GDT: 2022 NHL Free Agency

[Lou is God]

Or he really grew up hating the devils and only was using us to drive the price up.

I would do the same shit to the Rangers if I was an NHL player lol I'd rather sign anywhere else than play for that franchise

If I was an UFA NHL player growing up a Devils fan like I did, Rangers and Flyers are two teams I would have trouble signing to play for, being traded to them is one thing, but choosing them is whole other.

 

[Traitor Zach]

I'm not upset at all and it's not an attempt to self-soothe. Frankly Columbus I think has been stung by fact so many guys have left before, so can't hate on the fanbase there, they deserve a big get and win in offseason. But, objectively, to me, CBJ won't likely be a playoff threat the way Jarmo GMs anytime soon. They have some serious depth issues and roster misconfiguration in my opinion.

Interested to see where Fitz pivots here and how he plays patience over coming couple years. Devils should focus on not losing sight there will be more UFA opportunities next couple offseasons and there are trade chips increasing in our prospect pool.

 

[Billdo]

What you're saying goes against almost every single report today, so you'll have to excuse me for not really buying into what you're saying. I swear some of you are on Fitz's payroll. The team had every advantage and blew it. This isn't that hard.

What exactly am I saying that goes against everything when all I have said is YOU have no idea what the team offered nor do you have any idea if he wanted to sign here. If he doesn't want to sign here there's quite literally NOTHING the Devils could've done but go ahead and blame the team because of the perceived "advantages" that they blew when in reality the only advantage they had was money and sometimes that's not enough.

 

[Darkauron]

Oh man imagine if we were close to signing dougie last year and then he went somewhere else, only for it to happen again this year With Johnny G. Now THAT would melt this board to the ground lmao

 

[NjDevsRR]

If I was an UFA NHL player growing up a Devils fan like I did, Rangers and Flyers are two teams I would have trouble signing to play for, being traded to them is one thing, but choosing them is whole other.

Nope. If NYR is offering me stupid money I’m going.

Sorry but not sorry.

 

[Devilsfan118]

A) He must've really lowkey hated it in Calgary.

B) I can't believe any rich, young athlete would choose to live in Columbus, Ohio.

C) I really wonder what our best and final offer was.

 

[Zippy316]

He just quite frankly didn’t want to come to NJ or the Islanders.

There’s no way that offer wasn’t on the table. Seems like Gaudreau went out of his way to seek out Columbus.

Absolutely nothing Devils can do about this, but no way they can leave this off-season without at least one forward addition.

 

[Guttersniped]

To add salt on the wound the Flyers got Marody AND Belpedio! Is the plan for Utica to do worse? Get off yer butt Fitz and start getting guys I want.

What? The heart wants what the heart wants. In this case, high end AHL tweeners.

 

[MVP Zacha]

Or he really grew up hating the devils and only was using us to drive the price up.

I would do the same shit to the Rangers if I was an NHL player lol I'd rather sign anywhere else than play for that franchise

This I agree with.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

If fitz offered 7 10 AAV and Gaudreau still preferred Columbus

Says an awful lot about how fall our reputation around the league has fallen

Or he probably despises this franchise cause the Devils kicked the Flyers shit in yearly when he was a kid

 

[Lou is God]

Nope. If NYR is offering me stupid money I’m going.

Sorry but not sorry.

But we didn't offer stupid money, it's not like our offer was more than CBJ, it sounds like it was less.

 

[Csonked Out]

Palat makes so much sense on so many levels

 

[Jersey Fresh]

You have no clue if it was about hockey or all of his motivations man. No clue in the slightest. Sitting here acting like you know lol.

Do you even know what the word “objective” means?
It’s not your own personal opinion. What you just said was an objective fact isn’t whatsoever. People may easily have different opinions on that. Nothing factual about that statement.
There is absolutely nothing educated about that assumption.

We have no clue in the slightest what is in Columbus and what might’ve draw him there. We have no clue what his motivations for not going to the devils might’ve been.

Oh my god, yes! We don't have a clue!

But we, as intelligent humans, can evaluate the world in front of us and process things. What is happening right now lol.

Calgary's GM openly said this was a "family" motivated decision - FACT.
Johnny Gaudreau is from New Jersey, which is NOT in Ohio - FACT.
Competitively, there's much more going for New Jersey than Columbus - this may not be "objective" fact, but if you'd like to argue the counter, by all means, go for it.

So that leaves us with just one component, money.

I'm not "acting like I know", I'm acting like I can read the tea leaves and not just fall back on some lame-ass cop-out like "we can't know".

 

[NjDevsRR]

But we didn't offer stupid money, it's not like our offer was more than CBJ, it sounds like it was less.

I was just giving my own hypothetical that I would indeed pay for a hated franchise.

 

[SKNJD9]

Well in theory we can overpay to secure palat ? Lol

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

I am enjoying this about as much as I thought I would.

 

[Comparison Ford]

i feel absolutely nothing, have fun in columbus johnny !

 

[Emperoreddy]

I would feel better if we offered less and Fitz just stuck to his guns. I don't agree with it but it's conviction at least.

Offering more and getting rejected for a division rival with less promise and a worse area wouldn't feel good.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

That’s not the logical conclusion to draw. That’s the easy conclusion/assumption to draw. Doesn’t mean it’s true at all.

lol okay.

 

[BostonDevil]

Oh man imagine if we were close to signing dougie last year and then he went somewhere else, only for it to happen again this year With Johnny G. Now THAT would melt this board to the ground lmao

Are you kidding? All the Cap Cautioners would be in heaven!


Flash back to last year:
“I really don’t think Hamilton is what this team needs, besides we’ll to save that cap space for Ty Smith in a few years”

 

[Devilsfan118]

Palat makes so much sense on so many levels

Does he? A complimentary winger that's going to get, probably, overpaid?

Give me JG at 9.5M over Palat at the 7.5+ he's probably going to get from some dumb GM.

Hope it's not us.

 

[Davegarri]

If I was an UFA NHL player growing up a Devils fan like I did, Rangers and Flyers are two teams I would have trouble signing to play for, being traded to them is one thing, but choosing them is whole other.

Nah f*** that I'd take less money to not play in NY. f*** that franchise.

If that was his reasoning I totally respect that. But f*** him lmao

 

[Derps]

What exactly am I saying that goes against everything when all I have said is YOU have no idea what the team offered nor do you have any idea if he wanted to sign here. If he doesn't want to sign here there's quite literally NOTHING the Devils could've done but go ahead and blame the team because of the perceived "advantages" that they blew when in reality the only advantage they had was money and sometimes that's not enough.

Your entire argument is based on an assumption that he didn't want to sign here, for which there is absolutely 0 evidence. You've worked backwards from there.

Only advantage was money? What?

 

[Slasher72]

Well, we might have missed out on Gaudreau but at least we traded Zacha. The glass is half full my friends...

 

[Billdo]

So he turns down the same deal that Calgary makes, where he would have played with better players on the Flames...

Sure why not

Allegedly Calgarys last offer was 8x10.5 and he left anywhere from 15-17 mil on the table to get out of there.

If 10 mil per would have landed him I think we should have paid that. It's not every day that you get a crack at a top line talent like this.

How do you know they didn't offer it to him? How do you know they didn't offer even more? He has to want to be here...