Meier Madness (Season 9 | Episode 18)

0:00Happy Devils Sunday, this is the Let's Go Devils podcast, I'm your host Sam Wu here with beer barren and scottia sir sex and liquid metal streaming live on Facebook live YouTube live X live Twitch and now on Instagram live on the Let's Go Devils Network talking some devil's hockey talking trade rumors and show trade deadline is that time of year e5 e5 e5 e5s all around and for those of you

1:05that get that joke that's even better what's up boys how are we doing how we doing out there in a west coast there Scotty where it's nice and warm and not freezing and constantly snowing and miserable and cold yeah it is pretty warm out here I actually had a trip it's air conditioner season already so I've had it all over yeah oh boy oh oh so that's gotta be sorry I'm leaving well supposed to be 70 degrees for Devils Rangers on Saturday yes that's about right yeah you know because and then I'll snow like a foot and a half after that but you know that's that's the unpredictable weather that we have in New Jersey nowadays yeah boys yeah it's a brisk 68 out here right now so oh my god you see people walk around with like heavy jackets on it like oh my god Charlene so this is a trumptious how do you guys look at me yeah they look at

2:06me like I'm crazy because I'm in like shorts and like cut off you know no you know no sleeves and stuff like that so yeah all right this guy's easy they're from like the east coast or he's delusional or crazy one of the other speaking of delusional let's talk about how we were talking about a you know the other day Sam and I were together right before the Devils game the first game back from the break and I was maybe a little bit delusional that this team was gonna write the ship and get it turned around and rock and roll right out of the gates boy what a big misstep that was but but I'm not gonna be we won the battle of 15th place yesterday okay yeah for sure for sure we did I don't want to be too pessimistic because I don't want people to be like I don't want to see this guy's belly economic moral well I want to I want to listen to positive news well here's the positive side of it this the ceremony that they have for Jack Hughes and the words that that Jack said to the crowd I think we're we're

3:09some of the most moving and the energy in the building was unlike I felt in a long time even a game seven against the Rangers a couple years ago it was just a completely different vibe because it didn't matter what team you were rooting for it was just the whole building was a buzz and you know I know we can talk about all the all the different things about the Olympics I think we've covered it you know pretty well and we're we got to get into the meat potatoes of where we are in the season right now because it's it's high time of what's going on I see your point to your phone and I don't know why because of the message oh you did oh gee whiz buddy now you're gonna make me stop mid-send adjust my microphone yep you're good point oh there yeah amateur hour over here my apologies season nine right now you're getting there hey listen man my

4:12daughter had a sleepover party for a birthday yesterday and a bunch of you know 10-year-old little girls running around our run house until like midnight I didn't really sleep that much so I'm a little I'm a little exhausted but uh but yeah anyways back to it yeah the season we get back into the season it wasn't the you know the results the first two games backward we're not really what we were looking for especially that Pittsburgh game was just just atrocious and yeah we got the we won the battle of 15th place like Skydy said so it's weird what where are we hanging our hat and like trade deadline you know looming right in our face I don't know boys I'm no I'm gonna have to go out in a limb and say we're we're gonna be sellers at this deadline and um I don't know it makes me nervous it makes me nervous what what moves are gonna be had because there's a couple of things that are floating around out there and I'm like please don't please don't do that we're like two months ago I would have been like okay yeah pull the trigger on that but now I'm like no no no please don't mortgage our future for what you try to grasp on

5:15to this what little left is left of the season or your job or your job yeah you're not saving it you're not saving it you're not saving it by bringing Steven Stamco's here and giving away our first round pick that could potentially be a lottery pick at this point I don't think as Steven Stamco says any desire to come and see Tepple said no that ship sailed quite quite long ago what's that out of horizon oh it says Stamco's the USS Stamco's there goes just off in a distance yeah yeah I mean what do you think I'm sorry no I'm just gonna say like what are your thoughts about this I mean like obviously they're not in a position to be buyers anymore right like I might we can't we can't there's no way in hell even if they went on a pretty you know epic run it's such a tall task for them to even get into the playoffs at

6:18this point where it's like why why even try to do that like why try to like reshape the team for the now you have to reshape the team for the future and that might be some pretty difficult decisions that you're gonna have to make regarding some of the names that we all love and adore but I don't know I just don't think that's the seasons is gonna be savable unfortunate no it's yeah I mean it's it's long gone we know that I mean like I said they're in 15th place in the division I mean in the conference you know ninth in the wild card I don't see them moving up past everybody and and having this miraculous run over here but I also don't have any faith in Tom Fitzgerald to make a decent move anymore so I'm kind of I'm kind of in the camp of like don't do anything because yeah he's probably gonna try and do something to save his job and well we're

7:22stolen it if we go 22 and 1 here we can still make the playoffs and everyone goes like you know below 500 above us so yeah I'm I'm in the case of I'm in the camp of like you know try try not to do too much if someone if Carolina you know wants Dougie and he wants to go back there go for it you know Carolina's definitely got a shot to be a cup contender this year so you know if Dougie wants to go back there which the rumors say that that was that would be one place he would accept the trade back to I don't think he's got I mean maybe he does just for you know the hell of it to go play in Toronto but I wouldn't want to go play up in Toronto either because they're selling everybody to so there's really no shot there for for Dougie I would say if he wants to go to Carolina and they can get a decent you know if they can get all that money taken off the table for him they don't have to eat anything and I'd say do it

8:25but other than that I would not let Tom Fitzgerald do anything else right now no I agree especially if if there's what is his job security and you wish he had I would say you're well you would hope you would hope so you know and so yeah and and for and I was the biggest Fitzgerald Apologist for the longest time where I'm like no no but look at the moves he's made look he brought in Timo look at the the term that he's put on all these contracts you know he got Jack under nine he got you know Timo and Nico and all these guys on like relatively the same price and at the time like yeah it sounded and it looks great but the problem is like well then he handcuffed himself and we've talked about this at nauseam so we don't have to like go deep into detail about it but like he's he's handcuffed himself with all these no movement clauses no trade clauses and all this other kind of BS that it's like it doesn't matter what kind of term you put on these contracts you're still stuck with a lot of these guys and it

9:27just and yeah furthermore I wish I could be a fly in the wall in the locker room too because did the team quit on key for his keep quitting on a team like what what's actually happening because there's nights for this team looks so unbelievable the the fact that they lost the game and by the way don't let the two-to-one score you know mislead you in that Buffalo game because that was pretty much Buffalo the whole game and I understand Jack Hughes is probably working off of like an hour worth of sleep he still amount you know ended up getting an assist in that game that fourth line I maybe it was just me that fourth line also directly led to the game winning goal for the Buffalo Sabers to well yeah whatever but I'm just glaze over that man's an American hero so the other part of that maybe he could have just went to the game you know like Gunsle went back to Tampa Bay because he was ready to play but you know whatever we're not gonna get into all that baloney whatever blah blah blah like

10:30I'm not I'm here for to talk about hockey I'm not talking about other crap right now but I will say this I I watch in that game it was it was all Buffalo there's a lot of Buffalo in that game we're rolling that fourth line out there a lot too which I was like I was kind of confused about because at points I'm like are we rolling this fourth line out there just to get it going because there's a couple guys that are still new to this team and we want to try to see what they have and see what their chemistry is and I'm like what this is a coolest game you know Jake Allen once again standing on his head you know to help save this team I mean there's a lot of things that we're going on where I'm like it's within your grasp to win this game like it's not unwinnable it just felt like they were flat I'm like how the hell are we flat this building was like on fire it was rocking a roll and leading into this game how the hell are you playing so flat but there we are replayed flat I mean because yeah I mean that's every I don't know how to I mean that had nothing to do with the Devils you know

11:40so the team has been bad for a while oh yeah nothing to have them before the game I had nothing to do with the Devils or Devils hockey or Devils the season like oh I know I know but you could still find the energy in the building not if your team you don't think it's been playing like trash that's not going to change anything they're on a five game losing streak you know so like they're not very good three three game three game losing streak of that boy but oh that was well that was the fourth one yeah that was the fourth and then fifth yeah fifth the fifth the team just hasn't been very good for a while so I don't know I don't I don't think USA winning the Olympics is going to change the fact that the Devils have not been good all season I don't think that's gonna make any difference whatsoever yeah I love that there's guys in the YouTube chat by the way what's up everybody on YouTube Instagram Facebook all that

12:40kind of stuff nice to see everybody out there I liked it we got a lot of people saying pilote trade for pilote you know bring them back and maybe he wasn't the problem and yeah there's there's shaffer two more goals now five four islanders islanders are figuring it out he's he got 19 20 today yeah he's on now and actually they oh they went up they're about they just beat Florida because Florida tied him up and then I don't know who scored the the next goal oh I saw it was Sam Bennett I think scored to tie it up I didn't even see oh well well that's just one yeah and then Robert says team has been bad since January 2025 except for the month of October you know what he's kind of right because if you stretch it all the way back to last January this team has had I mean leading into the playoffs last year where they made the playoffs by the

13:40skinner their teeth and then got into the playoffs and Carolina was like thanks for the easy first round by we'll just walk we'll walk you out the door golf course is that way the swimming pools over that way we got this is right Brenda Moore this is a company coach he knows what he's doing I say I'm what do you got to say Sam I see you pop on I know you got you got something you still need to read your phone oh crazy man I'm trying to be engaging oh my god I personally think this this team is a whole overhaul I that's what I think I mean I've set up before I'll say it again I don't think anyone should be safe on this team yeah just it seems to be just the same patterns over and over and over and over again it's been like six seven years now this so how many more

14:46times you want to try and get the same exact result well that's what's gonna happen when you overhaul with this ownership group it's if you look at the 76ers I hate to say the same crops gonna happen again well yeah I need to be doing remember they're they're big they're big a saying when they bought the 76ers remember the 76ers were garbage like absolute garbage on the bottom and they were they would tank they made the playoffs they made the playoffs no but but but do you remember they would say trust the process that's where that whole thing came from like the whole trust the process BS was when they when they first bought the 76ers and they were like yeah yeah trust the process well we'll get it and then they started getting first round picks and they started getting like first overall picks and they got and beat and they got you know this guy and that guy and they're like oh it's gonna be different it's gonna be different it's gonna be different and I'm like whoa that sounds so vaguely familiar that's the same they were part did I miss they were a playoff team

15:48barely they weren't a great team but they were still playoff team and then they ripped it down to the bare bones and then like oh trust the process trust the process and then they went a few years of like tanking and then the literally the NBA had to step in and bring the coangelo father and son and rip that GM out be like no no they'll show you how to run a team that's what happened yeah it wasn't they were bad and then oh no they were actually a playoff team if I'm not mistaken like they weren't like maybe just barely squeaking in and then they ripped it down to like bare bones where they weren't spending any money and they're like trust the process trust the process and then that GM actually they had a fire that GM because I think I think David Stern at the time had enough and literally forced him to take the coangelo's and then a couple years later one of the coangelo's got caught

16:53with the burner account trying to bang down somebody one of the players asking price you know during a good yeah yeah yeah yeah if you remember that so that's how I remember it so but yeah well hey here's a question for you was ratio and this is along the lines of what we're talking about right now was ratio of bad GM Scotty was ratio of bad GM no no no I had my own fear I had my own theory and I'm gonna tell you what my theory is in a second why do you think he was fired he wasn't right he walked he walked off why was he asked to leave he wasn't asked to leave he had enough and he walked I think that's how it late played out is it you know the devil's won't tell the truth I think he hung on to Heinz way too long and that's my that's my

17:57estimation of it that he hung on with him way way too long and yeah I think that's that was what the downfall was and we had a nice glimpse with Taylor Hall but that was you know that wasn't a reality yeah kind of very similar to you know two years ago yeah like two years ago we had you know the most points ever in a season for the devil's but is that the reality for this team or was that like one kind of fluke year if they all stay healthy but this team hasn't shown that they could stay healthy I just don't think it's a mix of I think everyone the way they came in I know Samu has said this many times that they were coddled and they were just anointed as you know saviors but they didn't really they really didn't have to prove it on the ice yet it was just oh well just wait just wait just wait trust the process trust the process

18:59trust the process you know and it's like all right we've been waiting we've been waiting here we've been waiting here what's what what the hell's going on you know so you got you know Nico's what 27 now I mean he's in his prime years just for Bratz a year older I think right or is he a year younger no you're older right is he a year younger okay I but maybe it's Timo's 28 maybe is that what it is and I have to look at the rages um you know Jack is twenty four mobs in the Timo was in the um oh my god in the draft two older I think oh my god we take seventh overall net why is my brain just like absolute jello right now um oh thirty seven come on bud help me out here who what who the hell who did the freaking guy that we took into draft instead of Timo Myron like a hundred other guys that we could have taken um oh my god this is a bubble Zaka thank you oh thank you holy cow man I like my brain is just not we

20:05had the number right lack of sleeper now lack of sleep yeah um yeah the number of Zaka's year because yeah Timo Myron was in that draft and there was a bunch of other guys that that could have been about a million times better than drafting uh Pablo Zaka um Timo's 29 says Jason oh and thank you guys thank you thank you Zaka Zaka Jack was the last shirodraft uh what was that I think so Zaka Khan who was the last uh who'd you say Jack draft six years ago yeah it was the last draft that that shiro did yeah he's twenty twenty twenty if he really did well there I think Ray you know was the guy that could actually stand up to the ownership and I think I'm gonna take a lot of

21:05their BS and yeah and that's why I think there was a part a mutual parting of ways whatever however you guys want to describe it I think both sides were sick of each other um I do think that Ray hung on to John Heinz a little too long because the team again I don't think they were responding the way um you know everyone was hoping that sounds familiar sounds familiar right now right doesn't it yeah I but in that in that what I was alluding to is is the fact that shiro was like not gonna be sitting there and being like a yes man where he was gonna stand up to the ownership and and be like no no no no no we're gonna do this and they were like and it you're 100% right from from the things that I've read and from the things that I understand and listen this is all just a fan sitting here with with his own theories and ideas um but

22:06from what I understand like he was pushing back on a lot of things and they just got sick of them and he in a meeting told them to go after themselves and then they were like well not on our watch and they're like you're gonna have to leave and he's like you're right yeah and he goes they're like you're gonna have to leave and he's like have you all leave on my own accord and then that's kind of how it ended well that's what I said yeah he walked off he walked off yeah yeah you know because I mean like what was strange about it though because we were at PJ Ryan's if you remember that and we were literally podcasting and somebody comes to to to the to our table did you hear that uh ratio is gone and at the time it was just more of like mutual parting ways so it so it was and and then suddenly fit sees thrown in the in in the fire with Josh and Joshua Harris was doing the press conference which tells me this was not planned it didn't go well

23:07in their meeting and I think it was just kind of uh you know damaged control at that point it probably happened that afternoon and two or three hours later it's like well you're in term let's talk to the press because it happened at like five o'clock that day five or six o'clock that day like out of nowhere that nobody said and look at the exit of of Lou Lamarillo too right because that wasn't like a oh Lou we've enjoyed your time here and thank you for your service and here's a gold watch Ray is gonna watch the team for you my old friend go out back and have a walk on the porch you know it was not well they kept them as president he was still president of operations for I think it was two years of Ray or was it one year that just like all you two months two months months two months no no it was two months it was two months I could assure that was like a full

24:08season before before Lou walked with Ray no because it was very strange it's like okay he's GM Lou's gonna be you know in the background and Lou's just sitting there and finally Brendan Shanahan called Josh or Harris directly for permission to speak to Lou's like oh good good because they don't want Lou there because Lou wasn't gonna take their crap either because Lou had his ways for third-year hockey guy yeah yeah and I would say what you go ahead say what you will about the previous ownership but like you know without the exception of like the cobalt the cobalt truck situation because he definitely had his hand forced in that one but I mean like Lou Lamarrow was able to do what he wanted to do now the game got away from him for a while you know when you and it it definitely was it was probably about the time that he needed to go anyways but it didn't need to go the way it went you know it didn't need to happen the way it happened

25:13and it just the same with Marty Bernor for the same one Marty St. Louis to go to St. Louis yeah and I mean like it feels like we're in a collision course for a very similar ending with Fitzgerald although Fitzgerald is very much so it seems like a yes man and I don't think he's gonna push back on a lot of things maybe he isn't gonna go anywhere you know the and that's and it was frustrating as a as a fan to watch this situation is you look at what what Fitzgerald is doing with his team and you're like and you're looking at the islanders you're looking at the penguins the penguins were supposed to be in last this year regardless of having Crosby who's a thousand years old which I saw a picture of Crosby with the the Kachuk brothers when they were like five and six or you know five and eight or whatever it was and I'm like this dude's been in this league him and Ovech gonna have been in this league since 2003 or four right unreal like they've been in the sleep forever but we weren't supposed to be in this situation no we're not even supposed to be here today

26:17you know what I mean like this what what are we doing but here we are well yeah it just hasn't been built right and Sam you are right I thought it was like a full I thought he was a full year as president with Ray but yeah it was like two months later in July late July that he resigned and then he went over to Toronto yeah you said that's me yeah it was it was May 4th Devils announced Lamarillo handed his GM duties to Ratio and would remain his team president July 23rd he resigned and except a general manager position with Toronto and David Conti although he didn't have it was a little different though because he didn't have final say on everything he had to like run it through Shanahan up in Toronto as well it's a little bit different but I think with Lou what happened was is the salary cap I think Lou wants the salary cap and all this craziness kind of started I think that's when he kind of got a little passed by on things I think Lou maybe

27:19with scouting and hockey operations I know Sam and I have talked about this I would love to see Lou as a as a president of operations I don't know if I want to see him as a GM just because I think I just think some of the game stuff that has happened now with all the rule changes and everything it's just a little different but Lou is a guy that would be able to say uh no sorry I'll tell you I'll tell you who would probably be the first person he traded if he was the GM you're saying you would show a jack jack use is what you're getting at I get it it's about the crest on the front not the name on the back uh yeah that is with Lou that would be a Lou thing and then he would be like and you're changing your number if you want to say here you're going to cut your hair you're going to put the suit back on yeah you're going to change your number to number seven or something weird and then you're going to go back out in the ice and we're even going to take your name plate off the back for a while and then I'll tell it's all Nico uh

28:25find another number that's it no one's having that number yeah that number is going to be 13 he probably sits there and he goes see you guys we started going downhill once you let Mike Campbell Erie wear 13 it's true you know it's true man look at this team it's true I'm not going to dispute that yeah I think in my mind though this team needs an overhaul and like I said I'm fine if any there's some guys I don't want to see go and you know but it is what it is I just think a lot of these guys would probably advance more in their career if they were sent to different teams where there is a lot of leadership and structure and people fall in line you know yeah and I hate to say it because there's guys like Nico he sure I do not want to see go I love Nico he sure I love I love that dude is a captain I think he's he's become like

29:25one of my current favorite devils um regardless of what you think right now I look I do really like Jack as well but like the the team as a whole if you blow it up like there's a lot of a lot of things that need to be done and I don't trust anybody that's involved right now to fix it and then that's that's frustrating because you're like well good I don't even if it's if it's Gerald blows this up and Nico he sure goes off and becomes a hundred point player a silky winner and you know the the player that we all think he could possibly be playing for I don't know whoever Colorado or whatever it's it is it's gonna gut you as a fan because you look at the potential you look on paper and you're like this team has all the intangibles that you want would want in a team there's a lot of pieces that still need to be added there's a lot of things that still need to be fixed there's guys that still probably need to be moved on from i.e. like Dougie Hamilton but at the same time you still have a good chunk of this team that

30:29could bring you to a playoff spot but the problem is is it it feels like they're not playing for the coach anymore and where they playing for a Lindy rough where they playing for shelving is it the team is it the core is it the players is it like what the hell this is the most dysfunctional team i've ever seen in my entire life and one of the hardest part to figure out it's like a giant enigma yeah no no absolutely hey there you go your your favorite Batman villain the riddler um yeah mr. I think part of the part of the issue is is you know just just what you said there this team has all the intangibles they do on paper but on the ice they've never really proven it i think that's part of the issue you know and sometimes when you have teams like this that are built from the absolute ground you know the ground floor you know uh and sometimes

31:36it takes you know them going to these different places where there is a lot more structure and authority uh you know look at the Olympics where what line yeah well you played also we look who we played with though but that was the long Scotty that was that was the fourth one yeah yeah because they're playing against the fourth line of Latvia like we could go out there and play good against friggin Latvia is George could stand on there with the Latvian or orthodox Scotty you didn't watch you didn't watch the Olympics i i i can't no i see i think the differ highlights differ highly it's all yeah yes Latvia and Italy and France those hockey juggernauts right there that they were able to play against that doesn't you can play on the fourth line there and yeah you're you're going to be you should be able to light it up if you're playing against those teams now you're back as the man now you're the man you're not the man over there on the devils you have to be the man that everyone

32:44is going to be focused on and Jack Hughes is not a goal scorer like that he's a playmaker but they're expecting him that we've been seeing that forever yeah this team is not structured the correct way he's never going to be able to do that because he needs to be able to make plays with people as opposed to being the sniper is you know yet the one year with the 43 goals do i think jack is going to have 40 goals every single year no no i don't i see more like points yes you can be absolutely but i would see or even a 60 point exactly exactly that's where i would see him more is in that 25 to 30-ish you know goal range on a on a yearly basis but the assists that's where he's going to get it but on this team they're expecting him to always be put in the puck in the net and that's not his game that's not his game so you nailed everyone here but everyone

33:49here we've already we've anointed him as like this savior that's going to do that but that's not Jack's game at all that's not his game even even coming out of the draft that was that was more of his profile was he's a point guy he's not a goal pure goal scorer he's not and that's that's always been the case you're 100% right in a few things where you're saying like the team is structured in the wrong way because they've always always needed a compliment to him they always needed never they never give him a big time score they never gave him one the closest favorite guy is like just for Brad but even just for Brad's the point guy just for Brad is not is just for Brad will give you a hundred assists in the season you have too many of the same freaking guys in the team him playing on the fourth line in the Olympics has first of all buddy I'm sorry to say this has nothing to do with that you have a loaded line and the way if you watch the Olympics the way that that that team was structured there was no first fourth it Sullivan rode that team the

34:53way that team needed to be ridden it was we're gonna ride whatever line is hot right now you didn't see you know the Austin Matthews line out there more so than this line or this line out there some more so than that line there was balance and whenever you needed to lean on one line more than the other he leaned on that line more than one and another but that's what you do in a tournament when you have a short amount of time putting him on the fourth line didn't mean that he was not good enough to be on a top line or the second line he was one of the better T better forwards on the team statistically you could look that up statistically and it's not just playing teams like Latvia and Italy and dude they were playing yes the Olympics in a short span in a short window of time you're playing you they played Sweden to play Germany they played Canada they played teams that were worth worthwhile playing against the Canada that's not even a point that's not even a point the point is you have enough you have enough talent on that team where yes the one thing I will agree with you is he didn't need to be the guy and then yeah you come back and you have to be

35:56the guy and he's not the guy he never he's the guy in a sense of like he's going to get you points he's gonna put you in a position to win if you if you let him go out there and you let him do his thing if he's on the right team if he has a guy that can score if he has a guy that's gonna set him up if he's a guy that he can set up the thing about Jack is is Jack is is is is going to be able to put your nose positions but if you don't structure the team and I think you freaking nailed it on the head if you don't structure the team the right way and put the right pieces around these players then it's never gonna work and that's what it is you have you have Timo Meyer playing on his off-wing how often how often and then when he puts on his natural side what is he do he puts up scores goals what do you know and it's like and it's like it's a piff and he like oh my god Timo Meyer so good you could score yeah if you let these guys play to their strengths if you rely on them to play with the back of their card is when they came to this team when you let

36:59Nico play a 200 foot game when he's a up for the selfie and when he's looking like the the captain that we need him to be is we're letting him play the game that is natural to him just for brats same way when brats able to put up the points to fully what people don't understand was when to fully was here he was the perfect compliment to jack yes he was everybody was freaked out that we got rid of Sharon Govids for for to fully and to fully showed you two things oh my god what happened to the jack you get you put the fucking in that and we only got a small sample size from him and you know why because we got rid of him we could have resigned him but we didn't the team and this is all Fitzgerald the back end the back end with the defense and the goal tending became his his soul focus it felt like for the longest time and he he did a lot of good things where he brought in peshy he made some of the moves although the cova said deal is looking like a hot bag of garbage right now too it just feels like everything he does where it's

38:04like I see the intent I see what you're trying to do I see you're trying to bolster the back end I see you're trying to bring size through the draft I see what you're trying to do it just not working because you're not bringing the right guys in or you're not bringing the right coach to put in the right system I definitely believe the coaching needs a change and if there is one thing that I was very impressed with and well sweet Aussie I hope that the Rangers are stupid enough to fire Mike Sullivan after this year the coaching definitely held that team accountable that's 100% I don't think the devils are held accountable on a lot of things no that would think so either I don't think so either were they held accountable underhines

39:05you remember a lot more a lot more so a lot more so then now yeah what about rough not not as much rough with players coach not as much yeah same thing with shielding Keith and it always seemed like there's a split of players in the locker room when rough was there because I always had this feeling that Nico he sure like hated Lindy Ruff and if you listed some of the post game comments especially towards the end of that that 10 year there there's a lot of things but then on the other side there was other guys that like absolutely loved them like Jack loved Lindy Ruff and credited credited him with getting his his defensive game to where you know where it became like a you know a not a liability would you take John Torrella as the sister coach as an assistant coach I don't think you would take a assistant coach job I wouldn't take him as a head coach but I'd definitely take him as an assistant coach

40:09definitely like I'm not trying to pile on Jack or anything like that but yeah the turnovers are bad they weren't there during that tournament I mean he coughed up the puck the other night and directly led to that Buffalo goal but says the thing should he be held you know what's going to go on remember Lindy when Jesper Brad did that he benched him a couple times he sat him down that's what I'm saying I think they need someone like a Mike Sullivan who's gonna really hold them accountable on that stuff even if your name is Jack Hughes Niko Hescher Timo Meyer whatever I don't care they need to be held accountable and I think a lot of time with this team I think a lot of times that's been that's been missing through the years just my personal opinion from watching them I feel like a lot of that accountability has been missing it's just like well

41:11oh you know we're gonna be a superstar yeah yeah we've said we know bringing back a debor type of coach would be I know that's that's someone you've been very a big fan of so I mean that's I think this team needs that they need that structure they need that person who when they walk into the locker room and that coach walks in everyone's just like whoop coaches here well they need somebody they want to play for it though too you know what I mean they need somebody that's going to be like that's going to come in and set that tone but then the players aren't going to be like well this guy's a dick I don't want to play for him it should be walking with that's a immediate respect that immediate respect that's a good and wimpy you know what I mean he's got a good when remember we saw Jack and Jesper on the the pk last year and man they looked really good

42:14I don't know I don't know I don't know anymore man I don't I don't friggin know anymore it's too it's too hard to figure this team that's what I'm just saying like friggin blow it up like just yeah I don't know like can this be salvageable at this point I don't know I've never I I just like I said to you before and I feel like it's really coming across in tonight's episode of bike just the way all of us feel is pure frustration right pure frustration because there's so many things where I have to to Jack Hughes jerseys I usually never buy current players jerseys I usually only buy like you know play yeah I actually you know same thing and here I am saying like maybe both of those guys need to be traded yeah I only buy jerseys to get rid of players that's just me yeah please don't buy anybody's jersey that we like but yeah I but I and you look at the guy like Palat who goes over to the islanders and who seems to start to

43:14figure it out again and it's like maybe he had it figured out the whole time maybe he just didn't fit the system and that is it and there you go is it is it the system is it the players is it the coach is it the GM is it all the yeah you know maybe it's it's deep it's all they both I think it goes right I think it goes all the way to the top I think it goes to the top two owners have to want to win I don't I don't know really hey Scotty don't worry they got a brand new ultra-miclob ultra-lounge at the rock don't worry don't worry about what the owners are thinking they got 300 million dollars of tax payers money coming to them yeah they got they got they got all I want to make sure all I want to make sure is don't just don't eat poison food at the arena anymore every time you go to the game no it's twice it's happened twice I definitely eat something that I was like we're trying we're

44:19trying to figure it out you know we're like every time he goes to the game something happened because Sam is in we know Sam is in the sweets now he's in he's in the rich man he's actually you know he's got the carving board you know and everything yeah yeah the golden pillow to take a nap in the second period just like the team does yeah take the golden pillow and I sleep block my way to the faith line just like the team yeah but I don't know I mean yeah I think the ownership the green eggs they need to yes the green eggs of beer barren um but the ownership has got to want to they've got to want to win I think they got to get tougher though if you want to keep this core I think you need a coach like a debor like you said like Sullivan you know like a palm worries down there in Florida the guy that's going to walk in and just and demand respect yeah I don't know and what I hear shall they keep it barely walks into the locker room you know well this night so you know like is that the right guy for this team I don't I just

45:25and and there's no you see that guy over my shoulder or this this shoulder I'm moving the wrong way on my oh yeah there's there's no there's no Scott Stevens that's going to level you in practice if you're not doing your thing I that's that's something else I think that's missing with this team is that veteran leadership it's always been the kids leading the kids a lot of times so you know to draw parallels because we like to draw parallels sometimes to other teams that we root for or other sports take a page out of the with the New York Giants did okay now you have a team are by yeah that you have a team that you have good pieces there you have you have some pretty good pieces there right and you have good pieces there leading into this year you had a coach who by all accounts was a very player friendly coach and this is not me saying this is like listen to you know WFN radio and also the kind of stuff or or listen ESPN radio in the morning

46:27and like they talk about how you know a lot of people call it like a country club kind of in practices and and there was very you know easy on the players and things like that very player friendly and you see where it gets you it gets you nowhere gets you a top five picking a draft it gets you questioning if you have the right quarterback if you get see this it gets you that and it gets you you the fertility of what what New York Giants footballs become like the laughing stock of the league the devils are drawing very similar purple similar parallels to like the coaching style and maybe like what's going on in the locker room but which by the way we can't know for sure so this is definitely all speculation right but we try to read the tea leaves you see what's going on in the in the in the Giants is they get they get a coach that people respect yeah that is a culture that a culture builder somebody who's a program builder and you could say whatever you want yeah you know what he had two-time MVP in Baltimore and still can win

47:29a Super Bowl with him he does have a championship under his belt and yes he probably should have done or could have done more in Baltimore but whatever he was in the playoffs consistently every player almost every player that's played for him speaks worlds of this guy the kind of coach that the devils need to bring in is of that elk you don't need the the gigantic name like a harball but you need a name that's going to like you said command respect as easy walks in a room you want a guy that's going to look the players in the eyes and be like not good enough go sit and they're not going to question it they're going to they're going to reach inside and be like god damn it you know what he's right I'm I got to I got to step it up like I am playing like garbage the year that the team went to the playoffs and I I feel like Lindy Ruff did have that at points because looking at what he's doing in Buffalo right now too and it's not it's not an anomaly what's happening in Buffalo because Buffalo has been a team that's been scuttling along forever Lindy Ruff did bring it out of them when they went to the playoffs and

48:31beat the Rangers enough for us around series and they looked at points like that team was a very in that place was all coming together though oh it was all coming together like this was jacks coming out party this was Nico was now cementing himself as that silk you know the silky winner and the 200 foot player that we want would be all these things that the the six-minute shift that was the year of the six-minute shift right six-minute that islander game right yeah yeah and it just felt like that that was the the moment and it was like we're a gold tenderer away we're a gold tenderer away like vandacek and it felt like oh maybe a gold tenderer like one defenseman if we could just send him to the uh do we send him to send him to the the panther of Havachi the Havachi give vandacek the Havachi quick I I would go back to that in a heartbeat not not just because you're winning obviously but but the the culture of the team felt completely different there's a lot of games I watch it on

49:32TV I watch every single freaking game and I'll sit there not even games that they win where they're like flat flat and it's not just like oh man that one line is like really just slow dog at it today like why is it always half this team is just absolute dog you know what I mean like not dog like yeah this guy's got like just dds if you catch what I'm saying on that one yeah no absolutely doesn't make sense it doesn't make sense it doesn't and and and and dubs you make a good point here too to shortage out because I guess I'm not trying to pile on jack u's here okay like that's not what I'm that's not what I'm trying to do uh but you're right he didn't turn the puck over in the Olympic tournament because he didn't have to be the sole puck carrier all the time like he does on the devils it's like it's just him out there he's not getting any help maybe this Connor Brown grits you think and you know maybe flourish into something but you're right it's a very

50:35very good point Corbin there it is and yeah I think I think I think that they they do they need a coach like that and I listen he's got a very uh checkered past uh right now um but look at what just bringing in uh Quinville to Anaheim this year that's a guy listen to me there was a lot of shady stuff that was going on there obviously um but Anaheim you put him in the room he's a no BS type of dude and look at Anaheim this year they just yeah now they've had a lot of down years recently and they got a lot of you know prospects and stuff like that a lot of prospects let's same with San Jose but the difference between those teams and what we have is they seem to

51:41have figured it out and continue to like move forward we'd go like we're going forward we made the playoffs oh crashback to earth we're moving forward oh my god jacks up for the season like every time we're make we progress as a team and every time this team takes that that's next step because there's not a one of us in here last year that question sheldon keef at the end of the year and if you do that's that's an absolute BS comment because none myself included last year I was like all right we got the coach we have the coach we've got the coach now that parts figured out because Lindy Ruff must have been an issue and we we seem to have possibly figured out the goal tending I still think ever since that Boston game Markstrom has not been the same when he got when he got his leg tweaked in Boston and I think that I think something way more serious is is happening with him than then he let's on to you know to be or whatever the case may be but and you said something to you said something to

52:46that I think a lot of us just glance over a lot of times you're like oh jacks out for the season and a done that is such an insane amount of pressure on his shoulders the doubles are essentially remember the Colts like the one year Peyton Manning got hurt on the Colts and it was just like wait a minute you still have the running but you still have to read some Marvin Harrison there you still got Edren James like like they were trash yeah Peyton Manning out they're done yep like Jack Hughes gets hurt this team just like that's it because they don't he is the guy he's like their entire team he's their biggest offensive they can't carry the puck in the zone without him which is he's going to back off to the fence and then you bring up such a great point though you're like you still have Nico you still have Timo you still you still Brad like what the hell you guys forget like you guys can you guys can do this you're fine you go out there go just do it

53:49you're 100% right you know they did they need that team yeah because look at Tampa Bay if you want to like for a while and once again I'll throw myself under the bus they were able to flip the team though because they let me know but there's so many of those guys that like they flipped and now look where they are now oh I know but it even but I'm even talking about this year the beginning of the season where the the amount of injuries that that team had and it was like oh they're cooked they're absolutely cooked they're like Tampa Bay's cooked they're going to be a lottery team and then boom they still figure out and they're first fucking for oh sorry first time in a long time first time in a long time frustration is a real thing they're 38 16 and 4 on the year yeah but injuries and you know what I did see this crazy stat 2 I'll show I'll throw this out to

54:53you I know I mentioned that the other day on devils after dark the devils are still terrible five on five their goal expectancy five on five is like negative it's negative 30 something and they're they're their goal differential is like negative 30 I'd have to look at exactly what it is but it's it's like negative 30s somewhere in there they had we thought they were going to improve and they still haven't yeah they brought in different guys you you bring in Connor brown you bring in the Cody glass and it worked in the beginning it worked in the beginning and it felt like everything consistent thing along not consistently and I understand we need to wrap right now because otherwise I might drop another bath bomb by accident but um it just shows you like the level of frustration and I think all of us can agree the one thing that I I can't get behind is when we're at a game I know booing the team sometimes becomes a thing you know that I'm not

56:01a fan of I hate I hate the booing of the team I hate it so much I hate when they booed Luke Hughes I like I just that so like yeah we're frustrated and we're allowed to vent your frustration and you're and I'm not saying like you can't I just I personally hate it like and I just I hate when you're like getting down in the team like that it's just that that kind of stuff just frustrates I will say you can you can you can but you can boo someone but when you start booing your own player every time they touch the button you want to let him hear it after a bad play okay every time they touch the puck you're gonna shower him with booze nah that's I'm not I'm not down with that I'm not down with that me personally I don't want to do like all the booing and everything like that but if you know you paid your money and everything you want to boo someone fine okay yeah but every time he touches the puck give me a break this kid is friggin what is he 20 21 20

57:05yeah he's still learning you think about jack you he's 24 years old look at the when I was 24 years old I would not have been able to handle that pressure there's no way in hell yeah and I know I've said this before or when everyone used everyone was ripping him a new one after the injury you know what the knife at the restaurant think about that this kid all he's done is played hockey his whole life basically flashed before his eye if those tendons got sliced and diced he may have never been able to play again could you imagine I it's but you know that you know that must have felt like I was 24 years old and then all of a sudden you told me like I slipped on a floor and I may never be able to play or do what I you know do like for the rest like the same at the same level yet like my head would explode yeah well speaking ahead of

58:08head exploding I'm gonna we're gonna get into the final thoughts here because I I feel like my head is gonna explode just thinking about this seem too much longer um I will say this I will say my final thoughts are you know I'm I'm super happy to see that the men's and women's team went on SNL last night was kind of funny you know the Quinn Hughes and like and like just having the four of them out there on SNL and kind of like just showing everybody out there like hey listen we all support each other we're all here for each other you know regardless of like what else is going on regardless of which some moronic people say uh no matter how powerful they are um it's all about hockey at the end of the day it's all about building the US program and I I said I'm not an overly political human being uh I have my ideas and my beliefs they keep a lot of that to myself just because it is what I it is what it is but um it's it's nice to

59:12see that the those guys were all very supportive of each other so I'm happy to happy to see that but man this devil's team just touched sucks the life out of me sucks the absolute life out of me my final thought yeah my final thought is uh don't let Fitzgerald do anything to major if it's outside of buggy Hamilton going back to Carolina uh no no think of it as as uh Jacob Markstrom playing the puck like we say jakey no play pucky okay jakey no play pucky Fitsy no makey treaty anymore just be like Fitzgerald like hide his phone like your you know you're like your elderly parents just like hide their phones so they can't do them stupid and their credit cards and it just let him like shuffle around and slippers yeah he just shuffler around and slippers in the GM office like uh anybody see my phone

1:00:12and hey hey you Nico you dead kids have been playing my phone again it's an iPhone 5 anyone see it I got the iPhone 5 I got the bejouled case on it it was it was a gift from my my niece guys jack it's the one with that it's the one with the hello kitty sticker on it can you do anyone see that is anyone seeing it damn it Luke and Luke don't touch the thermostat I told you guys 10 times I'm just gonna think that he's like a senile old man for the rest of the time yeah my final thoughts it's it's it's the it's the same old story same old devils with with this ownership group when you look at the other teams that they own they all have one thing in common aside from losing a lack of focus throughout the entire organization and Scotty said something that we've been

1:01:20talking about for a while now that you know fits he's probably a yes man to ownership group but he shouldn't have to be that's the thing he shouldn't have to be because that tells me that they they they they have more say what goes on with this team than what what we're led to believe so um maybe they'll change their ways and maybe you know new GM and a new head coach will you know might change things and but they have to change their ways because something's not working here and you've gone through how many coaches now and the same result this is shelving keys worst season as a professional head coach not even in NHL professional coach period yeah so really does it be the professional coach period yes this will be the first time he's ever missed a playoffs in his professional coaching career yeah hey at least for number one at some put put put that in

1:02:22perspective yeah so but anyway so we're going to have uh coverage trade deadline see how much salary trade deadline see how much salary we're going to dump damage it's done and Nico Hescher goes to the Ottawa Senators for a Brady Kachaka one-on-one deal uh dubs dubs says uh fits fits he won't get fired key for be the fall guy yeah I believe that too I don't know is this Mary Ed Merred oh Maria invested oh Maria oh Maria D I'm such an idiot oh my sorry marina marina for most yeah I was like marina marina by marina Jesus I'm such an idiot I'll blame my dyslexia for that anyway all right well set your alerts

1:03:29because the let's go to those podcasts we'll break it once it happens anything until trade deadline on friday 3 p.m. eastern and also a programming note uh we're we're going to have the morning woo I put your dog key be juicester sorry sorry I'm done we're going to I'm warning woo tomorrow game day live in doubles after dark also programming note stay the fan address will be on thursday this week and uh that's it all right till next time let's go doubles