniwm1

Losing Parise & Kovalchuk for nothing didn't help either

Losing Parise & Kovalchuk for nothing didn't help either
- Vukota

It sped up our demise

Lou refused to embrace the rebuild in NJ. Looks like he learned his lesson now that he's in Toronto. NJ wasn't officially rebuilding until Shero took over and acknowledged what everyone was whispering. That the team needed to rebuild, accumulate draft picks & develop players. No more buying more rentals, time to start acquiring and moving rentals for picks.

Now that Shero has begun that process, it's a 4-6 yr rebuild if we're lucky and the new draft team can do better than Conte has in recent years. Also assuming we can develop players properly to fit into the system. No more Tedenby, Josefson, Matteau. Our 2009 draft was bad. 2008 may have been even worse if not for Henrique. Severson, Larsson, and Santini are the best picks of the last 7 drafts in that they may, MAY, end up all being in NJ's top 4 on defense. Obviously some our FWs still need to develop like Boucher, Zacha, and Quenneville. But honestly only 1 of them may end up being a top 6 player. Even Henrique is more of a middle of the pack FW as opposed to a legit top 6 but he's making me rethink my opinion the more i watch him play. He's the drive and work ethic to overachieve in his career.

NJ just needs to stick to the rebuid and not get wide-eyed over anomalies like this season. Acquire assets, get picks, draft & develop. And add top 6 FW from UFA if they're available now that they have some flexibility with the cap and they're not skating without a full roster like they did a few seasons ago. What a mess that was.

I won't expect them to make the playoffs again until 2018-19. If they get back to the postseason before then than its even better so we can maximize having Cory in net. It would be tragic if his decline coincided with the rest of the roster finally getting respectable and competative again.

Lou refused to embrace the rebuild in NJ. Looks like he learned his lesson now that he's in Toronto. NJ wasn't officially rebuilding until Shero took over and acknowledged what everyone was whispering. That the team needed to rebuild, accumulate draft picks & develop players. No more buying more rentals, time to start acquiring and moving rentals for picks.

Now that Shero has begun that process, it's a 4-6 yr rebuild if we're lucky and the new draft team can do better than Conte has in recent years. Also assuming we can develop players properly to fit into the system. No more Tedenby, Josefson, Matteau. Our 2009 draft was bad. 2008 may have been even worse if not for Henrique. Severson, Larsson, and Santini are the best picks of the last 7 drafts in that they may, MAY, end up all being in NJ's top 4 on defense. Obviously some our FWs still need to develop like Boucher, Zacha, and Quenneville. But honestly only 1 of them may end up being a top 6 player. Even Henrique is more of a middle of the pack FW as opposed to a legit top 6 but he's making me rethink my opinion the more i watch him play. He's the drive and work ethic to overachieve in his career.

NJ just needs to stick to the rebuid and not get wide-eyed over anomalies like this season. Acquire assets, get picks, draft & develop. And add top 6 FW from UFA if they're available now that they have some flexibility with the cap and they're not skating without a full roster like they did a few seasons ago. What a mess that was.

I won't expect them to make the playoffs again until 2018-19. If they get back to the postseason before then than its even better so we can maximize having Cory in net. It would be tragic if his decline coincided with the rest of the roster finally getting respectable and competative again.
- FLdevilsFAN

Henrique is a No. 1 Center on Devils and easily No.2 center on most stacked teams. And the fact that we were in playoff contention all year with this group I think the timetable is a lot sooner than you predict.

But a lot can change so we shall see!

Losing Parise & Kovalchuk for nothing didn't help either
- Vukota

We also haven't drafted nearly as well as we did in the late 90s when we found value in the late rounds.

SCHNEIDER OUT ALL YEAR! MCL at practice!

He was walking out to his car after practice and I did a Tonya Harding on his knee. I yelled "Matthews is too importat!"