Devils 2017-18 team discussion (player news and notes) - Offseason part IX

[Cheddabombs]

For those that are interested the Devils youtube account just uploaded quite a few videos

I mean, looks like they were videos all previously uploaded on other social media accounts but still

 

[rrekaj13]

Wow I feel like Steven's skating alone is something we miss on the D. Looks smooth & powerful in that little clip of the goal

 

[The 29th Pick]

Wow I feel like Steven's skating alone is something we miss on the D. Looks smooth & powerful in that little clip of the goal

He really did look like a slick skating forward in that clip, just another part of his game that was/is overlooked by people thinking he was just a hard hitting D man

 

[Bleedred]

He really did look like a slick skating forward in that clip, just another part of his game that was/is overlooked by people thinking he was just a hard hitting D man

Which is precisely my point when I say that you need to be of more use than just a physical presence if you're gonna be a useful player.

 

[mtnet]

He really did look like a slick skating forward in that clip, just another part of his game that was/is overlooked by people thinking he was just a hard hitting D man

Which is precisely my point when I say that you need to be of more use than just a physical presence if you're gonna be a useful player.

Big time

12th all time in points among defenseman is not too shabby, particularly when looking at the players around him in the list who are almost universally recognized as all time greats. I think that fact is criminally overlooked by rival fans who like to insist he was just some bruiser that hits hard.

 

[JrFischer54]

Lou's biggest failure was that he refused to rebuild on the fly like so many successful teams do. Retool or call it whatever you want.

Significant players left us via free agency when we could've acquired assets in return for them. Lou was also not reluctant to give up draft picks in trades for insignificant players. That hurt our drafting and our youth.

Lou and Conte absolutely sucking at drafting with the very few picks that we did have is another factor of course.

i vaguely remember the details of the trade and without looking it up i remember him sending a player and a 2nd to the yotes for some player ( i know not very helpful) but i remember thinking wtf did we have to throw a 2nd rounder in? trading 2 picks for ponokoski was brutal and then throwing in a pick for rutuu was brutal too.

bonus points if anyone can give details of the trade i'm mentioning without looking it up

 

[Bleedred]

i vaguely remember the details of the trade and without looking it up i remember him sending a player and a 2nd to the yotes for some player ( i know not very helpful) but i remember thinking wtf did we have to throw a 2nd rounder in? trading 2 picks for ponokoski was brutal and then throwing in a pick for rutuu was brutal too.

bonus points if anyone can give details of the trade i'm mentioning without looking it up

It sounds like Steve Sullivan, but we only traded a 7th round pick for him to the Coyotes.

I can't recall any deals like that with the Coyotes. Didn't we send Mike Rupp there after his first tenure with us?

 

[MadDevil]

It sounds like Steve Sullivan, but we only traded a 7th round pick for him to the Coyotes.

I can't recall any deals like that with the Coyotes. Didn't we send Mike Rupp there after his first tenure with us?

I cheated and looked it up. We sent Rupp and a 2004 2nd rounder to Arizona for the immortal Jan Hrdina.

 

[Triumph]

Hrdina was a fine player and that Devils team was horrendous at center. Good trade, though if Lou knew that Stevens was done for the year in March, I like it less.

 

[The 29th Pick]

Which is precisely my point when I say that you need to be of more use than just a physical presence if you're gonna be a useful player.

yup, and he was all of the above, its disgusting that he never wan a Norris
luckily during his days here, he won three cups and a Conn Smythe, so his trophy cabinet has some nice hardware in it.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'm very excited about the fact we could be excellent down the middle for a long time.

 

[Bleedred]

I cheated and looked it up. We sent Rupp and a 2004 2nd rounder to Arizona for the immortal Jan Hrdina.

Haha that was it.

That was a fair deal. Rupp wasn't any good and Hrdina was still good at the time. He was only a year removed from a 43 point in 61 game season and 57 points in 79 games two years earlier. If anything, the second was definitely needed to acquire him and Rupp was of extremely limited use.

Hrdina had also just turned 28 at the time, and he wasn't declining to Ruutu levels yet. He did only play in the league until he was 30 years old.

I had no problem with that trade at all.

 

[Brodeur]

I cheated and looked it up. We sent Rupp and a 2004 2nd rounder to Arizona for the immortal Jan Hrdina.

I liked Jan Hrdina, even though he didn't pan out here. Then again, my main memories of him was of him centering Lemieux/Jagr in 2000-01 which was a cushy spot to say the least. Hrdina was good on the draws (56.3% in 2002-03), so that was a nice luxury having lost Nieuwendyk (58.5%) while also giving a RH option that we had lost with Arnott/Holik.

Didn't mind the trade since Larionov wasn't working out as the Nieuwendyk replacement. Hrdina was 28 at the time as well, so the thought at the time wasn't that he was going to be a rental. Hrdina was given a qualifying offer in 2004, but the cap came with the new CBA in 2005 and they opted not to keep him.

 

[Devils Dominion]

I liked Jan Hrdina, even though he didn't pan out here. Then again, my main memories of him was of him centering Lemieux/Jagr in 2000-01 which was a cushy spot to say the least. Hrdina was good on the draws (56.3% in 2002-03), so that was a nice luxury having lost Nieuwendyk (58.5%) while also giving a RH option that we had lost with Arnott/Holik.

Didn't mind the trade since Larionov wasn't working out as the Nieuwendyk replacement. Hrdina was 28 at the time as well, so the thought at the time wasn't that he was going to be a rental. Hrdina was given a qualifying offer in 2004, but the cap came with the new CBA in 2005 and they opted not to keep him.

Hrdina burned us a lot when he was on Pitts.

 

[Bleedred]

Just saw on the Phatsphem team listings on their website that Rich Matthews is listed as a Blues assistant equipment manager. Good for him.

Maybe Marty put in a good word.

 

[Baemon Severson*]

Assuming McLeod gets sent to Missy, I like these pairs a lot:

Hall-Zajac
Johansson-Zacha
Hischier - Palmieri

 

[Devils Dominion]

Just saw on the Phatsphem team listings on their website that Rich Matthews is listed as a Blues assistant equipment manager. Good for him.

Maybe Marty put in a good word.

Are their fans complaining about them bringing in all these people from NJ?

Marty, BB, Matthews..

 

[RememberTheName]

Assuming McLeod gets sent to Missy, I like these pairs a lot:

Hall-Zajac
Johansson-Zacha
Hischier - Palmieri

Don't completely mind it, but I still don't want Zajac and Hall together this year. Zajac is forcing Hall into more of a defensive role and is not allowing Hall to use his offensive capabilities to the fullest extent. Zajac should be played with younger guys like Mikey McLeod or Blake Speers to help ease them into the NHL and help them develop rather than sticking all of em on one line. But if the coaching staff decides to stick with that, so be it. Just as long as they have a guy like Speers filling in that third spot rather than Palmieri because we would then be left with only 2 vets on the middle 6 lines, Rico and Johansson

 

[R8Devs]

If johansson does play RW (which I'm not sure he will but hypothetical)
Hall-Hischier-Johansson
Zacha-Zajac-Palmieri
Henrique-McLeod-Noesen/Speers
Wood-Boyle-speers/Noesen

I also think it's worth it to try and sign Pius Suter. Shoot first center/left wing. Devils have a good amount of contracts they can still give out and he can improve the AHL team and maybe earn a callup.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=135775

 

[My3Sons]

If johansson does play RW (which I'm not sure he will but hypothetical)
Hall-Hischier-Johansson
Zacha-Zajac-Palmieri
Henrique-McLeod-Noesen/Speers
Wood-Boyle-speers/Noesen

I also think it's worth it to try and sign Pius Suter. Shoot first center/left wing. Devils have a good amount of contracts they can still give out and he can improve the AHL team and maybe earn a callup.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=135775

That's a lot of responsibility on Nico right out of the gate. Do you see him handling 1C duties this season?

 

[Andre Palot]

I would honestly start Nico on the 3rd line. For heavens sake, Crosby didn't even get 1st line minutes his first game. Let's ease the kid into the NHL and not do what the Oilers did to Yakupov by throwing him straight into the fire and then act shocked when his development is shot to ****.

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

 

[R8Devs]

That's a lot of responsibility on Nico right out of the gate. Do you see him handling 1C duties this season?

that Zajac line can take most of those duties. It'd be good for Zacha too. those are two really good veteran wingers beside Nico there. It may not start out the gate that way but I doubt he won't get a shot with Hall.

and that way only one guy is really playing a position that he hasn't played much (Johansson). Quenneville is also an option for third line RW.

 

[R8Devs]

I would honestly start Nico on the 3rd line. For heavens sake, Crosby didn't even get 1st line minutes his first game. Let's ease the kid into the NHL and not do what the Oilers did to Yakupov by throwing him straight into the fire and then act shocked when his development is shot to ****.

yakupov is a bad player that's why he's not good. not development. Hall, RNH, and Draisaitl are all fine. Regardless if he struggles it's not like they can't take him off the line or that they have to start the first game of the season with those lines.

 

[MichaelJ]

Hall-Zacha-Palmieri
Johansson-Hischier-RW
Qville-Zajac-McLeod
LW-Boyle-Noesen

- Continue to let Hall and Zacha work on their chemistry. The kid also gets the benefit of having an all-star level wing and a 25-30 goal scorer shelter him and to learn from
- Hischier takes 2C duties and would also be surrounded by vets. Find a veteran RW and deal Henrique for defense.
- Zajac drops down to babysit/groom McLeod who breaks in on the wing. JQ would also benefit from playing with Zajac. Travis is the only C I'd trust to break in 2 young forwards, but that likely drops him down to the 3rd line.


I'm considering this a development year. That doesn't mean I think they should punt or focus on development only; the Devils should try to be as competitive as possible while keeping development the primary focus. Spreading the young talent around to be mixed in with veterans should do that.