Back To Black (Parade) (SOTFA EP371)

WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.820 --> 00:00:01.100
Let's go.
2
00:00:53.020 --> 00:00:59.750
Happy Devils Wednesday. This is the State of the Fan Address. Episode,
3
00:01:00.609 --> 00:01:08.069
I think it's 371. Titled, Back to Black Parade. I'm
4
00:01:08.109 --> 00:01:13.390
your host, Sam Wu, here with PucksandPitchforks.com Editor-in-Chief, Nick Villano.
5
00:01:13.950 --> 00:01:18.629
As we're streaming live on Facebook Live, YouTube Live, X Live, Twitch.
6
00:01:19.730 --> 00:01:23.500
And now on Instagram Live on... The Let's Go Devils
7
00:01:23.560 --> 00:01:26.760
Network coming to you live, live from the Primetime Radio
8
00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:32.349
Studios bunkers in both North and South Jersey, covering the
9
00:01:32.390 --> 00:01:36.569
Garden State, talking a little Devils hockey on this beautiful
10
00:01:36.829 --> 00:01:45.010
evening before tomorrow's game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Rock. Yeah,
11
00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:47.150
we'll be there. Game Day Live and Devils After Dark
12
00:01:47.370 --> 00:01:51.269
at American Whiskey. Nick, how are you, my friend? Feels
13
00:01:51.329 --> 00:01:54.069
good to be a Devils fan today.
14
00:01:54.109 --> 00:01:58.609
Yeah, today's an interesting day. Because obviously coming off a
15
00:01:58.730 --> 00:02:01.950
really big win against the Colorado Avalanche. And we'll jump
16
00:02:01.969 --> 00:02:04.799
into that in a second. But there's a lot of
17
00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:08.000
really interesting things going on with the New Jersey Devils.
18
00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:11.740
And with just the rumors. The rumors are flying again.
19
00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:14.939
And we love when the rumors start flying. It's really interesting.
20
00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:15.159
But.
21
00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:19.180
you know, the, the, the fanatics started putting out some
22
00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:26.860
encrypted messages on the hometown remix jerseys were terribly hard to, uh, uh,
23
00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:30.810
decipher for the devils. I think it's pretty clear that
24
00:02:30.939 --> 00:02:35.629
black parade is the, uh, the, uh, hometown remix Jersey theme.
25
00:02:35.969 --> 00:02:39.030
I guess some people are talking about whether New Jersey natives,
26
00:02:39.090 --> 00:02:43.629
my chemical romance are going to be involved in any way, but, um, Yeah,
27
00:02:43.710 --> 00:02:47.860
there's a lot of pending incitement, but let's start with
28
00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:49.659
last night's game. What did you think?
29
00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:55.460
Well, you know, for whatever reason, I thought it might
30
00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:57.969
have been like, I wouldn't say a trap game, but
31
00:02:58.569 --> 00:03:01.969
I think the sentiment was the Colorado Avalanche losing to
32
00:03:02.009 --> 00:03:04.770
the Philadelphia Flyers and then having to play the New
33
00:03:04.789 --> 00:03:08.469
Jersey Devils. I was worried about that first period because
34
00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:12.379
that's the chance for the Devils to make a statement.
35
00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:15.759
after that last game against the capitals were in the
36
00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:18.159
second period, they just, they just didn't come out. They
37
00:03:18.199 --> 00:03:22.939
came out flat sleepwalking. And I was afraid that Colorado
38
00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:25.300
would be on their a game right from the get-go
39
00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:28.379
and the devils would come out flat because you just
40
00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:31.539
never know which team comes out. But I thought the
41
00:03:31.590 --> 00:03:35.229
devil is off. Yeah. But it turned out that the
42
00:03:35.270 --> 00:03:37.409
devils were pretty much for the most part in this
43
00:03:37.449 --> 00:03:40.069
game in control. There was some great play. I mean,
44
00:03:40.610 --> 00:03:44.889
Cal McCarr is just a world-class player. I mean, he
45
00:03:44.930 --> 00:03:50.000
was breaking ankles in that one sequence with Timo Meier. But,
46
00:03:50.180 --> 00:03:52.539
you know, other than that, like, I thought the Devils
47
00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:55.460
played a pretty, I wouldn't say a complete game, but
48
00:03:56.620 --> 00:03:58.939
that's as good as it's going to get against the,
49
00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:02.900
you know, last year's President Trophy winning team. So I
50
00:04:02.939 --> 00:04:05.060
was pretty happy with the performance. There's still a lot
51
00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:08.159
to clean up. But overall, I think the team's back
52
00:04:08.219 --> 00:04:08.650
on track.
53
00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:14.580
Yeah, I was surprised at how well Arseny Gritsik looked.
54
00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:17.560
And obviously he made that one play in McCarr and
55
00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:21.139
Devin Tays, one of the best defensive duos in the world.
56
00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:25.089
And he just outclassed them both and then deked the goalie.
57
00:04:25.170 --> 00:04:27.970
One of the best goals we've seen in a long time.
58
00:04:28.769 --> 00:04:33.300
Arseny Gritsik looks like a different player since being put
59
00:04:33.379 --> 00:04:35.519
on that first line. And you kind of saw that
60
00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:38.980
a little bit last year. where he seems to thrive
61
00:04:39.339 --> 00:04:42.360
with opportunity, and maybe it's just the time, right? Having
62
00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:44.439
more time on ice, he kind of gets into a
63
00:04:44.660 --> 00:04:47.810
better rhythm. But I think Sheldon Keefe has to learn
64
00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:49.589
from that, and you kind of have to just stick
65
00:04:49.610 --> 00:04:52.689
with Gritsik in the top six as much as you
66
00:04:52.730 --> 00:04:58.310
possibly can. I thought Jake Allen played really well. You know,
67
00:04:59.550 --> 00:05:02.209
the two late goals notwithstanding, I think that there was
68
00:05:02.250 --> 00:05:05.759
just a lot of being under siege, and I can't
69
00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:08.060
really blame him for any of the goals I can remember.
70
00:05:13.459 --> 00:05:18.819
I thought the defense closed on Pucks well. Because the
71
00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:20.959
one criticism I had of Jake Allen was I thought
72
00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:24.399
his rebound control was pretty bad, but the defenseman always
73
00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:27.060
had his back on that for the most part, except for,
74
00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:29.160
I can't remember whose goal it was, but I think
75
00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:33.389
it was on the car play, right? Where They got
76
00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:37.860
a couple whacks at it at his pads at the McCarpley.
77
00:05:37.899 --> 00:05:43.379
So other than that, I thought they closed on rebounds
78
00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:48.879
and closed on defensemen or on forwards and close much better.
79
00:05:48.899 --> 00:05:51.920
They did it against the Capitals. There wasn't a lot
80
00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:56.779
of standing around and staring and hoping. I thought there
81
00:05:56.800 --> 00:06:00.100
was a lot more aggression. And I know Sheldon Keefe
82
00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:02.500
said that he worked on that in practice. So it's
83
00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:05.040
good to hear that that's being implemented into a game.
84
00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:09.639
Interesting lineup. Amadeus Lombardi and Stefan Nason were taken out.
85
00:06:11.339 --> 00:06:14.420
Stefan Nason had a really pretty play tonight in Utica.
86
00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:18.670
He had a primary assist on Ben Steve's goal to
87
00:06:18.790 --> 00:06:22.870
open up the score. Utica currently has a 4-0 lead
88
00:06:23.149 --> 00:06:26.649
on Rochester. Utica's having an incredible start to the season.
89
00:06:26.670 --> 00:06:30.310
I don't think they've lost yet. So that's something to watch.
90
00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:34.350
Utica is... on another level. So we, we really want
91
00:06:34.389 --> 00:06:39.250
to keep, keep our eye on that. Um, yeah, I,
92
00:06:39.379 --> 00:06:42.800
I think, you know, the shot differential, I think it
93
00:06:42.839 --> 00:06:45.579
was what it was, was it 15 to four in
94
00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:49.420
the first period and then 32 to 13 going to
95
00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:53.069
the second intermission. I think that was a shot differential, uh,
96
00:06:53.129 --> 00:06:55.730
Colorado to get 21 shots in the third period. So
97
00:06:55.750 --> 00:06:57.930
they really put on the jet to the end. It
98
00:06:57.970 --> 00:07:00.829
just wasn't enough because Jesper Bocos got that empty net goal.
99
00:07:02.290 --> 00:07:04.230
It's a lot of what you want. Timo Meier played
100
00:07:04.250 --> 00:07:07.670
a really good game. He still didn't score. He only
101
00:07:07.730 --> 00:07:11.439
has that one goal late against the Caps. It really
102
00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:17.600
didn't mean anything. Outside of scoring, Timo Meier is doing
103
00:07:17.620 --> 00:07:21.120
a lot. You just have to wonder how long can
104
00:07:21.139 --> 00:07:24.079
he stay next to Niko if he's not scoring. I
105
00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:30.829
think we're still a little ways away from that. Here's
106
00:07:30.889 --> 00:07:33.420
the headline. that I don't think people are talking about enough.
107
00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:40.660
Jack Hughes doesn't have a regulation goal. We're, what, nine
108
00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:43.750
games into the season. He doesn't have a goal outside
109
00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:46.550
of overtime. He has two overtime goals, which is great.
110
00:07:46.810 --> 00:07:47.209
Love that.
111
00:07:47.930 --> 00:07:51.050
No regulation goals. And the Devils are 5-4. I don't
112
00:07:51.069 --> 00:07:54.569
think anybody would believe you if you said that. Jack's
113
00:07:54.649 --> 00:07:57.379
going to get... I think Jack has seven assists, though.
114
00:07:58.100 --> 00:08:02.060
So it's not like he's not contributing. He's just... Not score.
115
00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:02.639
You know what?
116
00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:07.399
This is just like the 2022-23 season. And let's go
117
00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:10.850
back to CJ when he put that out there. Because
118
00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:13.589
Jack Hughes had a very slow start, and he had
119
00:08:13.610 --> 00:08:16.959
a monster season. I think 99 points that season. Yep,
120
00:08:16.949 --> 00:08:21.430
99 points. And everyone's like, I remember those podcasts a
121
00:08:21.589 --> 00:08:25.500
few years ago. Jack will be Jack. Don't worry about it.
122
00:08:25.709 --> 00:08:26.649
Just it'll come.
123
00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:37.379
I think what's interesting is... I really wish we could
124
00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.909
be a little bit more positive. And I've been saying
125
00:08:40.929 --> 00:08:44.750
this for like three years now. More than that, probably.
126
00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:51.159
Because I probably said in 2022, 2023. I feel like
127
00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:58.320
there are certain people out there, especially on Twitter, who
128
00:08:59.419 --> 00:09:01.720
would rather just rain on the parade at all times?
129
00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:05.350
And there's always going to be something to, you know,
130
00:09:05.549 --> 00:09:07.289
even if this team's in first place in the Metro
131
00:09:07.309 --> 00:09:08.889
to follow division, they'll be like, we can't win the
132
00:09:08.909 --> 00:09:12.789
playoffs like this, even though it's, it'll be February. So
133
00:09:12.809 --> 00:09:15.149
you can't, it's like, well, how do you know that?
134
00:09:15.350 --> 00:09:17.789
You know, there's, but like, I saw a lot of
135
00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:20.860
criticism be like, Jack doesn't want to get hit anymore.
136
00:09:21.320 --> 00:09:24.179
And a lot of that came from that play against
137
00:09:24.220 --> 00:09:26.759
Tom Wilson. Did you talk about that at all? play
138
00:09:26.779 --> 00:09:30.000
against Tom Wilson that Jack kind of ducked and covered.
139
00:09:31.769 --> 00:09:35.049
What, talk about after the game?
140
00:09:35.269 --> 00:09:37.090
Or in the Sunday show, I don't know how to
141
00:09:37.110 --> 00:09:42.429
be talking about that. I think that that was the
142
00:09:42.470 --> 00:09:46.940
right play. Maybe he didn't need to fall, right? Maybe
143
00:09:46.980 --> 00:09:52.259
that was a little dramatic, but there was no play
144
00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:55.820
to be made, right? It You're looking at a 1-2%
145
00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:57.610
chance of scoring there. And a 60% chance of scoring.
146
00:10:00.220 --> 00:10:02.559
chance of getting plowed by Tom Wilson.
147
00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:04.580
Do you know what that reminded me of?
148
00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:07.039
Sorry. What? No, go ahead.
149
00:10:07.500 --> 00:10:11.799
No. If anybody watched football back in the 90s, it
150
00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:17.399
reminded me of Barry Sanders, who was very calculating when
151
00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:21.019
he was running back for the Detroit Lions Hall of Famer.
152
00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:26.059
If there was nothing there, he would fold the cards
153
00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:30.679
early and just go down. But if something's there, he
154
00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:32.950
would stretch the play and he knew when to do it.
155
00:10:33.700 --> 00:10:36.559
And I want Jack Hughes to be doing that, being
156
00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:41.649
strategic and not trying to out-muscle anyone because that's just
157
00:10:41.690 --> 00:10:44.090
not the type of body he's got and the type
158
00:10:44.129 --> 00:10:47.750
of player he is. I don't know why a lot
159
00:10:47.769 --> 00:10:49.590
of people made a big deal of it, but I
160
00:10:49.710 --> 00:10:53.820
want Jack Hughes... to be strategic when he's in front
161
00:10:53.860 --> 00:10:57.120
of the crease or wherever, because he is not going
162
00:10:57.240 --> 00:10:59.320
to knock over people, you know?
163
00:10:59.740 --> 00:11:03.100
Yeah. No, he's going to break in their ankles.
164
00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:03.659
Yeah.
165
00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:07.399
He's going to knock over people by, by stop speed,
166
00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:11.590
stop skating, like stop going skating and trick people. You know,
167
00:11:11.629 --> 00:11:15.289
he's going to do it more like a basketball player than,
168
00:11:15.690 --> 00:11:16.669
you know, Jerome Bettis.
169
00:11:17.210 --> 00:11:17.470
Yeah.
170
00:11:17.490 --> 00:11:21.049
Right. He's, he's, he's trying to break ankles, not break chests.
171
00:11:22.100 --> 00:11:23.980
And I know a lot of people aren't used to that.
172
00:11:27.710 --> 00:11:32.750
But when we use the S word, soft or anything
173
00:11:32.769 --> 00:11:36.309
like that, we got a slower roll with this. And
174
00:11:36.370 --> 00:11:38.519
I say we, I'm not the one saying it. So
175
00:11:38.899 --> 00:11:43.139
I don't think you say it either. It's strategy. And
176
00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:48.139
it's a good strategy. Again, I think Jack's goal scoring
177
00:11:48.179 --> 00:11:51.809
is going to come. I think when healthy, he's a
178
00:11:51.809 --> 00:11:58.549
40-goal scorer. And he's proven that before. Right now, he
179
00:11:58.809 --> 00:12:04.220
is giving me... I don't even want to say it.
180
00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:06.600
I'll say it just because of the player. It's going
181
00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:10.419
to have such a negative connotation. But he's giving me
182
00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:13.820
2019 Taylor Hall when Taylor Hall was just racking up
183
00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:16.580
assists and not scoring goals. Um.
184
00:12:18.350 --> 00:12:22.570
But eventually, Taylor Hall crumbled under the pressure of the
185
00:12:22.690 --> 00:12:25.409
criticism of that. I don't think Jack Hughes actually cares.
186
00:12:26.730 --> 00:12:29.309
And I think that there was some worry that, and
187
00:12:29.450 --> 00:12:35.220
it's completely possible that the distractions of the offseason still
188
00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:40.899
had a little bit of reverberation and leaked into his
189
00:12:41.500 --> 00:12:47.139
year a little bit. He's getting over a breakup.
190
00:12:48.250 --> 00:12:48.950
With the popsicle.
191
00:12:49.049 --> 00:12:50.629
Yeah. Who knows?
192
00:12:50.970 --> 00:12:54.070
Who's at the Victoria's Secret, you know? I don't know
193
00:12:54.090 --> 00:12:55.669
what that was. Show.
194
00:12:57.899 --> 00:13:00.159
Does he still do, like, the lingerie show?
195
00:13:00.259 --> 00:13:04.340
Something like that, yeah. I saw something on social media
196
00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:05.679
when I was dead school.
197
00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:06.419
You know.
198
00:13:06.659 --> 00:13:06.799
Oh.
199
00:13:08.539 --> 00:13:10.529
Yeah, I didn't know. I don't know. I don't know
200
00:13:10.570 --> 00:13:16.980
what to say anymore. But anyway, I think that... Yeah, again,
201
00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:22.080
I'm not too concerned. Because, again, his line's playing well.
202
00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:25.919
I think I'm more concerned about Brad. Brad doesn't look
203
00:13:25.960 --> 00:13:30.840
like himself. And he looks like Timo Meier does, and
204
00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:36.970
Timo Meier's struggling to score. And where he's just gripping
205
00:13:37.009 --> 00:13:39.070
his stick so hard. Like, Jesper Brad should have five
206
00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:41.730
or six goals right now. With the empty nets and
207
00:13:42.090 --> 00:13:45.629
the high danger chances that he has. And what is Brad?
208
00:13:45.649 --> 00:13:52.059
Does he have two? What? Goals?
209
00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:59.759
Brad? Yeah. Yeah, I think he's only got two. I
210
00:13:59.779 --> 00:14:02.019
think Nico leads the team, I think, with four goals
211
00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:03.820
right now, which is low.
212
00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:09.509
Luke is at three. Brad has two. Well, Gritsik got
213
00:14:09.529 --> 00:14:10.470
his fourth yesterday.
214
00:14:11.049 --> 00:14:12.190
Okay. So....
215
00:14:14.129 --> 00:14:16.110
But I think you're right. I think, yeah. So, Gritsik
216
00:14:16.350 --> 00:14:19.389
and he should lead the team with four. Pretty low.
217
00:14:20.149 --> 00:14:24.340
But you got Evangelista, Boquist, and Hughes, all three. Luke Hughes.
218
00:14:25.460 --> 00:14:28.059
Jack Hughes has the two overtime goals. Brett and Rodriguez
219
00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:31.879
have two. And then there's one, two, three, four, five,
220
00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:34.899
six players with one. I didn't realize Mercer doesn't have
221
00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:35.350
a goal yet.
222
00:14:37.649 --> 00:14:43.190
Well, yeah. He's been pretty invisible on the score sheet.
223
00:14:43.210 --> 00:14:43.330
Yeah.
224
00:14:44.429 --> 00:14:45.149
You know, I.
225
00:14:47.690 --> 00:14:50.210
It's kind of frustrating, actually, because we had high hopes
226
00:14:50.250 --> 00:14:54.340
for Mercer possibly being a 30-goal scorer one day. And
227
00:14:54.409 --> 00:14:55.179
he's just not.
228
00:14:58.820 --> 00:15:01.120
Yeah, one day for sure. I think that that's out
229
00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:03.620
the window, and that's okay, right? He scored 27 in 2022-23.
230
00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:04.950
I think it was 20? 21, maybe? And now he's 24.
231
00:15:04.940 --> 00:15:05.389
He's not old, but.
232
00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:18.179
But, you know, 20, 19, 20. It seems to be
233
00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:20.039
like 20 is kind of where he's going to be.
234
00:15:20.940 --> 00:15:25.679
And that's okay. As long as it's like 20 and
235
00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:30.200
50 points. Like 30 assists. He's playing really good defense.
236
00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:33.019
He's killing penalties. Like, that's fine. If that's what you're
237
00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:34.539
going to be. You're going to clean up 20 goals
238
00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:41.259
a season. Here's the issue that I have with Dawson Mercer.
239
00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.490
That's the issue I've always had with Dawson Mercer. that
240
00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:48.110
I thought would eventually figure itself out, and it just
241
00:15:48.149 --> 00:15:52.350
never has. He's the streakiest player I've ever seen. Ever.
242
00:15:53.090 --> 00:15:55.690
I'm trying to think of anybody who might be a streak.
243
00:15:55.730 --> 00:15:58.090
John Madden was really streaky, but he did so many
244
00:15:58.149 --> 00:16:03.090
other things. He's actually really similar to John Madden. I
245
00:16:03.110 --> 00:16:06.799
think John Madden was a better penalty killer. He did
246
00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:09.750
the defensive side better than Mercer, but Just when you
247
00:16:09.769 --> 00:16:12.389
look at, like, what does a John Madden look like?
248
00:16:12.429 --> 00:16:13.690
And he was, you know, John Madden had a little
249
00:16:13.710 --> 00:16:16.809
bit more grit and toughness. But Dawson Mercer is what
250
00:16:17.769 --> 00:16:22.220
John Madden looks like today. And John Madden had a
251
00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:24.720
pretty high goal season once, right? Didn't he have over
252
00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:32.220
20 once? Yeah. So, and he had a Selke. I
253
00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:35.360
just think, like, I have time for that kind of guy.
254
00:16:37.950 --> 00:16:42.629
The problem is Madden was always contributing. Mercer will go
255
00:16:42.649 --> 00:16:47.720
a month without a goal and then score eight the
256
00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:54.519
next month. That guy could win you the cup or
257
00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:57.330
lose you the cup, depending on which one shows up
258
00:16:57.370 --> 00:17:00.909
in the playoffs. If the eight-month guy shows up, he's
259
00:17:00.950 --> 00:17:04.390
going to really help you on your mission to get
260
00:17:04.410 --> 00:17:07.410
to the Stanley Cup. If the nun guy shows up,
261
00:17:07.509 --> 00:17:13.160
then he's a hole in your lineup. And goal scoring
262
00:17:13.220 --> 00:17:16.019
isn't his whole game, but it has to be part
263
00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:20.299
of his game for him to be a really valuable
264
00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:24.099
asset to the New Jersey Devils. And I think that
265
00:17:26.099 --> 00:17:30.880
when you look into the depths of the pros and
266
00:17:30.900 --> 00:17:34.230
cons of this team, Finding where he makes the most
267
00:17:34.250 --> 00:17:42.809
sense is the hardest question to answer. And when you
268
00:17:42.849 --> 00:17:46.769
have a conversation, you can't bench him. I know everybody
269
00:17:46.789 --> 00:17:55.079
wants to be like, you can't bench your franchise leader
270
00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:57.480
in consecutive games played. As much as we want to
271
00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:00.799
talk about You've got to make the hard decisions and
272
00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:05.799
blah blah. You can't do it. You just can't. The
273
00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:09.980
implications of that are so far reaching. Who did they
274
00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:14.539
do that to? Did they do it to Keith Yandel?
275
00:18:15.180 --> 00:18:18.220
Is that who they did it to? Yeah.
276
00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:21.319
It was the Flyers. It was the Flyers that did that.
277
00:18:22.259 --> 00:18:23.839
Yeah, with a healthy scratch.
278
00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:24.339
Yeah.
279
00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:28.029
You can't do it. You can't do it. Put him
280
00:18:28.069 --> 00:18:30.170
on the fourth line. That's fine. I think he'd do
281
00:18:30.210 --> 00:18:34.250
fine with Lombardi and Glass. I think they'd play well together.
282
00:18:34.269 --> 00:18:46.859
The lineup's really hard. Mercer just has to play better.
283
00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:51.099
He has to be more consistent because this is the
284
00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:54.500
best four lineup we've had since we've done this podcast.
285
00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:58.319
This is a better forward lineup than 22-23.
286
00:18:59.059 --> 00:18:59.619
I would agree.
287
00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:05.619
You know, the defense isn't as good. But the forward
288
00:19:05.660 --> 00:19:12.920
lineup is possibly better. Or it's definitely better. I'm thinking
289
00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:16.539
of all the forward lineups since we've done the pie.
290
00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:26.509
Because even in 2019-2020, You know, you have this pie-in-the-sky
291
00:19:26.549 --> 00:19:32.759
lineup where, you know, you had Nico Hischer. I think
292
00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:35.480
you had Pavel Zak on that team. And you had
293
00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:41.740
Jack Hughes down the middle. I'm just going through my
294
00:19:41.779 --> 00:19:46.230
head to see who. Yeah, I don't even think on paper,
295
00:19:46.289 --> 00:19:51.910
even with Gusev, with Hall, with Palmieri, I don't think
296
00:19:51.950 --> 00:19:53.789
that that lineup was as good as this one as
297
00:19:53.809 --> 00:19:56.410
far as forwards go. So I think that you did
298
00:19:56.430 --> 00:19:59.779
a really good job, if you're Sonny Meda, building this
299
00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:06.279
forward lineup to succeed. But this is also, Sam, why
300
00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:09.779
I said all off-seasons. I thought Mercer was going to
301
00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.579
be traded in a lesser version of the Simone Nemez trade.
302
00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:15.220
Okay.
303
00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:19.329
Because like a first and a second round pick type thing.
304
00:20:19.589 --> 00:20:22.150
Maybe it's a better, a higher hopes first. Maybe it's
305
00:20:22.170 --> 00:20:27.549
like Columbus's first round pick or something like that. And
306
00:20:27.589 --> 00:20:29.130
I don't know if they do that. I'm just kind
307
00:20:29.150 --> 00:20:31.650
of throwing that out there, but like, like I don't
308
00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:35.299
think Detroit's trading their first round pick for Dawson Mercer,
309
00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:39.369
but I think Detroit, would be happy to have Dawson Mercer.
310
00:20:40.029 --> 00:20:41.670
And I think we can kind of transition to that
311
00:20:41.730 --> 00:20:45.089
conversation in a moment. But I just think Sonny made
312
00:20:45.130 --> 00:20:47.690
a look at the landscape. I think he looked at,
313
00:20:48.549 --> 00:20:51.140
he made a point on, I don't remember if it
314
00:20:51.150 --> 00:20:57.259
was JP's interview or Greg Wyshynski's profile on him. But
315
00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:00.180
he made it a point, it was Greg Wyshynski's, because
316
00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:05.049
he talked about White Lotus. And I think that's telling.
317
00:21:06.789 --> 00:21:09.970
Because White Lotus isn't a good show. It's a good show,
318
00:21:10.049 --> 00:21:12.910
but it's not like a show of good people. Right?
319
00:21:15.450 --> 00:21:23.779
And so when I think about, okay, so who, why
320
00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:27.500
are you bringing that up? I think it's a show
321
00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:31.079
of broken people. I don't think they're bad people. I
322
00:21:31.099 --> 00:21:35.440
think they're broken people. How do you rectify that as
323
00:21:36.089 --> 00:21:39.630
a leader? Well, you've got to fix who you can,
324
00:21:39.650 --> 00:21:43.019
and you've got to remove the ones who are, you know,
325
00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:48.480
the rotten apple in the apple pie. Because it takes
326
00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:51.500
one bad apple to ruin the pie, as they say.
327
00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:55.009
And I don't think Simon Nemitz is a bad apple.
328
00:21:55.589 --> 00:21:58.470
I think he's a valuable apple that was easier to
329
00:21:58.509 --> 00:22:02.809
get rid of than to pay. Like, you were looking
330
00:22:02.849 --> 00:22:06.650
at a really long and really expensive commitment. You had
331
00:22:06.690 --> 00:22:10.210
to choose... Because think about it. If you paid Simone Nemitz,
332
00:22:11.089 --> 00:22:19.150
Simone Nemitz costs as much as Evangelista and Manta. I
333
00:22:19.190 --> 00:22:21.230
know people are down on Manta to start the season,
334
00:22:21.250 --> 00:22:27.869
but he's played much better. He started scoring. But yeah,
335
00:22:28.029 --> 00:22:29.950
I look at this entire forward group, and I think
336
00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:32.160
Manta's another guy who's going to get going. I think
337
00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:34.720
he's going to start scoring. I think it makes sense
338
00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:38.519
having him with Rodriguez. I really liked him with Rodriguez
339
00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:41.240
and Nason. I just don't know how you get it done.
340
00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:45.099
Because I don't know who you can sit. Boquist is
341
00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:46.799
forced to win this lineup. You can't take him out.
342
00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:49.859
Connor Brown is a positive to this lineup. He played
343
00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:53.519
really well yesterday. Evangelista is obviously not going to sit.
344
00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:56.940
I want Lombardi back into the lineup. So sitting him
345
00:22:56.980 --> 00:23:01.710
already hurts. So I'm looking. I just don't know how
346
00:23:01.730 --> 00:23:03.309
you get Nason back in this lineup. Even though I
347
00:23:03.349 --> 00:23:05.690
think that he kind of deserves it. He played really
348
00:23:05.710 --> 00:23:08.519
well in the NHL. That's also the other part, Sam, is,
349
00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:10.799
you know, when they first put him on waivers, he
350
00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:13.000
kind of didn't look like an NHL player. He came
351
00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:16.819
back from the AHL and was a bat out of hell.
352
00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:19.740
He looked like an NHL player the past couple games.
353
00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:25.759
It's just a math problem. You know, like, you have
354
00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:30.299
too many NHL players. And the same goes for, like, Haminaho.
355
00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:33.960
Haminaho's playing incredibly well in the AHL. I think he's
356
00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:36.549
an NHL player. You just don't have a spot for
357
00:23:36.569 --> 00:23:39.160
him right now. So you kind of have to play
358
00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:42.460
the numbers. And, you know, you even talk about guys
359
00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:44.920
beyond that, like maybe LeChance is playing like a guy
360
00:23:44.940 --> 00:23:48.660
like that. I think Xavier Perrant scored tonight. He's been
361
00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:51.680
a guy who's looked really well and a guy I've
362
00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:56.109
been high on. They really like Matthias Malovsky. I think
363
00:23:56.150 --> 00:23:59.710
he needs at least another year in the HL, maybe two. But,
364
00:23:59.930 --> 00:24:01.970
you know, if he forces his way up, like, what
365
00:24:02.009 --> 00:24:06.089
are you going to do? There's a problem. It's not
366
00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:12.690
a problem. There's a conundrum with this Devils team that's unexpected.
367
00:24:12.710 --> 00:24:21.339
I don't think anybody expected the Devils to have this
368
00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:24.019
kind of depth. I know they shot for it, right?
369
00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:26.799
But Lombardi playing as well as he has has been
370
00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:32.140
the surprise. And this forward group, I think you saw
371
00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:35.039
what it did. say what you want about the back
372
00:24:35.059 --> 00:24:37.079
to back aspect of it. And I think that that's,
373
00:24:37.619 --> 00:24:40.539
that does matter, but it's not the whole story. The
374
00:24:40.579 --> 00:24:43.359
fact that the devils did that to Colorado for two
375
00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:48.539
periods is significant. Nobody does that to Colorado. Nobody does
376
00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:51.799
that to Colorado. So to take them and just kind
377
00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:54.549
of hold them by their ankles above their heads and
378
00:24:54.589 --> 00:24:56.650
just go, ha ha ha ha. Like we're going to
379
00:24:56.670 --> 00:24:58.029
keep the puck away from you. We're going to get
380
00:24:58.049 --> 00:25:00.720
all the chances. And they finally buried a couple, right?
381
00:25:00.740 --> 00:25:08.730
They buried, you know, Gritsik buried one, and Evangelista buried one.
382
00:25:11.130 --> 00:25:13.430
Who scored the second goal? Why can't I think of that? Oh,
383
00:25:13.509 --> 00:25:17.690
that was the floater by Chisholm, right? Yep. And went
384
00:25:17.730 --> 00:25:24.319
off of a defenseman. So, and Chisholm's playing better, which
385
00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:32.160
is very important to this team. I like Dylan. Dylan
386
00:25:32.180 --> 00:25:38.059
provides something to this team. His positives need to outweigh
387
00:25:38.099 --> 00:25:39.619
his negatives for him to get back in the lineup,
388
00:25:39.660 --> 00:25:41.440
and they weren't the first five games of the year.
389
00:25:43.539 --> 00:25:46.900
So having that flexibility that Chisup gives you when he's
390
00:25:46.940 --> 00:25:51.250
playing on his natural side and the fact that Kovacevic
391
00:25:52.049 --> 00:25:56.059
looks much better. Like, Kovacevic last year was, and he
392
00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:58.140
was coming off a torn ACL, so I'm trying to
393
00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:02.470
give him the benefit of the doubt. Kovacevic was a
394
00:26:02.710 --> 00:26:07.930
detriment to the Devils last year. He's been a decent player.
395
00:26:07.970 --> 00:26:15.769
He's still their worst defenseman on the ice, but that's okay.
396
00:26:20.099 --> 00:26:22.920
All right. So let's talk about Larkin.
397
00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:26.259
That's a very interesting topic.
398
00:26:29.220 --> 00:26:32.089
So Larkin officially, or I don't know if you want
399
00:26:32.109 --> 00:26:35.289
to call it official, reports say that Larkin has expanded
400
00:26:35.349 --> 00:26:39.190
his trade list to 10 teams. The New Jersey Devils
401
00:26:39.390 --> 00:26:44.349
are on that list. They're joined by the Minnesota Wild,
402
00:26:44.710 --> 00:26:46.410
the Florida Panthers, and the Vegas Golden Knights have been
403
00:26:46.609 --> 00:26:49.039
on that list from the jump. And everybody said that
404
00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:52.279
that was a means to an end to get him
405
00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:59.500
to Minnesota. Problem is, is that Minnesota has played hardball
406
00:26:59.559 --> 00:27:03.619
from the jump. And they haven't upped their offer from
407
00:27:03.769 --> 00:27:08.710
what the reports say from surrounding Danil Yurov. They think
408
00:27:08.750 --> 00:27:11.430
that Danil Yurov's hot start, I mean, if you look
409
00:27:11.470 --> 00:27:13.869
at Minnesota Twitter, now Minnesota Twitter doesn't even want to
410
00:27:13.950 --> 00:27:17.849
trade Yurov. He's scored four goals on, I think, 26%
411
00:27:17.849 --> 00:27:21.930
shooting percentage, which is highly sustainable, as you know, Sam.
412
00:27:22.170 --> 00:27:25.690
Most people shoot 26%. So good for Urof being a,
413
00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:32.119
whatever it is, a 40-goal scorer now. No, but seriously,
414
00:27:32.359 --> 00:27:39.690
the Urof, Strammel, first-round pick, maybe Gustafsson is in that
415
00:27:39.730 --> 00:27:45.980
trade kind of thing. It hasn't moved the needle for
416
00:27:46.019 --> 00:27:51.630
the Red Wings. The expanded list included teams like the
417
00:27:51.730 --> 00:27:57.569
Capitals and I think Boston was on the expanded list.
418
00:28:00.109 --> 00:28:04.650
Dallas was on the expanded list. But again, teams that
419
00:28:04.690 --> 00:28:08.240
either didn't need a center or didn't have the assets
420
00:28:08.259 --> 00:28:12.059
that they would want or would be unwilling. I think
421
00:28:12.099 --> 00:28:14.960
if Boston was like, we'll give you Higgins, I think
422
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:20.039
that Detroit would jump at that. But this expanded list
423
00:28:20.059 --> 00:28:26.289
includes the Devils, the Utah Mammoth. I can't remember the
424
00:28:26.309 --> 00:28:29.109
third team that he added, but it's probably irrelevant because
425
00:28:29.130 --> 00:28:36.789
they probably can't do anything about it. If I'm Sonny Mata,
426
00:28:36.809 --> 00:28:44.490
I'm definitely interested. I made the fake offer on the socials.
427
00:28:44.769 --> 00:28:45.549
I saw that. Mercer.
428
00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:53.470
Alexander Command, Seamus Casey, first-round pick. You'd have to add
429
00:28:53.509 --> 00:29:00.730
either Dillon or Nason and something. You'd have to add
430
00:29:01.130 --> 00:29:04.430
pieces to make the salary work. I think Nason and
431
00:29:04.470 --> 00:29:11.910
Mercer will get you really close. And this is where
432
00:29:11.950 --> 00:29:17.619
things get interesting, Sam. If you take Dillon Larkin from Minnesota...
433
00:29:18.150 --> 00:29:23.339
There is now absolutely nothing outside of this fantasy land
434
00:29:23.380 --> 00:29:30.960
where they win. Keeping Quinn Hughes in Minnesota. He's not
435
00:29:31.059 --> 00:29:35.309
staying in Minnesota to win with Kirill Kaprizov. I think
436
00:29:35.329 --> 00:29:38.869
Kirill Kaprizov is a fantastic player. Has been one of
437
00:29:38.910 --> 00:29:41.490
the best players in the league to start the season.
438
00:29:42.369 --> 00:29:50.029
Taking nothing away from him. I think Quinn thinks that
439
00:29:50.069 --> 00:29:52.619
he can win wherever he goes. And he kind of
440
00:29:52.650 --> 00:29:55.640
showed that last night, right? Against Edmonton. And I know
441
00:29:55.660 --> 00:30:00.019
he had that stupid penalty in overtime, but Quinn Hughes...
442
00:30:00.509 --> 00:30:05.869
was out of his mind that game against Edmonton. He
443
00:30:05.950 --> 00:30:09.049
knows he could do that wherever he wants. And I think,
444
00:30:10.710 --> 00:30:12.690
I actually think Luke Hughes playing the way that Luke
445
00:30:12.710 --> 00:30:16.329
Hughes has played is going to entice Quinn Hughes even
446
00:30:16.509 --> 00:30:21.009
more to come here. Getting Dylan Larkin would just be
447
00:30:21.029 --> 00:30:23.450
the icing on the cake. You get his, you know,
448
00:30:23.650 --> 00:30:26.829
one of his, probably his best hockey friend and his
449
00:30:26.890 --> 00:30:32.119
brothers on the same team on one roster. And do
450
00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:35.720
you know what I love about the possibility there? As
451
00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:38.500
much as people want to rag on Dylan Larkin for
452
00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:44.480
this saga going the way that it has, I think
453
00:30:44.529 --> 00:30:51.009
it's only gone this way two reasons. I think Bill Guerin...
454
00:30:51.089 --> 00:30:52.890
There's a lot of rumors that Bill Guerin was the
455
00:30:52.950 --> 00:30:57.539
one who leaked that Dylan Larkin was requesting a trade. And.
456
00:31:00.589 --> 00:31:02.609
I don't know if that's true, but if that is true, that,
457
00:31:02.710 --> 00:31:06.890
that that's interesting because I think Larkin just probably hadn't,
458
00:31:07.430 --> 00:31:10.930
Larkin hasn't been to the playoffs since 2015. And I
459
00:31:10.970 --> 00:31:12.450
think he just wants to get back to the playoffs
460
00:31:13.970 --> 00:31:18.549
and the three team notes, you know, trade list did
461
00:31:18.589 --> 00:31:21.960
make them look kind of, kind of bad, um, with
462
00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:23.960
the no trade clause, but it is what it is.
463
00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:26.599
Like that's the power, you know, players have very little
464
00:31:26.660 --> 00:31:30.819
power when compared to other sports, right? That, Dylan Larkin
465
00:31:30.839 --> 00:31:39.559
makes a fifth of what a star in the NBA makes.
466
00:31:39.579 --> 00:31:47.490
He makes a seventh, an eighth of a decent quarterback
467
00:31:47.529 --> 00:31:51.789
in the NFL. So the power that he has is
468
00:31:51.849 --> 00:31:55.309
in this no-trade clause. We can't be mad at players
469
00:31:55.329 --> 00:31:57.960
for exerting their power. I think Larkin, as far as...
470
00:32:00.539 --> 00:32:07.200
superstars go he's exerted it in probably the most professional
471
00:32:07.240 --> 00:32:11.269
way that I think he could but what I would
472
00:32:11.309 --> 00:32:14.990
like about it in Larkin is I don't think Larkin's
473
00:32:15.009 --> 00:32:18.710
like a clicky kind of guy I think Larkin would
474
00:32:18.730 --> 00:32:20.829
make sure that the Hughes brothers don't just huddle up
475
00:32:20.890 --> 00:32:23.029
and become their own like unit in the locker room
476
00:32:23.130 --> 00:32:25.509
I think that he would make sure that like it
477
00:32:25.569 --> 00:32:27.529
keeps the camaraderie with everybody and I don't think the
478
00:32:27.589 --> 00:32:30.759
Hughes brothers would do it on purpose but But you
479
00:32:30.819 --> 00:32:37.200
see the Hughes brothers together by themselves. They're very clicky,
480
00:32:37.220 --> 00:32:40.119
and they're kind of just attached to the hip. You
481
00:32:40.220 --> 00:32:44.369
see the Hughes brothers with Larkin, with Zegris, with Caulfield,
482
00:32:45.349 --> 00:32:49.049
and they're not together. I think there's that group golf picture,
483
00:32:50.390 --> 00:32:51.869
and the three of them are in different parts of
484
00:32:51.890 --> 00:32:56.390
the picture. And I think that maybe I'm thinking too
485
00:32:56.450 --> 00:33:00.130
much about this, Sam. I think you are. What? What?
486
00:33:00.819 --> 00:33:02.259
I think you are, but go ahead.
487
00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:04.640
It doesn't matter. I'm already down this rabbit hole. I
488
00:33:04.700 --> 00:33:06.880
think those things are important. I think it's important to
489
00:33:06.980 --> 00:33:13.069
see when they're within their clique, but their clique is expanding,
490
00:33:14.009 --> 00:33:17.230
then they're open to expansion. They're open to kind of
491
00:33:18.269 --> 00:33:24.269
being part of the... I think of... I say this
492
00:33:24.309 --> 00:33:27.970
a lot. P.K. Subban had a really positive effect on
493
00:33:28.009 --> 00:33:30.099
the culture of this team. He was a bad player
494
00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:33.680
when he was here. He just didn't, or he wasn't
495
00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:39.049
a P.K. Subban level player. But the importance that he
496
00:33:39.130 --> 00:33:43.130
brought to the culture of this team and building some camaraderie,
497
00:33:43.369 --> 00:33:47.970
I think still impacts this team today. Because they talk about,
498
00:33:47.990 --> 00:33:50.619
the way they talk about each other is something I
499
00:33:50.650 --> 00:33:55.700
think a guy like Subban taught them. Because that wasn't Hines,
500
00:33:56.259 --> 00:34:00.660
that wasn't Ruff, that wasn't Keefe. The way that they
501
00:34:00.740 --> 00:34:03.640
talk about each other in such a positive way, and
502
00:34:03.660 --> 00:34:06.380
the way they have each other's backs in the media,
503
00:34:07.130 --> 00:34:08.829
on the ice, I wish they did a little bit more,
504
00:34:08.869 --> 00:34:13.050
but in the media, and I think that's important, and
505
00:34:13.070 --> 00:34:14.989
that's come from Subin. But what Subin also did was
506
00:34:15.210 --> 00:34:19.610
bring everyone together, and there was no clique. The clique
507
00:34:19.630 --> 00:34:22.639
was the team. The team was one big clique. We
508
00:34:22.659 --> 00:34:25.840
had the Halloween parties where everybody dressed up, but that
509
00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:28.000
happened like six times a year. We got a group
510
00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:30.489
picture of With Subban as the old guy in it
511
00:34:30.849 --> 00:34:33.329
and all the young guys, but there was 20 guys
512
00:34:33.369 --> 00:34:36.389
on the team there. And it was a real big thing.
513
00:34:36.429 --> 00:34:41.050
I don't see that as much. But I think a
514
00:34:41.070 --> 00:34:43.860
guy like Larkin coming in here and to bridge the
515
00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:45.900
gap there, I think Larkin's just kind of one of
516
00:34:45.940 --> 00:34:48.739
those guys. He's been a captain before. He has a
517
00:34:48.739 --> 00:34:52.559
lot of respect. And he's a scorer. That's the main part.
518
00:34:52.820 --> 00:34:57.030
He never not scores 30 goals. He's always scoring 30 goals.
519
00:34:58.150 --> 00:35:00.309
And the devils would love to have that. He's cost
520
00:35:00.349 --> 00:35:05.909
controlled until I think 2031. I believe that's how long
521
00:35:05.929 --> 00:35:09.280
he is. And I think the price to acquire him,
522
00:35:09.539 --> 00:35:12.659
I don't like command. That's clear. I've made that clear.
523
00:35:13.199 --> 00:35:15.400
I don't like the player. I think it's a bad pick.
524
00:35:17.239 --> 00:35:20.239
That said, I don't think there was a great pick
525
00:35:20.280 --> 00:35:21.860
on the board. I think all the great picks have been,
526
00:35:22.039 --> 00:35:23.619
had been taken. I think that that was just got
527
00:35:23.639 --> 00:35:25.489
put in kind of a bad position. It is what
528
00:35:25.510 --> 00:35:29.869
it is. Um, I'd rather turn that into Dylan Larkin.
529
00:35:30.889 --> 00:35:33.000
And then if you give them command, it was the
530
00:35:33.019 --> 00:35:36.360
12th overall pick last year, then you give them the Colorado.
531
00:35:36.380 --> 00:35:38.059
I think you have the Colorado pick this year, right?
532
00:35:38.079 --> 00:35:40.800
Because they traded the Dallas pick next year for Evanderlista.
533
00:35:41.400 --> 00:35:46.889
You trade the Colorado pick for Larkin. You keep your
534
00:35:46.969 --> 00:35:50.630
own pick. And whether that pick is fodder for a
535
00:35:50.690 --> 00:35:53.030
Quinn Hughes trade later in the season, you'd have to
536
00:35:53.150 --> 00:35:55.570
really kind of make that one work. That's where it
537
00:35:55.610 --> 00:35:58.449
does get hard is I think that that's close to
538
00:35:58.510 --> 00:36:03.300
taking Quinn Hughes off the table this season. But I also,
539
00:36:03.519 --> 00:36:07.760
I see no world where Minnesota is this good and
540
00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:12.059
trading Quinn Hughes at the, at the deadline. I think
541
00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:16.050
they'd rather go for it. Hope they do like a
542
00:36:16.119 --> 00:36:19.969
similar trade that Toronto did with Marner, where they got
543
00:36:19.989 --> 00:36:25.070
like Nick Roy and like a pick for, for the rights. Um,
544
00:36:27.699 --> 00:36:33.239
But yeah, I really, really think this is the smart move.
545
00:36:33.280 --> 00:36:36.190
And again, it also takes you out of Hellebuck, which
546
00:36:36.210 --> 00:36:37.969
you got to think about. But I just don't think
547
00:36:37.989 --> 00:36:39.949
that they're going to go after Hellebuck. I don't think
548
00:36:39.969 --> 00:36:40.710
that they're going to.
549
00:36:42.670 --> 00:36:46.670
I'll tell you what I think about this list expanding.
550
00:36:50.489 --> 00:36:55.429
I think Minnesota and Larkin or the Red Wings were
551
00:36:55.469 --> 00:36:59.849
at a stalemate at that point. And when you expand
552
00:36:59.889 --> 00:37:04.010
that list, you know, again, are the Devils interested? They
553
00:37:04.030 --> 00:37:06.869
should look into it, but who knows if they're interested
554
00:37:06.929 --> 00:37:10.309
or not. But if Dylan Larkin.
555
00:37:10.329 --> 00:37:11.869
Would you do that deal that I said?
556
00:37:15.429 --> 00:37:15.719
Probably.
557
00:37:15.739 --> 00:37:19.659
Let's say it's Mercer, Mason, Command, KC at first.
558
00:37:20.840 --> 00:37:24.530
Probably. It's a steep price to pay, but.
559
00:37:26.760 --> 00:37:31.420
Bringing Dylan Larkin now gives you a third center. I mean,
560
00:37:31.539 --> 00:37:35.539
I would think Jack would move to wing in this situation.
561
00:37:36.840 --> 00:37:39.250
Probably just for face-offs. I think he would still play
562
00:37:39.570 --> 00:37:41.849
the center position post-face-off.
563
00:37:42.530 --> 00:37:44.969
But the thing is, it takes a lot of heat
564
00:37:45.070 --> 00:37:48.590
off of Nico Escher. Like, I think it's, I think it,
565
00:37:49.090 --> 00:37:52.030
I think it really, and with, you know, again, if
566
00:37:52.119 --> 00:37:55.460
Jack gets hurt again, you're not, having to face that
567
00:37:55.539 --> 00:38:02.340
deficit of only have one good centerman down the middle
568
00:38:03.179 --> 00:38:11.090
in Heischer. So I think it does what I was
569
00:38:11.190 --> 00:38:15.360
envisioning when the Devils had a chance at Logan Cooley.
570
00:38:18.340 --> 00:38:22.179
I'm a true believer that you need three, not two, centermen.
571
00:38:23.050 --> 00:38:25.750
And if you look in the past with the New
572
00:38:25.789 --> 00:38:32.550
Jersey Devils, Arnott, Holik, and Madden down the middle. That
573
00:38:32.590 --> 00:38:37.719
was your big three in the 2000s. You know, even
574
00:38:37.900 --> 00:38:41.039
when they got Sergei Nemchinov, you know, he would actually
575
00:38:41.079 --> 00:38:43.920
play on the first line. You know, just they had
576
00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:46.739
great centermen down the middle and they were big too.
577
00:38:47.739 --> 00:38:51.320
But the Devils aren't big down the middle. So... You know,
578
00:38:51.380 --> 00:38:53.420
to have that depth, I think it would be good.
579
00:38:54.619 --> 00:38:57.530
As much as I want Hellebuck for, you know, marketing
580
00:38:57.590 --> 00:39:02.690
purposes and having a goaltender, I think getting Dylan Larkin
581
00:39:03.030 --> 00:39:12.260
would entice Quinn Hughes in the offseason. Because the Hughes
582
00:39:12.280 --> 00:39:18.500
brothers love Larkin, and they respect him. Then it's like
583
00:39:18.559 --> 00:39:22.699
the devil's getting revenge on Ben. Billy G having the balls,
584
00:39:24.099 --> 00:39:27.550
then it's like, well, Billy G didn't have the balls
585
00:39:27.610 --> 00:39:31.079
to pull off that trade with Detroit. And if the
586
00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:40.760
Devils were to actually do that, I mean, it'd be
587
00:39:41.099 --> 00:39:46.960
monumental if Sonny Maida was actually going to do that.
588
00:39:47.179 --> 00:39:51.909
But at the same time, Do the Devils need to
589
00:39:51.969 --> 00:39:55.530
do that? Don't know.
590
00:39:57.510 --> 00:40:03.349
Need? No. They don't need to do it. But did
591
00:40:03.389 --> 00:40:06.170
the Florida Panthers need to get Seth Jones?
592
00:40:07.050 --> 00:40:07.269
Yeah.
593
00:40:07.429 --> 00:40:10.369
No, but now he's part of their team. Did he
594
00:40:10.389 --> 00:40:11.690
win a cup? I think he won a cup.
595
00:40:11.730 --> 00:40:13.079
Yep. Yes, he.
596
00:40:14.800 --> 00:40:20.690
Did. Did Tampa Bay Lightning need to get Blake Coleman? No. No,
597
00:40:20.789 --> 00:40:22.550
but he's a big reason why they want to cut.
598
00:40:23.670 --> 00:40:25.369
I think you want to look at this, and I
599
00:40:25.389 --> 00:40:27.210
know you're not the biggest fan of analytics, but I
600
00:40:27.250 --> 00:40:32.130
want you to look at it analytically. The more, and
601
00:40:32.150 --> 00:40:33.489
I think this is going to make sense to you,
602
00:40:35.369 --> 00:40:43.010
you want as many shots at a, you want each
603
00:40:43.110 --> 00:40:46.920
line you put out there to have the highest probability
604
00:40:46.960 --> 00:40:51.519
of scoring that you can And there's multiple ways you
605
00:40:51.539 --> 00:40:53.840
can do that. You can have a higher probability of
606
00:40:53.880 --> 00:40:58.280
scoring by stopping Connor McDavid from scoring or Nathan McKinnon
607
00:40:58.300 --> 00:41:01.000
or whoever's on the ice. You can have a higher
608
00:41:01.039 --> 00:41:02.719
probability of scoring because you have a ton of skill.
609
00:41:02.760 --> 00:41:05.170
You can have a higher probability of scoring because you're
610
00:41:05.190 --> 00:41:09.369
a dirty, gritty area type of guy. There's a lot
611
00:41:09.409 --> 00:41:12.750
of ways you can do it, but I think you're
612
00:41:12.809 --> 00:41:15.489
always looking at that one North Star of, I want
613
00:41:15.590 --> 00:41:17.110
to have a better chance of scoring than the other
614
00:41:17.139 --> 00:41:20.150
team that was scoring a bus at all times. And
615
00:41:20.170 --> 00:41:21.829
I think that was the reason why they went with
616
00:41:21.889 --> 00:41:26.369
this fourth line. Because I think they drive play. And
617
00:41:26.409 --> 00:41:29.329
I think they're super skilled. And again, they kind of
618
00:41:29.349 --> 00:41:33.469
went away from it a little bit yesterday. Who was it?
619
00:41:33.510 --> 00:41:36.869
It was Brown, Boquist, Glass. Is that what it was?
620
00:41:37.130 --> 00:41:37.590
The fourth line?
621
00:41:38.530 --> 00:41:38.710
Yeah.
622
00:41:39.849 --> 00:41:46.130
Yeah. And I like them too. But it was noticeably
623
00:41:46.170 --> 00:41:52.320
different than Boquist, Lombardi, Brown. or no locus Lombardi glass.
624
00:41:54.079 --> 00:42:01.000
If you get Dylan Larkin on this team, and, you know,
625
00:42:01.039 --> 00:42:05.760
you lose Nason, you lose Mercer, you lose your depth, but, like,
626
00:42:05.800 --> 00:42:07.969
you didn't lose anything. Like, you're not losing Gritsik, you're
627
00:42:07.989 --> 00:42:13.070
not losing Meyer, you're not losing, like, something super significant.
628
00:42:14.909 --> 00:42:18.769
Casey's a nice to have, but, like, the injuries are
629
00:42:18.789 --> 00:42:23.059
just starting to get in the way. Yeah. And, you know,
630
00:42:23.079 --> 00:42:24.699
the first round pick isn't playing for you this year.
631
00:42:25.519 --> 00:42:31.889
Neither is command. And you're putting, you're risking the future,
632
00:42:31.909 --> 00:42:34.909
but again, I just don't like command. A lot of
633
00:42:34.929 --> 00:42:37.210
people like command. So he made a likes command. He's
634
00:42:37.230 --> 00:42:40.170
a 12th overall pick. I don't like command. You still
635
00:42:40.250 --> 00:42:44.380
have silly. You have as your ace in the hole.
636
00:42:46.070 --> 00:42:49.630
as your prospective note, if you did find a way
637
00:42:49.670 --> 00:42:55.320
to make a Quinn Hughes trade. But I'm looking at
638
00:42:55.840 --> 00:43:00.920
it from so many different angles. And I don't see
639
00:43:00.960 --> 00:43:07.219
the negative. I just don't. The negative is that you
640
00:43:07.239 --> 00:43:09.909
kind of put yourself in a salary cap hole where
641
00:43:09.929 --> 00:43:16.139
you can't really get out of it. But You still
642
00:43:16.159 --> 00:43:19.920
have Brendan Dillon, who you could trade if you want
643
00:43:20.099 --> 00:43:24.570
to get a lesser player than Quinn Hughes. But if
644
00:43:24.590 --> 00:43:27.329
you get Dillon Larkin, who do you need? You could
645
00:43:27.369 --> 00:43:33.889
suffer three injuries, and that's when Lenny Haminaho steps up.
646
00:43:34.150 --> 00:43:41.159
You can suffer... You're not losing any defensemen. So if
647
00:43:41.219 --> 00:43:43.699
Selyev is ready to go this year, which I think
648
00:43:43.739 --> 00:43:46.019
they think he might be, We didn't talk about the
649
00:43:46.059 --> 00:43:52.300
fact that he was added to waivers when they went
650
00:43:52.360 --> 00:43:57.670
on LTIR with Nick Bustad. And they did that because
651
00:43:58.309 --> 00:44:01.590
there's a certain way that bonus structure works, that all
652
00:44:01.610 --> 00:44:03.889
of his bonuses would be paid under this salary cap.
653
00:44:03.949 --> 00:44:07.800
That's because they think he might get them. And I
654
00:44:07.840 --> 00:44:10.280
haven't seen how well he's played in the AHL. I
655
00:44:10.300 --> 00:44:11.780
have to kind of go back and look at tape
656
00:44:11.800 --> 00:44:14.969
when I have some time. But they think that he's
657
00:44:15.320 --> 00:44:18.469
got a chance to be ready. And maybe he's in
658
00:44:18.489 --> 00:44:21.030
your lineup for the playoffs. And that's a little bit
659
00:44:21.050 --> 00:44:24.670
of a game changer. So I think there's a lot
660
00:44:24.730 --> 00:44:28.110
that can happen here that should get you excited as
661
00:44:28.130 --> 00:44:31.610
a Devils fan. Again, this team isn't material differently one
662
00:44:31.650 --> 00:44:33.949
game to the other. We get too high on the wins.
663
00:44:33.969 --> 00:44:37.869
We get too low on the losses. I think this
664
00:44:37.909 --> 00:44:40.590
team is third in the Metro, still a wildcard team.
665
00:44:40.630 --> 00:44:43.940
I think that's where they are. I think the Rangers
666
00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:45.619
are better than we thought. And I think Washington's worse
667
00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:48.139
than we thought to start the season that could flip.
668
00:44:48.780 --> 00:44:52.110
I think there's a clear four in the Metro. It's
669
00:44:52.170 --> 00:44:56.429
the devils. It's Carolina. It's Washington. It's New York. As,
670
00:44:56.690 --> 00:44:59.610
as much as the Islanders beat us up, they just
671
00:44:59.630 --> 00:45:03.860
don't look like a playoff team yet. Columbus doesn't look good.
672
00:45:05.219 --> 00:45:07.380
Philly is obviously looks bad. I know they just be Colorado,
673
00:45:07.400 --> 00:45:12.389
but they still look bad. Um, And Pittsburgh, I haven't,
674
00:45:12.429 --> 00:45:16.170
you know, and all thoughts and prayers out for Ben Condell,
675
00:45:16.789 --> 00:45:20.969
who suffered that medical emergency. But, again, I don't even
676
00:45:20.989 --> 00:45:22.590
want to comment on them because of the situation they're
677
00:45:22.610 --> 00:45:24.480
going through, and you have no idea how they're going
678
00:45:24.500 --> 00:45:27.519
to come out of that. But they're not.
679
00:45:27.760 --> 00:45:32.420
It was disturbing to read that statement. And I think
680
00:45:32.460 --> 00:45:36.119
Rachel Herzog put it out. It was, like, really disturbing.
681
00:45:36.139 --> 00:45:39.530
I was like, that's not good. That is not good
682
00:45:39.750 --> 00:45:39.989
at all.
683
00:45:43.199 --> 00:45:46.239
The fact that we haven't heard anything, I want to
684
00:45:46.280 --> 00:45:49.369
be positive and say that's good news. But maybe it's,
685
00:45:49.710 --> 00:45:51.590
you know, I don't want to speculate anything.
686
00:45:51.630 --> 00:45:54.829
I think eventually we'll find out. But the most important
687
00:45:54.889 --> 00:45:59.530
thing is, you know, pray that, you know, whatever it
688
00:45:59.650 --> 00:46:01.269
is that, you know, he'll recover.
689
00:46:01.909 --> 00:46:02.829
You know. Yeah.
690
00:46:04.090 --> 00:46:04.909
It's going to get better.
691
00:46:06.210 --> 00:46:09.150
Sure. Yeah. Let's pivot because, you know, I kind of
692
00:46:09.170 --> 00:46:11.030
put us in a hole here. Let's talk about the
693
00:46:11.070 --> 00:46:13.860
jersey and then say goodbye. Okay. Because we went longer
694
00:46:13.900 --> 00:46:15.659
than we thought we would. We had a lot to say.
695
00:46:18.170 --> 00:46:23.570
I'm going to be quick. Don't mess it up. I
696
00:46:23.789 --> 00:46:27.849
think they know what people like. People loved, loved, loved
697
00:46:28.190 --> 00:46:33.510
the Stadium Series jersey. It was a great jersey. They
698
00:46:33.710 --> 00:46:39.659
loved it. So, go with what works.
699
00:46:40.800 --> 00:46:45.500
Don't overthink it. Don't overthink it. Like the Jersey Jersey.
700
00:46:45.920 --> 00:46:46.840
Don't overthink it.
701
00:46:46.940 --> 00:46:49.619
Yeah. I know a lot of people came around to
702
00:46:49.639 --> 00:46:52.880
the Jersey Jersey. You know, Sam, I never would. No,
703
00:46:53.019 --> 00:46:53.940
that Jersey was terrible.
704
00:46:54.719 --> 00:46:57.639
Oh, yeah. I mean, the only reason why I got
705
00:46:57.699 --> 00:47:01.780
it was, you know, as a joke, if you remember.
706
00:47:01.800 --> 00:47:02.539
To get pullout traded.
707
00:47:03.300 --> 00:47:05.380
Well, and to get rid of the Jersey Jersey at
708
00:47:05.420 --> 00:47:08.579
the same time. And literally when I placed that order
709
00:47:08.619 --> 00:47:11.079
for that blank, and I remember I was on the
710
00:47:11.119 --> 00:47:14.480
phone with Tom Pryor. I was like, yeah, I got
711
00:47:14.519 --> 00:47:17.090
the jersey because everybody wanted to pull it out. And
712
00:47:17.119 --> 00:47:20.829
then literally the Devils, like at 10 a.m., put out
713
00:47:20.849 --> 00:47:23.050
a press release that this is the last year of
714
00:47:23.070 --> 00:47:25.070
the jersey. I was like, well, that was fast.
715
00:47:26.190 --> 00:47:28.949
That's funny. Yeah.
716
00:47:28.969 --> 00:47:32.690
But I should wear my Quinn Hughes Minnesota Wild jersey
717
00:47:32.730 --> 00:47:37.050
because that's what helped seal the deal with Palat. Tom
718
00:47:37.590 --> 00:47:40.559
told me to wear the Palat jersey. And I hate
719
00:47:40.599 --> 00:47:42.360
the jersey jersey, but I did it twice.
720
00:47:43.039 --> 00:47:43.260
And then.
721
00:47:43.809 --> 00:47:48.110
I thought his contract was impossible to trade. I honestly
722
00:47:48.170 --> 00:47:49.429
thought it was... Full?
723
00:47:49.769 --> 00:47:53.849
Yeah. To trade the whole thing? Yeah. Yeah.
724
00:47:54.090 --> 00:47:57.409
I thought Tom Fitzgerald couldn't do it. He couldn't do anything,
725
00:47:57.670 --> 00:48:01.429
Tom Fitzgerald. That's coming off of the Quinn Hughes mess.
726
00:48:02.070 --> 00:48:05.809
So I can't... I got to give props to him.
727
00:48:05.960 --> 00:48:08.780
He was able to find a sucker, the New York Islanders,
728
00:48:08.800 --> 00:48:09.760
to get him.
729
00:48:09.800 --> 00:48:11.619
Yeah, and they paid a price, right? They had to
730
00:48:11.659 --> 00:48:16.750
take on Siplikov. It was terrible. And they had to...
731
00:48:16.590 --> 00:48:18.639
What did they give him? A second round pick?
732
00:48:20.719 --> 00:48:21.960
Yeah.
733
00:48:22.780 --> 00:48:26.219
Second or third. Whatever. I don't miss it. So, it's fine.
734
00:48:29.179 --> 00:48:30.420
That's all I got to say. That's all I got.
735
00:48:30.440 --> 00:48:31.119
I'm ready for plugs.
736
00:48:32.119 --> 00:48:32.559
Let's go.
737
00:48:34.699 --> 00:48:39.409
PucksInPitchforks.com We got multiple articles already on the Dylan Larkin
738
00:48:39.489 --> 00:48:43.409
trade scenario. We got... We got the last night's game.
739
00:48:45.079 --> 00:48:47.030
I got to write something today. I'll write about Mercer.
740
00:48:47.469 --> 00:48:49.349
We're going to write about Mercer, how he needs to
741
00:48:49.389 --> 00:48:53.750
step up. They need a lot more for Mercer. Yeah,
742
00:48:54.110 --> 00:48:56.110
we got a lot going on. Too much for me
743
00:48:56.130 --> 00:49:01.639
to even remember. So check out pucksandpitchforks.com. All right.
744
00:49:01.719 --> 00:49:10.320
So this Thursday, we will be at American Whiskey. For
745
00:49:10.400 --> 00:49:13.320
Game Day Live and Devils After Dark. Don't ask me
746
00:49:13.389 --> 00:49:16.389
about the big stage because nobody knows anything right now.
747
00:49:17.570 --> 00:49:21.659
And those photos I post, everyone looks. oh, you're too early, whatever.
748
00:49:23.119 --> 00:49:25.940
The point that I'm trying to make with the post
749
00:49:26.760 --> 00:49:30.960
is that there are no benches, no tables, nothing out
750
00:49:30.980 --> 00:49:33.590
in the street like it used to be. And then
751
00:49:33.619 --> 00:49:35.909
there are people who say, oh, you're allowed to drink
752
00:49:36.210 --> 00:49:39.579
in the street. No, you're not. They can enforce it
753
00:49:39.719 --> 00:49:43.019
at any second. You're just lucky. And I want to
754
00:49:43.039 --> 00:49:48.170
make that very clear because it is not your right
755
00:49:48.250 --> 00:49:50.869
to drink in the street. I can guarantee you that.
756
00:49:51.449 --> 00:49:56.260
Whether they enforce it or not, that's another story. But
757
00:49:56.280 --> 00:50:00.460
I'll leave it at that. Also Saturday, Game Day Live,
758
00:50:00.500 --> 00:50:07.659
Devils After Dark, and American Whiskey. And also... The podcast
759
00:50:07.699 --> 00:50:10.340
is going on the road on Tuesday.
760
00:50:11.519 --> 00:50:12.280
On Tuesday.
761
00:50:12.300 --> 00:50:14.599
I know Grant Marshall is going to be there. I
762
00:50:14.639 --> 00:50:19.199
think it was the Woodbridge Brewery and Company. We will
763
00:50:19.219 --> 00:50:22.469
be down there. I'm still getting the details just to
764
00:50:22.510 --> 00:50:25.610
let you know. When we were at Miller's Ale House,
765
00:50:26.610 --> 00:50:31.550
it was a huge success. Had a great time. So, yeah.
766
00:50:32.750 --> 00:50:37.820
We'll be there. So that's all I got, Nick. Yeah.
767
00:50:38.539 --> 00:50:40.440
We got a lot going on. Yeah.
768
00:50:40.619 --> 00:50:44.489
I mean, look at how many shows I've done on
769
00:50:44.510 --> 00:50:47.550
the road. Like, it's just nonstop. I don't get a break.
770
00:50:48.130 --> 00:50:50.949
But it's been fun. The fans have been fun. The
771
00:50:50.989 --> 00:50:55.949
road trips, all that kind of stuff. I've been getting
772
00:50:55.969 --> 00:50:59.360
a lot of inquiries about going down to Philly, bus trip,
773
00:50:59.559 --> 00:51:02.320
all that. We got to make that happen. We totally
774
00:51:02.340 --> 00:51:04.000
got to make that happen because we got a venue,
775
00:51:04.039 --> 00:51:07.139
State Side Live, like what we did last season, Nick.
776
00:51:07.380 --> 00:51:11.460
And this time, you've got to come aboard. You're going
777
00:51:11.480 --> 00:51:12.889
to have to make this thing work, Nick.
778
00:51:13.739 --> 00:51:14.030
Yeah.
779
00:51:14.849 --> 00:51:21.210
I'll get a babysitter. It's on a Saturday. I think
780
00:51:21.230 --> 00:51:24.849
there's two Saturdays, if I'm not mistaken. But we have
781
00:51:24.889 --> 00:51:28.409
to do it, Nick. We have to do it.
782
00:51:29.170 --> 00:51:32.170
Yeah, I mean, you're in my backyard, so we'll make
783
00:51:32.210 --> 00:51:32.489
that work.
784
00:51:32.710 --> 00:51:37.460
We'll make that work. So, anyway... Set your alerts. Subscribe
785
00:51:37.500 --> 00:51:41.199
to our podcast at Let's Go Devils on YouTube, at
786
00:51:41.219 --> 00:51:45.690
Let's Go Devils Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, at Let's
787
00:51:45.710 --> 00:51:50.590
Go Devils Pod. Go to pucksandpitchforks.com and their ex-Twitter account
788
00:51:52.469 --> 00:51:57.269
at Pitchfork Puck. This is Sam Wu and Nick Villano.
789
00:51:57.289 --> 00:51:59.590
Until next time, let's go Devils.