Sam Woo: RAISING HELL: Devils Comeback and Beat Habs 2-1

Bratt is going to be a star in this league. But now we must adjust to include another 9+ mil player on our roster. He gonna get paid!

Bratt is going to be a star in this league. But now we must adjust to include another 9+ mil player on our roster. He gonna get paid!
- Leniwm1

GMs have been signing players like they know the cap is going to shoot up after this season so I'd imagine we'll be fine re-signing him.

GMs have been signing players like they know the cap is going to shoot up after this season so I'd imagine we'll be fine re-signing him.
- Pomegrant

What are they saying its supposed to go to?

What are they saying its supposed to go to?
- Leniwm1

no clue, but the sense is that with the new TV deal that the league is making a lot more money now and now that they can make money from ticket sales again it's going to shoot up.

no clue, but the sense is that with the new TV deal that the league is making a lot more money now and now that they can make money from ticket sales again it's going to shoot up.
- Pomegrant

Thats great. Its calming to know we'll be able to lock up our core pieces long term.

no clue, but the sense is that with the new TV deal that the league is making a lot more money now and now that they can make money from ticket sales again it's going to shoot up.
- Pomegrant

Wasn't the report that it would jump significantly for the '24-'25 season?

What are they saying its supposed to go to?
- Leniwm1

Probably up another 1.5 mil

Bratt is going to be a star in this league. But now we must adjust to include another 9+ mil player on our roster. He gonna get paid!
- Leniwm1

yea we'll see. I need more than one season from the guy. Hopefully he is. Hopefully Jack and Holtz are. Hopefully Luke and Blackwood are. Hopefully long-name-russian is an NHL player. Hopefully Hamilton doesn't fall off a cliff earlier than expected. Our team is fabricated out of hopefullies... which is exciting, but I still miss our 90s-2000s Devils where we knew the talent we had and that we were contenders every season.

How did holtz play?
How about Nemec

How did holtz play?
How about Nemec
- dmarsden2988

They both played well.
Im just happy that all the major players are playing like in mid season form. I didnt see much rust, a few passes/timing issues.

But Jack, Mercer, Shara, these guys are playing so well.

It makes me wonder if the beginning of the season this team will shoot out of a canon. Both squads played like this.

Kudos to the coaching to get them ready like this.

Holtz biggest issue was that he wasn't a good skater. Seems like he spent the entire offseason conditioning and looks greatly improved. Really looks like he's pushing for a roster spot this season.

Nemec won't make the team. There isn't a spot for him and he's obviously got to get used to how the league plays. You can tell he has really good offensive tools though and I wouldn't be surprised if he was a full time player in just a couple of seasons.

Holtz biggest issue was that he wasn't a good skater. Seems like he spent the entire offseason conditioning and looks greatly improved. Really looks like he's pushing for a roster spot this season.

Nemec won't make the team. There isn't a spot for him and he's obviously got to get used to how the league plays. You can tell he has really good offensive tools though and I wouldn't be surprised if he was a full time player in just a couple of seasons.
- Pomegrant

Holtz looks great! I agree that the skating appears much improved and he is poised to make an impact on our lacking RW. Not sure what his Calder odds are, but he will likely be getting plenty of opportunities this year with the top 6 and PP.

If I had it my way, Nemec would be playing RD with Hughes on his left in Michigan. Not sure what will happen with this kid but I'd hope we can avoid burning a year off his ELC.

yea no way Nemec is on this team. He looked okay at times, not okay at other times, but obviously like a kid that has never seen the NHL before.. or AHL.

Holtz looked good enough and will only get better. I didn't feel like he was too slow, but half of what I saw on the ice was messy anyway with both teams playing their first games after time off.

Zetterlund is great to watch. I like what Bastian brings, but Zetterlund also brings jam but with more skill.

Palat-Hughes-Holtz
Sharangovich-Hischier-Bratt
Tatar-Haula-Mercer
Wood-Zetterlund-Johnsson
McLeod, Bastian, Boqvist..

we really have to get Johnsson off this team. He doesn't fit anywhere and we have a bit of a logjam up front, especially if Holtz makes the team, which I think he will.

also, our new play-by-play has a lisp, and his "ch" sounds are also very pronounced. The way he talks sounds like a giddy school boy. Gonna take a while to warm up to him. yeesh. From Doc to a gremlin to a school boy.

Forwards
11 Johnsson
12 Thompson
14 Bastian
20 McLeod
25 Foote
44 Wood
48 Halonen
49 Zetterlund
55 Geertsen
56 Haula
90 Tatar
91 Mercer
92 Clarke

Defense
2 Smith
6 Marino
7 Hamilton
34 Wotherspoon
71 Siegenthaler
88 Bahl

Goaltenders
29 Blackwood
40 Schmid

Roster for tonight

Nico with a hamstring strain, will he evaluated in 10 days

Nico with a hamstring strain, will he evaluated in 10 days
- dmarsden2988

Zero surprise. This is why we should’ve picked a center and not a dman projected to go 5th or later. Hischier and Hughes are often injured.. so it wouldn’t kill us to have another top 2 center to play that role. It’s been shown every quarter of every season for years that both guys get hurt.. they probably combine to miss a third of a season every year, and when they’re both out forget it.. and these are supposed to be our best players. Cooley and Wright were right there. Nemec better be the next Niedermayer.

Yeah, Crosby was good but all of those injuries he had at the beginning of his career really made him a worthless player.

Zero surprise. This is why we should’ve picked a center and not a dman projected to go 5th or later. Hischier and Hughes are often injured.. so it wouldn’t kill us to have another top 2 center to play that role. It’s been shown every quarter of every season for years that both guys get hurt.. they probably combine to miss a third of a season every year, and when they’re both out forget it.. and these are supposed to be our best players. Cooley and Wright were right there. Nemec better be the next Niedermayer.
- MartysBetter88

Mercer could possibly step up to 2C

Mercer could possibly step up to 2C
- dmarsden2988

I think he can handle 1C also. Mercer is so smart and such a hard worker. I think if they put him on D he'd excel there too.

Yeah, Crosby was good but all of those injuries he had at the beginning of his career really made him a worthless player.
- Pomegrant

Not remotely close to what my point was.

If you have 1 and a half top 2 centers all year, it would make sense to draft another, regardless of how good they are. Penguins did just fine with Crosby-Malkin-Staal down the middle. Nemec better be worth it. (Assuming Cooley and Wright end up being at least 2nd/3rd line centers).

Mercer could possibly step up to 2C
- dmarsden2988

That’s true.

Zero surprise. This is why we should’ve picked a center and not a dman projected to go 5th or later. Hischier and Hughes are often injured.. so it wouldn’t kill us to have another top 2 center to play that role. It’s been shown every quarter of every season for years that both guys get hurt.. they probably combine to miss a third of a season every year, and when they’re both out forget it.. and these are supposed to be our best players. Cooley and Wright were right there. Nemec better be the next Niedermayer.
- MartysBetter88

I was also a fan of Cooley and Wright. The draft selection surprised me, especially with Sevo putting up strong numbers behind Hamilton, and Marino coming in on the right side as well. Seemed odd, but the only saving grace was a quick look at the previous 10 draft years. Just take a look at the first D to go in each draft. Nemec may be a superstar in a coupe seasons. But ya, the logic of drafting players based on your teams current needs makes no sense. Take the best kid available, chances are the 18 year old isn't going to be an immediate impact and you need to address your deficiencies in free agency or trade.