OK hot take, I was on the fence but I felt playoff final demonstrated value in keeping Brandt. Later in first and throughout the second period he was putting some massive hits & checks in (McNally also contributed to physicality around same time, but McNally has been prone to seeing the red mist this season whereas Brandt is more about controlled aggression). Hook was initially looking really dangerous but threat faded a bit after series of checks and Belfast we’re not quite as confident in possession after we really expressed physicality. Neutrals were talked to were struck by how hard he hits and he does it legally without giving pens up. Dupont seems to trust him as got a fair bit of ice time. He’s become a bit of a talisman. He’s not going to be a top earner which is good for the bottom line, he’ll shift shirts, hit high prices at limited edition shirt auctions and shift SOHB tickets which is also good for the bottom line. Increase in roster size makes it easier to retain him too.
Who we want and don’t want back for next season
- Thread starter The_Puck
- Start date
I think Lou had one of his most impressive seasons for us this year, he worked non stop during lock down to get in the best shape possible and it showed, I might be biased as I am a fan of his but I do reckon he has one more season left to pass to torch to a new big guy, without Lou the club loses a big piece of its self even previous coaches have said he is the very definition of what it means to be a Devil
I'm leaning to agree with you. Few weeks ago I said although he is very entertaining and gives 100% every shift, he's not quite good enough for a top team. I still think that to an extent, but yesterday he had a real impact on the game and we could see how much it meant to him. He's been getting regular PK time too under Dupont so thats another feather in his cap. If its 22 roster next year, and if Dupont is coach, then we might see him as that role guy on the PK and 4th line, and I think I would be happy with that.
Like you also said, from a business perspective I guess it makes sense too. Would be in the cheapest band of imports while also a fan favourite with merch sales etc.
Like you also said, from a business perspective I guess it makes sense too. Would be in the cheapest band of imports while also a fan favourite with merch sales etc.
All guesswork without any announcements.
Something like.....
Crandall/Import/Reid
Cox/Coughler/Sanford
Waller/Import/Import
Davies/Lammon?/Duggan
Register/Richardson
McNulty?/Import
Batch/Louis
1a. Import
1b. Kozun
Mikkelson and Dixon to retire
McNulty and Lammon are liked by TK and coaches...they might be re-signed
TK has said there is a good core of players going into next season, but there will need to be changes to take the team 'to the next level'.
Something like.....
Crandall/Import/Reid
Cox/Coughler/Sanford
Waller/Import/Import
Davies/Lammon?/Duggan
Register/Richardson
McNulty?/Import
Batch/Louis
1a. Import
1b. Kozun
Mikkelson and Dixon to retire
McNulty and Lammon are liked by TK and coaches...they might be re-signed
TK has said there is a good core of players going into next season, but there will need to be changes to take the team 'to the next level'.
A while back I said that I wouldn’t be sharing my thoughts regarding who I thought should stay, and who should go, on the current squad until the season was over. Although it finished on a high, I think that achievement was basically just papering over the cracks that we all know are there in this team. I think there’s a need to be brutally honest about the deficiencies.
My thoughts are predicated on the following needs within the team. There are probably others, but for the purposes of this summary, these will do.
Carruth
He’s been excellent, and I’d hoped we would keep him. As that doesn’t seem to be the case, we have to look to him as the standard of replacement that we need.
Kozun
He hasn’t had as much ice time as I’d hoped. In the latter part of the season he seemed shaky when he did ice. He should be replaceable, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up in Guildford.
Richardson and Batch
These two have been immense all season. We know how brilliant Richardson is, whilst Batch has developed beyond my wildest dreams. Any team in the league would love these two.
Register
How this guy never player consistently at a higher level than he has is difficult to understand. His point scoring and his ability to soak up minutes makes him very valuable. That’s not to say that he hasn’t given me kittens at times, but he is a player that pretty much every team in the league would be jealous of us having. Register and Fournier on the same team would be awesome.
Mikkelson and Louis
It looks very much like these two are retiring. I’m sure we can find two solid players to step in, hopefully to be the sort of long term asset that Louis has been.
McNulty
He has been a solid stay at home defenceman who has given us the stability that BOC simply didn’t. He can certainly do a job for us, but if he doesn’t stay he should be replaceable.
Reid
The fact that he’s our top scorer says a lot. I think that he could have done even better on a settled line. Whilst in some games he seems to have struggled to make an impact, that’s probably as much to do with the attention he now gets. All that said, if you look at the type of goals that he typically scores they tend to be from a cross ice pass with the goalie out of position. He’s not stepped up to break games in the way that the CCS line has.
Dixon
Unfortunately it looks very much like Dixon will retire. This is a real pity. The guy is a warrior, and he contributes in a variety of ways. If he could be persuaded to stay, I’d see him more anchoring a 3rd line rather than centering the first. His loss will mean that we lack a dependable face off specialist. Such a player to anchor the first line must be a high priority.
Crandall
Another one we need to keep. I would see him being even more productive with a top centre linking him and Reid up.
Cox, Coughler and Sandford
We must keep these three together at all costs.
Duggan
Duggan has developed into a great two way forward. He also seems to be a big part of the glue that draws the team together. I can’t see him going anywhere, but he would be very difficult to replace if he did. I see Duggan as a future captain.
Waller
Excellent breakout season. If he has a good world championships he might be tempted to try his luck outside the UK, but we have to try our best to keep him.
Davies
From time to time I’ve seen him criticized. I just don’t get that though. He plays a role and plays it well. His tenacious forechecking puts a lot of pressure on opponents, and I think he’s a valuable weapon to have in our arsenal. That said he’s part of the problem at centre. We need a better centre, but I don’t quite know where we’d get as a comparable Brit.
McNally
In the early season he was a standout, but following his return from injury hasn’t seemed the same player. I’d also hoped to see him bring more toughness. I don’t see him returning.
Lammon
There was a time in the season where he started to look good. I don’t think that he’s been bad exactly, but we need an upgrade on his position.
Brandt
His popularity has been based upon two things – his willingness to make big hits (this is in itself a bit of an indictment of the lack of physicality elsewhere in the team) and his heritage. For anyone criticising him it’s important to remember that as a first year pro, and having missed a bunch of hockey over the last few years, this was going to be a tough season for him. That said he’s played the role he’s been asked to and even stepped up on the PK. I’d be quite willing to give him a full season to show what he can do. Given that he’s probably one of the cheaper players on the team, I think he’s at least earned that much.
Dupont
I’ve made no secret of the fact that, as a player, I didn’t think that Dupont was anywhere near good enough. As a coach he stepped up in very difficult circumstances and, to his credit, he produced. That said, he was using a team and systems that were already in place. To put things in perspective the team won the shortest competition of the season.
Our aim for next season has to be to win the league back and try to emulate Nottingham’s achievement in winning the Continental Cup. I don’t think that Dupont has the experience for that, and I’m not sure he’ll have chance to develop as a coach in the pressured environment of coaching the Devils. I see somewhere like Dundee, where there are a different set of expectations, to be a more natural fit.
So, how does this break down?
Keep
Richardson, Batch, Reid, Crandall, Cox, Coughler, Sandford, Duggan, Waller, Brandt, Davies, Register
Go
Carruth (who I’d really rather keep, but we know he’s signed elsewhere), Kozun, McNally, Lammon, Mikkelson (retire), Louis (retire), Dixon (retire), Dupont
Meh
McNulty
On rumours
The way that the roster is opening up the return of Fournier and Martin would be brilliant. Yes, they’re a couple of years older, and their roles might be slightly different, but they would be a declaration of intend. I’d also like to add Ben Blood to that. When he was with us previously he was, if we’re honest, too good for us. Even a few years on I think his class would be a massive steadying influence, particularly is we’re losing Louis.
If Bownsy were to come back, he could undoubtedly be a huge asset. It would however have to be on the basis of sharing duties to a top import goalie on a 50/50 split.
My thoughts are predicated on the following needs within the team. There are probably others, but for the purposes of this summary, these will do.
- We need upgrades at Centre. The spine of the team has been too weak - we’ve struggled on face-offs, and we need more of a consistent threat on the first line. At one point in the playoff final a graphic showed us as winning only 40% of the faceoffs. That’s not nearly good enough.
- It’s clear that, no matter what some would have you believe, the role of the enforcer hasn’t gone from this league. If Louis is going, we can’t rely on Batch for that (we need him on the blueline). McNally hasn’t proven to be the deterrent I’d hoped. A new enforcer will need to be a winger.
- We need more physicality generally.
- I was going to suggest here that our secondary goaltending needs an upgrade. But obviously we’re now in a position of needing a new primary as well. While Kozun looked really good in the early season, his flaws have been exposed as the season has progressed and we’ve not had nearly the split of ice time between our keepers that I’d hoped for. I know that the idea of having two import goalies has annoyed some fans, as they see it as wasting import slots. I do feel that the case has been made for having two goalies sharing the schedule. Unless Bownsy comes back, and is happy to split ice time 50/50, that means two imports.
- We need a new offensive and a new defensive defenceman. If Fournier is indeed coming back, that would be perfect. I’d also take Ben Blood. Both are players who know the Devils set up as well as being immensely talented.
- If the rules allow we’re going to need to carry a spare import again.
Carruth
He’s been excellent, and I’d hoped we would keep him. As that doesn’t seem to be the case, we have to look to him as the standard of replacement that we need.
Kozun
He hasn’t had as much ice time as I’d hoped. In the latter part of the season he seemed shaky when he did ice. He should be replaceable, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up in Guildford.
Richardson and Batch
These two have been immense all season. We know how brilliant Richardson is, whilst Batch has developed beyond my wildest dreams. Any team in the league would love these two.
Register
How this guy never player consistently at a higher level than he has is difficult to understand. His point scoring and his ability to soak up minutes makes him very valuable. That’s not to say that he hasn’t given me kittens at times, but he is a player that pretty much every team in the league would be jealous of us having. Register and Fournier on the same team would be awesome.
Mikkelson and Louis
It looks very much like these two are retiring. I’m sure we can find two solid players to step in, hopefully to be the sort of long term asset that Louis has been.
McNulty
He has been a solid stay at home defenceman who has given us the stability that BOC simply didn’t. He can certainly do a job for us, but if he doesn’t stay he should be replaceable.
Reid
The fact that he’s our top scorer says a lot. I think that he could have done even better on a settled line. Whilst in some games he seems to have struggled to make an impact, that’s probably as much to do with the attention he now gets. All that said, if you look at the type of goals that he typically scores they tend to be from a cross ice pass with the goalie out of position. He’s not stepped up to break games in the way that the CCS line has.
Dixon
Unfortunately it looks very much like Dixon will retire. This is a real pity. The guy is a warrior, and he contributes in a variety of ways. If he could be persuaded to stay, I’d see him more anchoring a 3rd line rather than centering the first. His loss will mean that we lack a dependable face off specialist. Such a player to anchor the first line must be a high priority.
Crandall
Another one we need to keep. I would see him being even more productive with a top centre linking him and Reid up.
Cox, Coughler and Sandford
We must keep these three together at all costs.
Duggan
Duggan has developed into a great two way forward. He also seems to be a big part of the glue that draws the team together. I can’t see him going anywhere, but he would be very difficult to replace if he did. I see Duggan as a future captain.
Waller
Excellent breakout season. If he has a good world championships he might be tempted to try his luck outside the UK, but we have to try our best to keep him.
Davies
From time to time I’ve seen him criticized. I just don’t get that though. He plays a role and plays it well. His tenacious forechecking puts a lot of pressure on opponents, and I think he’s a valuable weapon to have in our arsenal. That said he’s part of the problem at centre. We need a better centre, but I don’t quite know where we’d get as a comparable Brit.
McNally
In the early season he was a standout, but following his return from injury hasn’t seemed the same player. I’d also hoped to see him bring more toughness. I don’t see him returning.
Lammon
There was a time in the season where he started to look good. I don’t think that he’s been bad exactly, but we need an upgrade on his position.
Brandt
His popularity has been based upon two things – his willingness to make big hits (this is in itself a bit of an indictment of the lack of physicality elsewhere in the team) and his heritage. For anyone criticising him it’s important to remember that as a first year pro, and having missed a bunch of hockey over the last few years, this was going to be a tough season for him. That said he’s played the role he’s been asked to and even stepped up on the PK. I’d be quite willing to give him a full season to show what he can do. Given that he’s probably one of the cheaper players on the team, I think he’s at least earned that much.
Dupont
I’ve made no secret of the fact that, as a player, I didn’t think that Dupont was anywhere near good enough. As a coach he stepped up in very difficult circumstances and, to his credit, he produced. That said, he was using a team and systems that were already in place. To put things in perspective the team won the shortest competition of the season.
Our aim for next season has to be to win the league back and try to emulate Nottingham’s achievement in winning the Continental Cup. I don’t think that Dupont has the experience for that, and I’m not sure he’ll have chance to develop as a coach in the pressured environment of coaching the Devils. I see somewhere like Dundee, where there are a different set of expectations, to be a more natural fit.
So, how does this break down?
Keep
Richardson, Batch, Reid, Crandall, Cox, Coughler, Sandford, Duggan, Waller, Brandt, Davies, Register
Go
Carruth (who I’d really rather keep, but we know he’s signed elsewhere), Kozun, McNally, Lammon, Mikkelson (retire), Louis (retire), Dixon (retire), Dupont
Meh
McNulty
On rumours
The way that the roster is opening up the return of Fournier and Martin would be brilliant. Yes, they’re a couple of years older, and their roles might be slightly different, but they would be a declaration of intend. I’d also like to add Ben Blood to that. When he was with us previously he was, if we’re honest, too good for us. Even a few years on I think his class would be a massive steadying influence, particularly is we’re losing Louis.
If Bownsy were to come back, he could undoubtedly be a huge asset. It would however have to be on the basis of sharing duties to a top import goalie on a 50/50 split.
So if im reading your excellent summary correct, to paint over the cracks you’d drop just two players. Would you demote/mix current top line for upgraded incoming players or bring in less experience younger guys. We’ve been out shot and out scored in many games, relying on those inconsistencies to get us through the year. Personally I’d bring back 6 guys, the rest I think we need a serious reality check, their not going to cut it next season. I’d certainly bring in Fournier and Martin, I don’t think beyond Reid the rest could work.
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In the car if the Brits, there aren't really many options to upgrade. A lot will depend upon the squad sizes, which haven't been published yet. A new centre will make a big difference to first and third line.
It's possible that options to upgrade could come up all over the place. My view is where I think these options are obvious. For instance, we might replace reid, but the upgrade path isn't necessarily obvious.
It's possible that options to upgrade could come up all over the place. My view is where I think these options are obvious. For instance, we might replace reid, but the upgrade path isn't necessarily obvious.
Where are the Louis retirement rumours coming from then? A few whispers of it but I just can’t see it after playing one of his better seasons of hockey. Credit needs to go to him for adapting his game and the same to Josh Batch…think a lot of credit needs to go to Skalde too as no doubt he’d have done a lot of work with them.