Finny said:
oneill said:
When the Devils completed their roster they looked to have a team that would be close to winning the title until other teams brought in some quality AHL / DEL / TOP ECHL signings.
That's exactly my feelings. When we got to the end of our roster we looked really good and a big improvement on last season.
Then the Arena 3 started splashing the cash on AHL players and we just can't compete with that.
Despite all the posts over the Summer about certain teams 'overspending' etc, the hard fact is that to try to get the advantage over the rest, you have to raise the bar in terms of experience, which comes at a price. The Devils do have quality players......but the chasm between Steelers/Panthers/Giants/Cov and the rest of the league in terms of performance looks like it could be even more marked this year. In the end, it's a question of what money was available from the Club this Summer to spend on the roster. If Panthers have, say, an extra £1500 per week on players wages,, that's the equivelant of 1 extra special player or 2 very decent ones.