The boys give their takeaways on the Sheldon Keefe introductory press-conference. What player fits the best playing with Jack? What the heck are we going to do with Alexander Holtz?
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[00:00:08] Hey everyone, Mr. Devil here, Kenny Danico, three time Stanley Cup Champion of NJ Devils.
[00:00:19] You're listening to The Uncle Puckers NJ Devils Podcast with Chris, Dan, Bobby and Tony,
[00:00:25] The Uncle Puckers.
[00:00:26] Let's go Devils!
[00:00:27] Let's ex Tony off until he's back.
[00:00:31] So that's right, boys.
[00:00:32] How's everybody?
[00:00:33] How's it going?
[00:00:34] Good.
[00:00:35] On this wonderful Thursday evening as game five between the Panthers and Rangers is
[00:00:39] ongoing.
[00:00:41] Every game we get a day closer to the next season for us.
[00:00:45] So yeah, exciting time.
[00:00:47] You know what?
[00:00:48] That's actually kind of fun to start with.
[00:00:50] Let me ask you guys a question before we get into the Sheldon Keefe stuff and some
[00:00:56] other stuff that I want to talk about.
[00:00:59] What would you consider a successful season for the Devils going into this year, next
[00:01:07] year, 23, 24, 25 season?
[00:01:09] What would you consider a success as far as just anything?
[00:01:14] What constitutes a successful season for them to you guys?
[00:01:18] Bobby, you can go first.
[00:01:20] Absolutely like win a round or two.
[00:01:21] It's not just make the playoffs for me.
[00:01:23] I want to get back to kind of where we ended two years ago, two seasons ago
[00:01:28] and just look like a team that they can win, get beat, that's fine.
[00:01:32] But they got to look the part and advance for sure.
[00:01:37] Dan.
[00:01:38] Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of things that would be an improved season for sure.
[00:01:42] There's no doubt about it.
[00:01:43] But you know what I'm looking for is kind of like what Bob said.
[00:01:47] I want to pick up what I thought would be success this year, which is we're going
[00:01:51] deeper into playoffs.
[00:01:52] I mean, I'd like to get the conference final.
[00:01:54] You know, that would be ideal instead of just winning one or two rounds.
[00:01:59] And we'll see.
[00:02:01] But let's face it anywhere between that and this season is probably going to be
[00:02:05] a big improvement because quite a letdown this year.
[00:02:08] Yeah, I think I mean, I hear a lot of double fans say, you know, next year we can make
[00:02:13] the playoffs and that's not a successful season just making the playoffs like you.
[00:02:17] You have to look at the last two years and, you know, last year was the last
[00:02:24] year is not the year that you want to go back to and try and repeat.
[00:02:27] You know, I don't know if we had that much bad shit happen to us again.
[00:02:31] I don't even know if we can be that bad.
[00:02:34] You know, 81 points.
[00:02:36] So it's got to be past game five of the second round, right?
[00:02:39] We have got to get past that.
[00:02:41] Even like a 112 point season and a first round loss.
[00:02:46] That's not a successful season at this point.
[00:02:49] I don't care about the points in the regular season, make the playoffs and
[00:02:53] then win a round or two, preferably four, you know, but you watch these every
[00:02:58] year you watch the playoffs.
[00:02:59] And I think we forget during the course of an 82 game season, just how much
[00:03:04] of a war of attrition winning these playoffs, winning the Stanley Cup is
[00:03:08] like, it is not just this is the best team in the NHL that hoist at Stanley
[00:03:15] cup.
[00:03:15] It's this is a really good team that managed to stay healthy and they got
[00:03:20] some breaks along the way and a lot of other stuff that goes with it.
[00:03:24] It is, you know, it's got to be the hardest thing to do in all of sports.
[00:03:29] Yeah.
[00:03:30] And as I watch these games, I'm reminded like how much better you get they
[00:03:35] get at this level, like how many actions or just everything's a little
[00:03:39] bit quicker.
[00:03:40] There's a little more emphasis behind it, whether it's simply clearing the
[00:03:43] puck, taking that shot and everything's faster.
[00:03:46] And you really do start to see like, you know, the four teams that are
[00:03:49] left, they do deserve to be there.
[00:03:51] You know, there's not a team in there.
[00:03:53] So it's been really good hockey and I can look at these four teams
[00:03:57] and honestly say like this, this wasn't the Devils this year, even
[00:04:01] if they had tweaked in, like they, they can't play like that.
[00:04:04] At least not this past year.
[00:04:07] You know, you watch the Panthers and they amaze me.
[00:04:10] Like every game I watch them.
[00:04:12] They're so well coached.
[00:04:15] Every single player knows where the other guy is.
[00:04:18] And not only do they know where the other guy is so they can get in
[00:04:21] position because they know what the other guy's going to do, but they
[00:04:25] trust a hundred percent that the guy next to them is going to do their job.
[00:04:29] And then they just, it is just one big machine of 20 guys that
[00:04:35] that work has won.
[00:04:36] It is crazy.
[00:04:38] They really are an amazing team.
[00:04:41] I'm not saying they're going to win this series.
[00:04:43] The Rangers are really good and have the potential to just score at will.
[00:04:47] So you never know.
[00:04:48] And Igor Sucerkin is just playing.
[00:04:50] I did not think Igor had this in him.
[00:04:52] I honestly didn't through all his other playoff runs.
[00:04:55] Just sharp last year.
[00:04:56] Yeah.
[00:04:57] In another preview.
[00:04:58] So he's definitely raised his game to the next level.
[00:05:01] I mean, he won a Vezna.
[00:05:02] Everybody knew he was great goaltender, but could he do it in a
[00:05:05] playoffs so far he's the only thing that has kept them in.
[00:05:09] I mean, he's, he's really put them on his back.
[00:05:11] So you got to get more credit.
[00:05:13] Oh, yeah.
[00:05:14] I am.
[00:05:14] And I even said, like if the Rangers are going to win a Stanley Cup,
[00:05:17] I could see a world where like Igor struggles.
[00:05:20] They put Jonathan Quick in and Jonathan Quick just takes them
[00:05:23] and runs with it.
[00:05:24] And I didn't think Igor had this in him.
[00:05:27] And man, he is playing amazing.
[00:05:29] This guy's going to get paid big time next year.
[00:05:32] Oh, absolutely.
[00:05:33] He is.
[00:05:33] Yeah, I can't see them.
[00:05:34] There's no way they could ever let him go.
[00:05:36] That'd be the biggest thing.
[00:05:37] I mean, he's got to get paid big time next year.
[00:05:39] Yeah.
[00:05:39] I mean, he's got to get paid big time next year.
[00:05:41] I can't see them.
[00:05:42] There's no way they could ever let him go.
[00:05:43] That'd be the biggest mistake.
[00:05:44] But yeah, he's great.
[00:05:45] I got to bring up this one parallel because we had a
[00:05:49] conversation in the early 2000s when the Devils were still very good
[00:05:54] in between Cups in 2000 and 2003.
[00:05:57] And it was the three of us.
[00:05:58] I forget.
[00:05:58] I think we're watching at your house, Chris, and we got in this
[00:06:01] conversation about they look so good right now.
[00:06:03] They don't pass to people.
[00:06:06] They pass to a zone.
[00:06:08] And that person happens to already be there.
[00:06:10] Legitimately, the three of us had this conversation 20 something years ago.
[00:06:14] That is what you're seeing today with like the Panthers, like you said,
[00:06:16] it's just that well oiled.
[00:06:19] Nothing's lucky.
[00:06:20] It's obviously there's some direct passes, but yeah, it's just all on the same page.
[00:06:25] Yeah, it's a working system.
[00:06:27] Yeah.
[00:06:28] And that overtime goal in game four was what a thing of beauty, right?
[00:06:32] You know, I mean, you watch how hard that passes from Montor to
[00:06:37] Barkov to Reinhardt went and every one of them flat on the ice, like a rocket.
[00:06:43] Bang, bang, bang game winner.
[00:06:45] That's it.
[00:06:45] We're going home and just like, man, I, the Devils need to get there.
[00:06:51] That's the level they have to get to because I see Florida being in this
[00:06:55] position every year, you know, until, until, you know, guys start leaving
[00:06:59] and everything, of course you're going to have your normal regression, but
[00:07:02] their window basically just opened last year when Matthew Kachuk got there.
[00:07:07] So yeah, I mean, they're, they're really good.
[00:07:10] Yeah.
[00:07:10] I mean, this is also the result of just brick after brick after brick
[00:07:15] building this like wall of confidence, you know, like all season long.
[00:07:19] And, you know, uh, you struggle with, uh, this guy being out, but
[00:07:23] you know, you've learned how to make it work.
[00:07:25] You learn how to make it work.
[00:07:26] And this is what the previous season was like for the Devils that, you
[00:07:28] know, any, anytime they needed to take a step and learn and grow, they
[00:07:32] did, and that's why they looked so good throughout the whole year.
[00:07:35] And, um, so you're watching now these teams that have been like, you know,
[00:07:39] just building a good thing and keeping a good thing going, and now
[00:07:43] it's all ready to work and mesh.
[00:07:44] And it's, that's what's great about playoff hockey.
[00:07:46] It has been a fun, uh, conference finals, you know, you gotta, you
[00:07:50] gotta admit like the four teams, like you said, definitely belong there.
[00:07:53] They're, they're all good teams.
[00:07:55] And, you know, we're after, you know, it's not the first round.
[00:07:58] We didn't see Washington in there, you know, team like, okay, what is this?
[00:08:02] Who cares?
[00:08:04] There were no big upsets, you know, like, like, you know, you talk about the
[00:08:07] Panthers, the Panthers, we said it before, right?
[00:08:09] They're 96 run.
[00:08:11] They came out of nowhere.
[00:08:12] Even last year they came out of nowhere.
[00:08:14] They were not surprised.
[00:08:15] Everybody was ready for them this year and they still
[00:08:18] continue to do what they do.
[00:08:20] Um, you know, you look at the Devils, everyone was ready for the
[00:08:23] Devils too this year and that didn't work out.
[00:08:26] So,
[00:08:26] no, I think I give, you know, the other teams scouting some credit, but think
[00:08:30] of all the problems that Devils had.
[00:08:32] Sure.
[00:08:32] Just, you know, um, between the coaching, the injuries, the, you
[00:08:36] know, goaltending, you know, clouds hanging over their head.
[00:08:39] It was just a recipe for disaster.
[00:08:42] Exactly.
[00:08:44] You know, like that, everything that could go wrong.
[00:08:48] I mean, it really had the opposite season of a team like the Rangers
[00:08:51] where everything came together nice.
[00:08:53] Yeah.
[00:08:53] Um, even in these playoffs.
[00:08:55] I mean, I, you know, part of it is I guess being a Devil fan when
[00:08:58] you watch them have they played these games, what a horse shoe up their ass.
[00:09:02] They have, you know, it's easy to say that they earned that to get those
[00:09:05] breaks.
[00:09:06] I'm not saying they didn't and they're a good team, but you know,
[00:09:09] you still need some kind of element of luck for things to click, to get
[00:09:13] through a bad penalty and not give up the goal too, you know, um, you
[00:09:19] know, you got to play her out.
[00:09:20] Um, and, and be, you know, have some of this fill in be good.
[00:09:23] I think it was like Cheetal or whatever.
[00:09:26] So, you know, like everything that could go right for them did, and even
[00:09:30] in the course of the game, you know, they're there, let's face it,
[00:09:33] they're getting away with the other teams might've got suspended for a
[00:09:36] couple of moves they made.
[00:09:37] They did not, you know, is it some kind of NHL bias with it?
[00:09:41] Yeah.
[00:09:41] The Rangers usually do get more of a benefit of doubt when it comes to
[00:09:44] not getting suspensions compared to other teams, but still point is
[00:09:49] everything's lining up right for them.
[00:09:50] And, um, it's kind of like the opposite of what we saw everything that
[00:09:54] could go wrong pretty much did.
[00:09:56] And, uh, so, you know, what you hope for is that that trash years
[00:10:00] behind us, good lessons are learned from it.
[00:10:03] And, you know, cause I know the fans, myself, we're just really
[00:10:07] eager to get back to it.
[00:10:09] Cause you know, like that's the best part as you wait for this.
[00:10:13] We're not waiting for, I don't know, the 2018 Devils to 2017 Devils
[00:10:18] to come back next year and, you know, shit the bed again.
[00:10:21] You know, like it was, it took a while for them to have some
[00:10:24] promise and they still have all that promise, you know, next
[00:10:28] year is going to be a very important year.
[00:10:30] Yeah.
[00:10:30] I think all Devils fans are gonna be a little worried about it.
[00:10:32] Like, okay, what teams is going to be this time?
[00:10:35] Uh, we're not as, uh, eager maybe as last year without, you
[00:10:39] know, having so much trepidation, but I'm still very eager.
[00:10:42] Still thinking that no, the past is, uh, only the good things are
[00:10:48] ahead of us going forward.
[00:10:49] There's no reason to worry.
[00:10:50] And I like the changes we got so far with a few more things left to go.
[00:10:55] So Sheldon Keefe was introduced as the Devils new head coach the other
[00:11:00] day, did everybody watch the press conference or at least get bits and
[00:11:05] pieces of it?
[00:11:06] Yeah.
[00:11:07] What were, um, you know, your thoughts of that Bobby, what are
[00:11:10] your takeaways of Sheldon Keefe?
[00:11:13] So, you know, I kind of half jokingly said a couple of weeks ago on the show
[00:11:16] that I don't want anything to do with it because it was a Toronto Maple
[00:11:19] Leafs and their lack of playoff success.
[00:11:21] And, you know, that was partially tongue in cheek, but, um, I got
[00:11:24] to tell you, I am on board with this guy.
[00:11:26] He has sold me, uh, on that presser.
[00:11:29] And I've heard some people say, you know, wasn't that good of a presser.
[00:11:33] I got exactly what I wanted to hear, um, from this guy.
[00:11:36] Some of the main things that he said I love was, um, he talked about, you
[00:11:40] know, developing an identity behind the skill basically, which I love.
[00:11:45] That idea.
[00:11:46] Um, you're going to let your skilled players, of course do what they can do,
[00:11:49] but there has to be another portion of their game.
[00:11:52] That's an identity and a structure.
[00:11:54] You know, of course you said they're still going to be, you know,
[00:11:57] fast attacking supportive, which they should be.
[00:11:59] Um, but I think he's going to bring that element of, you know, being
[00:12:02] tougher and being harder with them without the puck.
[00:12:06] And really having a structure.
[00:12:08] I kind of believe the guy when he says, you know, we're going to look at this
[00:12:12] team and we're going to build a system around the best way for this team to
[00:12:16] have success, which I mean any coach should do and say, um, but it just
[00:12:21] really felt genuine from him.
[00:12:23] And, uh, the other thing I really loved was, you know, he started
[00:12:26] to say that the actions need to match the ambition to win the cup.
[00:12:31] I, these are soundbites that just resonate with me because when I look
[00:12:34] at him, like he looks the part to me and that's important, right?
[00:12:38] He's a head coach.
[00:12:38] He's supposed to garner respect.
[00:12:40] You know, here's a guy getting paid whatever X minus the
[00:12:43] superstars on your team.
[00:12:45] You got to go out there and be the head leader.
[00:12:48] He looks it, uh, he looks, you know, kind of professional and encouraging
[00:12:53] like everything you kind of want wrapped into one, uh, menacing almost.
[00:12:58] You know that he can, you know, kind of tear into you what he needs to,
[00:13:01] but he can also really work on that, you know, being your friend and being
[00:13:06] empathetic and that sort of thing.
[00:13:08] It just, he just, I'm, I got the vibe that he knows how to push the right
[00:13:12] buttons and I complete 180, I would have been on board with any coach
[00:13:16] cause I want the devils to win like anybody, but now that I'm looking at
[00:13:20] this in retrospect, I think it's an absolutely great move for this team.
[00:13:23] I was, I was happy about it too.
[00:13:25] I liked what he said, uh, in terms of the attitude of the coach we want,
[00:13:31] right? We all talked about this, like, well, not a tortorella, but somebody
[00:13:34] is going to at least hold these guys accountable.
[00:13:36] That word came up over and over again, the point where, you know, that
[00:13:39] was like a big part of his interview process and like what Gerald wanted
[00:13:43] and what he wanted to bring it.
[00:13:45] And I think there's one, I looked to look it up again, cause I
[00:13:47] remember this has said something about, uh, police the process
[00:13:51] and enforce it, you know, that's the word he used there.
[00:13:55] Now I'm not saying we want like a drill sergeant type, but we want
[00:13:59] somebody who's going to hold these young players accountable so that they
[00:14:03] grow into more than just young, promising players, but you know, doing
[00:14:07] it, handling it, you know, um, and, and that's what we need more than
[00:14:12] anything else.
[00:14:13] So I was the words are great.
[00:14:15] Just we need the execution on it.
[00:14:16] Uh, right.
[00:14:17] And, uh, that's what remains to be seen and he needs a few more pieces.
[00:14:22] I think we've talked about this a lot and we're going to see some, some
[00:14:26] moves, I think sooner than later, but you know, what are we doing on
[00:14:30] defense?
[00:14:30] What are we doing on a, in the goaltending position?
[00:14:34] Um, that's remains to be seen.
[00:14:37] I think the way the schedule will work out with the cup final and they just
[00:14:41] put it out today, something like whatever date it is, it's like a
[00:14:44] Wednesday, a Tuesday or a Wednesday.
[00:14:46] If the final goes seven, that that seventh game will be played.
[00:14:49] And that is like the Tuesday or Wednesday before the draft, which is
[00:14:53] Friday.
[00:14:54] And then I think the free agency is a couple of days later.
[00:14:58] So all hell's going to break loose in about two weeks.
[00:15:01] So, you know, two, two to three weeks, all hell's going to break
[00:15:05] loose and it's going to be a ton of fun because, uh, yeah, I think
[00:15:08] that's when things are going to happen.
[00:15:09] And I took everything you guys said at a press conference from Sheldon
[00:15:13] Keith got very excited, but it was two things that Tom Fitzgerald said
[00:15:20] that got me very excited.
[00:15:24] Tom Fitzgerald said a couple of times how coachable our players are.
[00:15:29] You know, that means that that I take that in the sense of there's
[00:15:33] not too many egos on this team that these guys are willing to adapt and
[00:15:38] work with whatever you are telling them is going to make them better.
[00:15:42] And that is something I can't say for sure.
[00:15:46] Sheldon Keith had in Toronto with all his guys.
[00:15:48] Yeah.
[00:15:48] You mean, I think with Mitch Marner and others, you know, and
[00:15:53] and the second thing, which was one of the first things Tom Fitzgerald said.
[00:15:57] And at that point, statistic I didn't know, I could have just turned it off
[00:16:02] and I would have been happy as hell.
[00:16:04] Sheldon Keith is the second fastest head coach to reach 200
[00:16:08] wins in NHL history.
[00:16:10] I had no idea.
[00:16:11] Meaning the fastest.
[00:16:13] I mean, the contractors are going to say, we'll look at this, look
[00:16:15] at the team he had around him, but I don't give a shit.
[00:16:17] That's still amazing for a league.
[00:16:19] He's put around as long as NHL.
[00:16:20] So all the coaches that have similar pieces.
[00:16:23] So we're fine.
[00:16:24] That was a good team and he rose that fast with it.
[00:16:27] I don't think he can slow up much more with us, you know?
[00:16:30] So what do you guys think about, I mean, the
[00:16:34] playoff thing was a non-factor, right?
[00:16:36] I think that's your answer as well.
[00:16:38] What do you guys honestly think of that too?
[00:16:39] Do you think it's at a certain point?
[00:16:41] I mean, I agree.
[00:16:42] It's that's a non-factor to me.
[00:16:44] Well, when Sheldon Keith has been coaching the Toronto
[00:16:47] Maple Leafs for five seasons and they make it out of the first round
[00:16:52] one time in 20 years, I'm not putting that on Sheldon Keith.
[00:16:56] Like there's some other problems there.
[00:16:58] These problems are a lot deeper than Sheldon Keith.
[00:17:00] I think there's issues with management.
[00:17:02] I think there's issues with the way that that team is run.
[00:17:05] I think what they usually do a trade deadlines, not so much this year,
[00:17:08] but remember the previous year?
[00:17:09] They changed the whole damn team.
[00:17:11] I think the Rangers kind of made that mistake too.
[00:17:13] And then they went out in the first round for it.
[00:17:15] You know, I'm not a big fan of making major changes at the trade deadline
[00:17:19] multiple places, especially when your team is like doing well.
[00:17:22] You just throw everything out.
[00:17:24] So you're right.
[00:17:24] That's like a management issue more than a coaching issue.
[00:17:26] I'm sure that's not up to him.
[00:17:29] And you look at the teams that were left, right?
[00:17:31] What did they do at the trade deadline?
[00:17:33] Very minimal.
[00:17:34] You know, Edmonton went out and got a bottom six guy in Adam Henrique.
[00:17:37] That was their big move, right?
[00:17:39] You could say Florida tried to really
[00:17:41] hit a home run with bringing Tere Sangho in.
[00:17:43] He just hasn't worked out so far in these playoffs.
[00:17:46] He hasn't really woken up yet.
[00:17:47] But the home run Dallas, Chris Tanev, Chris Tanev has been a like it's
[00:17:52] like you focus in on if you're a really good team, a Stanley Cup
[00:17:56] contending team, you can focus on maybe that one area
[00:18:00] that you're a little bit.
[00:18:01] You know what?
[00:18:02] We need a second line winger in Florida.
[00:18:04] We need a bottom six guy in Edmonton.
[00:18:07] We need a good stay at home defenseman.
[00:18:09] And that'll make us a contender.
[00:18:11] You make that one move and we've done it.
[00:18:13] And you know, you get that one guy, Jeff Friesen, you know, that just
[00:18:18] boom, take and take the team to another level.
[00:18:20] When you're dicking around and changing three quarters of your lineup
[00:18:23] before the playoffs start and then you hope to have success,
[00:18:26] you're just out thinking everything, you know, you're
[00:18:29] you're really over over complicating something that's not that complicated.
[00:18:34] Agreed.
[00:18:36] So, Bobby, you have some some stuff about
[00:18:41] possible players.
[00:18:42] Oh, this is something I'm sorry.
[00:18:44] Go ahead. Go ahead.
[00:18:45] Oh, no, I was going to continue on your point.
[00:18:47] Well, Tom Fitzgerald was on and this will kind of
[00:18:52] you could piggyback off this because it's kind of in the same direction
[00:18:55] of what we're going to talk about.
[00:18:56] Tom Fitzgerald was on the power play on XM the other day.
[00:19:01] And so if you remember when why did Jack get moved to the wing?
[00:19:05] It was like Lindy Ruffray.
[00:19:07] He was doing some like he had some new systems,
[00:19:09] some new things he wanted to implement.
[00:19:11] You guys remember that, right?
[00:19:13] And then Jack started playing on the wing and then Travis Green
[00:19:15] kind of kept them there, which I think we kind of thought a little bit
[00:19:18] like maybe Jack is just more comfortable playing there.
[00:19:21] And that's what faceoffs might have been a factor to could have been.
[00:19:24] Right. Well, Fitzgerald said because they asked him a question
[00:19:29] the question, I believe, was something to the effect of.
[00:19:32] So you want to do with the Triple H right down the center, right?
[00:19:36] Tom, you want, you know, he sure Hughes, Paula.
[00:19:39] You know, those are good three center, good three centerman,
[00:19:42] three good centerman.
[00:19:43] And he went on about how Jack was moved to the wing
[00:19:46] because of his shoulder.
[00:19:47] Now we didn't know the shoulder was an issue until about two weeks
[00:19:51] or so left in the season, if I remember correctly.
[00:19:54] But so he was moved there.
[00:19:57] So I think this talk of Jack being on the wing that I was bringing up,
[00:20:01] like, I'm fine with them there.
[00:20:02] That's where he's comfortable playing.
[00:20:04] Let Jack do whatever he's got to do.
[00:20:05] No, Jack will be in the middle, according to Tom.
[00:20:08] Like he comes back healthy.
[00:20:10] Why would the move, you know, to hide the shoulder?
[00:20:13] Maybe they don't have to do that anymore.
[00:20:15] And I'm glad to hear that because I never liked the idea of it.
[00:20:18] Even when we talked about on the show is like you could put them
[00:20:20] wherever you want for the face off.
[00:20:22] But ultimately, he's going to be control in the center of the ice.
[00:20:25] So it doesn't make sense.
[00:20:26] And that does tie in perfectly to this article from the hockey writers
[00:20:31] that goes in to talk about who should play with Jack Hughes.
[00:20:34] And he said there was some rumble.
[00:20:36] I think it's John.
[00:20:37] I'm going to butcher this.
[00:20:39] Renitis, call John R.
[00:20:42] He mentioned.
[00:20:44] Is this outside players or players on the Devils now?
[00:20:48] Outside player one little note to players on the team,
[00:20:50] but otherwise it's all outside players.
[00:20:52] So I'm not going to over, you know,
[00:20:55] expunge what he's talking about, just going to kind of roughly
[00:20:57] go into each guy, but he does want to say that there was rumblings
[00:21:00] about Jack playing the wing and that they'd be looking for a center for him.
[00:21:04] But that it seems from the Devils,
[00:21:05] that is not something they're actually doing.
[00:21:09] Maybe not that they couldn't land like the perfect center
[00:21:11] and then think about it, but it's really not the actual plan.
[00:21:14] So a kind of honorable mention, he does bring up
[00:21:18] kind of a hybrid of the team, like a Dawson Mercer, you know.
[00:21:21] And on the surface, I thought to myself, I don't really
[00:21:24] necessarily think Dawson Mercer on Jack's line
[00:21:27] because then the line's too small.
[00:21:28] But then I got out of my own mind and was like, well, wait a minute,
[00:21:31] we're not we didn't finish the third piece of who could be on that line.
[00:21:34] So his first pick is actually Adam Henrique.
[00:21:40] Adam Henrique is both a center and a left wing.
[00:21:42] He thinks he can slide down with Jack.
[00:21:45] And again, this was more on his view of if they're looking for
[00:21:48] kind of the center type thing, he says roughly you're looking at
[00:21:52] a three or four point two million dollar contract as an example.
[00:21:56] I don't think Henrique's the guy I want on a second line with Jack Hughes anymore.
[00:22:01] I think Henrique's a very serviceable NHL guy.
[00:22:04] I'd love to have him back in the Devils.
[00:22:05] I don't see him in a top six role.
[00:22:07] He's not anymore. Right.
[00:22:08] He's not. And I mean, I like the idea of having three
[00:22:13] possible centermen on that line of a Mercer, Henrique and Hughes.
[00:22:16] You know, that would be, you know, three guys that can play in the middle.
[00:22:20] So that I do like that.
[00:22:21] But I think Henrique is past his prime to be a top six guy.
[00:22:25] You want to come down and play with Pallott and Holla.
[00:22:29] I'll discuss that.
[00:22:31] I like that. I love Adam Henrique.
[00:22:32] But in the end, I'll say for our purposes of somebody with Jack,
[00:22:35] I'm out on Henrique. What about you, Dan?
[00:22:38] I mean, yeah, I mean, he's definitely not my first choice to come back.
[00:22:43] I get it. I see how it's kind of an attractive idea, but it's, you know,
[00:22:48] it's not really the direction.
[00:22:49] A little more sentimental than it is.
[00:22:50] Yeah, exactly.
[00:22:51] And what are we doing?
[00:22:52] Yeah, exactly. You know, who are you going to go back for next?
[00:22:56] I think there's a future here on the list.
[00:22:59] I mean, that would be more recent
[00:23:02] because I don't want to go back to anybody.
[00:23:03] Yeah. OK.
[00:23:07] Next person he brings up is Matthew Shane, who's a center right wing.
[00:23:10] He was released from Nashville before he landed with the Stars.
[00:23:14] So he's played 80 games with the Stars, 25 goals, 40 assists.
[00:23:20] He's got a little more size.
[00:23:21] He's 6'1", 210 and a similar contract.
[00:23:24] And you can get a guy like that for maybe three and four point three million.
[00:23:30] To Shane's got heart. He's got a ton of heart.
[00:23:34] He's a tough dude. He's not afraid to get dirty.
[00:23:39] I would not be bummed out by that. I would be OK with that.
[00:23:45] Yeah, pretty good production.
[00:23:47] And now we'd be next to Jack Hughes. So you can
[00:23:50] possibly assume it could go up or even if it didn't.
[00:23:53] That's kind of a solid right winger for a guy like Jack Hughes.
[00:23:58] What do you think about to Shane, Dan?
[00:24:00] I think it does fit the bill in that regard.
[00:24:02] Like we're not looking for, I don't know,
[00:24:04] a McDermott style guy to play alongside Jack.
[00:24:06] Right. This is not, you know, Stu Grimson era.
[00:24:10] You know, we're not looking for that.
[00:24:11] We need somebody with hands still.
[00:24:12] And he has good numbers, but he does have, like you said, grit.
[00:24:17] And we could use that.
[00:24:18] We could still use that in a lot of positions.
[00:24:20] So, I mean, I like that option way better than going after Henry.
[00:24:24] Henry, nothing against him.
[00:24:25] I mean, I just I think it's a good option.
[00:24:29] So the next guy, he kind of did this in three phases.
[00:24:33] He kind of did like the hybrid center winger
[00:24:36] just in case he would take the center spot.
[00:24:39] Then he did just kind of wingers in general.
[00:24:42] And then he kind of goes into like a power forward thing.
[00:24:44] So his next couple of guys, he's got Anthony Duclair,
[00:24:47] who is both a left wing and right wing.
[00:24:49] He's from the bolts. He's 511, 197 pounds.
[00:24:52] He shared time actually with the Sharks and the bolts.
[00:24:55] And in 73 games, he had similar production, 24 goals and 18 assists.
[00:25:00] And again, approximate forecast of maybe three years
[00:25:02] and a 4.3 million as well for a guy like that.
[00:25:07] Hmm.
[00:25:08] That's what I took from him.
[00:25:11] Yeah.
[00:25:12] Dan, anything on him?
[00:25:14] Honestly, I'd slay them maybe still above Henry.
[00:25:19] What we spoke about today, but not to shame.
[00:25:21] Okay.
[00:25:23] Yeah, I can get behind that.
[00:25:25] The next one is the one on behind.
[00:25:27] And this I think would work very well with this team.
[00:25:30] And it's Thibaut Terevainen from Carolina.
[00:25:34] Plays both wings.
[00:25:35] It's kind of that heavy four check and forward.
[00:25:38] You just want everybody on Carolina, right?
[00:25:40] They've had a lot of success.
[00:25:41] So I'll take the defenseman in the way.
[00:25:43] Whoever they're willing to get rid of.
[00:25:46] I would definitely take the people from Carolina.
[00:25:49] Terevainen over Nacius?
[00:25:51] Hmm.
[00:25:52] I didn't know it was one of the other scenarios.
[00:25:55] Well, I thought maybe Nacius is on that list.
[00:25:58] I know.
[00:26:00] He might be too much money.
[00:26:01] But what did he say about Terevainen?
[00:26:05] Well, other than the fact that again,
[00:26:06] he played a heavy game with a lot of speed.
[00:26:07] He's 5'11", 191.
[00:26:09] So in 76 games, 25 goals, 28 assists.
[00:26:12] He's a plus 15, 17 power play points.
[00:26:17] So this guy averages like 16 minutes a game.
[00:26:20] He's actually a plus 107, I write that right?
[00:26:25] That is crazy.
[00:26:27] Tom Fitzgerald says in his press conference,
[00:26:33] he's not looking for guys that play hockey.
[00:26:35] He's looking for hockey players.
[00:26:36] I think that was the term he used.
[00:26:39] You know a guy coming out of Rod Brindamore system
[00:26:42] is a hockey player.
[00:26:43] They know how to do all the right things.
[00:26:47] It's, I mean that's plug and play.
[00:26:51] All the right things is coming.
[00:26:53] This guy's bringing it to the team.
[00:26:55] And that's why I really like this guy
[00:26:57] and his playoff experience.
[00:26:59] He's been in the playoffs basically every year
[00:27:00] since he spent the league.
[00:27:01] 90 playoff games, 23 goals, 27 assists for 50 points.
[00:27:05] A plus 25 with 14 power play points in those 90 games.
[00:27:11] This is a type of guy that slides right in next
[00:27:13] to a superstar under the radar, keeps producing
[00:27:16] and knows how to win in the playoffs.
[00:27:19] I know they haven't won the big game or anything,
[00:27:21] but he's a playoff player.
[00:27:24] Very interesting to me.
[00:27:26] You're making a good case.
[00:27:27] Yeah, he's making a good case.
[00:27:28] I put him just after what you said.
[00:27:30] I'll put him at number one on the list.
[00:27:33] Not far ahead, Duchenne, but definitely.
[00:27:37] Forecasting again, his words looking more like
[00:27:41] a four-year 5.2.
[00:27:43] So the money does come in,
[00:27:45] but I think we all know that there has to be
[00:27:48] some subtraction on this team anyway
[00:27:50] for something to come in here and work.
[00:27:52] Some contracts are moved, even if that means
[00:27:54] you're playing guys like Graham Clark
[00:27:56] at the 800,000 level just to kind of fill the gap
[00:27:59] in the meantime.
[00:28:00] So that was one of the ones I liked.
[00:28:01] Then he moves on to kind of the power forward role.
[00:28:05] The next one on his list, Vladimir Tarasenko.
[00:28:08] You just mentioned it.
[00:28:09] He's with the Cats.
[00:28:09] He's a right winger.
[00:28:11] To me, I know what this guy was.
[00:28:13] He's following very far from that.
[00:28:15] He went from mid-30 on average for goals
[00:28:19] to the last couple years, like 18.
[00:28:21] A couple teams are trying to pluck him in
[00:28:23] for the playoff run.
[00:28:24] It doesn't seem to me like that guy
[00:28:26] that's the final piece.
[00:28:27] He wasn't for the Rangers.
[00:28:28] I don't think he is for the Cats.
[00:28:30] How much gas is left in that tank?
[00:28:32] Yeah, I'm not a big fan.
[00:28:33] At two years, 4.15 million or so.
[00:28:39] I don't hate Tarasenko playing with the Jaffies.
[00:28:44] Don't you feel like it's another palat though?
[00:28:47] Like he's going to be worried about it.
[00:28:48] No, if he put up good numbers...
[00:28:51] I don't know what his numbers were in Ottawa
[00:28:52] before he was traded to Florida.
[00:28:55] I'd like to see because he was playing
[00:28:56] with pretty steady guys then.
[00:28:59] I don't know if he was playing with Brady.
[00:29:03] Pretty sure it was Ottawa he was in.
[00:29:06] Yeah, he signed with them in the off season, I believe.
[00:29:08] So, but I like him and I think playing with Jack,
[00:29:15] I think he could find, you know,
[00:29:17] regain a little bit of that form.
[00:29:19] You know, I think anybody of course can.
[00:29:21] But I'm just curious like what is...
[00:29:24] You got him Bobby?
[00:29:25] What's number two before?
[00:29:28] Before he was traded to Florida.
[00:29:30] Panthers?
[00:29:31] Okay, so with the Otto Senators,
[00:29:33] he played 57 games, 17 goals, 24 assists for 41 points
[00:29:37] plus 13, 12 penalty minutes, maybe two power play goals.
[00:29:45] 16 minutes of ice time on average.
[00:29:49] And then he got six more goals with the Panthers.
[00:29:51] So again, there's your mid-teen range before that
[00:29:55] with 2023 with the Blues
[00:29:58] and then the second half with the Rangers, 18 goals for the year.
[00:30:03] So he had 34 goals the year before that
[00:30:05] and then before that he was hurt for a little while.
[00:30:08] And then you go back to like the 18-19 season and before
[00:30:11] and that's when he's at 33, 34, 36 all the time.
[00:30:14] So it has actually been five years
[00:30:16] since he's kind of been that consistent 30 goal threat.
[00:30:20] Yeah, I would put Teresenko below Deshaun and Taravine
[00:30:27] and I think I'd probably have him at third.
[00:30:28] It sounds about right.
[00:30:32] I mean, I worry about his crit level too.
[00:30:35] Like I don't know.
[00:30:35] He's pretty tough.
[00:30:37] I mean, I was waiting for him to come to life in this series.
[00:30:41] I mean, I think he's just that kind of hidden weapon
[00:30:43] that can put the Florida ahead here.
[00:30:46] I mean, that's why they got him
[00:30:47] and he hasn't done anything as of yet.
[00:30:49] But yeah, he can play with a little bit of grit.
[00:30:52] See on a team like that, you're correct.
[00:30:55] This is like kind of a bonus guy you're adding in
[00:30:57] and you hope he's going to chip in with those.
[00:30:59] Almost like that third or fourth line guy
[00:31:01] you don't expect to get a couple extra goals.
[00:31:03] You're hoping he can kind of spark that for the team.
[00:31:05] We're looking for somebody to play with Jack, right?
[00:31:07] And we're looking for somebody.
[00:31:08] Specifically, yeah.
[00:31:09] We're not just talking about adding to the team.
[00:31:10] We're talking about playing with Jack.
[00:31:12] And the guy that's going to come in and play with Jack
[00:31:15] and if everybody stays healthy
[00:31:16] and this team does what we think it can do
[00:31:18] and Sheldon Keefe can squeeze every ounce of juice out of them,
[00:31:22] whoever is put in that spot
[00:31:24] will probably have a career year or close to it.
[00:31:28] So you got to be looking at this too.
[00:31:30] Like I am going to put into a beautiful situation.
[00:31:33] So it does have to be the right guy.
[00:31:35] Yeah. So right now Tara Vine and Dushain and Tarasenko.
[00:31:42] So I'll keep Tarasenko at three.
[00:31:45] All right. So last guy he mentions is Anthony Mata from the Knights.
[00:31:49] He's a right wing power forward.
[00:31:51] This guy's huge, right? 6'5", 234.
[00:31:54] To me, just like the article actually references,
[00:31:56] this is more of a third fourth line guy to me.
[00:32:01] Does he play any top six minutes in Vegas?
[00:32:03] I don't know. I didn't recall that part of his article.
[00:32:07] I think again, he's just putting it out there.
[00:32:09] The whole protect him with the size thing.
[00:32:11] I just think we got numbers on him for way over the top.
[00:32:15] He averages 25 points a year.
[00:32:20] You know, three years, 4.75 million.
[00:32:24] If we needed that kind of presence on the lower levels,
[00:32:27] I would consider this is not a guy I play with Jack.
[00:32:29] I think that's a little too lumbering for Jack.
[00:32:32] Yeah.
[00:32:33] I'm with you.
[00:32:35] Just want to see if he played...
[00:32:44] Who are we talking about again?
[00:32:46] Anthony Mata.
[00:32:47] Anthony Mata.
[00:32:49] Trying to see where the hell he played in this lineup.
[00:32:53] And I don't even have him in this forward lineup here for them.
[00:33:00] So I don't know where he played.
[00:33:01] So no, Tara Vynan is the one.
[00:33:03] And how much are they saying Tara Vynan is probably going to be going for this?
[00:33:08] And what type of term?
[00:33:09] Tara Vynan's the most expensive, about a four year, five, $5.2 million contract.
[00:33:16] And what were his numbers like this season?
[00:33:20] This very season...
[00:33:21] Or if you have last season, that's fine.
[00:33:24] Yeah. That was the 76 games, 25 goals, 28 assists plus 15, 17 power play points.
[00:33:31] Averaging 16 minutes of ice time.
[00:33:32] So again, with Jack, you're probably going to average more than that.
[00:33:36] You're going to get that to puck more.
[00:33:37] He's probably a 30 goal scorer, easy.
[00:33:39] I mean, you probably pencil him in for 30 and 70 points, I would think.
[00:33:43] And now do you guys think that Mercer should be the other guy up there?
[00:33:49] So for me, I started to kind of jot down the lines because Chris,
[00:33:51] you were the only one to do that so far at this point of where we are.
[00:33:54] And we all should do that because it's fun.
[00:33:56] And if I can get a guy like Tara Vynan on the right hand side with Jack Hughes,
[00:34:02] then I do think that that's a good spot for Mercer.
[00:34:04] Because at the very worst, you can maybe flip flop him around
[00:34:08] if it's not working out every single game.
[00:34:09] But I certainly haven't given up on Mercer.
[00:34:11] The guy knows hockey. He's extremely skilled.
[00:34:14] And I think if you do put him in the right situation, which could be that,
[00:34:19] I would like to see him up there on that line
[00:34:21] rather than putting him down in the third line center.
[00:34:23] Need that for a haul off.
[00:34:24] I think you have to start Mercer on the second line with Jack Hughes this year.
[00:34:29] I absolutely do.
[00:34:30] If you really want to see what this guy is going to do,
[00:34:33] you got to put him with the best player.
[00:34:35] You got to get another good winger with them.
[00:34:37] And that could be a dangerous line.
[00:34:38] This is assuming that Keith's going to come in here and agree that
[00:34:42] Meyer Heescher-Brat or as I see it,
[00:34:44] Brat Heescher-Meyer should stay intact.
[00:34:49] We don't know how that's going to fall.
[00:34:50] But assuming that does, I agree with you.
[00:34:53] This is the year for Mercer.
[00:34:54] What is it? Year four?
[00:34:55] Yeah, it's year four.
[00:34:56] Let's get up to that line, play with Jack.
[00:34:58] But they got to have somebody with a little more of that grit next to them.
[00:35:02] So I found my pick.
[00:35:06] I like it.
[00:35:06] Dan, anything you want to add to this conversation?
[00:35:09] We have to do a little bit.
[00:35:10] I'll tell you what.
[00:35:11] Bob's done a good scout report for us.
[00:35:14] And I can't really disagree with anything he said there.
[00:35:16] It makes a lot of sense.
[00:35:18] I think that's a good point.
[00:35:20] We need to strike a balance there of somebody who's going to play with grit,
[00:35:24] has his little size.
[00:35:26] But to play well with Jack, you have to do more than that.
[00:35:29] He's going to probably one of the hardest things about playing with him is that
[00:35:36] you got to be ready for that pass.
[00:35:37] You got to be ready for what he's going to do.
[00:35:39] You have to have a really good sense of value for scoring.
[00:35:41] He is one of the most creative guys in the NHL.
[00:35:45] I love guys who are third and fourth line players who just
[00:35:48] crashed in that and they throw pucks in that and they get the dirty goals.
[00:35:51] I love them.
[00:35:52] But to capitalize on Jack's skill, you need another level of skill than that.
[00:35:58] So I totally see where you're coming from with that.
[00:36:01] Who was the big boy in the list again?
[00:36:07] I would love to have him on a team maybe in a third and fourth line position.
[00:36:13] If we're talking specifically, playing with Jack up there,
[00:36:16] I don't think you could do much better than
[00:36:19] the one, two, three that we picked with Bobby there.
[00:36:22] Bob, were these guys all UFAs or are these possible guys you got to trade for?
[00:36:27] Oh, I am.
[00:36:28] I'm muted?
[00:36:31] No, you're not.
[00:36:31] Wait for a second.
[00:36:34] I believe they're all UFAs.
[00:36:36] I didn't track that as I was doing this though.
[00:36:43] Yeah, you're going out again, dude.
[00:36:44] We can't hear you, right, Bob?
[00:36:46] That's correct.
[00:36:47] Can you hear me now?
[00:36:48] Now I can hear you, yes.
[00:36:49] All right, we're going to try this now.
[00:36:51] We're going to do our little Draft King read.
[00:36:53] All right.
[00:36:54] We are this close to crowning a Stanley Cup champion,
[00:36:57] and because it's only audio you can't see that my index finger
[00:37:00] and my thumb are like an inch apart.
[00:37:02] We're that close.
[00:37:03] Kind of a dirt measure.
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[00:38:32] Does Alex Holtz have a spot on this team, guys?
[00:38:36] I think not ideally.
[00:38:38] Not ideally.
[00:38:38] I mean, if we get everything we want this year,
[00:38:42] I think he would be like an odd man looking in.
[00:38:44] But depending on how it shakes out who we actually get,
[00:38:47] it's possible he could find a place for himself.
[00:38:51] And I don't think, you know, look, he's very talented.
[00:38:54] It's possible.
[00:38:55] I don't think it's likely it was possible.
[00:38:57] He has like a breakout year for the team.
[00:38:58] Fits in really well.
[00:39:00] It's a totally clean slate with him as far as coaching, right?
[00:39:03] Like him and Lindy did not get along.
[00:39:05] That was very obvious.
[00:39:07] And it put him in a bad spot.
[00:39:09] Lindy might have had a point.
[00:39:10] I don't know.
[00:39:11] He didn't really emerge as just a great fit for the team
[00:39:15] once Travis Green was in.
[00:39:17] But that's a very small sample size.
[00:39:20] So he gets to start fresh if he finds a spot at all
[00:39:23] based on the moves we make, that maybe things would work out.
[00:39:27] But I think ideally, if we get everything we want this off season,
[00:39:32] I don't see him in the lineup regularly.
[00:39:35] I don't know.
[00:39:36] How do you guys feel?
[00:39:38] Bobby, what about you?
[00:39:41] So I am actually having a very hard time finding a home for him.
[00:39:45] Given what we know.
[00:39:47] And now we need a proven commodity next to Jack Hughes.
[00:39:51] And again, leaving that first line alone, he's not a proven commodity.
[00:39:55] And I don't believe that he has any value to us in a third-line role.
[00:40:01] But more than anything, I just can't seem to fit him.
[00:40:04] What I have projected now, and this is again,
[00:40:06] the only thing that could change is if we're trading for somebody
[00:40:10] that we need to throw some names in because that's who they really want
[00:40:13] in order to maybe take some bad contract.
[00:40:16] If we did want to move a Pilat, for example,
[00:40:19] and they have to have a Mercer in that deal,
[00:40:23] now we've got two spots gone and then maybe whole sports is way back in the lineup.
[00:40:27] I see a guy like Graham Clark breaking through this year.
[00:40:32] And I really believe this is the year of the foot.
[00:40:36] I believe no one put Willie back last year.
[00:40:38] I thought he was going to be a permanent NHL player too, but he got hurt.
[00:40:41] I think he's going to be not a fourth-line guy.
[00:40:43] I think he's going to be a third-line guy.
[00:40:46] So I'm kind of hoping there's some movement for Pilat here.
[00:40:49] But again, I've looked and I just don't see where Holtz fits in.
[00:40:54] Now that being said, if he is still here at training camp
[00:40:56] and he does have a fresh coach with fresh ideas,
[00:40:59] I haven't given up on Alex Holtz.
[00:41:01] I do believe he can score 30 goals in NHL.
[00:41:04] It's just very likely that he doesn't fit in with this team anymore.
[00:41:08] I think if there is a trade package,
[00:41:10] he's likely to be one of the things we're trying to unload.
[00:41:13] We'll try to unload.
[00:41:14] I don't know that people are clamoring on him anymore.
[00:41:18] Here's the thing.
[00:41:20] The only spot that I can see Alex Holtz even maybe being a part on this team
[00:41:27] would be on Jax's line.
[00:41:29] That is the only spot for him.
[00:41:31] But at the same time, we have to decide,
[00:41:34] are we really in the business of still developing guys
[00:41:37] that are going to be playing with this guy?
[00:41:39] If you want to get the best out of Jack Hughes,
[00:41:41] are we going to throw a guy who's still learning his shit on his line?
[00:41:45] You put Dawson Mercer who plays hockey the right way.
[00:41:48] He can play with grit.
[00:41:49] He's got some good hands.
[00:41:51] He's a great additional piece with Jack.
[00:41:56] You want to get the most out of this team
[00:41:59] and the most out of Jack Hughes.
[00:42:00] This year.
[00:42:01] The contracts are going to start running low.
[00:42:04] The guys are going to be looking for re-ups
[00:42:07] and things are going to get a lot more expensive.
[00:42:09] If you want to really win a cup in the next two or three years,
[00:42:12] I just don't see it.
[00:42:13] A guy like Tara Vynan, that's the move you make.
[00:42:16] That's the move a guy like him.
[00:42:17] You put in and you can tell Jack this is your guy.
[00:42:21] We're not going to keep on fucking putting different guys with you.
[00:42:24] Okay, you're playing on the wing and Hollis centering
[00:42:26] and now you're playing with Palau.
[00:42:28] No, set them up for success and I don't think you can do that without it.
[00:42:32] So as a comparable, because you brought out Tara Vynan.
[00:42:37] Tara Vynan's 5'11", 191 for example and Holtz is 6'192.
[00:42:42] Hollis made a spade.
[00:42:43] That's pretty freaking even.
[00:42:45] The 25 goals in 28 assists that Tara Vynan had,
[00:42:49] I could argue you can get that from Holtz for the full year on Jack's wing.
[00:42:53] I said that all last year.
[00:42:55] Definitely not a stretch.
[00:42:57] If production were even, which it wouldn't be because I also believe
[00:43:01] that Tara Vynan would come in here and peek up because of Jack,
[00:43:04] or I don't think this would be your Holtz's act.
[00:43:07] There's still an element of the way that Tara Vynan plays.
[00:43:11] It is.
[00:43:11] That Holtz is not there yet.
[00:43:13] No.
[00:43:13] Yeah, there's a maturity there and I think there's a defensive responsibility.
[00:43:17] He's fast, Holtz is not fast.
[00:43:18] And Jack is not going to be your most expensive player.
[00:43:21] You have to have a defensive guy and Mercer is one
[00:43:25] and you got to have another guy to protect Jack because Jack will,
[00:43:29] you want Jack to not be worrying about too much of that shit.
[00:43:32] You know, if he has guys around him.
[00:43:34] Be creative.
[00:43:34] Yeah, your job is to just bail them out if necessary, defensively.
[00:43:39] To be the heart of this team, that's your job and you need to do that.
[00:43:42] And I just, so real quick with Holtz though, like if I don't see it,
[00:43:48] I get people saying that to give up on a young talent or whatever,
[00:43:52] but like I don't want them on the third line.
[00:43:55] I honestly think that you want to get the most out of that third line.
[00:43:58] If Pilate is on this team moving forward and you got Holtz,
[00:44:01] it's got to be Nolan Foote.
[00:44:03] Like you've got to see, that's where you want to see a guy
[00:44:07] see what he really has and with those two veterans,
[00:44:10] you know, that can show him the way and Foote,
[00:44:12] I think has a big future on this team.
[00:44:15] I want to see him on that third line and I mean,
[00:44:18] then we already have a pretty packed fourth line.
[00:44:21] So there's no spot for him.
[00:44:26] Yeah, it's unfortunate and again, I don't think it's giving up in any way.
[00:44:29] I think that the right team can definitely bring the best out of Alex Holtz.
[00:44:35] Yeah. And I think some teams are going to want him.
[00:44:38] I mean, he's, you know, he's a high pick
[00:44:40] and they're going to want to take a shot at him.
[00:44:44] So I would not be surprised if he gets traded away.
[00:44:46] I understand like his stock is in as high as it was last year.
[00:44:51] We probably could have gotten more from him last year.
[00:44:52] There's still scouts, right? That this is all they do
[00:44:55] and they still have their beliefs and where he can be
[00:44:58] in the right system and all that.
[00:44:59] But you know, the more we kind of unpack this second line idea,
[00:45:03] the more I look at it and the construction of it,
[00:45:05] it's exactly what you'd want to put together for an extremely successful line.
[00:45:09] So you got your dynamic center that can dish like the best of them,
[00:45:13] but also pot 40 goals himself.
[00:45:16] Feeding a guy like Tara Vining who knows,
[00:45:17] okay, my goal now is to score goals.
[00:45:20] Plain and simple. I don't need Razzmatazz.
[00:45:22] I'm just going up there and going hard.
[00:45:24] Then you got a guy like Mercer who's kind of that hybrid guy.
[00:45:26] He's got great hands, right?
[00:45:29] But he also knows how to play the two-way game really well.
[00:45:32] That's going to have to be strong this year.
[00:45:34] If Mercer's strong in his two-way game
[00:45:36] and can approach, you know, almost Nico level of defensive responsibility,
[00:45:41] that's going to fill in that line very nicely.
[00:45:43] That's going to be good.
[00:45:43] He already plays on the power, I mean, the penalty kill.
[00:45:47] He's always out there.
[00:45:48] It's part of his game.
[00:45:50] Last year he struggled a bit and he struggled both sides of the puck.
[00:45:54] This year, if he comes on strong,
[00:45:57] especially again, both sides of the puck,
[00:45:59] that's going to be just what that line needs.
[00:46:00] And if you put him with cues and he stays there for the majority of the season,
[00:46:04] his offense will be there.
[00:46:07] It might take a little bit for whoever they're playing with to click,
[00:46:11] but I think that if you give Jack and a great player like Tara Vining,
[00:46:15] a great player like Mercer enough time,
[00:46:18] their chemistry will be fantastic.
[00:46:20] And they'll be one of the most exciting lines in...
[00:46:23] You lost me again?
[00:46:24] No, you just a little max headroom.
[00:46:25] You're good.
[00:46:25] A little max headroom.
[00:46:26] I'm not sure if it shows up on the...
[00:46:28] I think they could be one of the best lines in the NHL
[00:46:31] and that would be exciting to see.
[00:46:32] So Chris, real quick before we move on though,
[00:46:34] you mentioned Nolan Foote as well and Pallott in the third line.
[00:46:38] So you would envision, I'm assuming,
[00:46:40] Pallott on the left, Paula center and Nolan Foote on the right.
[00:46:45] Yep.
[00:46:46] Yep.
[00:46:48] I do know when Foote is more of a traditional left wing guy
[00:46:52] and this is where I'm struggling because I want him to be in the best place
[00:46:56] to succeed for him, which I think would be the left wing of the third line,
[00:47:00] which means you either take a guy like Pallott
[00:47:02] and shift him a little bit out of position or as I'd like to see him maybe,
[00:47:06] hey, you could be the highest paid fourth-liner in the NHL.
[00:47:09] It's not a bad thing either to have his kind of skill
[00:47:13] on the fourth line wouldn't be terrible.
[00:47:15] No, but I think our fourth line,
[00:47:18] it depends on... I think it's going to be Shane Bauer centering it.
[00:47:22] You signed him again, you're giving him a chance to make the team
[00:47:26] and that's his position to win or to lose, I should say, unless they re-sign...
[00:47:31] I forgot about him. I was picking Lazar the whole way.
[00:47:34] No, I put Lazar on the wing of that line and then I would go between...
[00:47:39] He can do that.
[00:47:39] At this point, I guess I would go between Bastion and McDermott.
[00:47:46] They could split time.
[00:47:47] Yeah, they could split time. That's fine.
[00:47:48] That's what I am.
[00:47:49] If we ended up with one too many centers in that regard,
[00:47:52] let's say it was one on the wing.
[00:47:54] I mean, you look at the bottom two lines,
[00:47:56] the odd man now center-wise for me, I don't know.
[00:47:59] I almost want to say Holla.
[00:48:01] I mean, what's your prediction for him for next year?
[00:48:03] Do you think he's going to have a great year?
[00:48:05] He was one of my larger disappointments
[00:48:07] between what I expect from him and what we got.
[00:48:11] Yeah, I mean his first year was definitely a lot better.
[00:48:15] Last year...
[00:48:15] Especially in the second half of the first year, he was really good.
[00:48:19] Maybe taking Holla out of center will help him kind of rediscover.
[00:48:22] He can play every position.
[00:48:24] Yeah, he can play every...
[00:48:25] So maybe a little less responsibility, a little more focus on the puck.
[00:48:28] But then what are you doing with that third line?
[00:48:32] Who's centering it?
[00:48:33] You're going to move Lazar up
[00:48:34] and then Lazar will be your center on your third line.
[00:48:37] That's the only other center that you have right now.
[00:48:41] Which is fine.
[00:48:42] I'm okay with Lazar centering the third line.
[00:48:44] I can look at that.
[00:48:44] Lazar can play anywhere, actually.
[00:48:46] He's fine.
[00:48:47] But yeah, interesting problem.
[00:48:49] So then Holla goes to the wing,
[00:48:51] you're moving Pilat down to the fourth line
[00:48:54] and you're putting Nolan's foot on the left wing of the third line?
[00:48:58] Yeah, I don't know about that.
[00:49:00] Yeah, you can't get Pilat on the fourth line.
[00:49:02] Like he still has something to give.
[00:49:05] I think I'm in favor of keeping Holla as center on the third line for now.
[00:49:11] The reason I'm thinking ahead with this
[00:49:12] is because I just didn't like what happened last year with him.
[00:49:15] And I'm just hoping...
[00:49:17] You know what it is too,
[00:49:18] you got these older guys who are veterans,
[00:49:22] it's kind of like what you see is what you get.
[00:49:23] The young guys, their seasons fluctuate more.
[00:49:26] The older guys, they have a trajectory.
[00:49:29] It's usually not up.
[00:49:32] They don't bounce up and down as much usually.
[00:49:34] I'm willing to not make too much of an indictment on anybody's season last year.
[00:49:40] Part of a package of shit.
[00:49:41] Yeah, I'm totally willing to just give Holla that spot
[00:49:46] and let's see how he does this year.
[00:49:49] I'm totally going to contradict myself right here in this one statement
[00:49:53] that I believe that next year could be the most useful year
[00:49:59] for a guy like Pilat that we have seen so far.
[00:50:02] And I also believe that it's probably the best time
[00:50:05] to try to see if someone will take that and we'd send this out.
[00:50:10] I just, I can't figure...
[00:50:11] I know what he can bring on the right team.
[00:50:13] I don't know if we're going to be there yet.
[00:50:15] And then when I try to construct these lines,
[00:50:18] ideally, he's our third line left winger.
[00:50:21] Actually, he plays both.
[00:50:22] It really doesn't matter.
[00:50:23] He's that type of guy who should do it.
[00:50:24] Just so underwhelmed with him.
[00:50:28] But yet I feel this is going to be his most important year as a devil.
[00:50:32] I know.
[00:50:33] And when he's on his game, when he's good,
[00:50:35] and he brings that, you know, when he's playing tough,
[00:50:38] when he's playing well, well, you want him on your team.
[00:50:41] So it's just a matter of consistency with him.
[00:50:43] So I don't know.
[00:50:44] Well, if you look at it this way, okay, for Andre Pilat,
[00:50:49] and if he is going to be on this team,
[00:50:51] I think this is how we have to seriously look at him.
[00:50:53] Year one misses a huge chunk due to injury.
[00:50:57] True.
[00:50:58] Then he comes back and he's a little bit underwhelming,
[00:51:01] but then the playoffs kick in and he was fantastic.
[00:51:04] And that had an extra gear.
[00:51:05] It was great.
[00:51:07] And now if we have to apply.
[00:51:09] In one round.
[00:51:10] In one round.
[00:51:11] Right.
[00:51:12] But the round that we really cared about, right?
[00:51:15] I mean, in the game we had to win, game seven,
[00:51:18] this dude did one of the most beautiful plays
[00:51:21] by stripping the puck away from Kreider,
[00:51:23] and I don't even remember who else it was, twice.
[00:51:25] And then it does an elevated pass to Mick Fucknut for the first goal.
[00:51:32] But he was fantastic.
[00:51:34] So if you look at that season,
[00:51:36] you're very happy with Andre Pilat with what you got from him.
[00:51:40] So you have to apply the same logic to Pilat for last season
[00:51:43] that we did with Holla.
[00:51:45] So I think got to give Pilat another shot here.
[00:51:48] Let's see if we can really get what we want from Pilat.
[00:51:51] Because I agree with you.
[00:51:52] I think this is the year that you're going to see
[00:51:55] an uptick in guys like Holla and Pilat.
[00:51:57] And I feel like there's finally starting to, even last season,
[00:52:01] I felt like there was just not enough consistency,
[00:52:05] not enough people.
[00:52:07] I feel like there's a lot more excitement around this team.
[00:52:10] And you can kind of already see there's more glue.
[00:52:14] Like we always said, the team,
[00:52:17] guys didn't really know what their jobs were last year.
[00:52:21] Like really what was expected of them.
[00:52:23] And I feel like there already is more understanding
[00:52:26] just with Sheldon Keefe being there
[00:52:28] and what these guys went through last year.
[00:52:30] I think they all know they're going to start a season
[00:52:32] with a coach who's not going to just constantly shuffle lines.
[00:52:36] Right. And that's huge.
[00:52:38] So I'm willing to say that this team, if done right,
[00:52:42] and we get the goalie,
[00:52:43] which we're not going to have time to talk about tonight,
[00:52:46] we'll get into on the next show.
[00:52:48] That's the next big thing.
[00:52:51] Like you've got to get the goal.
[00:52:52] It is the single biggest personnel move
[00:52:55] we're going to have to talk about this year.
[00:52:56] And there's been more rumblings now that I've heard
[00:53:00] that Markstrom is now the leading candidate.
[00:53:03] That's this week, guys.
[00:53:04] So you'll probably be, you know, shisterking by next week.
[00:53:08] So yeah, I'll take a look.
[00:53:09] Yeah.
[00:53:10] If I had to.
[00:53:11] Right now it's Markstrom.
[00:53:12] But on the next show,
[00:53:13] we'll actually talk more about boltending and go from there.
[00:53:17] But this was fun.
[00:53:18] So wherever you guys are listening to us,
[00:53:20] the Like or Five Star Review,
[00:53:21] positive comments, subscription, download goes a long way.
[00:53:24] Please be sure to go check out
[00:53:26] any past episodes of Uncle Puckers
[00:53:27] at theunclepuckers.com.
[00:53:29] Every show is up there.
[00:53:30] There's a few articles which haven't been written in a while,
[00:53:33] but we're going to get back on that soon.
[00:53:35] And that's pretty much it.
[00:53:37] Anything else you guys want to say?
[00:53:39] No, we're all done.
[00:53:39] Yeah, that's it.
[00:53:40] There you go.
[00:53:41] For Dan and Bobby, I'm Chris.
[00:53:42] We're the Uncle Puckers.
[00:53:43] And we'll see you when we see you.
[00:53:45] And I don't have the outro set.
[00:53:46] Bye-bye.
[00:53:47] That's all right.
[00:53:49] Let's see.
[00:53:49] First thing in the day.
[00:53:50] It's over, Johnny.
[00:53:51] It's over.
[00:53:52] That was pretty good.
[00:53:52] Nothing's over.
[00:53:54] Just give me something to drink.