Daneyko: Palat Has 'What Experience Means'

It feels hard to believe, but Devils captain Nico Hischier is already entering his sixth NHL season. Jack Hughes, his fourth, and there have been certainly a lot of hard lessons learned throughout those years.
When the season ended in 2021-22 there was one common thread that linked most players' exit interviews.
They are no longer a young team.
It was music to Ken Daneyko's ears because that too is what he believes entering 2022-23.
"You should be full of energy, but now it's time to win," Daneyko said enthusiastically, "Even though we finished where we did, and there were circumstances with the goalies, Ottawa can say the same thing. They all got better, you know, but you have to have a mindset where we can beat them all, we can surpass some of the teams that were in the playoffs."
And that is where Ondrej Palat comes in.

Palat is the first player Daneyko says he believes will be the most impactful of the off-season players acquired by general manager Tom Fitzgerald. Palat has the necessary accolades from his decade in Tampa Bay. He left the franchise with stat totals that place him second overall in franchise history for postseason goals and games played, and third overall for points. Of course, he has back-to-back Stanley Cup championship wins from 2020 and 2021.
If you want to talk about moving on from the learn-to-winphase and into the consistent winning phase of a franchise's cycle, Palat is sure to make a statement.
"You've got a group of guys with a lot of talent, you've got young guys, but they've never won on a consistent basis to understand what it takes all the little things," Daneyko insisted. "Everybody's going to say the right things. They're a great group of guys, they want to win of course. But do you prepare the right way? Do you go through that process? Game in game out over an 82-game schedule?
"A lot of games are going to be one-goal games," Daneyko continued, "Palat's won two Stanley Cup championships. He's a go-to, clutch performer. He does the little things, not just score some big goals that he scored time and time again in playoff hockey, but he can be that voice of reason in the dressing room when it's a 2-2 game, 3-2 game because he's been through it so much. That's what experience means."
Daneyko is excited as well to see how the other new additions make an impact. From his view, they make this a better Devils team. Of Erik Haula he likes the addition of more experience, the puck moving, steady presence of John Marino on the back end. Brendan Smith adds to a group on the back-end where the offensive-minded defensemen-type players are already in line with Dougie Hamilton and Damon Severson, Smith and Marino join the steadiness of Jonas Siegenthaler and Ryan Graves.
And then there is the last line of defense, Daneyko not shying away from the troubles the club faced in net last season. "It was near the bottom League, and everything can't win without you can't win like that," was Daneyko's first comment when the discussion turned to goaltending.
"I don't care if you have five Paul Coffey's in his prime, and Ray Bourque's and six Wayne Gretzky's… you're not winning if you can't top the puck or give your team a chance."
Daneyko knows that Mackenzie Blackwood has a lot to prove this season and doesn't sugar-coat his comments.
He understands it's 'make or break'. I've had those speeches when I was a kid, like for Mackenzie it's do you want to have a good, great 10-year career? or do you want to be out of the league in a year? Do you know what I mean? That's where it's at for me. I have all the belief in him […] He showed two years ago when the team was not very good, He had record numbers. People don't even realize how spectacular they were on a really bad team."
Daneyko says it's time to put that behind him.
"He seems to be healthy," Daneyko inferred, "That's an obviously very important factor. I'm not going to say just for a goaltender, but any player, it's 'have I made the decision to want to put the team on my shoulders or the proverbial take the bull by the horns and be that everyday consistent player that wants the ball, wants to be in that net'. But it's a healthy competition with him and Vanecek, both of them."
The addition of Vitek Vanecek should help not only Blackwood but the team as a whole and is a dynamic that Daneyko sees more and more of in the NHL.
"You look at these two guys, they can push each other. Now you need two goalies. People banter too much about who's No. 1… If the team is going to be successful, and the Devils are going to be successful this year, I believe we're going to need both, we're going to use both probably almost 50/50.
"They've both shown in their short time in the National Hockey League, they have proven they can be excellent goaltenders."
How it all comes together, how players take advantage of their opportunities and put the past behind them, that all should have started in the summer, ready to come into camp and begin anew.
"I do think they have that attitude that we're tired of being where we're at. We're ready to take that next step. That's a gut feel […] I've got a really good feeling, good vibes."
Daneyko took a pause and added:
"I know I did last year but something is different now."