2013 New Jersey Devils (Team News, Player Discussion - Part XI)

[Baggy Spandex]

Don't spend $5m on hard work, please wait and spend it on skill.

 

[CerebralGenesis]

I've made my thoughts on Clarkson to be very well known before this and his demands for 5.5M or whatever he is going to ask.

Fine with me.

 

[Bleedred]

Clarkson is on pace for 40 points this year. Pretty much all of that from his hot start. Why would you pay a 40 point player $5 million+?

I would guarantee if someone signed him for that they'd be buying him out a couple years in. Unfortunately for them this would be after the amnesty buyouts are done.

 

[Jack Griffin]

Devils wouldn't shell out $5 million a year for guys like Gionta and Martin I don't see why they would for Clarkson. I like Clarkson but anyone that would give him that kind of money is dumb.

 

[apice3*]

Lou and Clarkson are tight. He's going to be back to the dismay of many of us.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Lou and Clarkson are tight. He's going to be back to the dismay of many of us.

This, he is coming back and no one will like the price.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

Lou and Clarkson are tight. He's going to be back to the dismay of many of us.

If the price is reasonnable, I don't think anyone has a problem with us keeping our 3rd line RW'er.

If the price is equivalent to us handing out top #6 money, then I can see why certain posters, including myself, would be pissed about the signing.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Devils have the 29th ranked NHL offense out of 30 teams


#28 Florida 102 goals in 43 games
#29 Devils 99 goals in 43 games
#30 Preds 100 goals in 44 games

 

[BenedictGomez]

Next time today some bleeding heart says how "nice" and "polite" and a "good person" this ******* on the run is, please forward this link.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/fbi/boston-bomb-photo-657490

 

[Saugus]

darenmillard: ken daneyko says the devils can't afford to pay pending free agent david clarkson $5 to $5.5 million a season. may have to let him go.

Yeesh, if he asks for that much, let him walk. Lou will keep it somewhat reasonable. Something around $4 M is fine.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I love Dano, but how does he have all this information on the Devil's finances? Seems far-fetched.

Still 5.5 is to much for Clarkson either way.

Kovy is a true warrior, he is itching to get back in there in a bad way. Most likely why there was so much confusion over him going/not going to Philly. He wanted to go, but the coaching staff had to shoot him down most likely after reading between his own words and watching practice. Even TG didn't think he seemed confident in his health yet. Still think he deserved to wear the C.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

darenmillard: ken daneyko says the devils can't afford to pay pending free agent david clarkson $5 to $5.5 million a season. may have to let him go.

Good.

Paying Clarkson that kind of coin would've been a even worst decision then the Volchenkov deal.

 

[Bleedred]

If we can't sign somebody for $5 million a year long term then we have some BAD problems. I been thinking about this a lot today, and maybe I owe Lou an apology, but I'll have to wait for UFA day to know for sure. If this hold true, and we can't make a signing for that price it shows that Lou got Dollar General replacements because our Hucksterbeek owner is flat broke. The old Lou would have done something to fix this even if it was to try to scrap a couple 2nd round picks in a trade. The new Lou probably wouldn't do this because the owner is not giving him the resources.

As it looks right now D'Agostini can replace Clarkson cause he's actually been better the last 30 games. If Clarkson wants $5 million a year then Lou should point out his last 30 games. What does Clarkson have to argue that he's worth $5 million? ''I lead the offensively challenged team I play for in goals! Over 3/4ths of which I scored in the first 3 weeks of the season!'' not to include that our best player is injured, and surely would have passed Clarkson by now. Clarkson has produced less points in the last 30 games than almost any of our regular top 12 forwards. Carter, Gionta, and Bernier have all outscored him during the last 30 games, and Zajac has outscored him by over twice as much. Frickin Kovy has more than twice as many points in that time, and has missed a third of the games.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

If we can't sign somebody for $5 million a year long term then we have some BAD problems. I been thinking about this a lot today, and maybe I owe Lou an apology, but I'll have to wait for UFA day to know for sure. If this hold true, and we can't make a signing for that price it shows that Lou got Dollar General replacements because our Hucksterbeek owner is flat broke. The old Lou would have done something to fix this even if it was to try to scrap a couple 2nd round picks in a trade. The new Lou probably wouldn't do this because the owner is not giving him the resources.

As it looks right now D'Agostini can replace Clarkson cause he's actually been better the last 30 games. If Clarkson wants $5 million a year then Lou should point out his last 30 games. What does Clarkson have to argue that he's worth $5 million? ''I lead the offensively challenged team I play for in goals! Over 3/4ths of which I scored in the first 3 weeks of the season!'' not to include that our best player is injured, and surely would have passed Clarkson by now. Clarkson has produced less points in the last 30 games than almost any of our regular top 12 forwards. Carter, Gionta, and Bernier have all outscored him during the last 30 games, and Zajac has outscored him by over twice as much. Frickin Kovy has more than twice as many points in that time, and has missed a third of the games.

I don't buy the fact that we're money strapped one bit cause if that's the case, he would've moved Tallinder or Volchenkov for futures, saving us some major coin and he wouldn't of resigned Salvador to a 9M$ deal less then 10 months ago when he wasn't a must considering all the traffic we have on D.

Just my opinion

 

[Bleedred]

I don't buy the fact that we're money strapped one bit cause if that's the case, he would've moved Tallinder or Volchenkov for futures, saving us some major coin and he wouldn't of resigned Salvador to a 9M$ deal less then 10 months ago when he wasn't a must considering all the traffic we have on D.

Just my opinion

The Salvador contract is what caused me to blame Lou more than Vanderbeek. Though we have seen Lou give out these contracts more recently to Jay Pandolfo. Plus the fact that Salvador went to the UFA market, and then said he asked Lou to match. I'm sure that didn't help either.

As far as Tallinder I'm not sure if anyone would take him, but we know no one would touch Volchenkov's contract.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Salvador's contract is too long but the money is not THAT bad.

 

[Bleedred]

Salvador's contract is too long but the money is not THAT bad.

I think the money is worse than the length. That's a lot for a stay at home guy. I'm wondering if we could have locked him up for less if he hadn't gone to UFA. He said so himself that he looked Lou to match. I'm sure Lou matched the best offer.

 

[Saugus]

My thoughts on Sal's contract are well known and have not really changed. I didn't like it from day one, and I still don't. He's overpaid and on the books for too long, regardless of our cap space.

 

[AfroThunder396]

There was just simply no need to bring him back. I appreciate everything he's done for us but he's completely redundant.

 

[Bleedred]

There was just simply no need to bring him back. I appreciate everything he's done for us but he's completely redundant.

With Volchenkov, and Tallinder there really wasn't. That's what started the 8 defensemen thing too cause we had 7 signed for this season already.

If his cap hit was way lower I wouldn't have any problems whatsoever. Even if it was still the same 3 year term.

 

[Emperoreddy]

There was just simply no need to bring him back. I appreciate everything he's done for us but he's completely redundant.

I agree, with Volch already under contract he was redundant. Why I want Volch gone next year. We don't need both of them, and having both on the ice is a liability.

I don't think money is an issue, Dano could of been misquoted too. Think he means 5.5 is to much for clarkson...as we all know it is.

I still don't get what you are getting at with Lou over the last offseason Bleed. It doesn't matter if he had money to spend when there was no one to give that money to in the offseason other then Zach, and he wasn't taking it unless Suter came with. I am not buying that Semin would of changed our fortunes this year, and basically the only things out there were players of equivalent skill to the pickups Lou made over the course of the season.

If you are still on about Sykora, his contract would of been so low that money would never of been an issue. Lou didn't want to just bring him back for whatever reason. Agree or disagree. You just hang so much blame on Lou for THIS season as if there was all these amazing free agent forwards available that he just passed on (which wasn't true).

Want to **** on him for how we have drafted over the past few years...by all means, but no one has shown me what could of been done over the last offseason that would of helped this team now other then somehow bringing Zach back.

 

[Bleedred]

I agree, with Volch already under contract he was redundant. Why I want Volch gone next year. We don't need both of them, and having both on the ice is a liability.

I don't think money is an issue, Dano could of been misquoted too. Think he means 5.5 is to much for clarkson...as we all know it is.

I still don't get what you are getting at with Lou over the last offseason Bleed. It doesn't matter if he had money to spend when there was no one to give that money to in the offseason other then Zach, and he wasn't taking it unless Suter came with. I am not buying that Semin would of changed our fortunes this year, and basically the only things out there were players of equivalent skill to the pickups Lou made over the course of the season.

If you are still on about Sykora, his contract would of been so low that money would never of been an issue. Lou didn't want to just bring him back for whatever reason. Agree or disagree. You just hang so much blame on Lou for THIS season as if there was all these amazing free agent forwards available that he just passed on (which wasn't true).

Want to **** on him for how we have drafted over the past few years...by all means, but no one has shown me what could of been done over the last offseason that would of helped this team now other then somehow bringing Zach back.

I'm not even talking about Semin. I never expected to get him. Lou would usually try something to make a trade of some kind, but I'm not really blaming him anymore. I think this could be ownership, but in the past Lou would have pulled out some kind of a big trade. That's just the Lou I know. Now he can't be that Lou because of lack of funds I think.

As far as not forfeiting the pick though yeah I blame Lou for that, but Matteau looks fine so no big deal. I expect more Dollar General guys next year. Not so much Lou's fault if it is though.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'm not even talking about Semin. I never expected to get him. Lou would usually try something to make a trade of some kind, but I'm not really blaming him anymore. I think this could be ownership, but in the past Lou would have pulled out some kind of a big trade. That's just the Lou I know. Now he can't be that Lou because of lack of funds I think.

As far as not forfeiting the pick though yeah I blame Lou for that, but Matteau looks fine so no big deal. I expect more Dollar General guys next year. Not so much Lou's fault if it is though.

I don't think we lacked the funds. He is more handicapped by the fact we have to forfeit a 1st round pick and also because we have a thin farm system. We don't have the pieces for a big time trade, especially since everyone was holding on to everything for dear life when this season started.

Big trade almost certainly requires us trading our 1st...that is a lot to ask a GM to trade one 1st away knowing he doesn't have the other the next year.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't think we lacked the funds. He is more handicapped by the fact we have to forfeit a 1st round pick and also because we have a thin farm system. We don't have the pieces for a big time trade, especially since everyone was holding on to everything for dear life when this season started.

Big trade almost certainly requires us trading our 1st...that is a lot to ask a GM to trade one 1st away knowing he doesn't have the other the next year.

I'm not sure if we do have the funds. We should know more on July 1st. While I don't want Clarkson back for that price it would be pretty pathetic if we lost Parise, but couldn't afford Clarkson. I thought for sure losing Parise meant at least we could keep Zajac and Clarkson. Would be pretty sad if we were only able to keep ONE of Parise, Zajac, Clarkson because of financial constraints.

As long as we're competitive next year I will be fine with forfeiting the pick last year. If we forfeit a 16th or higher pick then that's fine. If we have to forfeit a top 10 then that will be really stupid. If we're gonna make a bargain bin signing we should see if Phoenix would be interested in trading us Viktor Tikhonov's rights. He was Kovy's linemate in the KHL during the lockout. Of course see if he will come back to play in the NHL with Kovy first. Maybe we can get him for next year's 5th round pick. Throw TedenBUST in too.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I'm not saying I like that he is signed to that contract

but a guy making $3 mill for 2 more years is not really that big of a deal. Volch's deal is another story. ugh.