Devils playing dangerous game not protecting stars after ugly hits

What successful nan world is going connected pinch nan Devils? They let Jack Hughes to be targeted successful open-ice by Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov, and successful nan aforesaid week they guidelines by and do thing erstwhile Jesper Bratt is obliterated down nan nett by Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak?

Players should not beryllium obligated to conflict aft delivering cleanable hits, which some Romanov and Cernak did, and I judge that. But teams judge person nan responsibility to protect their skilled players from harm, and that is thing I judge implicitly.

The Devils grounded to do that doubly wrong 3 games this week. Indeed, nan different crippled successful Detroit ended pinch Hughes level connected his backmost pinch Michael Rasmussen going each Muhammad Ali opinionated complete Sonny Liston successful Lewiston, Maine, successful 1965, aft No. 86 bounced disconnected nan Red Wings guardant while unsuccessfully trying to take sides an quiet net.

The three-ring circus could person travel pinch sound effects from nan aged Batman TV series: SPLAT! CRASH! WHAM! POW!

If location is unfastened play connected Hughes, nan Devils not only person nary chance, but they would besides merit what they get. If they let their skilled guys to get bullied, they person nary chance. You would deliberation that would beryllium self-evident successful nan room and successful nan coach’s quarters, erstwhile Sheldon Keefe should person learned agelong agone during his tenure successful Toronto that accomplishment unsocial does not triumph championships (or moreover aggregate playoff rounds).

It is early, nan Devils are conscionable coagulating. But it is ne'er excessively early to protect Jack Hughes. Because 1 of these times it is going to beryllium excessively late.

If nan Senators had offered Shane Pinto-plus to nan Rangers successful speech for Alexis Lafreniere complete nan summertime of 2023 earlier nan gambling-site rumor arose, I’m not truthful judge that would person been an automatic nary connected nan Rangers side.

I’m not judge if shot is amended erstwhile nan Yankees are winning nan World Series — caller Steve from Queens surely would not work together — but I do judge that nan NHL is amended erstwhile Montreal is simply a perennial contender. Or possibly I americium making love myself conscionable for illustration nan Habs.

The Canadiens are going connected 32 years without lifting nan Cup. I conjecture that’s bully successful comparison if your modular is either nan Maple Leafs, connected Year 58, aliases nan Flyers, search toward 50 years since nan past parade down Broad Street.

But nan franchise that group nan humanities modular successful nan ’50s, ’60s and ’70s — nan 1 that produced Rocket Richard, Jean Beliveau, Doug Harvey, Larry Robinson, Guy Lafleur and Ken Dryden; nan 1 that won 15 Cups successful a 24-year span from 1956-79 — is benignant of for illustration nan Yankees of Bobby Murcer, Mel Stottlemyre, Jerry Kenney and Horace Clarke coming aft nan M&M Boys and Whitey Ford.

The level featuring executive VP of Hockey Jeff Gorton, GM Kent Hughes and caput coach Marty St. Louis person group nan franchise connected nan due people aft nan bottommost fell retired a fewer seasons ago. But nan nine is successful no-man’s-land, a conglomeration of breathtaking young talents some established (Cole Caufield) and trying to summation traction (Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson) but without a beardown mediate people to connection meaningful support.

If nan steps taken by Gorton somewhat mirrors nan steps he took arsenic Rangers GM pursuing nan Letter, nan problem is that location is neither an Artemi Panarin nor Igor Shesterkin equivalent. But unit is going to equine nan aforesaid measurement it did erstwhile nan Rangers stalled.

Other than nan startling tally to nan Cup Final successful 2021 pursuing nan 56-game COVID-impacted season, nan Canadiens person won 9 playoff rounds since they past won nan Cup successful 1993 — with, by nan way, possibly nan weakest roster successful modern history to raise nan chalice.

The Senators are up successful their rebuild, nan aforesaid for nan Sabres and nan aforesaid for nan Red Wings. None of these teams person made nan playoffs for astatine slightest 7 years. This does not bespeak peculiarly good connected nan Habs’ trajectory.

League-wide prevention percent is down to .899, nan first clip it has dipped beneath .900 since 1995-96, erstwhile nan aggregate number came successful astatine .896.

The infusion of accomplishment and younker positive nan effect of teams needing entry-level and low-cost contracts to counterbalance nan apical of nan nutrient concatenation person produced an situation successful which nan prevention percent has steadily declined connected an yearly ground since 2014-15 and 2015-16, erstwhile netminders posted a mixed .915.

That, however, is not a bully capable mentation for nan Devils having surrendered 23 goals complete this four-game (0-2-2) losing streak.

John Tortorella benignant of group it up, didn’t nan Flyers caput coach, forecasting really he was truthful worried astir nan team’s goaltending earlier nan play moreover started. Don’t blasted anyone for 1-5-1! Back to you, Jonesy.

There is an mentation for nan Penguins honoring nan bequest of nan Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin-Kris Letang triumvirate nan measurement nan Yankees honored nan bequest of nan Core Four.

But nan determination to grant nan bequest of Tristan Jarry pinch nan 2023 five-year hold didn’t look to person nan aforesaid humanities grounding, now did it?

Finally, I spot that Chris Pronger leaped to Jacob Trouba’s defense connected No. 8’s latest (not really) arguable deed erstwhile talking to nan estimable Pierre LeBrun. But I’m not judge it’s a winning strategy to telephone 1 of nan NHL’s astir notorious and unapologetic headhunters to nan guidelines arsenic a characteristic witness.