Yes, the Devils are 1-4-1 right now. Yes, this is garbage and exactly the kind of play that forces me to call them the "Damn Weiner Devils." Yes, they have a high payroll and higher expectations. Yes, they have a $100 million player who is on pace for 27 goals.
This team has been far from settled since it was put together over the summer. Salary cap and roster issues (including injuries) have kept the team from getting comfortable with each other. There is a rookie coach who is trying to figure things out and facilitate the evolution that this team needsto undergo, all while towing the company line (falling back on defense and marty is... status quo). There are probably too many rookies making rookie mistakes right now. The whole situation is primed for disaster.
So, no, I am not surprised at how they have been playing. But it is what it is.
Wait, I've just been handed this news brief: this is the same as every year! The Devils have a new coach almost every year. They always live and die by streaks. They will probably lose the next 2 games and then win 8 in a row and 10 of 13 before losing 5 straight. This is as much of a tradition as me using the words 'fucking' and 'retards' repeatedly while going through my fantasy football team on Sunday afternoons. It is what it is.
So let's just take a deep breath and close our eyes and let our imaginations fly away to April when the Devils 96-101 points and are vying for 1st in the atlantic. Because, like clockwork, that's what happens.
Briefly...
I'm really glad that Urbom is hanging out with Tedenby in Albany right now. He needs the seasoning, although I have no idea who the mega frenchie sounding guy they called up is (olivier magnan-grenier). All I know is that he's a defenseman and goddamn is his name all types of french. I think I will refer to him as crepes or sacre bleu or something. At least until 10 minutes from now when I forget and just go back to calling him frenchie.
I'm liking Taormina a lot. Incidentally, on the yahoo fantasy hockey rankings, he is ranked slightly higher than johnny oduya, whom the devils included in the trade for ilya kovalchuk. When criticizing the kovalchuk deal everyone brings up the players traded as part of the cost of keeping him, but it would appear that oduya has been replaced. I just find it interesting that the Devils were able to easily replace this loss (result of kovalchuk trade) with yet another undrafted potential stud puck moving defenseman. So does that mean we should cross him off from the loss column?
The lines will get figured out in time. I'm not worried.
I still think Zajac should be on more people's radars. Conversely, I'm glad he's not.
And since I haven't said it here before, fuck the rangers.
Your comments are spot on. Every year the experts predict the Devils demise and every year we end up with 100 points. It's right up their with death and taxes.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, this 1-4-1 start is not like others. There is no way you can overlook the offseason they had and not worry. As I said in a previous post, I prefer Ilya on a separate line from Zach. I think it will take only a little time for both lines to pick it up. But I still worry about Marty - he's not the same goaltender that he once was. In my mind, he is no longer is he the #1 guy in the league (a position he held for many many years). In fact, I wonder if he is top 10...