The Devils are a different team than the regular defensive minded shell around Brodeur that they used to be. With New managment, new GM Rob Gray, comes a new regime and change. Nobody could conceive Brodeur being dealt, but this team was at a crossroads either compete with everything it has or take some needed time to build up some depth. Well this team took a "Youth Movement" as GM Gray put it, moving Brodeur for a highly skilled winger in Lascek, a solid goalie prospect in Helenius aswell as a solid tandem goalie in smith and defensive specialist prospect Vladimir Mihalek who the the team is really high on and a 1sr rounder from Tampa. Others among the new faces are Devan Dubnyk, Colborne, O'Sullivan, and Staios while losing Elias, Langenbrunner, Shanahan and Vishnevski.
This season so far has been marred by inconsistancy going 4-1 to start with rookie netminder Davan Dubnyk between the pipes. The team followed this up with a 3-7 record with Mike Smith getting a some less then impressive ice time. One of the few bright spots this season for the Devils has been their play on special teams, the powerplay has been one of the only consistant outlets for offense and the PK has preformed adequately. Rookie forward Nicklas Bergfors has also shown top 6 potential already this season putting up 5g 5a, good for 2nd in rookie scoring behind Tavares 6g 7a, while on the 2nd line with Zubrus and O'Sullivan who both have preformed well.
It is definetly more about winning and challenging in the future and consistantly having a playoff team at the time being for the Devils. The depth looks good on the offensive side to with Zajac, Colborne down the middle on the top 6 and a mash of skilled wingers like Parise, Tedenby, Vasyunov, Bergfors, Lascek and O'Sullivan. Dubnyk is the supposed goalie of the Devil's future with Smith or Helenius left to play 2nd fiddle, only time will tell who lasts in Brodeur's huge shadow though. The future of the defense is the only thing in question at the moment as GM Gray put it "It needs some work" while Martin and O'duya have showed lasting power on the current blueline, the team will be looking hard through the draft for quality dmen but would also like to move a DFD to bring in a little more offensive minded D in the short term this season.
The Record
Moderator: SharksGM
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DevilsGM
Re: The Record
There hasn't been much on ice accomplishments to cheer for in the swamp this season but the future is looking bright. Zach Parise was an intergual part to this team and deemed untouchable by GM Gray. "Well unfortunatly no one is untouchable in the league today, as proven time and time again when teams step up with offers." is how Gray opened his statement to the press following a bluckbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche. "This has nothing to do with Parise not fitting in, he is an upstanding individual and was a part of our long term plans. Parise is in my opinion one of the best goalscorer's in the league so obviously I wasn't clammering to let him go, but when Quinn [Mulligan] called up with a premise around his team's 1st round pick I was definetly intrigued. There will be some top talent at this years draft and now at the moment we have the slated #1 with a 10point cushion. Parise was obviously caught in the middle and while we would have loved to keep him this deal not only nets us a top 5 pick but makes our pick another top 5, and with TB's pick still in hand we are looking to assemble a strong crew of rookies at this years draft. I would like to thank Colorado for the deal, and wish good luck to not only them but to Zach [Parise] and his long career ahead of him."
Shortly following this statement veteran colin White was shipped out for a draft pick in next years entry draft. It is believed Mihalik will replace him on the big squad, with Greene filling in Pokulok's spot. Smith, also dealt in the Parise deal, was belived to be at odds with the head coach and a few team mates, his play had been slipping after starting the season slowly and giving a majority of starts to rookie Devan Dubnyk he won back the starting role. But after a few wins Smith didn't like the idea of being put back behind Dubnyk, whos numbers have been better all season, so Helenius will be seeing some action after leading a hot AHL team for the last while. The Devil's AHL affiliate has been one of the brightest spots for NJ fans this year boasting some impressive play from Colborne, Vasyunov, Mihalik, Helenius and of course Swedish underager Mathias Tedenby who with a call up has earned himself a roster spot and been one of the best players for the team next to Parise over the past couple weeks. This team has had some ups and downs this season, but the fans are hoping it should all pay off in June come draft day.
Shortly following this statement veteran colin White was shipped out for a draft pick in next years entry draft. It is believed Mihalik will replace him on the big squad, with Greene filling in Pokulok's spot. Smith, also dealt in the Parise deal, was belived to be at odds with the head coach and a few team mates, his play had been slipping after starting the season slowly and giving a majority of starts to rookie Devan Dubnyk he won back the starting role. But after a few wins Smith didn't like the idea of being put back behind Dubnyk, whos numbers have been better all season, so Helenius will be seeing some action after leading a hot AHL team for the last while. The Devil's AHL affiliate has been one of the brightest spots for NJ fans this year boasting some impressive play from Colborne, Vasyunov, Mihalik, Helenius and of course Swedish underager Mathias Tedenby who with a call up has earned himself a roster spot and been one of the best players for the team next to Parise over the past couple weeks. This team has had some ups and downs this season, but the fans are hoping it should all pay off in June come draft day.
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Commish Bub(NYR)
- Posts: 6507
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Re: The Record
Nice write-up. Looks like you'll have to change your sig tho. 
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DevilsGM
Re: The Record
Devil's Draft Day Review
Rob Gray entered his 1st NHL draft as General Manager of the Devil's with a handful of picks and the future landscape of his team hanging in the balance. Many thought after selling so many longstanding veterans for picks and prospects, the biggest of course being Marty brodeur, that the team could never return to its heyday of multiple cups in the late 90's early 2000's. While there weren't a lot of high points in a season full of hardships it was a trade at the deadline that set the stage for this draft.
The Devil's walk into the draft with 2 top 3 picks because of some risky business by GM Rob Gray. Zach Parise, the Devil's point leader at the time, was shipped in a deal to bring back Colorado's 1st which at the time was dead last trailing the closest team by 5 points. This deadline deal made the Devil's the odds on favourite for the last overall pick but nobody could forsee how good it would eventualy turn out. The Devil's dropped from 5th last to 3rd last after the deadline and Colorado held onto last overall but the Devil's went onto win the draft lotto putting thier pick #1 and pushing Colorado's 1st to 2nd overall. Giving up Parise was hard for the team and the fan base to let go of, being a prime goalscorer in the league, but GM Gray's gamble had paid off and he now had the pick of the litter of what some scouts are calling "the most top heavey draft in recent memory."
The Devil's came to the 1st day of the draft with 3 1st rounders(NJ, COL, TB) and added to the collection before the festivities got underway. New Jersey shipped Colorado's(2nd oa) pick to Toronto for their 1st(3rd oa) and CBJ's 1st(18th oa). This allowed Toronto a shot at their guy, who most speculated to be Taylor Hall(and were proven right soon after), and gave NJ a chance to add more depth and/or bargaining chips. Later in the 1st round GM Gray would use this bargaining chip to move up, he moved the 18th oa with a 3rd rounder to move up 3 spots to 15th(Phi) but still they couldn't land their guy, most are assuming a defensemen, at 15th and with time ticking away on the pick they made a blockbuster trade. New Jersey sent Joe Colborne, PHI 1st and TB 1st to Atlanta for Ilya Kovalchuk, landing the biggest player on the trade market while simultaneously adding 2 of the top 3 prospects in the draft.
Now for the actual Draft Pick Review:
Tyler Seguin C, Plymouth Whalers
Seguin was rated among the top 2, with Taylor Hall, all season and for good reason. He is viewed as being the
most complete forward in the draft but still brings tremendous offensive upside scoring 146 points in 74 games and racking up an eye-poping 72 goals. Seguin's position combined with his 2-way play at center made him the slightly more appealing player for New Jersey as they tend to go big at center. Theres no doubt Seguin will be a top player in the league, but it has yet to be seen if he can help NJ get to the promised land as Seguin has never had much luck in his OHL playoff career. None the less both management and fans alike are excited and while it may take a season or 2 for him to develop they have a skilled center to get their new addition Kovalchuk the puck for years to come.
Cam Fowler D, Windsor Spitfires
Cam Fowler is a franchise defensemen. This guy has done it all so far and already this year has been huge contributing factors to winning the WJC gold and Memorial Cup for the US junior team and the Spitfires resectfully. He is viewed as the next big thing on defense to come out of the OHL, he put up very good numbers while in junior this past season with 91points in 72 games and 31 goals. The most amazing part of his game isn't the offense though, he is a very reliable in his own end and is always the 1st man back in the zone and the 1st defensemen to pinch in and while his offensive instincts are something to be marveled it is his ability to create offense from his solid defensive presence and his consistancy night in and night out that make him so valuable. Defense was an area of concern for New Jersey walking into the draft and while some thought it would be foolish to let Hall slip by at #2, Gray has stated many time he got exactly who he wanted with his 1st couple picks and adding Kovy only made the need for Folwer more intense.
Nino Niederreiter LW, Portland Winterhawks
"El Nino" Niederrieter is the 1st major prospect to come out of Switzerland in quite a few years. He put up great
numbers with Portland this year with 113 points and 78 goals in 77 games making the highest touted Swiss prospect in recent memory. He has a great shot and stickhandling abilities but GM Gray tended to mention his intangibles when it came to Nino stuff like his Endurance and leadership specificly. Nino also has a solid 2-way game and while he isn't a natural center he is proficient in Face offs and can either be a PK regular or inury fill in. Nino's upside is a good 2-way top 6 winger but he will most likely go back to Junior next season as he still need to work on some holes in his game.
Alexander Gogolev RW, Spartak Moscow
Comming in at 6'2" 172lbs Gogolev isn't your stereotypical small 1-way russian, he has some chops in the defensive end and while he may not be the best 2-way player his skills are only highlighted by the fact he was a steal in the 4th round. Don't be mistaken though Gogolev's paycheque will be made scoring and while he isn't netting a few of his own he has some amazing playmaking and stickhandling skills. Skating and hitting have been pointed out to be suspect many times, some scouts beleive he merely hasn't grown into his legs and his skating will improve while others tend to disagree, but his consensus problem seems to be his consistancy and is linked to why he dropped so far. While it may be a few seasons away New Jersey fans should be looking forward to seeing this slick Russian join their squad.
Simon Lof D, Brynas
Simon Lof is a big right handed beast of a defensemen. He will never wow with offensive numbers although he has a tremendous shot and did rack up a staggering 69points in 76games and netted 37goals for Brynas as a 19 year old. Impressive stats for sure but most still see Lof's offensive potential dropping right off, this doesn't mean he will be bad as his money will be made in the defensive end he is a mean shutdown defender and will make the NHL if he improves his skating, endurance and propensity to take penalties.
Vyacheslav Kulemin RW, CSKA Moscow
Kulemin is a skilled up and commer in Russia and would be right at home with all the Russians the Devil's have added lately but unfortunately many see him as nothing but AHL cannon fodder. As a 5th rounder seeing him take the AHL on would alone be a success, but if fans are (un)lucky you might see him as an injury call up at most.
Tyler Bunz G, Medicine Hat Tigers
Bunz was backup in Medicine hat all year and saw virtualy no rubber. Much like Kulemin if Bunz makes the AHL
team in a season or 2 as the starter New Jersey fans should be ecstatic, but don't expect him as an injury call up.
Rob Gray entered his 1st NHL draft as General Manager of the Devil's with a handful of picks and the future landscape of his team hanging in the balance. Many thought after selling so many longstanding veterans for picks and prospects, the biggest of course being Marty brodeur, that the team could never return to its heyday of multiple cups in the late 90's early 2000's. While there weren't a lot of high points in a season full of hardships it was a trade at the deadline that set the stage for this draft.
The Devil's walk into the draft with 2 top 3 picks because of some risky business by GM Rob Gray. Zach Parise, the Devil's point leader at the time, was shipped in a deal to bring back Colorado's 1st which at the time was dead last trailing the closest team by 5 points. This deadline deal made the Devil's the odds on favourite for the last overall pick but nobody could forsee how good it would eventualy turn out. The Devil's dropped from 5th last to 3rd last after the deadline and Colorado held onto last overall but the Devil's went onto win the draft lotto putting thier pick #1 and pushing Colorado's 1st to 2nd overall. Giving up Parise was hard for the team and the fan base to let go of, being a prime goalscorer in the league, but GM Gray's gamble had paid off and he now had the pick of the litter of what some scouts are calling "the most top heavey draft in recent memory."
The Devil's came to the 1st day of the draft with 3 1st rounders(NJ, COL, TB) and added to the collection before the festivities got underway. New Jersey shipped Colorado's(2nd oa) pick to Toronto for their 1st(3rd oa) and CBJ's 1st(18th oa). This allowed Toronto a shot at their guy, who most speculated to be Taylor Hall(and were proven right soon after), and gave NJ a chance to add more depth and/or bargaining chips. Later in the 1st round GM Gray would use this bargaining chip to move up, he moved the 18th oa with a 3rd rounder to move up 3 spots to 15th(Phi) but still they couldn't land their guy, most are assuming a defensemen, at 15th and with time ticking away on the pick they made a blockbuster trade. New Jersey sent Joe Colborne, PHI 1st and TB 1st to Atlanta for Ilya Kovalchuk, landing the biggest player on the trade market while simultaneously adding 2 of the top 3 prospects in the draft.
Now for the actual Draft Pick Review:
Tyler Seguin C, Plymouth Whalers
Seguin was rated among the top 2, with Taylor Hall, all season and for good reason. He is viewed as being the
most complete forward in the draft but still brings tremendous offensive upside scoring 146 points in 74 games and racking up an eye-poping 72 goals. Seguin's position combined with his 2-way play at center made him the slightly more appealing player for New Jersey as they tend to go big at center. Theres no doubt Seguin will be a top player in the league, but it has yet to be seen if he can help NJ get to the promised land as Seguin has never had much luck in his OHL playoff career. None the less both management and fans alike are excited and while it may take a season or 2 for him to develop they have a skilled center to get their new addition Kovalchuk the puck for years to come.
Cam Fowler D, Windsor Spitfires
Cam Fowler is a franchise defensemen. This guy has done it all so far and already this year has been huge contributing factors to winning the WJC gold and Memorial Cup for the US junior team and the Spitfires resectfully. He is viewed as the next big thing on defense to come out of the OHL, he put up very good numbers while in junior this past season with 91points in 72 games and 31 goals. The most amazing part of his game isn't the offense though, he is a very reliable in his own end and is always the 1st man back in the zone and the 1st defensemen to pinch in and while his offensive instincts are something to be marveled it is his ability to create offense from his solid defensive presence and his consistancy night in and night out that make him so valuable. Defense was an area of concern for New Jersey walking into the draft and while some thought it would be foolish to let Hall slip by at #2, Gray has stated many time he got exactly who he wanted with his 1st couple picks and adding Kovy only made the need for Folwer more intense.
Nino Niederreiter LW, Portland Winterhawks
"El Nino" Niederrieter is the 1st major prospect to come out of Switzerland in quite a few years. He put up great
numbers with Portland this year with 113 points and 78 goals in 77 games making the highest touted Swiss prospect in recent memory. He has a great shot and stickhandling abilities but GM Gray tended to mention his intangibles when it came to Nino stuff like his Endurance and leadership specificly. Nino also has a solid 2-way game and while he isn't a natural center he is proficient in Face offs and can either be a PK regular or inury fill in. Nino's upside is a good 2-way top 6 winger but he will most likely go back to Junior next season as he still need to work on some holes in his game.
Alexander Gogolev RW, Spartak Moscow
Comming in at 6'2" 172lbs Gogolev isn't your stereotypical small 1-way russian, he has some chops in the defensive end and while he may not be the best 2-way player his skills are only highlighted by the fact he was a steal in the 4th round. Don't be mistaken though Gogolev's paycheque will be made scoring and while he isn't netting a few of his own he has some amazing playmaking and stickhandling skills. Skating and hitting have been pointed out to be suspect many times, some scouts beleive he merely hasn't grown into his legs and his skating will improve while others tend to disagree, but his consensus problem seems to be his consistancy and is linked to why he dropped so far. While it may be a few seasons away New Jersey fans should be looking forward to seeing this slick Russian join their squad.
Simon Lof D, Brynas
Simon Lof is a big right handed beast of a defensemen. He will never wow with offensive numbers although he has a tremendous shot and did rack up a staggering 69points in 76games and netted 37goals for Brynas as a 19 year old. Impressive stats for sure but most still see Lof's offensive potential dropping right off, this doesn't mean he will be bad as his money will be made in the defensive end he is a mean shutdown defender and will make the NHL if he improves his skating, endurance and propensity to take penalties.
Vyacheslav Kulemin RW, CSKA Moscow
Kulemin is a skilled up and commer in Russia and would be right at home with all the Russians the Devil's have added lately but unfortunately many see him as nothing but AHL cannon fodder. As a 5th rounder seeing him take the AHL on would alone be a success, but if fans are (un)lucky you might see him as an injury call up at most.
Tyler Bunz G, Medicine Hat Tigers
Bunz was backup in Medicine hat all year and saw virtualy no rubber. Much like Kulemin if Bunz makes the AHL
team in a season or 2 as the starter New Jersey fans should be ecstatic, but don't expect him as an injury call up.