The Devils Are What We Thought They Were (Hint: A Pretty Fucking Bad Hockey Team)

Sigh. Well, I guess I can comfortably say that I am not surprised. Wouldn't exactly consider myself disappointed either. If I had to think of a negative adjective that I would use to describe how I feel about the Devils season thus far I think I would probably go with unenthused. Regardless, this wasn't supposed to be quick fix, and from the looks of things it's definitely not going to be. The good news is that the Devils aren't falling short of any expectations that I had set for them. The bad news is that I have very little expectations set for them. Other than being "RELENTLESS", a motto/hashtag that is getting old quicker than our frivolous use of the goalie pull, I thought the Devils would be faster. They have been. I thought they would move the puck better. They have shown glimpses of doing just that. I thought the defense be involved more offensively. They have certainly made a concerted effort to do so.

On to the negative. I thought this team but would lack chemistry, and saying that they do is like saying that an alcoholic lacks candor. I thought they would have trouble creating offense and scoring goals. They treat goals like they are something you strive for in the future, not something you need to add up on a scoreboard in order to win a sporting event on any given night. I thought their play would look disjointed and disheveled to start the season. Besides the few times they have looked like a competent hockey team, they have been reminiscent of a college freshman waking up in a basement the morning after their first frat party. Again, nothing that has taken place should leave you feeling discouraged, but it shouldn't leave you feeling excited either.

Look at it this way, the only thing that needs to happen between now and April is that the Devils need to improve. It doesn't matter exactly how much they improve, or by what increments they do so, but they need to improve. You can't really appraise the value of this season until next season. Treat that as a blessing. Just keep trusting the process. If you aren't worried about the results in the win/loss column then it's easy to convince yourself that the Devils are getting better. Decrease the tangibility of  that you are judging and it's easy to be optimistic about what you judging. That's my plan, and I suggest you do the same. If you expect this Devils team to reel off a couple wins in a row then I should preemptively call the fire department to peel you off the ledge come November.

If there is one thing that I need the Devils to do for better, for the sake of my remote control and my television, it's complete simple tasks that you learn when your parents are still tying your skates. I know they have had a lot of roster turnover and they are learning a brand new system, but that's no excuse to act like it's your first time holding a hockey stick. Catching tape to tape passes cleanly shouldn't be too much to ask for, no matter what state the franchise is in. Regardless, we should all probably get used to seeing this facial expression...

P.S. Three games in and I am ready to fly back and throw a brick through whatever computer John Hynes is using to decide when to pull the goalie. Three minutes left, down one, with a powerplay may net a 95% chance of scoring with the goalie pulled, but when it comes to offensive futility, the Devils have never met some odds that they couldn't beat to death with a stick. This is nothing new, and it's probably not going to change, so if Hynes wants to keep the fans on his side, I would suggest not pulling the best player on your team every time the wind blows westward. I get that analytics have a place in hockey, but it's also not math class. If Devils fans know anything it's that no matter what the score is they are far better off with Cory Schneider (or Keith Kinkaid) actually in the net.