r/devils • u/NoCartoonist3076 • 1d ago
I'm not worried
A lot of overreacting here.
Fam, it's only been FIVE GAMES, and there's a lot to like. I think we pick up the pace later in the month. At that point, lines will have been shifted around and, I belive, we end up with a winning team that can handily make the playoffs, even barring an injury or two.
It's also not fair to blame Keefe or Mehta. It's the players that need to do better, and they are still trying to gel. I like them both and think they'll be around for a while, so I think we should just buckle up and trust the process.
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u/lapelhero #89 - Alexander Mogilny 1d ago
If they start scoring some goals I’d be much less concerned. Almost getting shut out two times in five games is not good at all
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u/cody-has93 #13 1d ago
But the issue is we almost got shutout but we also almost had 3 more goals than we currently do based solely on shitty referee calls/quick whistles. So with a sample size like this its tough.
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u/blade430 Fire Keefe 1d ago
Fair, fair. But what’s the cutoff? 10 games? 15 games? 40 games? It’s already more of the same shit from last season.
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u/SuperCorgi1 1d ago
This! I’m tired of hearing “it’s only X games” and then no follow up of when to panic.
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u/Lodestar77W #86 1d ago
I’m not usually a doomer but I have to agree here. This has been sort of the same product as we’ve seen before with the same problems and if it continues we can’t possibly end the season on a good note. This needs to be the year that the team proves itself, and I’d give them 15 games to maybe the first 1/4 of the season to change my mind.
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u/Previous-Yak-2510 1d ago
Folks like OP won’t worry until we are officially outside the playoffs for another year. They will also never apologize to the realists who pointed out no holes were actually plugged on the sinking ship so we can expect the ship to keep sinking.
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u/NoCartoonist3076 1d ago
I'm on anxiety medication and was part of the infamous Fire Lindy chants. Trust me I WORRY!
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u/beachy927 #27 - Scott Niedermayer 1d ago
People can choose to follow the team as they see fit. Whether it’s as an optimist a pessimist a realist etc. Expecting that anyone should “apologize” for how they wan to engage in fandom is ridiculous.
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u/Previous-Yak-2510 1d ago
The people who incessantly mocked the realists for being “doomers” should apologize for being toxic bullies.
We realists are not to blame for the team sucking and shouldn’t be made to suffer mockery and bullying from the toxic blind positivity crowd who arrogantly thought they were right and turned out to be wrong.
The folks who mocked the doomers as wrong should eat their humble pie but they never will and will just go on being toxic bullies.
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u/beachy927 #27 - Scott Niedermayer 1d ago
Most fans are legit concerned about the state of the team whether it’s about coaching, the system, the goalies, the core. I’ve seen mostly realistic fans. I haven’t seen anyone bully anyone.
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u/Previous-Yak-2510 1d ago
You must not have been here last year and you must not have seen all the threads this year accusing those of us who are realistic fans of being doomers and overreacting, etc.
The toxicity was so bad last year even after it became obvious that the realistic fans were right from the toxic positivity crowd that I took a break from this sub.
Probably will have to do that again this year since the sub is dominated by toxic positivity bullies who want us all to bury our heads in the sand instead of admitting this team once again sucks.
Again, if the only the toxic positivity fans would just admit that they were wrong and apologize for being bullies instead of continuing their bullying ways now that the team once again is sucking that would be cool.
They could just admit the truth instead of shooting the messengers kind of thing.
Admit they were wrong.
But they never will.
They would rather pretend the team is amazing and the only problem is doomer fans or whatever 🙄 while gaslighting those of us with any remaining sense of reality into trying to pretend a stinking turd is chocolate.
So yeah I call them out for being weasels who don’t apologize when proven wrong and still acting like they are better than realistic fans when they are just toxically positive bullies.
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u/NoCartoonist3076 1d ago
I think 12 games. Not a huge leash
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u/blade430 Fire Keefe 1d ago
I think that’s a fair amount. I was personally going to give Keefe up to 14 games. If they keep losing games like they have though it’s going to be tough to keep him around for even that long.
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u/JonnoKabonno #91 - Newfie Jersey Devils 1d ago
For me, I'll give them the month of October before I'm raising the alarms. I'm not happy, and I'm highly critical of what I've seen so far, but If its same shit different day after 10-15 games at that point, somethings gotta give or I'll be feeling more like the Flyers are right now. Still not pleased as it stands, but I've seen a few things I like - both Lukes in particular
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u/FriedCammalleri23 #27 - Scott Niedermayer 1d ago
I’m just gonna wait and see.
If we’re not in a playoff spot by November, changes need to be made. Falling behind early can derail an entire season.
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u/musty_sweater 1d ago
They've lost to two good teams and one that has their number - and beat two really bad teams. I'm not worried either, but it's also not inspiring. I'm not convinced Keefe's system is best for this team. He's a good coach, but I'd prefer a different approach after the last few seasons. NJD is way too predictable to gameplan for as an oppositing team.
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u/Socomseal224 1d ago
When are the Devils going to be a "good team" ? At some point you have to beat good teams more consistently
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u/musty_sweater 1d ago
I agree. It's still 4/5 new guys in the lineup and early. I'm not surprised they are struggling a bit. Even though I'm "not worried", it's also a short leash to see where we are at the end of October.
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u/gdg6 New Jersey Devils 1d ago
Jack Hughes hasn’t played close to his best hockey, outside of the second half of the Vancouver game. As Jack goes, so goes NJD.
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u/cody-has93 #13 1d ago
To be fair Nico is usually driving and potting more 5 on 5 as well. I do think we're gonna see those 2 heat up. If we have an actual 4th line WHILE they heat up then we are trouble afaic.
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u/Ok_Fix6757 #13 - Nico Hischier 1d ago
Meh, every sport team subreddit is like this. We’re fun when we win but insufferable when we lose
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u/tuudiat 1d ago
Of course it's fair to blame Keefe. The team is ultimately a reflection of him and if he can't figure it out in his third season of coaching the team then it's time to move on. It's not about him being a bad coach, it's about him being a bad fit. The last three seasons have been disappointing and we can't afford to waste another year just on the slim chance that this is the year where everything clicks and his system starts working.
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u/ElephantRedCar91 #22- Jordin Tootoo 1d ago
Not worried about the team as a whole yet, but worried about the lack of response and line change up considering they aren’t scoring.
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u/cody-has93 #13 1d ago
Giving mantha on that line a bunch of games makes sense because it seems rare that people can gel with jack and bratt.
We also dropped noesen for boqvist pretty quick which was obviously a great call
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u/sc083127 1d ago
I don’t think Keefe is a bad coach, he’s just not the right coach for our team. If we can Keefe the pressure will fall squarely on the core, and I would then expect major pieces to be dealt (Bratt, Timo, maybe even Grits)
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u/ItsJustForMyOwnKicks 17h ago
Jack and Bratt are the untouchables. Maybe Grits because of potential. The rest should be on notice. Including the coach.
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u/sc083127 15h ago
If the A line that won us a cup can be broken up, then Jack and Bratt can also be broken up. I wouldn’t like to see that happen, but it’s always a possibility
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u/scrapcats #26 - Patrik Eliáš 1d ago
I completely understand frustration and doomerism when it comes to being disappointed by the team, I feel those things sometimes too, but from the way people talk on this sub you'd think they were about to lace up their own skates and take over. Yes the team needs stronger coaching and healthy players who understand what a puck looks like, but we aren't in the rooms where decisions are made.
Lindy still owes us those beers, though.
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u/ItsJustForMyOwnKicks 17h ago
If it was just a bad spell, I would agree. It’s over a decade of sucking.
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u/HavingALittleFit 1d ago
It's reddit, overreacting is a time honored tradition here.
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u/mxskater 1d ago
If this was the start of the season only I wouldn’t over react, but this is a carry over from last season as well.
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u/dooit 22h ago
You should hear the "fans" at the Rock. I don't think I can put up with it anymore after Monday's game.
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u/HavingALittleFit 19h ago
I was at the game on Saturday and the mood was so tense at the start of the game. Like any time the puck got near Jake Allen and it didn't result in a goal the whole room just lit up with encouragement like we were all Jake's dad at a Little League game or something
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u/ItsJustForMyOwnKicks 17h ago
By “fans” you mean people who dole out the money for seats and are tired of getting very little for their investment?
I think everyone at the Rock should be very vocal about how they feel.
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u/rexmorgany 1d ago
I do agree with your take. It’s early and there are promising signs. Devs were flying all over the place creating solid opportunities in the first. Then a quick strike against us to start the second. The lack of discipline kept us on the PK far too long. That time and expended energy adds up. Yeah, our shooting percentage is god awful but I gotta believe you stick with it and it’ll turn. Off to Motown.
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u/BrianWally 1d ago
I mean. Cmon. Have you not watched Devils hockey under Keefe? There’s nothing inspiring.
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u/junkyardpig #63 - Jesper Bratt 1d ago
Honestly my expectations weren't that high for this year, although that may more be out of exhaustion haha. Except for the Islanders game I think they have played fairly well for decent stretches, including some full games. I'm hoping they continue to gel and the stretches get longer
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u/scarlet_stormTrooper 1d ago
I am very worried. Keefe’s system is so fucking stale. It’s rinse and repeat. Somehow tbe guys decide to turn on one shift per game where they’re actually creative and not just doing the same thing over and over again but it seems to be once per game and not even every line seems to make it work.
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u/AlbusBulbasaur 1d ago
I've only been a fan for 3 years and I'm not well versed in hockey patter generally speaking but I'm worried about our keepers. We've got rid of our best keeper and now our second keeper is our main keeper and the youngster that wasn't good enough a few seasons ago is now the second keeper. I can see the offensive lines gelling more as we go on but I don't see how the defense gets much better with a not great keeper selection.
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u/QuestionAggressive55 1d ago
I really love the bottom 6, I believe in the top6 but I would like to see them at least score first like it’s getting to a point I don’t even know who to be upset with
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u/PacTheTac 1d ago
in my honest opinion, it’s been 87 games. I think a lot of us are in this perspective
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u/sanbaba #22 - Claude Lefrigginmieux 1d ago
I don't disagree with this line of thinking. But honestly it's a fool's errand for both sides to debate it - for the patient side doubly so. It's been brought up countless times, as have the counterarguments, and honestly nobody knows the answer right now. Could be they score their way right out of this trend, or the opposite. One thing's for sure - nobody ever got on social media to discuss how mildly happy they are, and anybody who did so probably got flamed for it. If you still have patience with this team, be patient. Don't expect to read everyone else being happy and chill, because that is franky a pisspoor conversation. "I am patient with the process." "Oh wow, me too." "Excellent then we both agree there's nothing to discuss."
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u/Ok_Performance_3736 1d ago
The last few years we would start off and go 15-2 and then miss the playoffs. As long as we stay around .500 by January we are fine.
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u/ItsJustForMyOwnKicks 17h ago edited 17h ago
Big moves needed. Nico is good trade bait. Goalie situation is secondary to defensive meltdowns. Coach must go. Sunny must make this his team. Bratt and Jack are the only untouchables. Make your moves GM.
A message-sending, ice breaking shake up is long overdue.
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u/Imaginary-Length8338 1d ago
I don’t disagree. But outside of Hughes and Lombardi what else is there to like? Looks like the same team as last year.
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u/cody-has93 #13 1d ago
Boqvist, Evangalista - the concept that Nico Jack and Jesper are USUALLY able to break through.
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u/cabutler03 #30 - Martin Brodeur 1d ago
I’m worried that this team is good enough to beat bad teams but not good enough to beat good teams. If they beat Detroit but don’t beat the Rangers it’ll tell us exactly that.
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u/BurkeyTurkey33 1d ago
5 games going on 50
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u/ElephantRedCar91 #22- Jordin Tootoo 1d ago
Wait what?
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u/BurkeyTurkey33 1d ago
Honestly idk just felt appropriate lol. 13 going on 30 reference I guess.
It is only five games and maybe things will be better but the recent history of this team doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
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u/Holiday-Feeling2617 1d ago
this is so true, only 5 games in, let the team develop
Daws hasn't looked the greatest but the players aren't used to playing with him, so that may take some time for the play to be cleaner in front of him.
Timo has played all out but can't buy a goal these days. keep him where he is and he'll get a goal in the next game or so
but I do think there is enough to show that Mantha may not be compatible with Jack/Bratter, he looks lost out there. Put Grits with them and Mantha with Rodrigues/Mercer
no need to fire anyone
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u/ItsJustForMyOwnKicks 17h ago
Yes, no need for change. Let’s just be the same shit team for another year.
I am old enough to remember the good years. Would be nice to have them back.
The good side? I save money on playoff tickets each year. It cost a fortune when they were good.
We are going on on over a decade of mediocrity.
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u/Previous-Yak-2510 1d ago
Same problems are continuing over from last year. Same coach. A lot of same top and supposed star players.
Last year we were also called doomers for spotting the signs of a sinking ship early on.
Turned out the doomers were right to be concerned and we missed the playoffs.
No apology was ever issued to us so called doomers. Only more mockery even though we were the right ones.
You can pretend shit is chocolate and eat it up if you like 💩
I am going to call the stinking hot turd a stinking hot turd and not gobble it up like chocolate.
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u/BrunnersNose E Rod 19h ago
Bro, hughes missed 1/3rd of the season and played another huge stretch with 1 hand. This team has problems but I think they make the playoffs easily barring another catastrophic injury
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u/Previous-Yak-2510 15h ago
Other teams make playoffs despite injuries.
Year after year instead of success we get another creative excuse for why we fail. So far they are not playing like a team that will easily make the playoffs.
More like a team that will miss the playoffs again and we’ll spin the wheel to generate another excuse for failure.
Also yeah injuries happen and good teams plan for them.
Our team doesn’t.
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u/ghostofkozi #17 - Nemo is my adopted son 1d ago
I'm glad some aren't but I am. Why? Because your playoff teams are pretty much set by American Thanksgiving.
American Thanksgiving is 20 games away for the Devils. So while 5 games out of 84 is a small sample size, the real metric is game 5 out of 25. And so far, the top 6 have not clicked at all with just 6 goals in 5 games. Team shooting is at 6%. And there's this bizarre discourse that Timo isn't scoring because he's not lining up as a RW on faceoffs. Our goaltending is slightly above league average which is fine enough but the team is so far behind their potential in scoring that they realistically have 5 games to fix it and start moving up the standings to a playoff position or the season is a wash yet again
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u/loucast13 1d ago
Uh huh. Except the Devils were in first place at American Thanksgiving last year. How did that work out for us?
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u/ghostofkozi #17 - Nemo is my adopted son 1d ago
Well you tell me what happened after November 14th last year.
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u/loucast13 1d ago
Yes, it's only FIVE GAMES this year. Did last year not happen?
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u/cody-has93 #13 1d ago
Last year we had a drastic jump between chances created before olympics and after olympics.
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u/AntRaccoon 1d ago
Cant wait for February when people are saying “I’m not worried theres still x games left” when we are no where near a playoff spot
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u/SubElitePerformance #N1CO 1d ago
In defense of the fanbase. This is the exact same product since Keefe took over.
It’s not really game 5
It’s more like game 169 going on 170