The Devils Are In Hell

I’m a Devils fan, and I’m going to continue to be a Devils fan, but it’s very hard to get excited to buy new merchandise, go to games, or even watch games on TV when it’s the same sad story played out game after game.

The Devils are in hell. They are horrible right now, and there is no easy fix. Yes, there are injuries, but that’s not the whole story. They were miserable the first six games of the season with most of the team healthy. Starting six rookies on an already short bench doesn’t help, but it doesn’t excuse the repeated mistakes and miscues.

So here are 6 ideas to help the keepers of the 6-6-6 at least remember where purgatory lies.

1. Pick some lines and stick with them for eight to ten games. The constant shuffling is partly the reason the Devils can’t seem to make a tape to tape pass. If you don’t know which way your linemate prefers to receive a pass, or how they’re likely to curl as the play develops, your passes will look bad when they were really well-intentioned. The Lemaire-e-go-round must end.

2. Anyone who skates like this team isn’t in last place should be watching from the press box. Night after night the Devils are beaten to loose pucks, lose battles in the corners, and don’t rush the puck into the zone. Emphasize skating with a bit of fire, and the dump and chase silliness will go away as well. The forecheck might hold onto the puck, and perhaps there will be life on the power play (see #4). The Devils haven’t excelled in the post-lockout NHL because it’s about speed, and they do not consistently show it.

3. Start addressing the injuries from the top down. If this means changing the conditioning program, or replacing the trainer and equipment manager, then those are priorities. It’s unreal that the Devils have suffered through 56 lost man-games so far this year, and were without key players good parts of last season. Watching them get muscled off the puck, and giving up possession on the forecheck, is just sad. Seeing “freak injuries” take out a young gun like Josefson is sickening. I can’t see how a slash and a fall separated his thumb ligament unless something wasn’t right with his gloves, his hand/arm, or his conditioning.

4. Fix the power play. It wasn’t great last year, and now it’s worse. When the puck is at the half boards, players are standing around. If you’re not moving, you’re not creating space or making time for a play. That’s as basic as hockey gets.

5. Have a closed-door player meeting. I’m flat-out shocked that the player leadership hasn’t done a thing to address the lack of scoring, lack of passion, lack of teamwork, and lack of winning. This is a team sport. Goalie, captains, rookies, and veterans all have to work together to develop some sense of trust. Or perhaps that’s where the issues start.

6. Simplify. One of the best coaching stories I’ve ever heard came from an AHL coach. He was working with an NHL player sent down who proceeded to turn around and have a remarkable season. The coach’s remedy: “Simplified his game – he was doing too much.” Hockey is a very simple game. You skate, pass, shoot, and check with the stick or body. Every player on this team needs to simplify, and adjust around what’s been demonstrated not to work at all.

When you’re the reigning Stanley Cup champions, every team raises their game against you, as you become a yardstick for relative success in-season. When you sign the most expensive free agent on the market, you get the same effect. It’s time for this team to go out and just play the simple game.

I’ll be here cheering.