We are HFboards newest partner, Dailyfaceoff.com. We have posted previews for each team based on their off-season moves, as well as fantasy implications. If you are interested at a outsiders view of the Devils , take a look!
And here is a snippet of the article:
All things considered, the New Jersey Devils had a fantastic season last year. After losing Martin Brodeur to a serious injury in early November, most people wrote New Jersey off. However, journeyman back-up Scott Clemmensen carried them to another division championship before they lost in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes. That being said, it was a turbulent off-season in the Garden State. Coach Brent Sutter was released from his contract for personal reasons and then signed with Calgary in an incredibly shady move. He was replaced with former Devils coach Jacques Lemaire, who should bring back a strong defensive system to New Jersey. The team also lost two long-time veterans in Brian “I scored 48 goals one year” Gionta and John Madden, while Clemmensen bolted for Florida after his big season. On a brighter note, the team did re-sign Johnny Oduya, who is a key component of their defensive squad. Even with a full season from Brodeur, do not expect the Devils to repeat as division champs over the Penguins and Pronger-led Flyers. The losses of Gionta and Madden will hurt, but Devils should battle to remain a top five or six team in the East.
Under "draft worthy defenceman"....why does it have Oduya listed? We didn't draft him...
__________________ NJD without Paul Martin: 29-19 BG - On Pandolfo: Bold Prediction? Score at least 10 goals and 20+ points if he stays healthy. (4G, 5A = 9pts, -10)
The picture was supposed to show some of the big losses over the last couple years. In my opinion the Devils are one of the best at keeping their roster consistently similar from year to year, but there has been some big losses in the last to years.
The picture was supposed to show some of the big losses over the last couple years. In my opinion the Devils are one of the best at keeping their roster consistently similar from year to year, but there has been some big losses in the last to years.
Time to make use of the [x] option on the far right of the thread title.
__________________ 1) Collect underpants and Kovalchuk.
2) Waive Pandolfo and Peters - dress Zharkov & Palmieri welcome back Martin, Clarkson & Elias.
3) Profit from Koivu, and Nieds via the Ducks.
4) Hoist Cup.
Not bad but you pick on Gionta for having one good goal scoring season but then consider him a major loss. I think you are dismissing this replacement who is already on the team and not even mentioned, Rolston.
After losing Niedermayer and Stevens after the lockout, losses like he cites are no sweat. Love reading the hit parade from pundits that again bet aganist the Devils. Than again, most of the chimps playing that card are going to be right one day and will pound his/her chest in delight after getting it wrong for over 15 years plus. However, I like when they don't ever pick the Devils and go with ze Sexy teams that make all of the EA sports like moves.
They lose a Liliputian overpaid by a desperate GM, a warrior whose time here past and a third string goalie and a guy whose last contribution was over six seasons, albeit a wonderful on in a cup run.
If anything, this team is better if not better. A rejevenated Zubrus and Rolston, a rested Brodeur and the continuing maturation of young talent. Not to mention, a coach that can get out of the 1st. round.
Last edited by RMBoner Stabone: 09-15-2009 at 11:12 AM.
Well ladies and gents, I have reposted the entire article in quote tags below. In between the quote tags, you shall see my commentary. I have decided that I will continue doing this for any all of these "HFBoard Partners" in hopes of banishing all of them from the Devils boards because they apparently don't know research the team at all.
Quote:
All things considered, the New Jersey Devils had a fantastic season last year. After losing Martin Brodeur to a serious injury in early November, most people wrote New Jersey off. However, journeyman back-up Scott Clemmensen carried them to another division championship before they lost in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Scott Clemmensen, two NHL organizations. Yup, really journeyman there. Granted he bounced between AHL/NHL, but TWO organizations...
Quote:
That being said, it was a turbulent off-season in the Garden State. Coach Brent Sutter was released from his contract for personal reasons and then signed with Calgary in an incredibly shady move. He was replaced with former Devils coach Jacques Lemaire, who should bring back a strong defensive system to New Jersey.
How many interviews with coaches and players will be needed to show the Devils will not be playing a "strong defensive system"? My guess: Infinity. Sheesh.
Quote:
The team also lost two long-time veterans in Brian “I scored 48 goals one year” Gionta and John Madden, while Clemmensen bolted for Florida after his big season.
Verbage aside, this is actually pretty accurate. Clemmensen does deserve the raise and job security he has in FLA, though.
Quote:
On a brighter note, the team did re-sign Johnny Oduya, who is a key component of their defensive squad. Even with a full season from Brodeur, do not expect the Devils to repeat as division champs over the Penguins and Pronger-led Flyers. The losses of Gionta and Madden will hurt, but Devils should battle to remain a top five or six team in the East.
While that is a matter of opinion, I don't see the Flyers as a "Pronger-led" team. Is he the captain? Can someone really be the leader of a team when they haven't even played a game yet? Just curious.
Quote:
FANTASY WORTHY FORWARDS
Zach Parise (LW) – Parise busted out in a big way last year, finishing the season with 45 goals, 49 assists and a +30 rating. At the tender age of 25 he is just reaching his prime, and should be a perennial Rocket Richard candidate for the next five years. I see no reason why he will not once again reach the 40 goal plateau, and he should be considered one of the top left wingers on draft day.
Finally, something I can't argue.
Quote:
Travis Zajac (C) – Like his teammate Parise, Zajac had a breakout campaign iin 2008-09, scoring 20 goals and 42 assists, while accumulating a +33 rating. Zajac should be the undisputed number one center and be a fixture on the first powerplay unit. 70 points is a reasonable estimate, and like any Devil he will be a huge asset in the plus minus department.
I don't know about being a PP fixture, but sure.
Quote:
Jamie Langenbrunner (RW) – I would be a little weary of Langenbrunner this year. Last year he set career highs in goals, assists, points and plus minus at the age of 34. Some players get better with age, but I would make sure not to reach too early for Langenbrunner come draft day. A more realistic expectation would be 60 points and a +15 rating.
Again, not completely terrible.
Quote:
Patrik Elias (LW) – Like everyone else on this list, Elias had a fantastic season last year recording 78 points, his highest post lockout total. Thanks to position scarcity, Elias is a valuable commodity but he will not carry your team to a championship.
Also, off-season surgery means he will miss games. Pretty important note, don't ya think?
Quote:
Keep an eye on: Brian Rolston
Quote:
DRAFT WORTHY DEFENCEMEN
Paul Martin – Martin has been eerily consistent the last two seasons.
2007-08: 73 GP, 5 G, 27 A, +20
2008-09: 73 GP, 5 G, 28 A, +21
I would expect a comparable year again, and if he can stay healthy for 82 games he could possible reach that 40 point plateau. Martin’s only downside is that he does not contribute much in the penalty minute category.
First off, I don't see how adding ten games will add ten points when he's a .4 PPG player. He's a stretch to make 40 points.
Quote:
Johnny Oduya – Oduya is a poor-man’s Paul Martin. He will give you similar statistics across the board, just a little lower in every category. He should score 30 points and can be considered a depth defenceman.
I agree with this statement.
Quote:
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Martin Brodeur – While his GAA and SV% slipped, Brodeur had a solid campaign, winning 19 games and posting 5 shutouts in only 30 starts. He is one of the game’s best and should be considered in the top tier of goaltenders with Roberto Luongo and Niklas Backstrom. The only thing I would worry about is if he will start his usual 75+ games.
Nothing to argue here, either.
Quote:
Bonus: Paul Martin shares names with a former Canadian Prime Minister which is always cool. Imagine a sniper for Vancouver named Bill Clinton.
Bonus is actually a cool fact.
So, in review: Not as bad as some other pre-season articles I've read, but still less informative then it really could be. If you just look at names on the roster and make determinations, this is a good article. However, if you really want to critique the team, there is some missing. Notably that Elias will most likely NOT start the season, and that Lemaire wants to play a very up-tempo offensive game. That's really huge stuff to miss I think.
Overall, a B+ effort. Not completely a waste of time and a pretty decent read for anyone that doesn't know the team I suppose.
Everyone - if you can't offer constructive criticism like Cowbell's post for example instead of smart remarks such as "epic fail" and such then please don't offer nothing and move on, it takes a lot of balls for someone to come into a team's forum and offer their opinion on that team, it's takes ZERO balls to bust their chops for it.
Everyone - if you can't offer constructive criticism like Cowbell's post for example instead of smart remarks such as "epic fail" and such then please don't offer nothing and move on, it takes a lot of balls for someone to come into a team's forum and offer their opinion on someones team, it's takes ZERO balls to bust their chops for it.
Thanks Ronnie. I'd like to see one of these Partner sites post all their team reviews in their respective forums - get feedback - and then re-update their articles with more information and then update their threads. This way if I go to a site like 'dailyfaceoff' for example, I could see an actually valuable piece of information about the other 29 teams.
I'm hoping someone, hint hint at everyone out there, will do this.
Why comment on a team if you don't have a full grasp on or about it? If you are doing a write up on all 30 teams, you need to be scratch below the surface if you want your work to be passed of as something semi professional. I'm sorry it comes off a bit cliche, however that what his work comes off as.
No knock on this guy and it does take balls to post your thoughts, however with that comes the possibly of criticism, especially when you are on a Devils board with informed fans who read all kinds of stuff like his all night/all night. Partner or no partner and this goes for the articles he posts for all the other 29 teams. If he wants to be a writer, he needs to develop a thick skin real fast.
Not just referring to this write up, but a whole lot of ones out there by bloggers and professionals. That's the blessing and curse of the blogosphere, you have to shift through lots of corn filled nuggets to find a diamond. I don't mind regarding CONSTURCTIVE criticism or an honest opinion, that's something that TG gives, however TG is the upper echelon in a field of free content.
I have thick skin, I have been subjected to much worse criticism from other teams fans. That is why I am back here though. I am not an expert on the Devils so I like to chat with you guys and learn.
General,
Maybe I was a little too strong in highlighting the losses of some of their players because I still think NJ is a fantastic team. I said they will still be a top 5-6 team in the East which is nothing to shake a stick a considering they have some tough opponents in their division.
Cowbell,
Thanks for the detailed analysis. I use journeyman for Clemmensen in the sense that he is 32 years old and over half of his career starts in the NHL came last year.
With regards to them play up-tempo hockey, I'll believe it when I see it.
By Pronger led I do not mean he is going to be the heart and soul of the team. I mean this team was tops in PIMS last year and figure to do so again, and Pronger will be a guy spear-heading that.
Sorry I do not have the quotes to show what I am talking about. Not a big forum guy. Still learning that start of stuff. Either way, the Devils are a good team, look like they have some great fans. I am living in NYC this year so hopefully I will get out to some games and see them first-hand. I saw them in Edmonton once but that was a long time ago. Mick McGeough called off two Ryan Smyth goals and the Oil lost by one.
Thanks for the detailed analysis. I use journeyman for Clemmensen in the sense that he is 32 years old and over half of his career starts in the NHL came last year.
With regards to them play up-tempo hockey, I'll believe it when I see it.
By Pronger led I do not mean he is going to be the heart and soul of the team. I mean this team was tops in PIMS last year and figure to do so again, and Pronger will be a guy spear-heading that.
Sorry I do not have the quotes to show what I am talking about. Not a big forum guy. Still learning that start of stuff. Either way, the Devils are a good team, look like they have some great fans. I am living in NYC this year so hopefully I will get out to some games and see them first-hand. I saw them in Edmonton once but that was a long time ago. Mick McGeough called off two Ryan Smyth goals and the Oil lost by one.
What are you doing tomorrow night? I will give you a free ticket to the pre-season game (Devils/Rangers) so you can see first hand the difference in this team. If you're looking for cheap tickets, we have them quiet often in our Cheap Ticket thread or feel free to PM me and I'll see what I can dig up.
I liked the layout, most of the wording, and the effort at basic English that you displayed. Your article was much better then the vast majority of the internet crap based solely on that criteria. With that being said, a little more research into the team would have yielded quite a bit more information. I'm sure what you've faced here is better then some other teams though, .
Everyone - if you can't offer constructive criticism like Cowbell's post for example instead of smart remarks such as "epic fail" and such then please don't offer nothing and move on, it takes a lot of balls for someone to come into a team's forum and offer their opinion on that team, it's takes ZERO balls to bust their chops for it.
Word.
I feel bad now that I busted some chops on an earlier HF article, but I will say that this one is much more informed and worlds better as a result. We are just a little defensive, as a fanbase, being written off season after season, despite our continued success, that we tend to have a jaundiced view.
Thanks, Cowbell, for treating it seriously and actually helping to foster an actual dialog with the author.
__________________ HATERS BE HATING, BUT MOTTS BRINGS THE SAUCE !!!
He was replaced with former Devils coach Jacques Lemaire, who should bring back a strong defensive system to New Jersey. The team also lost two long-time veterans in Brian “I scored 48 goals one year” Gionta and John Madden, while Clemmensen bolted for Florida after his big season. On a brighter note, the team did re-sign Johnny Oduya, who is a key component of their defensive squad. Even with a full season from Brodeur, do not expect the Devils to repeat as division champs over the Penguins and Pronger-led Flyers. The losses of Gionta and Madden will hurt, but Devils should battle to remain a top five or six team in the East.
"who should bring back a strong defensive system to New Jersey." Really, you know that for a fact? Because the players (ya know, the ones that are in practice every day and have firsthand knowledge of the system he's implementing) disagree with you. Hmmmm, tough call on who to believe, you or someone who's around Lemaire everyday. I'll sleep on it.
Furthermore, it's absolutely hilarious that you mock Gionta for his big season then put him in the category of players we lost that "will hurt." A healthy rolston is more than capable of replacing Gio on the second line.
At any rate, you managed to get a few things right in your article concerning Parise and Zajac. I don't think Z-par will improve on last seasonm but I think he'll come very close to duplicating it. ~90pts is a good estimate at this point. Like you said, I think Zajac will improve his point total assuming the ZZPops line is kept together all year and he trained as hard as he did after his soph year.
All in all, this is actually one of the better articles that has been posted on our board. A plethora of them just wreaked of ignorance. This one has some thought behind it and I only noticed a few errors.
You guys are brutal. This guy obviously is not a die hard Devils fan like us, not everyone is, and quite frankly, he doesnt need to be. He shows a good amount of knowledge and some very plausible predictions. It was meant to be a FANTASY HOCKEY ARTICLE, and it is actually a very good one. You guys are so nit-picky/defensive. If a writer doesn't tell you exactly what you want to hear (Jacques Lemaire will surely be playing an up-tempo offensive game, etc.), you get offended. For Christ sake, the guy is right, Jacques most likely will/should/is intending to tighten up the defensive game, although the article makes no mention of him sacrificing offense for it liek so many of you assume. In fact, his predictions prove the opposite. He predicts Parise to have another strong year, Zajac to be around 70 points, Rolston to have a bounce back year, etc., unlike other writers who actually think Parise and co.'s numbers are gonna suffer under Lemaire.
1) This preview isn't bad, but it doesn't go out on any limb at all. A bit too vanilla for me (though in the end probably quite accurate).
2) For Devils fans complaining about the "strong defensive system" phrase. We better have a ****ing strong defensive system. If we don't we're doomed with our forwards.
Thanks for the defense. Yes this is mainly meant to be a fantasy hockey article, but we like to throw in the team as a whole preview because I think it makes it more interesting for Devils fans to read (even though they may disagree with my opinion). The most benefit is in the fantasy hockey aspect, and getting an outsiders view on your favourite team. It is really hard to gauge your favourite players. Every year I think it will be Hemsky's 90 point break out season, and I have to physically restrain myself from drafting him despite what my heart wants.
Cowbell,
I wouldn't have been able to make it to the game as I had class that evening but I will definitely try to score one of these cheap tickets and make my way over to NJ sometime soon.
Anyways, thank you all very much for commenting. You are definitely one of the most respectful fan bases I have encountered thus far. Good luck with the season, and continue to enjoy watching Brodeur while you still can.
Scott Clemmensen, two NHL organizations. Yup, really journeyman there. Granted he bounced between AHL/NHL, but TWO organizations...
I'm not sure what that has to do with it. The definition of journeyman, according to MW is as follows:
2 : an experienced reliable worker, athlete, or performer especially as distinguished from one who is brilliant or colorful
which fits Clemmer perfectly. It has nothing to do with his travels around the league.
As for the article, fantasy wise it's pretty much on target. It does a good job of summarizing our offseason to those who don't closely follow the Devils. The thing with these articles is that anyone who is a diehard fan will already know this and as we've seen pick it apart. It keeps it simple and outlines the changes we undertook this offseason. not to shabby. Heck it's better then the filth on ESPN.
I'm not sure what that has to do with it. The definition of journeyman, according to MW is as follows:
2 : an experienced reliable worker, athlete, or performer especially as distinguished from one who is brilliant or colorful
which fits Clemmer perfectly. It has nothing to do with his travels around the league.
As for the article, fantasy wise it's pretty much on target. It does a good job of summarizing our offseason to those who don't closely follow the Devils. The thing with these articles is that anyone who is a diehard fan will already know this and as we've seen pick it apart. It keeps it simple and outlines the changes we undertook this offseason. not to shabby. Heck it's better then the filth on ESPN.
Calling Burnside's articles "filth" could actually be defined as a compliment to him.
I think you are dismissing this replacement who is already on the team and not even mentioned, Rolston.
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