Stephen Gionta
Boston College > Boston University
If the Devils make one more addition at forward then Rooney and Hayden will be the 13th and 14th forwards.
Devils 2019 offseason team discussion (news and notes) XI
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If the Devils make one more addition at forward then Rooney and Hayden will be the 13th and 14th forwards.
Scooooooooooooot
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- Jul 31, 2018
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Stephen Gionta
Boston College > Boston University
- May 1, 2011
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While I would welcome one more upgrade I am far from confident it will happen. I think all of the moves have pretty much been made by the clubs generally - few free agents are left, the draft is over and the rosters are pretty much set for training camps around the league. Besides a trade there’s really no way to effect much change now. So my hunch is that what our roster and farm strength is at the moment is going to pretty much be it.
There's still plenty of cap casualties to be had. Our patience will be rewarded.
We're in an excellent position as we have no need to make a move before the season begins, but tons of cap flexibility if an opportunity comes up.
Nico the Draft Riser
Devils, Rams, Hawks, Twins fan
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I certainly see a few needs but how pressing they are is the question
If I had a voucher for one more upgrade before season’s end, it would be a LD for the top pair. Even if its a stopgap.
I dont see a pressing need at forward because Jack and Nico make guys better so even if a Boqvist or a Coleman/Zacha is bumped up - I think they do just fine
AfroThunder396
[citation needed]
I think Howden will be given a chance at training camp and maybe a 5-10 extended peek at the beginning of the season. He should be out of the lineup by Thanksgiving
Zajacs Bowl Cut
Lets Go Baby
Omar Little
Omar comin yo
One thing that is probably underappreciated in the context of the moves Shero has made is that we'll be setup very well for the expansion draft. Realistically, assuming neither Greene or Vatanen is resigned during the season it's likely the only exposed players of any importance will be one of (1) Coleman, Wood, Zacha and (2) Schneider. Vatanen and Greene would be technically exposed but I would find it unlikely that Seattle would look to sign them in advance of the formal expansion draft.
PTO's are still a strong possibility, though I'm not sure who is out there, and who we bring in may not be any better then what we currently have. Also, as noted above I wouldn't rule out cap casualties either, Gusev being a name high on peoples list, but if he is as good as people are making out, then maybe Vegas finds other ways to clear cap, which of course makes different guys available, though maybe not as enticing, or NHL ready.
So I don't think it's a lock that what we see now is what we will see in September, but some posters thinking it likely that we will add, a big name even, to the roster? I'm not seeing that. Nor do I see a desperate need to add.
Stephen Gionta
Boston College > Boston University
Hayden?
I'm not expecting much, and I could see him being a healthy scratch from the get go, but could I see him finding a role here, and perhaps his game blossoming a bit? I could. He's a big body, and a right handed shot, so he has some edges over guys you would otherwise say are better players.
Top pair LHD is clearly a question mark.
But we do have 3 NHL caliber lefties, 4 if you include Mueller. Mueller is already likely to be squeezed here. Adding a top pair guy, sqeezes another player, or move's him to his off hand which is not optimal. So I'm not sure adding a guy makes as much sense as it appears, even if a rookie, or an old man, on the top pair makes us all a little uneasy.
A healthy Subban anchoring the top pair, as well as distributing the difficult assignments a little more evenly, should help alleviate the concern of not having a true, in his prime, top pairing left d man.
The Seattle expansion draft isn't until the summer of 2021, so Vatanen will either be long gone or extended by that time.
Zajac, Coleman and Palmieri are all potential UFA's heading into that summer, which could provide Shero with some flexibility if they remained unsigned (could certainly see that being the case for Zajac, as I can't imagine him playing anywhere else). You also have one year left on a 35 year old Schneider at that point, so he's the easy choice to leave exposed at G.
With the Devils' depth at forward, would have to assume they go 7-3-1 instead of 4-4-1 this time.
A lot will change in the next two years, but right now here's my best guess of who gets protected:
1. Nico
2. Zacha
3. Bratt
4. Hall (or replacement UFA/player acquired in trade)
5. Palmieri (assuming he's extended ahead of time)
6. Coleman (assuming he's extended ahead of time)
7. Wood
Exposed: Anderson, McLeod, Bastian, UFA Zajac
McLeod, Anderson or Bastian could all work their way up to the protected group over the next two seasons, plus trades could impact the list as well. I don't see Zacha being exposed though.
1. Severson
2. Butcher
3. Subban
Defense gets more tricky with the Subban addition, as if Vantanen is resigned or the Devils acquire another top 4 defenseman, someone good will have to be exposed or NJ will have to work out a side deal to not take one of them. Perhaps the Devils expose Subban and his 1 year $9MM cap hit if he doesn't fully bounce back.
Blackwood is the easy decision to protect at goalie.
AfroThunder396
[citation needed]
Zajacs Bowl Cut
Lets Go Baby
I don't want to do any side deals with Seattle
just let them take a player and move on. Don't want to get screwed like teams like Florida and Columbus did
just let them take a player and move on. Don't want to get screwed like teams like Florida and Columbus did
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