Why Peter Deboer Doesn't Suck
Posted 11:27 PM ET | Comments 0
Check out the comments on any Devils blog and inevitably you'll find people calling for Peter Deboers head. I'll admit, I agreed with most of these people for a while. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that Deboer is actually doing a good job working with the players he's been given. Yes, the Devils struggle to score goals. And yes, they seem like they're doomed to miss the playoffs. However, virtually every game they've played in this year has been decided by one or two goals, and they've managed to beat a handful of great teams (i.e. Ducks, Kings, Bruins, etc.)
So let's consider the players in the Devils lineup (I'm just gonna stick with forwards for the sake of brevity):
Jagr: One of the best players ever who's at the end of his career. Amazingly, he continues to produce at a high rate
Elias: Great first line player when in his prime, but reaching the end of his career
Zajac: Good two- way forward. Probably best suited for a second line
Henrique: Unproven second line center
Zubrus: Good two-way player reaching the end of his career
Brunner: Unproven scoring forward, who looks fast and creative one shift and lazy the next
Ryder: Streaky scoring forward. Probably best suited for a second line
Bernier: Great fourth line winger
Gionta: Fourth line energy player
Carter: Good fourth line player
Loktionov: Looked great for a few games last year, but overall, a completely unproven scorer
Josefson: Underachieving first round draft pick
Tedenby: Underachieving first round draft pick
Janssen: Okay, I'll admit Janssen is pretty damn good
Anyway, ask any coach in the NHL if that's a winning group of forwards, and they'd likely say no. But somehow, someway, Deboer makes Devils fans feel like the team has a chance. Granted, they come up with the short end of the stick more often than not, it's still not bad to follow a team that has a chance to win almost any night. And honestly, I think Deboer is to thank for that.
So let's consider the players in the Devils lineup (I'm just gonna stick with forwards for the sake of brevity):
Jagr: One of the best players ever who's at the end of his career. Amazingly, he continues to produce at a high rate
Elias: Great first line player when in his prime, but reaching the end of his career
Zajac: Good two- way forward. Probably best suited for a second line
Henrique: Unproven second line center
Zubrus: Good two-way player reaching the end of his career
Brunner: Unproven scoring forward, who looks fast and creative one shift and lazy the next
Ryder: Streaky scoring forward. Probably best suited for a second line
Bernier: Great fourth line winger
Gionta: Fourth line energy player
Carter: Good fourth line player
Loktionov: Looked great for a few games last year, but overall, a completely unproven scorer
Josefson: Underachieving first round draft pick
Tedenby: Underachieving first round draft pick
Janssen: Okay, I'll admit Janssen is pretty damn good
Anyway, ask any coach in the NHL if that's a winning group of forwards, and they'd likely say no. But somehow, someway, Deboer makes Devils fans feel like the team has a chance. Granted, they come up with the short end of the stick more often than not, it's still not bad to follow a team that has a chance to win almost any night. And honestly, I think Deboer is to thank for that.