How Can The Devils Learn From The Rangers’ Elimination?; My Pick to Win The 2024 Stanley Cup Final

How Can The Devils Learn From The Rangers’ Elimination?; My Pick to Win The 2024 Stanley Cup Final

it all comes down to this Oilers and Panthers who am I picking to win it all and also how can the Devils learn from another playoff team that got eliminated I might get some slack for this and what’s the team I’m talking about we have a lot to break down today’s episode locked on Devils buckle up everybody you’re locked on Devils your daily podcast on the New Jersey Devils part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hi this is Bryce Salvador and you’re locked on devil treade Matthews oh Steven stepped up nailor got the pck what a shot the Devils win the Stanley Cup all righty now what is up New Jersey welcome back to the lockon ls podcast here on lockon network I’m your host College hockey PL a play announcer Del R pucks and pitchforks and also parttime credential Mia member Trey Matthews the stage has been set the Edmonton Oilers will take on the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final Conor McDavid one of the best players to ever graze the sheet of ice will compete for the cup for the first time in his career and participating in backto back Stanley Cup Final it’s Matthew kachuck the cousin of Tom fer and in today’s episode I’m going to do something that I don’t think I’ve ever done in my history of being a part of the locked on podcast Network I’m gonna give you guys my thoughts and I’m gonna pick a winner but it will Circle back to the devils in some way shape or form but in the first segment I want to talk a little bit more about silly season and the truth behind it then the second segment while we’re still talking about the playoffs let’s talk about the New York Rangers and I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate I know a lot of people are clowning on the Rangers and people have all sorts of jokes and trust me I’m no exception I’ve also partaken in the fun a little bit on social media but I think the Devils can learn a thing or two from the ragers particularly with their goal tending situation what do I mean by that well you’ll just have to wait and see but to kick off today’s episode let me tell you guys the truth about silly season my previous episode sparked some controversy on social media because people were saying oh Trey wants to bring back Adam Henrik thas jar and Stephan n instead of looking for new options all three of them back on the devil’s roster let me clear the air on that a little bit first and foremost Silly Season whether you like the term or not I’m G to continue to use it because I’ve been using it the past few years on this show but the disclaimer I always give before the start of the off season is that silly season is not meant to be taken seriously hence the name silly season they’re just hypothetical trade or free agency scenarios put out there to have a discussion and have a debate and I think I accomplished that in my previous episode but the thing is is like usually when I do a silly season discussion I do it Case by case as in I pick a certain player and I make that the focal point of the episode but in this particular instance I chose three different cases and combined it into one episode and I can understand how that could be a little confusing momentarily I’ll give you guys my thoughts on that episode and which former player I would lean towards but once again it’s most likely not going to happen it’s just meant for fun and games and FYI I’m not the only Devil’s content creator to put hypothetical scenarios out there that most likely won’t happen it’s the offseason don’t take it so seriously enjoy it and who knows maybe it could come into fruition I’ve done Silly Season episodes in the past that uh have no merits but at the same time there have been a few circumstances that have come into fruition Teemo Meyer VTEC vanich just a few examples and some are more serious than others and some of you are probably wondering why was I so quick to basically disregard the Brady kachuck trade rumors because Brady kachuck he is one hell of a player he brings a lot of physicality and he’s also a Bonafide scorer I would love to have Brady kachuck on the roster but it’s not realistic for the time right now you’re gonna have to wait like a year or two before something like that was to come to fruition because similar to what I’ve said in previous episodes if the Devils were to call up the front office for the Senators right now you would be at the Senator’s mercy and that doesn’t just apply for the Devils that applies for any other team because kachuck is not eligible for an extension for another three years and the reason why I was so quick to basically disregard that rumors because I felt as though people were taking it a little too far whether it was on NHL Network or spitting chicklets I’m just like it’s not going to happen and have you noticed that there aren’t that many devils content creators tackling this scenario it’s just because they know that there’s really no smoke to it and I even brought a credentialed NHL media member from Ottawa on this show to discuss the circumstance and what’s happening in Ottawa but once again it’s just all fun and games and it’s the offseason enjoy it everybody’s zero and zero on the offseason and I do think the Devils will make a decent sized move but their main priority should be goenda defensemen but at the same time I talked about it in my previous episode in which I said that the Devils they’re gonna need some more depth in terms of Fords why is that well since Michael McLoud is not returning to the team there goes the devil’s best Faceoff person there goes a decent two-way player they’re going to have to replace that somehow someway and that’s why I did that previous episode there are some uh free agent options that the Devils could look at and some of those free agent options are former players why not just entertain it a little bit but I don’t think it’s going to happen let me just make that perfectly clear and there’s no way in hell that the Devils would sign all three players at once let’s be I I I am not delusional I just want to put that out there but I will say this out of all those three players I discussed Adam Henrik Tomas Shar Stephen n if I had to choose one of those players for the Devils to reunite I would choose Stephan n just because N is a pretty good player he’s not a threat to score but he’s capable of doing so and we saw that in the playoffs he appeared in 11 playoff games for the Hurricanes just a few weeks ago and he put up four goals I think he was a spark plug for the Hurricanes roster and he’s not afraid to throw body around and that’s something that a lot of people have been complaining which is the devils in the words of Jersey Joe they don’t have enough Sasquatches out there and they just need someone who’s a bit more aggressive and they lost that in Michael McLoud they lost that in Miles wood and Curtis mcdermit he’s going to add a lot to the locker room and sometimes on the rink if the devils are good once again he’s not going to see the she of ice all that consistently and I think n can definitely be aggressive but same time he can play in most of the games and be efficient if I had to choose just one player from that episode to reunite with it would be n but that’s just an option of many others that’s just one of who knows who’s gonna hit the market so I’m just putting that out there which is don’t take it so seriously and I enjoy doing it but at the same time the Devils do have some other priorities to focus on one of those priorities is gold tending and we’re going to talk about that momentarily but before we continue I want to tell you guys about eBay Motors passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level up the Peak Performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your 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think the mindset the whole playoff series was AB anyone but Rangers but I’m gonna play Devil’s Advocate similar to what I said in segment one let’s look at eigor shesterkin Stats during the playoffs he appeared in 16 games he had a win loss record of 10 and six he had a save percentage of 926 he saw 524 save attempts and he made 485 saves and he had a goals against average of 2.34 talk about carrying the team on your back if I had to give my unbiased opinion eigor churkin would have been my personal MVP if the Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup Final because he was keeping New York in a lot of those matchups against the Panthers that series loss is not on eigor and it does put a lot of things into perspective what’s one of the biggest talking points during the course of the season and also this off season the Devils need a goalie in order to see greater success and I think there’s some truth to that but it’s not the only thing that they need to focus on what do I mean by that well back in January Chico rash appeared on this show and he and I were talking about where do the Devils go from here because we were talking about Lindy Ruff potentially getting fired we were talking about the Devils trying to get a bigname goalie by the trade deadline we were talking about their inconsistent defense here’s what Chico had to say about the devil’s goal tending situation and he also brought up some big name players check it out do you put the blame on vanich Schmid and and Daw for devil struggles this year or where where do you like blame the defense and where do you blame the goalie well that’s well uh said Trey okay let’s be honest I’m not saying vanich or do they’ve been brilliant lights out but let’s just go back again last year’s playoffs you like huk oh Winnipeg they go out in the first round you like shurin oh they went out in the first round you like vasileski oh I really like they went out in the first round you like the two Boston goalies who won the vzna oh they went out in the first round my point is the goalies for the Devils haven’t been lights out but I think in sports but maybe in all of our Lives we want a real simple solution either fire the coach because if we just if we just fire the coach and bring a new coach we’re gonna win well no it’s not it doesn’t work that way I mean as much as from the outside I don’t mean to interrupt you but people are going to bring the example the Oilers they made a coaching change and currently they’re on a 16 game win streak yes but do they have two of the best players in all hockey that too yeah yeah that just be clear I’m not saying like the devil should make a a coaching change I’ve defended Lindy Ruff on my show I’m just saying like that’s what people uh turn to quickly exactly Trey no and and you’re right were were the Oilers frust frustrated disappointed it’s just like we’re talking about the Devils the Oilers had defensemen that weren’t playing as best they could and maybe those forward those forward guys you know like if you look at uh Conor McDavid the goals this year and how many he scored last year he’s gonna score less but he’s playing more Team game okay obviously there’s a lot more to what Chico said but some of the names listed was Conor heluk heluk won the vzna trophy in 2020 and he’s one of three finalists for the vzna this season Andre vasileski two-time Stanley Cup champion won the vzna in 2019 and eigor shesterkin someone who I just spoke about he won the vzna trophy in 20122 basically what I think Chico was trying to articulate is like if you look at all of those big name goalies former vzna Trophy winners former Champions guys who had big impacts on their team the Jets the lightning and the Rangers were all bounced out in the first round last season and who went on to win the Stanley Cup it was the Vegas golden knights and who was their starting goalie it was Aiden Hill and to Hill’s credit he is a good goalie and looking at some of his prior teams the Arizona Coyotes the San Jose Sharks and obviously now with the golden knights he would he always put up respectable numbers and there was nothing ever that alarming about him I think the only season in which he didn’t really perform all that well was during the 201728 campaign when he was with the coyotes when he appeared in four games he had a record of one and three he had a goals against average of 3.49 and a save percentage of 891 I’m sure there’s more n and truth behind it but his final few years with the coyotes and his one season with the San Jose Sharks and then with the golden knights his numbers have been anywhere from good to respectable like there’s nothing really to right home in terms of him having a bad season if if that makes sense but if you were to look at some of his accolades the only thing that is there at the NHL level is the Stanley Cup in 2023 with the gold Knights prior to that he didn’t have any accolades no vzna no All-Star Game appearances nothing he he it was it was just he was a good goalie but nothing spectacular the point that Chico was trying to make is like you don’t need a bigname goalie like Connor heluk or Andre vasileski or eigor shurkin to solidify you a Stanley Cup but the thing is is like the Devils they still do need to work on their goal tending situation I’ll just humor you if the Devils were to hypothetically get Conor heluk last year during the off season and not get Tyler to Foley let’s just pretend like this is some alternate universe it doesn’t guarantee that the Devils will win a Stanley Cup will they be better will they be a playoff team I believe so but just because you have a big name goalie in net it doesn’t mean a thing unless you have a collective team effort there’s more to winning there’s more to being a championship Contender than just getting a good goalie and I think the Devils I I I think Tom fisherald will upgrade the goalie position because the Devils do need an upgrade but just because they do get an upgrade it does not guarantee a thing similar to what I said about the Sheldon Keef hiring I love Sheldon Keef I think he’s going to do a phenomenal job behind the bench for New Jersey but make no mistake the job is not finished and in the words of the late great Kobe Bryant the playoffs are a different animal and can you be a different animal but the same beast that’s the thing that the Devils need to really focus on okay you’re a good regular season team but can you beat the same team four times out of seven that’s what it’s going to come down to in the playoffs because it’s a little bit different it’s no longer just playing this game and then moving on to the next game you’re not just going to play play the Islanders and then a couple days later you’re going to play that team in Utah or you’re going to go up to Canada and play the Oilers no no no it’s like you’re gonna play the Rangers the Hurricanes who whomever in the playoffs and you got to beat them four times out of seven and that’s GNA be a bit of a challenge because teams can make adjustments teams can find a weakness they’re going to meticulously find film to see like okay do you come on your assignment too early where can they exploit you how can they find those gaps how can they find those weaknesses that’s the difference between a Stanley Cup team and a playoff team I think the Devils will get to the Stanley Cup at some point but they still have a lot of work to do similar to what Tom feral told me you got to take just baby steps the first step get a new head coach they did that they got a good head coach in my opinion now step two once the entire NHL season concludes as in the Stanley Cup Final then we’ll we’ll see like what Tom fer does next could he try to Target a goalie what’s he gonna do with that 10th overall pick is he gonna keep it is he gonna try to use it in a trade package that also comes into factor and now how do you fill out the rest you need to figure out how to replace Damon Severson and Ryan Grace uh productivity because I think they were underrated assets on the devil’s Blue Line because unfortunately as talented as NS and Hughes are they’re very inexperienced and if you have an inexperienced Blue Line it’s not going to be a recipe for Success come the playoff time and then when it comes to Fords you need to find a way to replace Michael McLoud and also miles wood you get what I’m saying it’s a collective team effort but getting a good goalie is definitely a priority but it’s not just going to be an easy fix there there has to be a lot of other things that the Devils need to do if they want to see success and I think that’s what Chico was getting at let me give you another example Andre vasileski he has two Stanley Cups under his belt and he won the vzna in 2019 but keep in mind that lightning team they were stacked to the brim you got Nikita kucherov who just put up 144 points just this past season and he has a legitimate chance of winning the heart he’s already won it he won it in 2019 or you got Victor Hedman he won the Norris in 2018 Braden Point Steph Stam Co also very good players that entire lightning team for their respective mini dynasty was really good and that there’s a reason why they went to back to back to back Stanley Cup Final and won two of them because they had a great collection of players you had one player who could win the Hart you had one player who can win the Norris Okay so your defense and your offense is settled then you got other pieces that can play a factor like Point like stamp Co and having a strong goalie inet named vasileski if you don’t have the correct pieces there’s only so much that a good goalie can do case in point with shurkin and the Rangers during the playoffs or if you want to Circle it back to the Devils there’s been plenty of instances in which Jake Allen carry the team on his back and I was present for one of those performances when the Devils were in Sin City taking on the golden nights that should have been a blowout game in favor of Vegas but who was making those crucial saves at the right possible time it was Jake Allen and I even put out on social media that if the Devils by some miracle made it to the playoffs Jake Allen is my MVP but there have been so many examples in which Jake Allen has a good performance but the team in front of him just wasn’t all that good or I think kappo kakenan he was one of the top players in the NHL when it came to high danger chances and I I think also making high danger saves when a reporter brought it to his attention during exit interviews if my memory serves me well regardless that’s another example in which you have a decent go holy but not a good constructed roster and as a result their good outings go to waste I think that’s the point that Chico was also trying to make that it’s not just one area it’s a collective team thing and speaking of Stanley Cup Final I will tell you guys who I’m rooting for in the Stanley Cup Final but before we continue let me tell you guys about FanDuel it’s win or take all time in the NBA and NHL and fanduel’s giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s 150 bucks to to bet on spreads money lines player props and more visit fanduel.com lockon and make every playoff shot count FanDuel America’s number one sports book and I’m G to tell you who I’m picking momentarily but please remember to gamble responsibly all right it all comes down to this the Stanley Cup Final Conor McDavid and Matthew kachuck two of the best players in this generation going toe-to-toe and let me just say the the traveling is going to be intense Edmonton Alberta Canada all the way down south in the states woof that’s hopefully the players don’t get too fatigued I think the Florida Panthers given how they played against the Rangers they’re going to be a tough out and the Oilers are going to have to stick to what they did especially in the first round against the Kings which is you’re gonna have to play Collective team hockey and you’re gonna have to get everyone involved similar to what happened with Dylan Halloway that series and steuart Skinner uh I mean he stepped up his game I’ll give him that and it’s just amazing that the Oilers clinched the game on 10 shot on goal all right Adam Henrik he’s obviously on the Oilers I wouldn’t mind seeing him hoist up the trophy Conor McDavid I feel like alltime great players deserve one Championship underneath their belt back then people were talking about Tom Brady now they’re talking about Patrick Mahomes back then people were talking about the second grest basketball player to ever play in the NBA Michael Jordan and now people are talking about the greatest player to ever play basketball LeBron James it it’s just a generational type thing and and now McDavid plays with the same organization that Wayne gresky played for and made famous all right I like I said they do deserve one Stanley Cup and I feel like they’re going to get it but not this year I I have way more faith in the Florida Panthers and what Sergey bosski brings in between the pipes I I don’t know I just I just have a feeling about this Panthers team and they’ve already been to the stanle Cup Final they know what it takes to win and yes they got smoked by the Vegas golden kns but this Oilers team let’s face it there were times where we were worried about them and and how much further they would go in fact people were projecting that the Stars would make it to the Stanley Cup Final this Oilers team is very Scrappy when it comes to offense I just mentioned McDavid but you also have to factor in dry SLE new jet Hopkins Bard and also their leading goalgetter in Zack Hyman remember when somebody was saying that Zack Heyman was only in the NHL or he was only successful because his parents were rich I bet that idiot out in Montreal feels like a complete donkey and if the Oilers end up do pulling away with the Stanley Cup I I can’t wait to see the type of reception he’ll get on social media but digressing a little bit the Oilers are a dynamic offensive unit however on the other side of things the Panthers you can’t count them out either also a very Scrappy team good offensively they know how to get those tough goals but they’re also great defensively and they got Scrappy goal tending this goes back to what I said in segment two sometimes it’s not about thriving in one particular category it’s thriving in a whole array of categories that makes a successful team I I think this Panthers team is going to be very hard to beat if I’m being completely honest and based on how they played against the Rangers despite facing uh eigor schist turkin now you get to face steuart Skinner who is a clear downgrade let’s just be honest Matthew kachuck he’s the cousin of Tom Fitzgerald and it’s also pretty cool that Matthew kachuck and Jason Tatum Who currently plays for Boston Celtics both of them are competing in a championship for their respective Sports very small world so yeah I’m gonna go with the Florida Panthers and I think they’re going to beat the Oilers in six that is my prediction let me know what you guys think leave a comment down below who are you picking to hoist up the cup in 2024 and what are your thoughts on the devils and their goal tending situation going into the off season I’m curious toar your guys thoughts leave a comment down below if you’re watching on YouTube if you’re listening on podcast streaming service hit me up on my personal xpage app at trat 4 or the show’s xpage app at lockon Devils as for episode that’s all the time I have for you continue to stay safe have a wonderful day New Jersey go Devils I’ll catch you guys next episode thanks for listening once again

The stage is set for the 2024 Stanley Cup Final: It’ll be the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. I picked my winner in today’s episode. The Panthers defeated the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals despite a strong performance from Igor Shesterkin. The New Jersey Devils could actually learn what not to do from their conference rival.

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