Devils 2020-21 team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part VIII

[LeedsMonster]

Granlund is not a center at the NHL level. He can play center, but he shouldnt.

Didnt he have his best years in Minnesota playing center?

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Didnt he have his best years in Minnesota playing center?

I think he was at his best playing RW if I’m not mistaken

 

[Better Call Sal]

Considering we could all use a laugh these days and need to kill some time, stumbled on this video from the 2000 playoffs with a funny clip of Dano at the end. Enjoy

 

[glenwo2]

I'd like a Palms/Gusev/Bratt/Blackwood signing right about now to get myself away from the next 24-72 hours.

Me, too.

Any one of them so we can discuss instead of rehashing Zacha arguments or what-have-you.

 

[LeedsMonster]

I think he was at his best playing RW if I’m not mistaken

My mistake then. I thought he mostly played C in Minnesota.

 

[FinnishDevil]

My mistake then. I thought he mostly played C in Minnesota.

Its okay, I see him listed as C in many FA lists and many fans saying they want him to play C for them on a cheap 1-yr deal.

So are we getting ready to ship out our unicorn Bratt yet to make room for big bodies Bastian and Mikey McLeod

 

[JimEIV]

On top of the low-hanging fruit of good publicity, the Rock is also a voting site this year. Synergy brah

I would have rather they reminded me to turn my clocks back if they were interested in PSA's

 

[devilsblood]

This is a very hypothetical scenario that would include same rating of current abilities and perceiving the potential (and the likelihood to reach it) as exactly the same. To achieve it, you'd have to literally clone the player.

Of course, BPA will vary from scout to scout because different scouts will value different things but "how does the players' position correspond to current lineup" shouldn't be one. This is how you get Zacha instead of Provorov and Werenski etc.

If it was positional why would it not be Barzal instead of Provorov and Werenski? It's nice in hindsight to be able to say Provorov and Werenski were better then Zacha, but what if we picked 5th and Hanifin was on the board?

We hear again and again about tiers of players. Why? because there is no clear cut 1-32 distinction of prospects. There is no such distinction. In reality it's muddy, and the best teams come up with is groupings of players. And in a grouping I have no issue if teams interject an importance on need.

 

[McDuffz88]

I'd like a Palms/Gusev/Bratt/Blackwood signing right about now to get myself away from the next 24-72 hours.

I don't think anything is happening for awhile. Not a chance gusev signs a contract until later this year. I think Gusev is gonna explode this season & then he's gonna demand a much bigger contract. Palms we won't hear anything either unless he's willing to do a short term team friendly deal. My max offer on Palms is 3 years anything more then cya. Blackwood and Bratt deals can come at any time though.

 

[NJDevs26]

If it was positional why would it not be Barzal instead of Provorov and Werenski? It's nice in hindsight to be able to say Provorov and Werenski were better then Zacha, but what if we picked 5th and Hanifin was on the board?

We hear again and again about tiers of players. Why? because there is no clear cut 1-32 distinction of prospects. There is no such distinction. In reality it's muddy, and the best teams come up with is groupings of players. And in a grouping I have no issue if teams interject an importance on need.

Yeah obviously teams have to rank a board from 1 to 100 or 200whatever, but within those ranks there are also leveled tiers like you say. People make way too big a deal about OMG THEY MIGHT have picked 11 instead of 10 on their board because of NEED, when the reality is the difference between players in the same tier are so minute it shouldn't matter. If they jump a spot or two that's not a big deal, that's done all the time in the later rounds and nobody bats an eye. If they jump a tier that's where it becomes a big deal and why I criticized the KHL first round pick at first, it looked as if they jumped a tier in that particular instance.

Obviously the argument could be made you shouldn't be drafting for an immediate need, but if it's also a prospect need?

 

[None Shall Pass]

I would have rather they reminded me to turn my clocks back if they were interested in PSA's

We all know you use a sundial and chart your voyages by the position of the North Star. You don't need no stinkin' email about clocks.

 

[Scooooooooooooot]

I like that Mantha contract as a base for Palms. 4 years 5.5-6 mill

 

[hidek91]

I like that Mantha contract as a base for Palms. 4 years 5.5-6 mill

Hard to compare them as Mantha was RFA and was younger.

 

[TrufleShufle]

I think the Devils should do some stuff that makes the team a better team.

 

[LeedsMonster]

Read an article that Vancouver might still deal Virtanen. Says it's easier to trade a player when they dont have arbitration looming. If this is true, what would it take to get him?

 

[MartyOwns]

I think the Devils should do some stuff that makes the team a better team.

that's just crazy enough to work

 

[SJinNewJersey]

I think the Devils should do some stuff that makes the team a better team.

 

[MadDevil]

I think the Devils should do some stuff that makes the team a better team.

Lovejoy is coming out of retirement?

 

[MartyOwns]

where are we at, season-wise? last i heard they were aiming for january i think

 

[Camille the Eel]

where are we at, season-wise? last i heard they were aiming for january i think

The CBC had an article about discussions at the moment relative to formatting play in a series of bubbles for different groups of teams. The idea was the NHL would not have each club travel in a normal fashion. But groups would shelter as they did in the playoffs around a series of hubs and play within these groupings. There would then be breaks - that is, they’d break isolation after a certain time, and reshuffle. They were thinking they could manage Covid in this format as they did in the playoffs.

The closure of the US/Canada border was a factor. Talk was perhaps the Canadian clubs could be a separate pod or pods.

So I think they are settling a basic concept for how to play a season and all the while watching the epidemic.

But the good news I took from even this sketchy kind of article is that there will, I believe, be some kind of season. They are looking to base it on what worked health wise during the playoffs.

 

[Andre Palot]

I think the Devils should do some stuff that makes the team a better team.

No references to "Jerz' would be a great start from a social media level.

 

[TBF1972]

I think the Devils should do some stuff that makes the team a better team.

just do it fitz.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

where are we at, season-wise? last i heard they were aiming for january i think

Note this is all rumors but as far as i know what has leaked about the next season:

Start in January or February, should be realignment (e.g. an all Canadian division), presumably a condensed schedule with games mostly played within division, to be at least 48 games long. If fans aren't allowed in the stands some team owners prefer losing an entire year apparently, Bettman doesn't think it's a good idea due to being out of consumers' mindshare for too long, and because the US NHL tv deal is up this season.

Someone please correct me or append info if I'm missing anything.

 

[Zippy316]

Read an article that Vancouver might still deal Virtanen. Says it's easier to trade a player when they dont have arbitration looming. If this is true, what would it take to get him?

I like Virtanen a lot but I don’t see how it makes sense.

Vancouver is likely to shed salary in a deal like this. Devils are likely better off keeping some space open in case something falls into their lap. If Virtanen is dealt it’s likely to get assets rather than a cap dump and to that same point, Devils should hang onto those for bigger needs (namely defensive upgrades).

If it could be done with swapping Wood, I wouldn’t mind at all. Baertschi should be an interesting name to keep an eye on, if they need to shed cap, I wouldn’t mind taking a flyer on him if everything else falls flat.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I like Virtanen a lot but I don’t see how it makes sense.

Vancouver is likely to shed salary in a deal like this. Devils are likely better off keeping some space open in case something falls into their lap. If Virtanen is dealt it’s likely to get assets rather than a cap dump and to that same point, Devils should hang onto those for bigger needs (namely defensive upgrades).

If it could be done with swapping Wood, I wouldn’t mind at all. Baertschi should be an interesting name to keep an eye on, if they need to shed cap, I wouldn’t mind taking a flyer on him if everything else falls flat.

I'd gladly take on that Baertschi deal if Vancouver was willing to throw in Jett Woo.