...has not felt good recently. Don't get me wrong - the Devils have been amazing in the regular season over the past 5 years. They have averaged 103 regular season points and won the Atlantic Division 4 times. Assuming we don't come back to beat the Flyers, it will mark the 5th straight season that they have not made it past the second round in the playoffs.
I know I should be thankful that I support a team that has made the playoffs for 13 straight years. It is rare that you find a franchise that is that consistent over the course of a decade. I talk myself into being prepared for it to come to an end before every season. Seriously, this isn't the same league that they won their 3 Stanley Cups in. There should be no way they compete. All dynasties end at one time or another. I am ready for rebuilding. Yet somehow rebuilding continues to get pushed back. We have somehow overcome the loss of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko on the blueline to remain relevant in the new NHL.
So why do I feel the way I do? Why does this season like last season and the year before feel like a lost season? Shouldn't making the playoffs be a good goal? Obviously it is a nice goal, but when you win 3 Stanley Cups in 9 years you expect more that just regular season success. If the Devils don't come back from 3-1 down to beat the effing Flyers this year I will be one of the first to ask 'Where do we go from here?'
We are obviously built around Marty, but he is not the same goalie he once was. Three years ago I would ask the Marty-bashers 'Is there another goalie you would rather have to play in an do-or-die game?' and the answer was always NO. Obviously that is not what you would hear today. Ryan Miller. Roberto Luongo. Thomas Vokoun. Miika Kiprusoff. Ilya Bryzgalov. Evgeni Nabokov. Ok, I just named six. Hell, the guy across the river one might even be on that list.
Here lies the big problem that dynasties always face - when do you get rid of your franchise player? Trading Brodeur would have a hugely negative backlash from the fans, but it has to be done at some point. If we lose one more game this year doesn't Lou Lamoriello have to give serious consideration about breaking this team up? We have the future already. His name is Zach Parise - lets build around him and make this team exciting to watch. How long do we hold on to Marty and the defense-first system that hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 2003? The NHL is not the same as it was and while the Devils have adjusted in the regular season, their post season play just has not been good enough. While some fans may be ok with this, I am not. Give me the joy of another Stanley Cup not six straight 100 point seasons with nothing to show for them.
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