It's like we're trying to score by committee. DeBrincat was the most obtainable and Fitzgerald probably had tunnel vision towards Gaudreau . Idk what he can do. Cap is going up next year and gives all the crunched teams more room. Praying Holtz turns it up.

Our only hope. Gotta be honest, he looked like a deer in headlights last year. Hopefully he can put it all together this year at the NHL level

Some might agree with me, some might not. After missing out on Tkachuk, I’m ok with 1 more bad season. This draft is supposed to be stacked. I’m not saying finish in the top 5 again, but if Yegor takes another step, Holtz takes a step, Mercer progresses, Jack and Nico stay healthy, Bratts season last year wasn’t a fluke, I think we can be close to a playoff spot.

Well if the goaltending goes back anywhere close to pre-pandemic play we should be tons better.
Maybe Timo Meier becomes available, his $10 QO scares me but maybe 13 talks him into it

MT - Fitzgerald would've been a fool to beat that Panthers offer. Glad we didn't get him.
DeBrincat - Would rather have Nemec. Would have considered moving Holtz here but maybe Davidson wanted a high pick, not a prospect.
Fiala - I think he was willing to only sign an extension for the Kings.

Going back to last off season, I think GMTF set us up to be competitive.
We got Hamilton and Graves in on D, Tatar up front, Mercer made the team, Bratt and Hughes poised for breakout seasons and Bernier to provide stability in net.

Then Hughes got injured in our second game, out for half the season.
We got 8 games from Bernier then he was out for the year, had to rely on 7 different goaltenders throughout the year.
Hamilton out for quite a while and didn't have time to fully recover before the end of the season.

I don't think any of these three things will happen to us for next season.

We are gonna get (at least) league average goaltending, we are gonna have Hamilton and Hughes around.
Our RHD is probably the best in the league and our depth at forward is fantastic.
Even with all the crap the Devils went through last season, they were an above average offensive team.
We got a new coaching staff, we are not gonna dress Geertsen for 25 or so games.
Bratt and Hughes are legit superstars, Shango and Mercer are solidified as a top 6 wingers, Palat provides winning experience.
... and we might actually get a power play that doesn't concede more goals than it allows.

I don't share your pessimism.
I think we can be looking at a Wildcard spot in April, sure the east is absolutely stacked but when has it not been like this?

Fwiw, Isles, Pens, Caps are all getting quite old and Rangers rode on the back of the best goaltending season the NHL has ever seen.
There's a good case for each of these teams to regress quite a bit, whereas the Devils will be in the ascendancy.

We don’t have an “elite” wing up front rn to play with Jack. I’m not going to call Bratt that elite wing until he does it again this year. We’re doing same sh*t with Jack as Isles have done with Barzal. Give him someone to play with. And even if u give Bratt to Jack, who does Nico get? We need elite players added, not just “good” players. Tatar sucks now also, he looked awful last year and I hope they move him in addition to Johnsson who plays like he has two left feet. Saying Nemec > DeBrincat rn is also a take for sure

Common Tintin W

People are crying that we paid Palat until he’s 36 but are fine if we signed Gaudreau until he’s 36

Lol once you don’t get Tkachuk- all the “premium “ pieces you CF fans were offering CGY are no longer top line players!

This Dude just seems to hate the Devil's. Weird from a fan.

Followers of the team know what took place & why the franchise is where it is, but thanks for the recap.
This fan, like you, remains optimistic. Looking forward to seeing the kids develop & hopeful the unproven rookies, like Holtz etc, show us that the scouting and development staff know their stuff. It should be a fun season to watch ... Toughest part now is the wait. Two months until first pre season game.

Don’t hate the team. Exactly the opposite in matter of fact. That’s why I get so frustrated. When I see our GM not doing what needs to be done, it frustrates me. We’re not making the playoffs with our current team. Who are we leap frogging in the East?

Unlikely they leap frog anyone ... You are just on a different timeline than mgmt is. Hopefully they surprise you. Enjoy the season

What can their timeline possibly be? We’ve made the playoffs once in the past decade. It’s an absolute joke. As fans, we can’t just keep saying “well there’s always next year.” F*ck that. We wanna start winning now. Every year we don’t make the playoffs is a year off Jack and Nico’s contracts and careers in general. Players don’t wanna come here unless u overpay them(point in case: Palat). With an elite top 6 addition, this team can be dangerous THIS YEAR. Idgaf ab Holtz. Trade him and a first for someone like Timo Meier. Ik what I’m getting from Meier and Holtz is unlikely to surpass his production and even if he does, so be it

I appreciate your frustration, but I believe each GM has to be given time for their plan to play out. Even though Fitz was part of Shero's staff, he seems to have his own philosophy & has only had the reigns since 2020. He has remade the entire Defense, which was a mess imo, for both near term & long term. Offense looks solid already, avg 3 GPG despite Hughes & Hamilton missing so much time, I'd think it would be fair to expect at least 3.5 this season. Fitz even tried to fix the GK bringing in a new veteran every season. I guess we can critique the selections of Crawford & Bernier, but most thought they were solid moves when made. Idk, I'm willing to give Fitz more time & not blame him for LouLam & Shero's missteps. I want them to be more than dangerous today, I want them to win a cup.

So do I obviously but we need to get into playoffs first and gain experience. To me, this is Fitz last year to prove it. If they don’t make playoffs, him and Ruff should be the first ones out the door. U don’t have endless time to turn this team around. And it’s not the moves I have a problem with, it’s the non moves from Fitz

We don't know the cost of or if the non moves were even possible. UFAs may not have even considered NJ (why would they with State Tax Rates) & Trade partners may have had no interest in the prospects, players, picks available. We can't evaluate something we have zero transparency to.

I would imagine Fitz gets one more offseason & 2023-24 team performance is his do or die.

Think it depends on season. If we miss playoffs by 30+ points, idc if every player on the roster got injured, Fitz AND Ruff are gone. Still astonished that dinosaur is behind the f*ckin bench. 1/4 way through year, if we’re not in good spot, Brunette needs to be HC

He's toast Bro... Brunette is writing on the wall. First misstep it's over.