WE'RE MOVING!

This will be the last post on this blog site. We'll be moving to pucksandpitchforks.com. please follow there! Thank you for the support!

I'm Back!

Hey everybody I am sorry for keeping you all waiting for the past two weeks. I have been very busy with my AP classes and I have been very busy. Sorry once again though.

Life as a Devils fan has been tough the past few weeks. After being knocked out in an uninspiring 5 games to the Flyers, I now have to watch the Flyers come back from 3-0 and crush the Habs in game 1. There is still hope though. The Habs have lost both of the past game ones and Halak always plays better the next game after he is pulled. All I have to say is, somebody beat these guys already!

Anyways, I said a few weeks ago that I was going to do a Rutgers Scarlet Knights season preview, so here I go.

Rutgers football has improved dramatically under head coach Greg Schiano. Rutgers used to be one of the laughing stocks of college football. Nobody believed that a New Jersey school would ever be a factor in college football. However, under Schiano Rutgers has gone to 5 straight bowl games and won four of them. They were one catch away from a Big East title and a BCS bowl game bid in 2006, and rose to the top 10 that year too. They have had 3 NFL first round picks, and the embodiment of Rutgers football these past few years, Ray Rice, has proven to be a force as a starting running back for the Baltimore Ravens.

Now what does the future hold for Rutgers?

At Quarterback, Rutgers, I believe, has a future Heisman trophy candidate and possible winner in Tom Savage. After a fabulous freshman year, Savage returns as a true sophomore with the most experience of any quarterback in the Big East. A freshman All American by many different associations, I believe Savage is capable of being a first team Big East player this year and leading Rutgers to a successful season. However, a lack of depth at the position is a problem. Only Steve Shimko has any playing experience before and even that is very limited. Chas Dodd, the 3 star QB recruit out of South Carolina, is talented but it would be tough for him to have to play as a true freshman.

The wide receiver position became a position of weakness to a position of strength over the past year. Lead by Mohamed Sanu, also a freshman All American last year, the group consists of much improved players in Mark Harrison, Tim Wright, and Quron Pratt. This is definitely a group to look out for, even with the loss of all time leading receiver Tim Brown graduating.

The defensive line is probably the deepest and best position Rutgers has right now. The line is lead by a mixture of veterans and strong underclassmen, but also has a lot of depth

The rest of the defense is strong. Cornerback remains a position of strength, despite losing first round pick Devin Mccourty. Brandon Bing, a junior, is expected to start, but expect a lot of competition and depth coming from Billy Anderson, Brandon Jones, Logan Ryan, Abdul Smith, and Darrell Givens. At linebacker, Manny Abreu, Antonio Lowery, and the highly athletic Steve Beauharnais might form one of the best line backing corps in the conference. Joe Lefeged and Khaseem Greene seem to be the favorites at the safety positions.

I think overall, this is a very good but very young team. Lets look at the best and worst possible year for Rutgers

Best: Rutgers destroys Norfolk State in the season opener, and heads down to Florida International and takes an easy win home. They go back home to face top 25 ACC power UNC and pull of the upset. They take the momentum to next week and destroy Tulane. Against UConn, Rutgers shows its strength in the Big East season opener and rips UConn apart. Rutgers then takes another easy victory at home against Army. In possibly the biggest game of the season, and maybe biggest road game in school history, Rutgers pulls off the huge upset against top 25 and Big East favorite Pittsburgh. In the next game, Rutgers once again dominates South Florida. Rutgers gets revenge for last years horrible loss to Syracuse in a blowout. Rutgers than takes down defending Big East champs Cincinnati on the road in a stunning upset. Rutgers takes it to Louisville at home and continues their dominance against them. Rutgers then breaks with their struggles against West Virginia and finishes the regular season undefeated and with their first ever Big East championship. Rutgers barely misses the BCS Title Game, but ends up with a Rose Bowl bid against local rival Penn State. Rutgers pulls off yet another upset and takes a close one and begins to establish a new recruiting dominance in the area. Tom Savage and Mohamed Sanu

Worst: Rutgers takes a win against Norfolk State, but in the next week Rutgers barely escapes Florida International. Rutgers gets destroyed at home against the killer UNC defense and lose Tom Savage, and with Steve Shimko unable to perform his duties, freshman Chas Dodd is thrown into the starting position. They bounce back in a win against weak Tulane. They lose to UConn at home in a close one, but bounce back to beat Army, but once again close. They cannot compete against the much tougher Pitt, and then lose on the road to South Florida. Rutgers once again falls victim to the upset minded Syracuse, and then loses to defending Big East champions Cincinnati. They win their game against Louisville, but fall to West Virginia yet again. They fall to 5-7 and do not make a bowl game.

Most likely to happen: Rutgers wins its first two games, and the UNC game is a true tossup. They win against UConn and Army, but lose to Pitt. They beat South Florida and Syracuse, but fall to Cincinnati. They then bounce back to trounce Louisville, and I believe they are finally able to break the curse against WVU in a thriller at WVU.. They finish the season probably 9-3, maybe 8-4 depending on the UNC game. They finish third in the Big East and go to the Meineke Car Care Bowl and win against another ACC team. The young team develops and Mohamed Sanu and Tom Savage are named to first or second All- Big East teams and Rutgers continues to gain ground and become possible favorites to win the Big East next year.

Thanks for reading. My next post will be about the Devils offseason priorities and new ideas.

Seeya later!

First Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football post

Divide and conquer. This is my new strategy for my blog. I have decided to expand my blog from not only NJ hockey, but to NJ sports. I will now include Rutgers Scarlet Knights and New York Giants into my blogs.

Today, I will talk about the Scarlet Knights.

For the first time in the school's history, two Knights were picked in the first round. Anthony Davis, the former RU star at tackle, selected 11th by San Francisco, the highest a Rutgers player has ever been drafted, and Devin McCourty, the starting cornerback for the Scarlet Knights taken by the Patriots for the 27th pick, were both taken in the first round. Ryan D'Imperio, who I consider one of my favorite not only RU linebackers but RU players, a player of so much heart and dedication, was selected as a fullback in the 7th round by the Vikings. I am sure Davis and McCourty will make immediate impacts for their respective teams and will eventually star in the league, and I am also sure D'Imperio will became a solid fullback.

However, a few players from the Knights were not drafted. Jack Corcoran, the underachieving but still solid fullback was signed by Houston. Kevin Haslam, a disappointing member of the underachieving offensive line from last year, was signed by Jacksonville.

As a Giants and Rutgers fan, I was extremely excited to hear that the New York Giants signed Tim Brown. While many consider Brown too short to be an NFL receiver, he is fast, motivated, and absolutely explosive. I see him as being the surprise free agent pickup and I think he will make the Giants depth chart and eventually make his way up as a go to receiver.

Over the next few days, I plan on writing about the Rutgers season preview, and how goal tending wins championships.

Thanks for reading!

Lemaire is out: Who is in?

Hello everybody and welcome to day three of my blog. Sorry it is a day late, but I was very busy last night.

Unfortunately, I have suffered my first significant injury. A month ago, I partially tore the labrum in my left shoulder. Unaware, I continued to lift and re-aggravate the injury. Yesterday, I saw an orthopedist who made the diagnosis. I have been advised to take three weeks (minimum) off from lifting, my workout system P90X, and worst of all, hockey. The only good news I received is that I am still growing, which I hope means another couple of inches.

So in other hockey news, Jaqcues Lemaire, the coach of the New Jersey Devils, had decided yesterday to retire rather than return to the Devils. For the third straight year, the Devils will have a new head coach behind the bench. This constant changing of coaches clearly bothers the veterans in the Devils locker room. Zach Parise, for example, stated ""It's tough. It seems like the same story every summer. I don't know what to think about it."

Lemaire's retirement should not shock anybody. He will be 65 soon and the long season takes a toll on anybody. However, the Devils now have to fill the void left by Lemaire's sudden decision.

However, as many of my fellow Devils fans can agree on, Lemaire's retirement is a blessing in disguise. While he was respected and one of the greatest Devils coaches of all time, his constant shuffling of lines and strangle on offensive freedom clearly hurt team chemistry and limited the success of offensive players such as Parise and Kovalchuk.

The job has to be filled somehow. Here are a few possibilities

1) Ken Hitchcock- Hitchcock led Dallas to back to back finals appearances with a cup win in 1998-99 and a loss to the Devils in 1999-2000. While this looks impressive, those teams were absolutely loaded with talent, with stars such as Ed Belfour Mike Modano, Joe Niewendyk, and Jamie Langenbrunner. While I am not saying the Devils now are not loaded with talent, I think that Hitchcock's coaching abilities are extremely overrated. Also, the Devils should probably try to look for a coach either in the system or from a system the Devils can compare themselves to, such as the Habs. This leads me to my next coaching idea.

2) Guy Boucher- The Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal Canadiens affiliate AHL Team) has been called the hottest coaching prospect in hockey. He has led the Bulldogs to the second best record in the AHL and a strong showing in the Calder Cup playoffs (which they are still in right now). He was named coach of the year in the AHL. The Bulldogs were third in the AHL in goals, yet also gave up the fewest goals in the AHL. That is the Devils way of playing: A two way coach that is a proven winner. The only two problems for the Devils is actually getting him to the Rock, as the Blue Jackets and Lightning are also very interested in him, and if he wants to leave Hamilton in the first place.

3) John Maclean- After being an assistant coach for the Devils for years, Maclean was sent down to Lowell as the new head coach for the Lowell Devils when Lemaire was hired as the NJ Devils head coach. In his first year, Maclean led Lowell to a fourth place finish in the conference and a Calder Cup playoff birth. Maclean is a young head coach that can bring an offensive flavor to the Devils that can let them concentrate more on their offensive firepower. The only problem seems to be is if Lou wants the young coach to lead a team of veterans under fire in his first NHL head coaching job.

4) Larry Robinson- Personally, my favorite choice. He has been with the team for a long time and as a head coach in 2000 led the Devils to the Stanley Cup. He is experienced and very smart. However, I doubt that he would be very interested in being head coach again.

5) Scott Stevens- The most interesting choice, but the wrong one. He is one of the greatest players in history of the sport. The Hall of Famer was a great player- but as a coach, he is still inexperienced. He is not ready to be an NHL head coach yet he has too little experience. It is also unlikely that he would want the job in the first place.

At the end, I think it really comes down to Boucher and Maclean. The Devils should pursue Boucher hard, but if that doesn't work out, Maclean, I believe, is by far the best option. I believe he is ready for an NHL head coaching job. He will bring a different system to the Devils and allow them to flourish. He is a safe bet and is very smart and respected. He is also in the system, which I believe is one of the most important factors when making the decision.

So the final verdict is that the Devils should pursue Boucher, but if not, Maclean is the best and only other option. If Boucher doesn't come, Maclean would not pass up the chance in a million years.

My next blog will hopefully be tomorrow. I will also begin writing articles outside of hockey, such as Rutgers and New York Giants football, but I will remain in NJ sports (yes, the Giants are NJ, they play in the Meadowlands.)

I would like to take this time to thank njpowerranking.com for posting my blog on their website. Thank you for the support!

Who should be on the bench for the Devils

Hello once again my loyal followers. This is my second post on my first day and I am trying to build some momentum here.

I would like to take this moment to express my opinion of who I believe should be on the bench for the 2010-11 season.

If you do not understand the who should be on the bench next year, it means who should be the backup goalie next year. As the backup goalie, he will be sitting on the bench most of the time (there is nothing wrong with this, I do it all the time backing up my boy Grant Mitchell.)

Brodeur is unquestionably the starting goalie for the Devils. With a 45-25-6 record, .916 save percentage, 2.24 GAA, and a whopping 9 shutouts, and a finalist for the Vezina trophy, he has had a spectacular year. While many blame Marty for the Devils early exit this year, he is not the reason. He made highlight reel save after highlight reel save that prevented the devils from being blown out in every game this series. The lack of the devils scoring, and lack of skilled defenseman on the team is the reason for their early dismissal for the playoffs, not Marty.

However, Marty is getting older. He will be 39 next year. He will still be an elite goaltender, but the Devils need to start looking for somebody who will not only be the successor to Marty, but fill in for 20 games to let Marty have enough rest to prepare for a long playoff run.

Here are a few possible solutions to help Marty rest, and to find his eventual successor.

1) I personally like Yann Danis. He has been able to do his job as a backup goalie pretty decently, posting a 3-2-1 record, with a 2.05 GAA, and a .923 save percentage (compliments to Yahoo stats). However, he will be 29 this summer and he is not the long term solution for the team. He has also not shown me enough to be able to trust him to play in 20 games, which could be the difference between home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, or missing the playoffs all together.

2) Jeff Frazee. The young goaltender from the USA U-18 development program, University of Minnesota, and Lowell Devils was drafted in the second round (38th overall) in 2005 by the New Jersey Devils. Frazee is pretty well sized at 6'0" and around 185 pounds (by the way, Devils, is my size.) He is super athletic and super flexible. Despite for a terrible Junior year at the University of Minnesota, he has turned it around in Lowell and his maturity level and calmness under fire had improved vastly. There is no question in my mind that he should be the Devils backup goalie for next year. I believe that with some development, he can become an above average starter. I believe he is the devils best hope to replace Brodeur.

3) Drafting a goalie in this years draft. The devils have the 38th overall pick in this years draft. I think the Devils have a small chance of trading up in the draft if top goaltending prospects Jack Campbell and Chet Pickard fall down in the draft. If this happens, I think the devils should trade up. If not, the devils should sit back until their pick. I do not have a lot of information myself on the goaltending prospects, but from what I've read, I would say Kent Simpson from the Western Hockey League and Mike Visentin from the Ontario Hockey League are the best two choices for a second or a third round pick for the Devils.

4) Probably the most interesting possibility is trading for Carey Price, the young, fallen superstar from Montreal. A former fifth overall pick, the 22 year old has oodles of potential but has so far struggled to maintain a starting job in Montreal in a competition with Jaroslav Halak. Being the goalie for the Canadiens possibly has the most pressure for any team in sports, which reminds me of former Canadiens goalie quote "How would you like a job where when you made a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?" That is life as the Canadien's goalie. Being so young, he is unable to handle the situation. A new start, perhaps, is what he needs. I am not sure if the devils have enough to trade for the young goalie. The Canadiens will most likely offer ask for a first round pick. However, if the devils can make a package deal that includes some medium to low level prospects, Brian Rolston or Colin White (who, as I said in my last post, need to be traded anyway), and maybe a mid level draft pick (2nd, 3rd, or 4th), the Devils can pull him away from a Canadiens team that is desperate to get rid of him, especially after his poor play and even worse behavior in game 4 against the Capitals. In a lower pressure situation in New Jersey, he may be able to flourish and turn his potential into reality. I believe he can definitely play the 20 or so games necessary to allow Marty to rest and allow the devils to find Marty's eventual successor. However, in order to get Price, the devils will have to give up more prospects and more draft picks, and will also gain a lot of drama from Price. However, at the end of the day, if the devils ARE able to gain Price's services, they will gain a potential future superstar and an almost sure replacement for Marty down the line. However, it is still a major if for the devils to trade for him.

Overall, the easiest and best plan overall I think would be to develop Frazee over next season. However, if the Devils are able to gain Price without giving up too much, the Devils should make the trade.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and continue your very much appreciated support. My next post will be about who should be behind the bench for next season as the Devils Head Coach.

Thank you for your support!

First Blog post

Hello everybody this is my first blog post. I am a passionate Devils fan with some great ideas for the team and I would like to get some support for my ideas.

1) First we should attempt to trade Colin White and Brian Rolston. Both players are getting older and have been of very little help this season. I believe that we should attempt to trade for a 3rd, 4rth, or 5th round pick for these players. The cap room the Devils would gain would allow for the Devils to not only resign Ilya Kovalchuk and Paul Martin, but enough to resign players for the future, such as Zach Parise (who, by the way, is my favorite current Devil), Travis Zajac, David Clarkson, and other budding Devils stars.

2) The Boston Bruins have been rumored to be in interest of trading the number 2 pick overall in this years draft for Jarome Iginla. I believe the Devils have a player who is the equivalent of Iginla and can entice the Bruins to consider a trade: Patrik Elias. I personally have loved Elias for as long as I have watched him, but his production is going down and the team needs to get younger. I believe a trade involving Elias, Matt Corrente, next years first round pick, the picks we get for White and Rolston, and the second this year for the number two pick. The Devils will clear up cap space and add a superstar in either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin. This trade might be a bit of a future pick, but this trade could allow the Devils to gain a player that would be able to have an immediate impact and possibly as big as Elias has this year.

3) In a worst case scenario, we are not able to sign Ilya to a deal. There is still hope. Last year, Florida traded Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary for Jordan Leopold. Both of these players were unable to reach deals with their respective teams. In Anaheim, the Ducks are having trouble signing their young superstar Bobby Ryan. If we are unable to resign Ilya, I believe the Devils should trade his rights to Anaheim, who might be able to afford him (especially if Niedermayer and Selanne retire, for Bobby Ryan and the first round pick the Ducks received from Philadelphia for this year's draft. Bobby Ryan, a New Jersey native, might agree to a cheap contract of 3 or 4 million for his services because of his connection to New Jersey. If not, the Devils gain a first round pick for pretty much nothing.

These are my trade ideas.

For free agency, the Devils should look to resign Kovy and Martin, but if worse comes to worse Martin should be let go. His impact on the Devils is minimal he doesnt have the shot to be a great offensive defenseman. The Devils need to build around players like Greene and Salmela for defense.

The Devils need to add another offensive defenseman with a hard shot from the point. Perhaps the Devils can lure Scott Niedermayer back to Jersey (unlikely considering the Devils lack of cap space). Outside of that, I really don't see that much talent in this years free agents in terms of offensive defensmen.

Thanks for reading and please help support my ideas!