Todd Cordell: Maple Leafs 7, Devils 2: Five observations from a lifeless defeat

Todd, any Devils trades before deadline ?

Thanks for the blog Todd. Great write-up as usual.

Question: do you feel Hynes is running out of runway here? It's one thing for a bad team to not play well, but I believe the Devs are playing beneath their capability on more nights than not. To me this is on the coaching and I am wondering if the players have tuned out their coach?

Thanks for the blog Todd. Great write-up as usual.

Question: do you feel Hynes is running out of runway here? It's one thing for a bad team to not play well, but I believe the Devs are playing beneath their capability on more nights than not. To me this is on the coaching and I am wondering if the players have tuned out their coach?
- Crushers68

Everything looks bad after team knocks your Richard in the dirt like that.

I'm not feeling like we are getting great coaching but the team has a lot of legit problems.... none of which were really addressed in the offseason.

Frankly, I wonder if the plan wasn't cut payroll and tank....

Well by the deadline they should be trying to move Green and Lovejoy for quite frankly anything. Perhaps also try moving Boyle though I wouldn't be opposed to resigning him because I don't see any legit 4 line centers we can replace him with and he's actually better then Zacha sad to say.

With Mojo becoming a UFA I'm 50/50 on trading him. We shouldn't lose him for nothing, yet I don't want to over pay for him. But if Shero finds a good offer he should pull the trigger.

Well by the deadline they should be trying to move Green and Lovejoy for quite frankly anything.
- devilspep

Moving Greene at 36 with a $5M cap hit (and a year remaining and a No Trade Clause) seems unlikely.

Moving Greene at 36 with a $5M cap hit (and a year remaining and a No Trade Clause) seems unlikely.
- Queenie_5_hole

That's why I'd take anything. Sell high on veteran presence and "intangibles."

Moving Greene at 36 with a $5M cap hit (and a year remaining and a No Trade Clause) seems unlikely.
- Queenie_5_hole

You can easily eat half of that contract for a team and eat one of their contracts coming back.

Thanks for the blog Todd. Great write-up as usual.

Question: do you feel Hynes is running out of runway here? It's one thing for a bad team to not play well, but I believe the Devs are playing beneath their capability on more nights than not. To me this is on the coaching and I am wondering if the players have tuned out their coach?
- Crushers68

I think it depends on how much Ray wants to win vs implement a team identity. If we played a safer, more counter attacking style we could probably grind out some more wins this season and cover up some of our defensive deficiencies. However, I don't think that is the style Ray wants long term so we are going to be stuck playing a system that only 3 of our 6 dmen are good enough to play in.

Thanks for the blog Todd. Great write-up as usual.

Question: do you feel Hynes is running out of runway here? It's one thing for a bad team to not play well, but I believe the Devs are playing beneath their capability on more nights than not. To me this is on the coaching and I am wondering if the players have tuned out their coach?
- Crushers68

The players blow, that’s not on hynes.

The players blow, that’s not on hynes.
- shvingter88

Yeah, although Hynes could still be a poop coach. It's just that everything sucks.

You can easily eat half of that contract for a team and eat one of their contracts coming back.
- Pomegrant

Yes completely accurate you could do that but if you aren’t saving money what’s the benefit? Greene is certainly declining but he’s not horrible. And likely as good or better to what we’d get back.

Yes completely accurate you could do that but if you aren’t saving money what’s the benefit? Greene is certainly declining but he’s not horrible. And likely as good or better to what we’d get back.
- Queenie_5_hole

Eat half the contract, take another garbage expiring contract back to provide space to a playoff team and get a useful asset (picks, etc.) back.

Eat half the contract, take another garbage expiring contract back to provide space to a playoff team and get a useful asset (picks, etc.) back.
- smellmyfinger

Nice.

Greene @50% + a 2nd rd for T. Johnson and R. Callahan. Callahan may have a bad contract, but on a term we can easily afford. Plus, He would be our #2 RW, as we have zero competition in that slot. And Johnson would be our #2 Centre over Zacha any day. Tampa could let Coburn walk, and keep Greene next year while shedding 11M from those 2 forwards